Today’s Games
Falcons @ Jets
Atlanta Falcons 23, New York Jets 21
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX
Who wants to pick the Falcons right now? Doing it out of respect to Matt Ryan, but won’t be the least bit surprised if Atlanta drops its fourth straight. That’d stick the Falcons with a Golden Sombrero vs. the AFC East. In order to win, the Jets must avoid the giveaways. Much of their surprising start to this season relied on Josh McCown‘s accuracy, with the 38-year-old journeyman making the right plays at precisely the right time. The … well … precise opposite occurred last week in a tie game at Miami, when McCown’s ill-fated pass to Jermaine Kearse was picked off, giving the Dolphins the football with 39 seconds to go, deep in New York territory. On the season, McCown has a 69.2 completion percentage, with 10 touchdown passes, seven interceptions and a 91.5 passer rating. Ryan? 66.5/7/6/89.3. McCown > Ryan? Say it ain’t so. Ryan’s numbers are obviously WAY down from the first six games of his 2016 MVP campaign. His pass-yards-per-game figure has slipped from 345.8 to 265.0. That’s 80 yards! His passer rating’s down 28.6 points.
Chargers @ Patriots
New England Patriots 30, Los Angeles Chargers 24
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
What a cool matchup this game is. The Chargers haven’t won in New England since 2005, when Drew Brees outdueled Tom Brady in a game that seems like forever ago. Tim Dwight had a 30-yard touchdown reception. Remember him? He played for both franchises, and was mentioned prominently in the book “Patriot Reign” as someone Bill Belichick noticed from afar. Wonder what Belichick thinks of Philip Rivers, who plays such a different style of game than his own quarterback. While we’re at it, how about that time Rivers played at Foxborough with a torn knee in the AFC Championship Game? Meanwhile, is anyone talking about Tom Brady as an MVP candidate? Talk about being taken for granted … Brady is averaging 315.4 yards per game, tops in the NFL. He is also sporting a 15:2 TD-to-INT ratio and a robust 108.4 passer rating.
Raiders @ Bills
Oakland Raiders 26, Buffalo Bills 20
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Maybe the toughest game of the week to call. The Raiders came to life last Thursday night and will be playing on 10 days’ rest. The Bills, who have survived a couple of recent close affairs, are surprisingly tied with the Patriots atop the AFC East in the loss column. This game is huge for both Oakland and Buffalo. A win for the Raiders vaults them right back into the thick of the AFC West race, especially with the Chargers playing the Patriots and the Broncos and Chiefs going at it. If the Bills win, they’ll be 5-2 for the first time since 2011, when Ryan Fitzpatrick got hurt and then the team tanked. Buffalo hasn’t been 6-2 (or better) since 1993. That was their last Super Bowl season. The Bills‘ 17-season playoff drought is now the longest in all the major American sports. The Seattle Mariners are at 16, having not made the postseason since Ichiro’s rookie season of 2001. How good was that guy in his prime?
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