NFL Week 7: Everything You Need to Know for Sunday's Games
We're rapidly approaching the midpoint of the 2015 NFL season, and while some questions obviously still remain, we're finally getting a clearer picture of the league-wide landscape.
The Cleveland Browns still cannot win close games. It feels like the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals and Carolina Panthers can't lose them. The Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are experiencing growing pains with rookie quarterbacks under center. The New England Patriots continue to thrive with a 38-year-old veteran under theirs.
The Seattle Seahawks? Well, at least they managed to potentially save their season with a 20-3 win over the rival San Francisco 49ers Thursday night.
On Sunday, 24 other teams will try to notch Week 7 wins. The action kicks off at 9:30 a.m. ET when the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars do battle in London. There will be 12 games in total, and most of them should be relatively competitive.
Here's everything you need to know for Sunday's games.
Biggest Questions
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How Will This Streaming Thing Really Go?
We already mentioned that the London game between the Bills and Jaguars will kick off at 9:30 a.m. ET. Of course, this isn't the first time the NFL has gone with an early morning game—the league tried it last year and did it earlier in 2015.
Where this game breaks new ground is in its method of delivery. Outside of the Jacksonville and Buffalo markets, the game will only be watchable via online streaming from Yahoo.
This means that the game will be broadcast globally, but it also means that folks without an Internet connection will be unable to watch if they don't live in the local markets. Third-shift employees who are looking forward to going to the pub for a morning football game are out of luck.
In theory, this is an interesting way for an NFL game to be broadcast, and it probably represents a glimpse into the future. However, fans might not be so keen on the idea if the league decides to sell, say, a 16-game package that can only be viewed online.
The league clearly wants to expand into the global market, but is it willing to alienate some North American fans in order to provide a global online broadcast?
General reaction to Sunday's stream should give us some feedback.
Is Matt Cassel Really an Upgrade over Brandon Weeden?
The Dallas Cowboys continue to be without starting quarterback Tony Romo because of a fractured clavicle. For the past three games, the team has relied on backup and former first-round pick Brandon Weeden.
Weeden has passed for 738 yards and two touchdowns with two picks since Romo exited with the injury. Weeden has also posted a somewhat respectable passer rating of 92.1. However, he has gone 0-3 as a starter, and Dallas will now replace him with journeyman Matt Cassel.
The Cowboys are coming out of the bye week, so there has been time to integrate Cassel into the offense. The question is whether Cassel, who was acquired from the Bills, will really provide an upgrade at the quarterback position.
He has more experience and has won more games than Weeden, but he doesn't possess the same raw arm talent and hasn't been with the organization as long. He also wasn't good enough to realistically compete for Buffalo's starting job with EJ Manuel and Tyrod Taylor.
Hopefully, Cassel can offer better decision-making at the position. Weeden has made too many questionable throws over the past few weeks. If Cassel can't, it wouldn't be too surprising to see another dose of Weeden before Romo makes his return.
Will the Dolphins Continue on a Positive Path under Dan Campbell?
The Miami Dolphins started the season 1-3 and rarely played up to their talent potential, which ultimately resulted in the firing of head coach Joe Philbin.
Longtime tight ends coach Dan Campbell was installed as interim head coach before the team's Week 5 bye. The Dolphins came out of the break with a new sense of determination and swagger. Playing up to their potential wasn't a problem in Week 6, as the Dolphins rocked the Tennessee Titans en route to a 38-10 victory.
Will Miami continue to take positive steps this week against the Houston Texans? This is an important question because another win would put the team at .500 and realistically back into the playoff hunt.
Competing for the AFC East title could prove difficult, as the Dolphins sit in a 0-2 division hole; however, a wild-card berth is certainly possible if Campbell can continue to turn this thing around.
Game of the Day
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What: New York Jets at New England Patriots
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: CBS
This game seems to lack the hype we've come to expect in recent years, thanks to the fact that Rex Ryan is no longer a part of the New York Jets franchise. Still, we're talking about Jets vs. Patriots, and we're talking about a game between a very good 4-1 team and an undefeated one.
This is also a great matchup between contrasting team strengths. The Patriots rank first in scoring offense (36.6 points per game), while the Jets rank first in scoring defense (15.0 points per game allowed).
This feels an awful lot like a Patriots-Jets matchup we have seen several times over, but the difference is that New York isn't coming into the game with a Ryan-induced emotional frenzy.
"I think it's a different approach for us this time around and that's how we have to follow behind Coach [Todd] Bowles," cornerback Darrelle Revis said, per ESPN.com (h/t Andie Hagemann of NFL.com). "Rex, he has his way of doing things in the past, and now it's different. This is how we approach it."
Even if the Jets seem to be taking a more business-like approach, you can bet there is still bad blood between these two franchises. This one is going to be a fun grudge match to watch.
Honorable Mention: Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are another undefeated team that will be in action Sunday, though their game will come in prime time against the Philadelphia Eagles. This game has potential playoff implications, as the Eagles sit atop the NFC East standings.
A matchup between a Chip Kelly offense against a stout Panthers defense (ranked eighth with 18.8 points per game allowed) is going to be a good one, even if it doesn't quite have the flair of Jets vs. Patriots.
Stats of the Week
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Consecutive home wins by the Patriots over the rival Jets. Will the trend end Sunday? The AFC East race could well hinge upon it.
The current passer rating of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The highest rating with which Brady has finished a season is 117.2. That came during the 16-0 campaign of 2007. Brady really might be playing the best football of his career.
Consecutive losses by the designated "home" team in NFL games played in London. Is there really any surprise as to why most NFL owners dislike giving up a home game for the International Series?
Rushing yards per game the Cleveland Browns defense has allowed this season, once again last in the league. Next up is St. Louis Rams rookie back Todd Gurley, who has averaged 152.5 yards over the past two games. If you have Gurley in your fantasy league, he's as close to a must-start as we've seen in some time.
Yards passing by San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers this season. This puts him on pace for a 5,643-yard season, which would be an NFL record. Next up is the Oakland Raiders and their 32nd-ranked pass defense (299.3 yards per game allowed).
The number of teams to have won back-to-back NFC South titles. That would be the Panthers, who remain one of the league's few undefeated teams.
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Who Is Favored?
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Here are the odds for Sunday's games, via Odds Shark:
| Game Time (ET) | Away Team | Home Team | Favorite |
| 9:30 a.m. | Buffalo | Jacksonville (in London) | Buffalo -4.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Minnesota | Detroit | Even |
| 1 p.m. | New Orleans | Indianapolis | Indianapolis -4 |
| 1 p.m. | Pittsburgh | Kansas City | Kansas City -1 |
| 1 p.m. | Houston | Miami | Miami -4.5 |
| 1 p.m. | NY Jets | New England | New England -10 |
| 1 p.m. | Cleveland | St. Louis | St. Louis -7 |
| 1 p.m. | Atlanta | Tennessee | Atlanta -5.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Tampa Bay | Washington | Washington -3 |
| 4:05 p.m. | Oakland | San Diego | San Diego -3.5 |
| 4:25 p.m. | Dallas | NY Giants | NY Giants -3.5 |
| 8:30 p.m. | Philadelphia | Carolina | Carolina -3 |
Matchups to Watch
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Detroit Defense vs. Adrian Peterson
The defense of the Detroit Lions just hasn't been the same since the departures of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley from the line. A defensive front that was among the best in the NFL a season ago is now allowing 120.7 yards per game on the ground (26th in the league).
The challenge this Sunday is Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who gashed the Lions for 134 yards the last time these two division rivals met.
The 1-5 Lions are coming off a big win against the Chicago Bears and will have home-field advantage. If they cannot find a way to at least slow Peterson, however, this will be a game that favors Minnesota.
Tom Brady vs. Darrelle Revis
When the Jets face off against the Patriots, the game will feature an internal chess match between former teammates Tom Brady and Darrelle Revis. After spending the 2014 season together, these two know each other's tendencies and strengths. The two players are also very, very good.
Brady is rated third overall among quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus. Revis is rated ninth overall among cornerbacks.
This matchup will be a lot more about the Jets putting Revis in different positions and Brady trying to avoid him than it is about the two squarely engaging.
"I’d like to see that matchup but Tom, being smart, I just don’t see us getting the entertainment we want," former Patriots and Jets cornerback Ty Law said of the battle, per Ron Borges of the Boston Herald. "Why would you go after the other team’s best player?"
This should be a fun matchup to watch, even if it's a lot more mental than physical.
Raiders Pass Defense vs. Philip Rivers
We've already mentioned that Rivers is on fire this year (the Chargers are averaging 433 yards passing per game), while the Raiders are struggling to stop the pass. On paper, this looks like one of those mismatches that could be harder to ignore than a Kardashian.
However, the Chargers are far from a complete team, and if the Raiders can find a way to contain Rivers, they can win this divisional battle.
The secret to finding success against Rivers is Oakland's pass rush. Linebackers Khalil Mack and Aldon Smith are rated fifth and 13th, respectively, among 3-4 outside linebacker in pass-rushing efficiency by Pro Football Focus.
If the Raiders give Rivers time in the pocket, he's going to pick their defense apart. Unfortunately for Rivers, his offensive line is far from a strength. It's rated 31st overall in pass blocking by Pro Football Focus, which is why this is a better matchup than might appear at first glance.
Matt Cassel vs. the Giants Pass Defense
As is the case in Oakland, the Giants have had some trouble stopping the pass this season. The Giants are ranked one spot below the Raiders in pass defense, allowing an average of 298.5 yards per game through the air.
Unfortunately, the Giants don't have anything resembling an elite pass-rusher active on the roster. In fact, the team is rated dead last in pass-rushing efficiency by Pro Football Focus.
Can Cassel take advantage in his first start for the Cowboys?
This is a matchup that favors the journeyman signal-caller if he can play up to a reasonable level of effectiveness. If he can, then the Cowboys will have a good chance of pulling off the upset and getting back into the NFC East race.
Injury Report
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Each week, we'll look at the most notable injuries for Sunday's games.
Michael Vick, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers (out)
Backup quarterback Michael Vick (hamstring) has officially been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. According to ESPN.com, starter Ben Roethlisberger (knee) has been upgraded to questionable, but the team is still preparing to go with third-stringer Landry Jones under center.
Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans (out)
According to NFL Media's Albert Breer, the Titans have officially ruled out rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota this week. The former Oregon star suffered an MCL sprain last week against the Dolphins. Second-year quarterback Zach Mettenberger will get the start.
Alec Ogletree, LB and Chris Long, DE, St. Louis Rams (out)
According to the team's injury report, defenders Chris Long (knee) and Alec Ogletree (ankle) will miss Sunday's game against the Browns. Wideout Tavon Austin (hand) is questionable.
Nelson Agholor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (out)
According to Philadelphia's injury report, the team will be without rookie receiver Nelson Agholor (ankle) Sunday against the Panthers. Linebacker Kiko Alonso is also out with a knee injury.
Mike Adams, S, Indianapolis Colts (out)
The Colts have ruled out safety Mike Adams (hamstring) against the New Orleans Saints. Fellow safety Clayton Geathers is listed as doubtful with a knee injury, per the injury report.
Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys (doubtful)
It doesn't appear the Cowboys will be getting star receiver Dez Bryant (foot) back this week. He hasn't practiced all week and is listed as doubtful. According to ESPN's Ed Werder, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett has said "practice a must."
Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers (questionable)
Gates is officially listed as questionable with a knee sprain. However, Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports has reported that the tight end is looking "increasingly doubtful."
Expert Predictions
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Each week, we'll take a look at picks and predictions from some of the top Bleacher Report NFL writers. We'll also spotlight the experts' results on a week-to-week basis.
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