NFL 2022: Football Food For Thought (Week 6)

There are no more winless teams in the NFL this season. On other hand, the Philadelphia Eagles remain perfect in 2022. But on Sunday night in the City of Brotherly Love, Nick Sirianni’s team could face its biggest challenge of the year to date in their divisional rivals from Dallas.

Meanwhile, two teams that have met in the playoffs each of the past two years clash this week in Kansas City.

Off: Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Tennessee

Thursday, Oct. 13

Washington (1-4) at Chicago (2-3): The Commanders make their first appearance in the Windy City since 2016 when the franchise was still known as the Redskins. It might be a good night for the Washington ground game to get untracked. Only the Seattle Seahawks have given up more rushing yards than Matt Eberflus’ team this year.

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Sunday, Oct. 16

San Francisco (3-2) at Atlanta (2-3): Kyle Shanahan’s club is back east looking to notch another win over an NFC South club. The 49ers’ top-ranked defense continues to impress as the team has allowed just 61 points (tied with Buffalo for the fewest in the league) and leads the NFL with 21 sacks – six of those by defensive end Nick Bosa.

New England (2-3) at Cleveland (2-3): After winning in Week 1 for the first time since 2004, the Browns have dropped three of their last four games. The defense has had its issues – especially against the run. In their last two outings, losses to the Falcons (202) and Chargers (238), Cleveland has allowed a combined 440 yards rushing.

N.Y. Jets (3-2) at Green Bay (3-2): Last Sunday in London, the Giants matched their win total of 2021 (4) with an upset of the Packers. This week, the scene is Lambeau Field but the 3-2 Jets can do the same thing vs. the same club. New York has scored 24-plus points in each of their three wins and a combined 21 points in two losses.

Jacksonville (2-3) at Indianapolis (2-2-1): It’s the first divisional rematch of the season. Back in Week 2 at Jacksonville, Doug Pederson’s team blanked the Colts, 24-0. Indianapolis is already playing its fourth divisional game of 2022 and has yet to beat an AFC South rival (0-2-1). The Colts have scored an NFL-low 69 points.

Minnesota (4-1) at Miami (3-2): Mike McDaniel’s club will have a different starting quarterback for the third straight week as Skylar Thompson gets the nod. But what the Dolphins could really use is a legitimate running game. A year ago, the team finished 30th in the league in rushing. And that’s exactly where they stand now.

Cincinnati (2-3) at New Orleans (2-3): A week ago, the underrated Cincinnati defense gave up just one touchdown in the Sunday night loss at Baltimore. Despite a 2-3 record, Zac Taylor’s club has been solid on this side of the ball. Opponents have settled for 18 field goal attempts while the Bengals have allowed only five offensive touchdowns.

Baltimore (3-2) at N.Y. Giants (4-1): It will be interesting to see if Daniel Jones could break out against a team that has allowed the most passing yards in the league? Brian Daboll’s club has run for the second-most yards in the NFL. Only the Bears have gained fewer yards through the air. The Giants have a total of three TD passes in five games.

Tampa Bay (3-2) at Pittsburgh (1-4): Including three AFC title game wins, Buccaneers’ quarterback Tom Brady faced the Steelers 15 times while he was with the Patriots. He owns a 12-3 record as a starter, throwing for 4,440 yards, 34 scores and only five interceptions. Only the Ravens have given up more passing yards than the Steelers.

Carolina (1-4) at L.A. Rams (2-3): Carolina has a new head coach in interim sideline leader Steve Wilks. He led the Arizona Cardinals to a 3-13 record in 2018 and was gone after just one season. Wilks’ starting quarterback on Sunday will be P.J. Walker. Since opening 3-0 in 2021, the Panthers are a combined 3-16 in their last 19 games.

Arizona (2-3) at Seattle (2-3): Fortunately for Kliff Kingsbury’s team, they are headed to the Pacific Northwest to face this NFC West rival. This season, the Cardinals are 0-3 at home but 2-0 on the road. The club is also 5-2 in its last seven trips to Seattle. The Cards still haven’t scored a point in the first quarter but the Seahawks have (41).

Buffalo (4-1) at Kansas City (4-1): Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes is off to a strong start. He’s hit on 66.7 percent of his passes for 1,398 yards, 15 scores, two interceptions and zero lost fumbles. After five games in 2021, he threw for 1,490 yards (69.2 completion percentage) and 16 TDs. But Mahomes committed seven turnovers.

Dallas (4-1) at Philadelphia (5-0): A year ago, the Eagles went through some growing pains early on with new head coach Nick Sirianni. The team dropped five of its first seven games. Since then and including the playoff loss to the Buccaneers, the Birds are a combined 12-4. Meanwhile, Dallas has won eight straight games vs. NFC East rivals.

Monday, Oct. 17

Denver (2-3) at L.A. Chargers (3-2): Only two teams in the league have allowed fewer total yards and fewer points than the Broncos. But this defense faces a challenge in red-hot Chargers’ running back Austin Ekeler. In his last two games, he’s run for a combined 233 yards and three TDs and caught 10 passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns.