Welcome to Week 7 featuring two of the hottest teams in the NFL, the Jets and Giants. That’s right. The Jets (4–2) and Giants (5–1) have won a combined six consecutive games and look to extend their three-game winning streaks on the road at Jacksonville and Denver. Right now, the Giants are the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoff picture and the Jets are the No. 6 seed. But there’s still plenty of football to be played, so get ready for another crucial week on the NFL schedule.
To get it kicked off, Albert Breer and Conor Orr will take you through the Sunday and Monday games, noting the best matchups and what they’ll be watching.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
Giants at Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET Sunday: The Giants come in as underdogs despite their 5–1 record. Brian Daboll is simply outcoaching his opponents and manufacturing situations that are nearly impossible for defensive coordinators to prepare for. If we thought he was bringing with him a system from Buffalo, those illusions have quickly disappeared. He’ll meet his match in Mike Caldwell, the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator, who has creatively deployed a very young and very athletic defense with the kind of tools that could stymie the moving pieces in Daboll’s scheme. —
Falcons at Bengals, 1 p.m. ET Sunday: The Falcons are not going to be able to sneak up on teams for much longer after having won three of four—and they had a good shot at making it four in a row if not for the dreadful roughing-the-passer call on Grady Jarrett in Tampa. In those four games, Arthur Smith’s innovative run game has rolled up 179, 202, 151 and 168 yards. I’m picking the Bengals. But an upset wouldn’t be a shock. —
Colts at Titans, 1 p.m. ET Sunday: In a matchup that feels destined for the entertainment outpost that is these two underperforming but gritty entities meet up in a Sunday tilt destined to look a lot like two Honda Accords slowly banging into one another in a medical complex parking lot. Both teams have a chance to eviscerate their early-season woes and take the control panels in an AFC South that we figured to be much better at this point. —
Jets at Broncos, 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday: This feels like two teams headed in very different directions. The Jets have won four of five, just beat Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau and a loaded rookie class—from Sauce Gardner to Garrett Wilson to Breece Hall—has been a huge part of it for a very young team that gets the Patriots next week. Meanwhile, the Broncos have lost three straight, blowing late leads in overtime losses the past two weeks. So this is a big spot for both groups. —
Seahawks at Chargers, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday: This is a huge get-right game for the Chargers’ offense, which is next on our collective you-know-what list for keeping Justin Herbert in a corner. And no one keeps Herbert in a corner for very long. We’ll see if last week’s defensive surge from the Chargers was just a mirage, seeing as they were playing the Broncos, or if this was the start of a stretch where they can routinely hold professional offenses below 21 points. The Chargers will try to do so against the upstart Seahawks, who, if nothing else, can score points. —
Chiefs at 49ers, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday: Among those on the 49ers’ injury report: Arik Armstead, Mike McGlinchey, Talanoa Hufanga, Charvarius Ward, Nick Bosa, Jimmie Ward and Trent Williams. Injuries wound up biting San Francisco in Atlanta last week, and it won’t get any easier this week with the Chiefs looking to get right after a tough loss to the Bills in Week 6. —
