Every Sunday morning Sportsnet’s NFL experts will serve up a playbook containing the 10 things you need to know as of a few hours before kickoff. Whether you play fantasy football, like to wager or just want to sound smart at your local watering hole, we’ve got you covered.
Big battle in AFC East: Who would’ve thought this Week 6 matchup in Orchard Park would be for top spot in the AFC East? Well, that’s the case and the Bills have the chance to shock the football world, but it’s not going to be easy. Tom Brady and the Patriots are coming off a 43-17 drubbing of the Bengals and there’s no doubt New England is playing with a chip on its shoulder. Even more damning is Bill Belichick’s recent record in Buffalo. The Patriots are 11-2 at the Ralph since 2001, winning by an average of almost 16 points a game. Some say this is a different Bills team, though. Some say Buffalo isn’t the pushover they’ve been in years past. Sunday, we’ll find out.
It’s going to get worse for the Jets before it gets better: The Jets are a mess. Geno Smith was supposed to take strides forward this season, but it seems the sophomore quarterback is trending in the wrong direction. Get this: Smith completed just four of his last 12 passes for 27 yards and a pick, sporting a wretched 7.6 quarterback rating before he was benched in the second half against the Chargers last weekend. Seven. Point. Six. New York’s offence is putting up just over 15 points a game; good luck keeping up with Peyton Manning and the offensive juggernaut Broncos. Oh, and the Jets rank 30th against the pass … this could get ugly.
The race for the No. 1 overall pick: It might still be relatively early, but the conversation has to begin at some point: which team has the best shot at the top pick in next year’s draft? Five weeks into the NFL season, we’ve got two prime – and familiar – candidates for the league’s worst team: the Raiders and the Jaguars. Both teams are winless heading into Week 6, while the Raiders rank last in total offence and the Jags are bottom of the NFL in total defence. So who has the best chance of heading into Week 7 with a goose egg still in the win column? Most definitely the Raiders, who face off against MVP frontrunner Philip Rivers and the 4-1 Chargers. Oddly enough, the Jaguars have a good chance of earning their first victory Sunday when they head to Nashville to take on the Locker-less Titans.
It’s up to Teddy to get the Vikings back on track: Teddy Bridgewater’s first start in the NFL was full of ups and downs; the Vikings took it to the Falcons 41-28 and the rookie QB threw for more than 300 yards, but then suffered an ankle injury and had to miss the Vikings’ next game, in which they were lambasted by the Packers on Thursday Night Football. Bridgewater returns to the field this week against the divisional-rival Lions, and the pressure is on to get the Vikings back on track. Bridgewater has shown plenty of potential in his short time on the field, but his size and durability has been a major question mark. We’ll find out more about the rookie on Sunday.
Statement game for Brian Hoyer and the Browns: In their Week 1 matchup against the Steelers, Hoyer and the Browns fell behind 27-3 before staging an epic comeback only to fall just short, eventually losing 30-27. This week, following yet another epic comeback – Cleveland rallied from 25-down against the Titans last week for the largest road comeback in NFL history – Hoyer and the Browns will be looking to prove they belong in the AFC North conversation. The rematch against the Steelers couldn’t come at a better time. Pittsburgh barely survived a matchup against the winless Jaguars in Week 5 and has been anything but consistent since their opening-weekend win over Cleveland.
DeMarco Murray vs. No. 1 rushing defence: DeMarco Murray has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of his five games this season. He can tie a record for the longest streak in NFL history if he can exceed the 100-yard mark this weekend, but it won’t be easy. Seattle boasts the No. 1 rush defence in the league — and are even tougher to play at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks have allowed only 2.6 yards per carry and have not allowed a running back to exceed 38 rushing yards in a game. Something has to give in this matchup.
Bengals without their top receiving weapon: The Cincinnati Bengals suffered a major setback this week. Star receiver A.J. Green aggravated a toe ligament during practice and will not play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers — despite being listed as questionable. Green was in a walking boot during Friday’s practice. It’s a tough blow to a Bengals passing attack that is already missing receiver Marvin Jones and tight end Tyler Eifert. In Green’s absence, the Bengals will turn to Mohamed Sanu (sleeper fantasy alert!) to fill in as the primary receiver while Brandon Tate, mostly a special teams weapon, will see more reps as well.
Calvin Johnson won’t be available for Lions: Speaking of injured receivers, the Detroit Lions do not expect to have Calvin Johnson in the lineup against the Vikings. Johnson has been listed as doubtful, although coach Jim Caldwell told reporters that the injury is not a long-term concern. The Lions will instead feature Golden Tate, who is due for another big week. The former Seahawk has 15 catches the last two weeks and has exceeded 115 receiving yards in each of those contests. Going up against a Vikings defence that struggles to defend the pass, the Notre Dame product should be in line for a third straight 100-yard game.
Lions did fix a huge roster hole: Lions fans were thrilled to learn that kicker Alex Henery is no longer on the roster. After a disastrous performance that included three missed field goals in last Sunday’s loss to Buffalo, the Lions parted ways with Henery and brought in former Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater. Prater has been one of the more reliable kickers in the NFL the last few years and should prove as a sizeable upgrade for a team that desperately needed it.
Who plays QB for Arizona? The Arizona Cardinals received great news on Friday when backup quarterback Drew Stanton was cleared to return after suffering a concussion in Week 5’s loss to the Denver Broncos. Heading into Friday, it remained totally unclear who would start for Arizona, as Carson Palmer has a banged up shoulder and isn’t ready to return. So against the Redskins, it’ll be Stanton starting with rookie Logan Thomas in line for backup duty.
