It may be hard to believe, but the NFL season has already made it to week seven.
Texans vs Dolphins
A game between two teams that each have two wins may not seem great on the surface, but both Houston and Miami are working to turn their seasons around and need a win here. Both teams are coming off victories in week seven, so a win really could change the fortunes of their seasons. Miami looked like a completely different team last week in their first game under interim head coach Dan Campbell. Neither team lacks talent and they were both expected to compete for a playoff spot. A playoff berth will still be possible for the winner, but it would be a tough task.
Unit to Watch: Dolphins’ defensive line
With premier talents Cameron Wake and Ndamukong Suh on the defensive line, you would expect this unit to play well. That wasn’t the case early in the year, but last week saw the line record five sacks, four of which came from Wake. How will they play this week?
Jets vs Patriots
Surprisingly, the winner of this game will be in first place of the AFC East. While it is no surprise that New England is undefeated, the Jets were thought to be rebuilding under new head coach Todd Bowles and company, but they have jumped out to a 4-1 record thanks to a stingy defense that forces turnovers and Ryan Fitzpatrick’s steady quarterback play. New York’s performance in Foxboro will tell us a lot about this team. Are they a legitimate playoff contender? Even if the Jets lose, a close loss would still show they have playoff potential.
Matchup to Watch: WR Julian Edelman vs CB Darrelle Revis
Teammates on the Patriots’ Super Bowl winning team last year, Revis will now be tasked with covering Edelman. The shifty receiver spends 48.4 percent of his time in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus, but expect Revis to shadow him all over the field.
Cowboys vs Giants
It seems like every week of this season has featured a quality NFC East game. This time, it is the Cowboys-Giants Part II. These two teams did battle in week one and Dallas won a thriller on Sunday night, with Jason Witten scoring the game-winning touchdown with seven seconds left. Since then, the Cowboys have been decimated by injuries, losing stars Tony Romo and Dez Bryant among others. Without these players, Dallas has gone into a slide, losing three in a row. New York laid an egg against Philadelphia last week. Can they bounce back in another divisional game?
Player to Watch: QB Matt Cassel, Cowboys
After starting Brandon Weeden for three games, the Cowboys are giving the reins of the offense to veteran Matt Cassel, who was acquired in a trade after Romo’s injury. If Dallas is to rebound and make the playoffs, they need Cassel to perform well for the next few weeks.
Eagles vs Panthers
Despite an up and down season, Philadelphia is sitting in first place of the NFC East at 3-3. On the flip side, Carolina is one of the five unbeaten teams remaining. The Panthers’ record is a bit of a surprise. Last week they proved they are no fluke, as they went into Seattle and left victorious, taking down the Seahawks 27-23 on a late Greg Olsen touchdown. The best part for Carolina is they missed star linebacker Luke Kuechly (concussion) for three games, but are still thriving on defense (he returned last week). This week, they get Chip Kelly’s diverse scheme, where quarterback Sam Bradford has proven to be wildly inconsistent.
Cam Newton for MVP?
With Carolina’s great start, Newton is starting to receive some MVP conversation. Obviously there is a lot of season left to be played, but there will always be MVP speculation. Statistically speaking, Newton’s game may not be the best, but he is playing the best football of his career for an undefeated team.
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