FOOTBALL NFL ARTICLES

At least the Cincinnati Bengals picked a good time to have a down year. With the rest of the AFC North struggling, Cincy remains right in the thick of the race despite being a game under .500 with a tie. The Bengals also had the week to recover while the rest of the division was duking it out. The division is still up for grabs but the Bengals have put themselves in a hole and they need to start digging out before it’s too late. Cincy was considered a favorite in the AFC before the season began and they have the second half to make it happen. It starts with a Week 10 matchup against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.... 

The schedule couldn’t have worked out better for the Arizona Cardinals. Coming off their bye with a chance to regroup for a second half push, the Cards get the scuffling San Francisco 49ers in their first game back. Just because the Niners are on the docket doesn’t make it automatic, but the Bay Area team has been helpless to stop opposing offenses this season and the Cards sure could use a breather. Arizona goes for the season sweep when the clubs meet in Week 10 in the desert.... 

Having played just one away game in the last month and a half, the Green Bay Packers will make up for that scheduling quirk with the next three games on the road beginning with their Week 10 encounter at the Tennessee Titans. Losing three of the last four games with two of those defeats coming at Lambeau Field, hitting the bricks may be just what the Packers need. Facing a Titans club that has beaten Jacksonville twice and Cleveland in its last 18 home games might be even better.... 

Apparently the bye came at a bad time for the Philadelphia Eagles. Undefeated at 3-0 entering their off week, the Eagles have stumbled losing for the fourth time in five games since then with Sunday’s loss to the Giants. The rookie magic has worn off and the Eagles have been grounded. The other bird is soaring with the high-flying Atlanta Falcons heading to the City of Brotherly Love for a Week 10 tilt with the NFL’s top ranked offense and first place in the NFC South.... 

The fate of the San Diego Chargers to remain in the city rests in the hands of voters to approve a hotel tax to help fund a new stadium. If that fails, it could be the end of the team in America’s most attractive city. At least the Chargers did their part in the final game before voting day, knocking off the Titans for their third win in four outings. When they take the field for the Week 10 contest with the Miami Dolphins, the Chargers will have a clearer picture of their future.... 

Playing without their three main offensive weapons, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to outlast the inept Jaguars on Sunday for their fourth consecutive win. They did have the benefit of playing against one of the weaker teams but still managed to pull out the victory. The Chiefs likely get some reinforcements back and they sure could use them against the surging Carolina Panthers when the streaking teams meet in Week 10.... 

The Cleveland Browns haven’t posted a victory this season yet they’re only four games out of first place in the AFC North. We’re not saying the Browns have a chance at winning the division, which they don’t, but there is a silver lining as they attempt to get that first one. The Browns have just two victories in their past 21 outings and one of those was an overtime thriller over the Baltimore Ravens last season. The two hook up in a Thursday night Week 10 division showdown.... 

Before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers suited up for their last game they were thinking about making a charge up the NFC South standings. Following a humiliating home loss to the Falcons, the Bucs are now looking to stay out of the basement in the division. They’re also looking to avoid a third straight loss on their current home stand, which was supposed to catapult them into relevancy. The Bucs have lost six consecutive games at home dating back to last season while going 0-6 ATS. They’ll try and break the spell during a Week 10 matchup with the Chicago Bears.... 

Week 10 is going to be a big one in the NFL. There aren't a lot of those big time division battles we know and love this time of year, but there are a couple really big cross-conference clashes that will help us make a bit of a determination which conference is superior at this point in the season.... 

The fate of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers franchise and the rest of their season hinges on the health of Ben Roethlisberger’s knee. The bye came at the right time for the Steelers, who used the off week to get that important joint cleaned up so Big Ben could be upright and back on the field. Mike Tomlin has been coy about Ben’s status and team’s aren’t required to submit injury updates during the bye, so we won’t know for sure if Roethlisberger is ready when his team visits the Baltimore Ravens in a key Week 9 AFC North tussle.... 

A battle for first place in the AFC West gets the prime time spotlight on Sunday night on NBC as the Denver Broncos visit the Oakland Raiders. This is an intriguing Week 9 matchup between the great defense of the Broncos that is first in the NFL against the pass vs. the Oakland passing attack that is ranked 4^th in the league. The Broncos have dominated this series on the road in Oakland of late, winning and covering the last five meetings.... 

Things have gotten so bad for the San Francisco 49ers that they even lost during their bye. At least that’s the joke around the Bay Area. But seriously, there’s never a bad time for an off-week when you’re struggling as bad as the Niners. They had an extra week to stew over their six-game losing streak and some clear heads and fresh bodies might help, but they are still the Niners, and trying to break that slide against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9 will be a difficult chore.... 

It took the Carolina Panthers a while but they finally resembled the Super Bowl team that went 15-1 during the 2015 regular season. Their slow start put them in a big hole and it will be an uphill climb to return to the postseason, but a whoopin of the Cardinals on Sunday could be the impetus to ignite a run. And facing the free-falling Los Angeles Rams in Week 9 is just what the Panthers need to keep rolling.... 

They were the NFL’s last undefeated team and now it looks like the Minnesota Vikings may never win another game. That’s how things roll in the NFL. With two straight road losses, the Vikings have plummeted back to the pack in the NFC and their once firm stranglehold on the North standings is now frighteningly slim. One team with visions of the top spot in the division is the Detroit Lions, who must become the first team to beat the Vikings in their new home during Week 9 in order to get closer.... 

It was only a matter of time before the Jacksonville Jaguars made a coaching change. The only thing is that the coach whose head was served up wasn’t Gus Bradley’s. The scapegoat for the mess the Jags’ season has become was offensive coordinator Greg Olson, who was fired two days after Bradley said he wouldn’t be making any changes to his staff. So much for job security. New OC Nathaniel Hackett will get a chance to prove he can turn the offense around when the Jags take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9.... 

Every team has to deal with injuries and the league-wide mantra is “next man up.” But the Green Bay Packers are running out men and it’s amazing that they even had a chance at beating the Falcons on the road last week. In an odd twist, the lack of starters in the lineup has actually made Aaron Rodgers more successful at orchestrating the Packers offense. He’s had two of his best games while operating without a running back and looks to continue the hot streak against the leaky defense of the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9.... 

When the Denver Broncos last made a trip to the Bay Area, it was for that game in February that ends the NFL season. You know, the Super Bowl. While the stakes aren’t as high this time around, it’s still a huge contest against the Oakland Raiders with first place in the AFC West on the line. The Raiders are going to be sad playing their next four games at the dilapidated Coliseum, especially considering they haven’t lost a road game this season. The success hasn’t translated with only a 1-2 SU and 0-3 ATS home record.... 

It’s a good thing the Seattle Seahawks defense is as good as it’s ever been, because their overwhelming success at shutting down opponents is hiding the fact the offense simply cannot produce. Seattle scored one offensive touchdown against one of the NFL’s worst defensive units on Sunday and the D couldn’t make up the difference in a loss to New Orleans. That effort came on the heels of a two-field goal tie the previous week. The offense will get a chance to familiarize itself with the end zone when the Buffalo Bills visit the Link in Week 9 Monday night action.... 

The Cleveland Browns will have more shots at getting their first victory of the season, but this last one stung, and it’s a pretty good indicator of just how bad the Browns are. Cleveland had the Jets on the ropes and was 30 minutes away from that elusive first victory. Alas, it wasn’t to be and the Brownies look like they are destined to become the second team to finish a 16-game season without a victory. They get the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9 and stranger things have happened. But it is the Browns we’re talking about.... 

For the first time since 2011 the Tennessee Titans have reached the midway point of the season and they don’t have a losing record. It’s quite an accomplishment for a team that had just five combined wins over the previous two seasons. There is finally reason for optimism with the Titans, but before we go proclaiming them as playoff contenders, keep in mind the four teams they’ve defeated have a total of nine wins. Tennessee will attempt to climb over .500 with a Week 9 visit to the San Diego Chargers.... 

It doesn’t look like they’ll catch the Patriots in the AFC East, but the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have each taken strides over the past few weeks to save their seasons. With both teams winning their past two games, at least they’ve become a little more respectable in the division. However, one team will see its winning streak come to an end when the division rivals square off for the first time this season in Week 9.... 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will lean on recent history with the hope of closing the gap on the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South. The Bucs won the season opener, beating the Falcons 31-24 for a third straight victory over their division rival. Tampa Bay completed the 2015 season sweep by beating the Falcons at home last December. It was the last time Tampa Bay won a regular season home game. Since that contest, the Bucs are 0-5 SU and ATS in their own yard. A matchup with the Falcons in Week 9 could change all that.... 

After wading through mediocrity last season, the NFC East has become the toughest division in football in 2016. The play of young quarterbacks has led to the turnaround, but the division still has one of the longest tenured signal-callers. Youth and experience collide when Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles play their second straight inter-division contest against Eli Manning and the New York Giants in Week 9. Riding a two-game winning streak and coming off their bye, the Giants can leapfrog the Eagles in the division standings with a win.... 

In a week where six teams are on bye, five teams are going to be favored on the road.There are some tremendous matchups that are left to be digested, and without a single game with spread of more than seven this week, you can bet that the Week 9 odds are going to be awfully tight.... 

The top two teams in the NFC East meet on Sunday night on NBC as the Philadelphia Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys. This Week 8 matchup is a battle for first place as the Cowboys come in with a record of 5-1 while the Eagles are 4-2. You might think home field would be an advantage in this matchup but that has not been the case recently as the Eagles have won five of their last seven visits to AT&T Stadium including the last three. Dallas has not beaten Philadelphia at home since 2011....