FOOTBALL NFL ARTICLES

The Houston Texans might be rethinking their decision to sign Brock Osweiler to a mega-bucks contract following another pitiful display. Osweiler returned to Denver and laid an egg against his former team, providing Broncos’ GM John Elway more ammunition to use in his public flogging of his old quarterback. The good news for Osweiler and the Texans is that they return home to face the Detroit Lions in Week 8, where they haven’t lost this season and the QBs numbers are far superior.... 

The Minnesota Vikings were the last unbeaten team in the NFL until they succumbed to the Eagles last week. But there’s a good chance the Vikings can get back to their winning ways in their Week 8 contest with the division rival Chicago Bears. Injuries continue to sabotage the Bears season with a few more players down for the count after last week’s game, but they will get Jay Cutler back in the lineup after he was given the thumbs up from medical personnel to resume playing.... 

The Buffalo Bills won’t be so lucky this time around. They escaped the first meeting with the New England Patriots and didn’t have to defend Tom Brady. That worked out pretty well for the Bills, who pitched a shutout, handing the Pats their first blanking at Gillette Stadium. To say Brady and Bill Belichick are out for revenge is probably an understatement. But this Week 8 matchup is large in the AFC East standings as well. A Buffalo win closes the gap while a Pats victory extends the lead to a full three games.... 

It’s looking like déjà vu all over again for the Atlanta Falcons. It was around this time last year when they began to crumble following a 6-1 start. A six-game losing streak in the middle of the season cost them a shot at making the playoffs. Well, after winning four straight, the Falcons are up to their old tricks. Two consecutive losses have Dan Quinn squirming, and it’s not because of his failed fourth down call in overtime. It might be because the Green Bay Packers are coming to town for a Week 8 contest and the losing skid could continue.... 

Who would’ve guessed that the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles would be playing a Week 8 contest with first place in the NFC East on the line? And who would’ve guessed that both teams would be here behind the stellar play of rookie quarterbacks. But both clubs are here because of what the rooks have done. Not only is the division race hanging in the balance, but both Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz will have a chance to sway voters for the rookie of the year award.... 

Just when we’re ready to fire Chuck Pagano and write the Indianapolis Colts off, they pull out a win to save their season. With their season on the brink, the Colts beat Tennessee again and suddenly they are back nipping at the heels of first place in the AFC South. There’s still plenty of room for improvement if the Colts want to be considered a contender in their own division and they’ll get a chance with two huge games before their bye. The first opportunity comes in a Week 8 showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.... 

After finding every possible way to give games away in the first part of the season, the San Diego Chargers have reversed the trend with their first two-game winning streak in nearly two years. They overcame a 17-point deficit to knock off Atlanta in overtime last week for a rare road win. Now, oozing with confidence and their season headed in an upward direction, the Chargers go for the season sweep of the Denver Broncos when the AFC West rivals clash in Week 8.... 

If only we could pair the Seattle Seahawks defense with the New Orleans Saints offense to create a dominant force in the NFC. Unfortunately for each team, the opposite side of the ball isn’t nearly as good. Coming off the first tie in team history, a game in which they failed to score a touchdown, the Seahawks will look to end that slump against one of the worst defensive units in the league. While not as bad as the historically awful group from last season, the Saints continue to have difficulty stopping teams. Something has to give in this Week 8 matchup.... 

There are a heck of a lot of really good games coming up in Week 8 of the season. There might be six teams off, but both the AFC East and NFC East could effectively end up being put away at approximately the halfway point of the season. The Week 8 NFL odds at certainly going to hotly contested, especially in our Week 8 Games of the Week.... 

The Cincinnati Bengals knocked off one of their former offensive coordinators-turned-head coach with a beating of Hue Jackson and the Browns on Sunday. They’ll get another chance when they face Jay Gruden and the Washington Redskins in a Week 8 contest across the pond as the NFL continues its International Series. Gruden was the Bengals OC from 2011 to 2013 and helped mold Andy Dalton into one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Gruden gets his first crack at his former team and mentor.... 

After winning in Jacksonville on Sunday, the Oakland Raiders will hang out in Florida before their Week 8 showdown with the Tampa Buccaneers. And why not, the Raiders have enjoyed the road all season long. They improved to 4-0 away from home with a thumping of the Jaguars and look for the Sunshine State sweep. The Bucs also have a shot at the Bay Area sweep after knocking off the dreadful 49ers in Northern California on Sunday, but they’ll need to get their first home win of the season to do it.... 

The biggest question surrounding the Cleveland Browns is whether they’ll lose more quarterbacks than football games this season. My money is on the games after the Browns lost for the seventh time in as many tries last week. They’ve had six different quarterbacks throw a pass this season and could get Josh McCown back after Cody Kessler was concussed in the latest defeat. At least Kessler might not remember how the game played out, because it was an ugly loss. Up next is the New York Jets in a Week 8 home contest.... 

In a week when both teams had a chance to prove they are contenders in the weak AFC South, both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans failed to measure up. The Jags took a beating at the hands of the Raiders and the Titans can’t seem to break the spell the Colts have over them. Following another ugly loss, the pressure is squarely on Gus Bradley and his Jags to do something positive. If not, we have to start wondering just when the axe will fall on the tenure of the beleaguered coach. The Jaguars and Titans will tussle on Thursday night in Week 8.... 

Remember back in January when the two best teams in the NFL were playing in the NFC Championship game? It seems so long ago when the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers took their combined 28-4 regular season record into that matchup for the right to play in Super Bowl 50. Both teams have struggled this year and the Panthers are just one win better than the Browns at this point. At least the Cardinals have shown signs of being a playoff contender, but they let one get away last week and now look ahead to avenging that disappointing loss that prevented them from playing for a Super Bowl title.... 

The Miami Dolphins made Vegas sportsbooks plenty of money with their upset win over Pittsburgh on Sunday. And it also temporarily quieted a restless fan base. The talk of Rex Ryan getting the axe has quieted, too, after his Buffalo Bills won for the fourth straight time with a thumping of the hapless 49ers. Buffalo has looked like the best team in the AFC over the past month but they still have a hurdle to jump in the East. That hurdle comes next week at home, but the Bills better not look too far ahead.... 

Colin Kaepernick has gotten plenty of attention this season. Unfortunately it hasn’t been for his performance between the white lines, rather his exploits on them. The San Francisco 49ers will try just about anything to be competitive and that includes giving the reins to Kap, who looks nothing like the quarterback that directed the team to a Super Bowl just four seasons ago. The Niners may have their best chance of getting a win when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7. You know the Bucs are thinking the same thing.... 

Teams always look at wins as rallying points and confidence-builders. For the San Diego Chargers it was a job-saver. Mike McCoy had come under intense scrutiny for the way his Chargers continued to find new ways to lose football games. They finally got selfish and overcame their generosity by defeating the Broncos last Thursday, without some anxious moments, though. The team enjoyed a mini-bye with some down time to marinate in the success before taking on the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7.... 

This game had the makings of a classic and a possible AFC Championship game preview until Ben Roethlisberger sustained an injury that will prevent him from playing. The New England Patriots have their quarterback and look like the best in the AFC once again. Without Big Ben, the Pittsburgh Steelers are just another team. The game was a pick em until Roethlisberger went in for surgery. Without him the Steelers are a touchdown dog in this Week 7 tilt.... 

Ryan Fitzpatrick is doing a masterful job of making sure his streak of never appearing in a postseason game gets extended another year. Blame the offseason contract squabble with the New York Jets, but it’s likely Fitz just had a season beyond what he’s actually capable of last year. Todd Bowles benched Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter Monday night, but said he’s sticking with the veteran. If things don’t improve in Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens, it could be permanent.... 

The planets are back in alignment and everything has returned to normal in the NFC West. The Seattle Seahawks enter their Week 7 Sunday night showdown with the Arizona Cardinals riding a three-game winning streak and atop the division. After a shaky start and some rumblings in the desert, the Cards have won two straight and appear to be headed in the right direction. The teams have combined for 10 of the past 12 division titles and once again appear headed on a collision course in 2016.... 

Gary Kubiak is back at work and he’s hoping his Denver Broncos follow him. After four straight wins to start the year, the Broncos stumbled with back-to-back losses and the quarterback play has been questionable. The guy who was drafted to take over the reins from Peyton Manning makes his first appearance against his former team when Brock Osweiler leads the Houston Texans into the Mile High City for a Monday Night Football matchup in Week 7.... 

During the preseason Sam Bradford was the projected starter for the Philadelphia Eagles. That changed when he was dealt to the Minnesota Vikings a week before the regular season began. Now, Bradford is the starter for the Vikings, the only unbeaten team in the NFL, and he gets a crack against his former team and the guy he was dumped in favor of when the clubs hook up in Week 7. The Eagles have lost two straight and Carson Wentz doesn’t look like the golden boy any longer.... 

Contrasting styles will be on display in this Week 7 interconference matchup when the pass-happy New Orleans Saints visit the Kansas City Chiefs. The Saints have shown signs of life with two straight wins following a three-game skid to open the season. They’ve topped the 30-point mark four times and have cashed the over each time with the total at or above 50. The Saints need all that offense because the defense continues to have problems stopping teams. Even the Chiefs could be in for a big day.... 

Don’t tell the Washington Redskins they aren’t the class of the NFC East. Competing in a division that has turned things around in 2016 and is likely the toughest in the NFL, the Skins aren’t ready to relinquish their division crown to anyone just yet. The only division team with a winning record last season, Washington has regrouped following a tough start to rattle off four straight wins. To get a fifth, Washington will have to knock off the Detroit Lions on the road in Week 7.... 

Just when we’re ready to heap all kinds of praise on the Oakland Raiders as they fight to stay at the top of the AFC West and put together their first winning season in over a decade, they play one of their worst games this season, crumbling all the good feelings that have built up over the organization. The Raiders had a chance to gain control of the division but dropped a pivotal battle to Kansas City. They must start the building process over and it won’t be easy on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7....