Preview Roundups
October 19, 2014
Atlanta at Baltimore 1:00 PM ET
The Atlanta Falcons were the class of the NFL offensively for the first few weeks, but Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens may have a claim to that title now. Flacco and the Ravens will try to follow up a dominating performance when they host the Falcons on Sunday. Flacco threw a career-high five touchdown passes in the first 16:03 of a 48-17 thrashing of Tampa Bay last week to send Baltimore to its fourth win in five outings.
Tennessee at Washington 1:00 PM ET
The Tennessee Titans picked up a much needed victory last week and will try to prevent the Washington Redskins from doing the same thing when the teams meet Sunday. The host Redskins have lost four straight games, each of the last three defeats coming by double digits. Meanwhile, the Titans snapped their four-game skid last weekend as they edged winless Jacksonville, 16-14, to pick up their first victory since the season opener.
Seattle at St. Louis 1:00 PM ET
The Seattle Seahawks attempt to bounce back from a rare loss when they visit the struggling St. Louis Rams on Sunday. Seattle was outplayed by the Dallas Cowboys last week in suffering its second loss of the season and looks to get well against the NFC West-rival Rams, a team it has beaten in 16 of the past 18 meetings. St. Louis is 0-3 at home and trying to gain a rhythm with fourth-string quarterback Austin Davis.
Cleveland at Jacksonville 1:00 PM ET
The Cleveland Browns are seeking their best six-game start since 2001 when they enter a soft portion of the schedule Sunday at the winless Jacksonville Jaguars. After two straight wins, including a 31-10 triumph over Pittsburgh last week, the Browns have set their sights on a trio of games against teams that enter with a combined 1-16 mark.
Cincinnati at Indianapolis 1:00 PM ET
Cincinnati couldn't have picked a worse time than Sunday to visit Andrew Luck and surging Indianapolis. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis must try and find a way to slow down the No. 1 offense in the league after watching his team get scorched for 80 points and 936 yards the past two weeks. “We'll have to go back to fundamentals," Lewis said earlier this week. “You make sure we’re doing things the correct way all of the time."
Minnesota at Buffalo 1:00 PM ET
The Minnesota Vikings are near the bottom of the league in passing and are searching for ways to avoid getting blown out. The Buffalo Bills, who visit the Vikings on Sunday, had their pass defense shredded by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots last week as they suffered their third loss in four games. Minnesota and Buffalo are both onto their second quarterbacks of the young season, and rookie Teddy Bridgewater’s promising start for the Vikings has taken a sharp turn.
Miami at Chicago 1:00 PM ET
Although the Chicago Bears prevented a three-game losing skid with a win last week, they'll need a repeat performance on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins to avoid an 0-3 start to the season at Soldier Field. Matt Forte rushed for a pair of second-half touchdowns and reeled in double-digit receptions for the second straight contest in Chicago's 27-13 victory over Atlanta last week.
New Orleans at Detroit 1:00 PM ET
New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees has carved up Detroit in the past but could find it tougher to roll up the points and yards when the Saints visit the Lions on Sunday. Brees is 4-0 as a starter against Detroit and averaged 379.3 passing yards while throwing 14 touchdowns against just one interception. What’s different this time is the Lions lead the NFL in pass defense (197.2) and in total defense (270.7).
Carolina at Green Bay 1:00 PM ET
Aaron Rodgers is emerging as one of the favorites for the NFL's Most Valuable Player award, and he'll try to lead the Green Bay Packers to their fourth straight victory Sunday against the visiting Carolina Panthers. Rodgers leads the NFC with a 111.4 quarterback rating and 15 touchdown passes and is the only player in NFL history to throw for at least 15 TDs with no more than one interception in his team's first six games.
Kansas City at San Diego 4:05 PM ET
If not for blowing an 11-point fourth-quarter lead in the season opener, the San Diego Chargers would be carrying a perfect record into Sunday's matchup against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs. Of course, Philip Rivers and the Chargers needed a late comeback of their own in last week's 31-28 victory at Oakland to run their winning streak to five games. San Diego has won six of the last seven meetings against the AFC West-rival Chiefs, including a pair of three-point victories last season.
Arizona at Oakland 4:25 PM ET
Carson Palmer returned from injury last week to help the Arizona Cardinals avoid their first losing streak of the season. The 34-year-old quarterback looks to continue his success against his former team Sunday as the Cardinals visit the lowly Oakland Raiders. Palmer, who spent 1 1/2 seasons with Oakland before joining Arizona last year, missed three games with a damaged nerve in his shoulder after leading his team to a season-opening victory over San Diego.
N.Y. Giants at Dallas 4:25 PM ET
DeMarco Murray has run roughshod behind a rebuilt offensive line as the Dallas Cowboys have won five in a row to claim a share of the NFC East lead. Murray will attempt to become the first running back to begin a season with seven consecutive 100-yard rushing performances when the Cowboys host the division rival New York Giants on Sunday.
San Francisco at Denver 8:30 PM ET
Peyton Manning can shatter the NFL record for career touchdown passes when the Denver Broncos host the surging San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. Manning needs three scoring strikes to surpass the all-time record of 508 held by Brett Favre, but the league's only five-time Most Valuable Player said his focus is on San Francisco. “We’re playing a tough schedule, we've got the 49ers at home and they've been one of the dominant teams of the past couple years," Manning said.