Staying in sight of Eagles aim for Cowboys, Redskins
Through the decades, when the Cowboys and Redskins met, it often was for the division lead. On Sunday, the archrivals go at it for the 115th time. At stake: second place in the NFC East behind the high-flying Eagles.
While the Eagles host the winless 49ers already owning a 2 1/2-game edge in the division, the winner at FedEx Field at least can remain in sight of Philly.
So even though neither Dallas nor Washington, both 3-3, will have reached the halfway mark of the schedule, this is a critical matchup.
For Washington, the challenge is heightened because it lost on Monday night at Philadelphia, though coach Jay Gruden didn’t see the short week as too much of a problem.
“Yeah, I think that the one thing that I’m pretty decent at is trying to get a gauge for how our team is feeling, physically, No. 1,” he says.
“The majority of these guys will run through a brick wall for the Washington Redskins, that’s for sure, that’s why I love this group. But I also have to be smart and make sure I understand that this is a long year and I’ve got to make sure that these guys are healthy.
“And there are some things we can do as far as more walkthroughs are concerned, more meeting time, and less pounding and running and physical contact, which, really about Week 6 or 7 it isn’t the end of the world.”
Cowboys fans were having anxiety attacks with their team under .500, but a romp at the 49ers brightened the outlook.
“We are definitely going into the direction that we want to go,” quarterback Dak Prescott says. “We are playing up to our standards and expectations of the way we expect to move the ball, the way we expect to get points. And it’s been going well.
“It’s hard to say there is one thing that has changed. If anything we have continued to keep faith and keep confidence in ourselves and continue with the same game plan we have been doing early in the season. We are getting into a groove.”
49ers at Eagles
Carson Wentz made such a strong impression on Monday night that he’s surged in MVP talk. Yes, it’s just seven weeks, but the Eagles do have the NFL’s best record. And Wentz has been superb.
He leads the league with 17 touchdown passes, including 11 in the past three games. And the way he uses his running skills has Redskins cornerback Josh Norman comparing Wentz to Houdini. Steelers at Lions
The Steelers have won four straight in this series. In addition to the threepronged attack of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh is tied for second in the NFL with 24 sacks. Detroit has allowed 23.
Fortunately for the Lions, they come off a bye, allowing Matthew Stafford to heal up a bit before facing that emerging defense. Vikings vs. Browns at London
It would be no surprise if Browns coach Hue Jackson, 1-22 so far, gets fired if Cleveland loses at Twickenham Stadium. The Browns are off next week, which would allow for more time to adjust to a new boss.
Cleveland is making its first regular-season international trip and doing so without the face of the franchise. Tackle Joe Thomas underwent surgery for a torn triceps that sidelined him in last week’s overtime loss to Tennessee. Chargers at Patriots
Both clubs have won three in a row, with the Patriots looking more like the Patriots, the Chargers perhaps having saved their season.
Gillette Stadium, whether around Halloween or any other time, is a house of horrors for Chargers QB Philip Rivers. He is 1-6 against the Patriots (1-4 regular season, 0-2 in postseason), including 0-3 at Foxborough. He journeys there this time with a good complement in RB Melvin Gordon, and a defense that gets after passers. Texans at Seahawks
How cool might this matchup of energetic, versatile and mobile quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson be? Even if there aren’t a ton of points — Seattle remains a defense-first team and doesn’t light up the scoreboard — this ought to be entertaining.
Houston comes off a bye. Before that, Watson was sensational. Watson has the Texans at No. 3 in scoring offense at 29.5 points per game. They have scored at least 33 points in each of the past four. Raiders at Bills
The Raiders edged the Chiefs a week ago with no time remaining after a wild sequence of penalties. The Bills beat the Bucs on Stephen Hauschka’s 30-yard field goal with 14 seconds left.
This is a homecoming for 2016 Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack. The Raiders defensive end played four seasons at the University at Buffalo before being selected by Oakland with the fifth pick in the 2014 draft. Mack has 12 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and fumble recovery in two career games against the Bills. Panthers at Buccaneers
Carolina is damaging itself by allowing big plays. It allowed two long defensive TDs to Chicago safety Eddie Jackson last Sunday, and that was the difference as the Panthers couldn’t find the end zone.
Cam Newton really struggled at Soldier Field, but this is an opponent he enjoys seeing: In nine meetings, Newton has thrown for 2,068 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also has eight rushing TDs. Bears at Saints
The Saints have soared to the top of the NFC South with four consecutive wins. Their defense has been stout and the running game with Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara is complementing Drew Brees’ passing.
By comparison, Chicago must make huge defensive plays, as Jackson did last week (76-yard INT TD and 75-yard fumble return TD), to compete. Rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky has thrown only 23 passes in the past two games. That’s combined. He hit on 12 with one TD, no INTs.