The second half of the 2024 season has begun. With four teams off, that leaves 13 games for Sunday and Monday.
We’ve started doing snapshots of each game. People seem to like them. At least, no one has complained about them. Yet.
Which makes it a good day. Until the complaints start.
Like them or not, you’ll be guaranteed to get your money’s worth in what ultimately is a quick read with plenty of useful tidbits.
2-7 Giants (-6.5) at 2-7 Panthers, Sunday 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network (Rich Eisen and Kurt Warner)
Sorry, Munich.
Germany had some good games in recent years. Not this year.
It’s still do well. The stadium will be full. They’ll sing Country Roads, even as they secretly wish the NFL would take home from their country the two teams that will be playing there.
The Giants have lost four in a row. Last week, the Panthers ended a five-game losing streak.
Daniels Jones remains the quarterback of the Giants. Bryce Young starts again for the Panthers.
But we’ll watch it. Why? Because it’s on TV.
2-7 Patriots at 4-4 Bears (-6), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston)
It’s the first ever game between two long-time friends, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. Chicago needs to turn things around, or ownership might start thinking about who the next coach will be.
Williams tweaked an ankle late in the loss to the Cardinals, but didn’t show up in the injury report this week.
Maye rushed for 95 yards in the Week 9 overtime loss to the Titans. Look for him to keep doing it until teams take it away. Which could open things up elsewhere.
7-2 Bills (-4) at 4-5 Colts, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, and Jason McCourty)
Joe Flacco gets another start for the Colts. If they can’t start winning, why not give Anthony Richardson reps?
The Colts are 3-1 at home this season, but they’re currently on a two-game losing streak. The Bills have won four in a row.
Last Sunday, Buffalo pulled out a win on a last-second, franchise-record 61-yard field goal from previously embattled kicker Tyler Bass. As Bass told PFT after the game, “You’re only as good as your next kick.”
Bass made it a great one. He’ll get a few more next kicks on Sunday.
6-2 Vikings (-6.5) at 2-7 Jaguars, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez)
Quarterback Mac Jones likely gets the start for Trevor Lawrence, who has a left shoulder injury. It’ll be the 2021 first-rounder’s first chance to show what he can truly do in his second NFL stop.
Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson entered the week leading the league in receiving, with 783 yards. But quarterback Sam Darnold has cooled off; he’s gone from eight touchdowns and two turnovers in the first three games of the season to nine and eight, respectively, since then.
Watch the first quarter in this one. The Jaguars have been outscored 48-20, and the Vikings have outscored their opponents, 72-10, in the opening 15 minutes.
5-4 Broncos at 8-0 Chiefs (-7.5), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Kevin Harlan and Trent Green)
Kansas City tries to run its record to 9-0, and its current winning streak to 15. The Chiefs last started 9-0 in 2013, and they’ve never been 10-0.
In Baltimore, the Broncos endured their worst loss (41-10) since last season’s 70-20 shredding in Miami.
Kansas City has beaten Denver at home eight straight times, a streak that started in 2016.
6-3 Falcons (-3.5) at 2-7 Saints, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Joe Davis and Greg Olsen)
A win would push Atlanta’s division record to 5-0. The Falcons haven’t swept the Saints since 2016.
A victory by the Falcons would match their win total for 2021, 2022, and 2023. This year, they’re 5-1 after starting the season 1-2.
The Saints embark on the post-Dennis Allen era, with special-teams coordinator Darren Rizzi as the interim coach.
A loss would run New Orleans’ current losing streak to eight games, their longest since 1980.
4-4 49ers (-6) at 4-5 Buccaneers, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady)
Christian McCaffrey is back for the 49ers, and San Francisco is returning from its bye week. They haven’t won two in a row all year.
The 49ers are 20-7 against the Buccaneers, and its their third straight regular-season meeting.
The Buccaneers hope to have receiver Mike Evans back after their Week 11 bye. They’ve lost three in a row and four out of five since starting the season 3-1.
6-2 Steelers at 7-2 Commanders (-3), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis)
Russell Wilson returns to the site of his first career postseason win, 12 years ago. And he’ll be making his third start with the Steelers.
The Commanders added cornerback Marshon Lattimore via trade, but he won’t play on Sunday due to a hamstring injury. The Steelers added receiver Mike Williams and edge rusher Preston Smith at the deadline.
With a win, the Commanders would move to 8-2 for the first time since 1991, which is the last time they won the Super Bowl. (It’s also the last time they went to the NFC Championship, four years earlier than the Cowboys’ last visit.)
Washington is 4-0 at home. The Steelers are trying to run their current winning streak to four.
2-6 Titans at 5-3 Chargers (-7.5), Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox (Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma)
Will Levis returns for the Titans, but will it matter? The Chargers have the top scoring defense in the NFL, holding opponents to 12.6 points per game.
Under Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers have already matched their 2023 win total, with five.
The schedule stiffens after this week for Team Harbaugh — Bengals, Ravens, Falcons, and Chiefs are up after this weekend.
3-6 Jets (-1) at 5-4 Cardinals, Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta)
The Jets ended a five game winning streak in Week 9, but the Cardinals have won three in a row and four of five. They have five wins after finishing with four in 2023 and 2022.
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has gone 32 straight games without passing for 300 yards.
The Jets allowed only 13 points to the Texans, after allowing 23 or more in four straight games.
This one could come down to Arizona’s ability to run the ball and the Jets’ inability to stop the run. The Cardinals are averaging 149.7 per game on the ground, and the Jets are giving up on average 132.6. New York surrendered a season-high 187 rushing yards against Houston.
6-2 Eagles (-7) at 3-5 Cowboys, Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo)
It’s Cooper Rush time for the Cowboys, due to a hamstring injury that will land Dak Prescott on IR. But take heart, Jerry: Rush is 5-1 as a starter.
The Eagles have won four in a row, scoring 28 or more points in three straight games. Dallas has lost three in a row, giving up 27 or more in each game.
The Cowboys have yet to win a game at home. This is their first performance at AT&T Stadium since a 47-9 loss to the Lions, four weeks ago.
7-1 Lions (-3.5) at 6-3 Texans, Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC (Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth)
Dan Campbell and DeMeco Ryans combined to play 20 years in the NFL — 10 seasons each. And both have done well as head coaches.
Campbell has done better, and his team is arguably the best in the NFL. The Lions have won six in a row, averaging 36 points per game and giving up 18 during the stretch.
The Texans could get receiver Nico Collins back from IR. They need him. The passing game has struggled without him.
Of course, part of the problem is that the offensive line has struggled to protect quarterback C.J. Stroud. And, in Week 9, they didn’t keep riding the hot hand of Joe Mixon.
2-6 Dolphins at 4-4 Rams (-1), Monday 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
The Dolphins have lost three in a row, and the Rams have won three in a row. The much-anticipated return of Tua Tagovailoa has resulted in two losses, no wins.
The games have been close since Tua returned, however. They’ve lost both games by a combined margin of four points.
The L.A. offense has been goosed by the return of receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. In the two games since they made it back, Stafford has six touchdown passes and two interceptions. In six prior games, he had three touchdowns and six turnovers.
