Chiefs visit Titans in first meeting since AFC title game
The Kansas City Chiefs are in catch-up mode sitting at the bottom of the AFC West they’ve won the past five seasons. The Tennessee Titans have an opportunity to prove they’re a team to be reckoned with in the AFC. Now the Chiefs visit Tennessee on Sunday in the first game since Kansas City beat the Titans in January 2020 for the first of back-to-back AFC championships. Titans quarterback says that was two years ago and they’re not to get hung up on that loss. Tennessee has won four of five. The Chiefs are 1-3 against AFC teams this season.
KANSAS CITY (3-3) at TENNESSEE (4-2) Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Chiefs by 4 1/2.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Chiefs 2-4; Titans 4-2.
SERIES RECORD: Chiefs lead 30-24.
LAST MEETING: Chiefs beat Titans 35-24 on Jan. 19, 2020, in Kansas City in the AFC championship game.
LAST WEEK: Chiefs beat Washington 31-13; Titans beat Bills 34-31.
KEY MATCHUP: Titans RB Derrick Henry against the Chiefs’ defense. The NFL leader in both rushing yards (783) and rushing touchdowns (10) has run for at least 100 yards in each of the past five games. Kansas City is giving up 133.2 yards rushing per game this season.
FANTASY TIP: Titans WR A.J. Brown. He had a season-high seven catches for 91 yards last week — all in the second half to tie his career-high for a half. Brown did that while dealing with food poisoning that left him needing three bags of intravenous fluids.
WASHINGTON (2-4) at GREEN BAY (5-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m., EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE: Packers by 8 1/2.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Washington 1-5; Packers 5-1.
SERIES RECORD: Packers lead 21-16-1.
LAST MEETING: Packers beat Washington 20-15 in Green Bay on Dec. 8, 2019.
LAST WEEK: Washington lost 31-13 at home to Chiefs; Packers beat Bears 24-14 in Chicago.
KEY MATCHUP: Packers offensive line vs. Washington defensive line. Washington’s starting defensive line features four former first-round draft picks in Chase Young, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen and Montez Sweat. But even with those guys up front, Washington ranks just 20th in the NFL in sacks per game and is last in the league in scoring defense and pass defense. Washington must put pressure on Rodgers to have any shot at pulling the upset.
FANTASY TIP: McKissic is worth picking up if he’s still on your league’s waiver wire. He should have the ball in his hands quite often if Gibson is unavailable.
CINCINNATI (4-2) at BALTIMORE (5-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Ravens by 6 1/2.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Bengals 3-3, Ravens 3-3.
SERIES RECORD: Ravens lead series 27-23.
LAST MEETING: Ravens beat Bengals 38-3 on Jan. 3 at Cincinnati.
LAST WEEK: Bengals beat Lions 34-11; Ravens beat Chargers 34-6.
KEY MATCHUP: Ravens QB Lamar Jackson against the Cincinnati defense. Baltimore didn’t need Jackson to be spectacular against the Chargers, but Cincinnati’s defensive performance so far suggests the Ravens won’t have it as easy this weekend.
FANTASY TIP: With Murray nursing an injury, look for RB Devonta Freeman to receive more carries — and he led the Ravens in rushing last weekend anyway.
CAROLINA (3-3) at NY GIANTS (1-5)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE: Panthers by 3.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Panthers 3-3; Giants 2-4.
SERIES RECORD: Panthers lead 7-4.
LAST MEETING: Panthers beat Giants 33-31, Oct. 7, 2018, at Charlotte, North Carolina.
LAST WEEK: Panthers lost to Vikings 34-28; Giants lost to Rams 38-11 at home.
KEY MATCHUP: Panthers QB Sam Darnold vs. Giants secondary. Darnold has turned the ball over seven times in the last three games, six on interceptions. He faces a Giants defense that is allowed 264.2 yards passing per game. The big question could be if Carolina’s offensive line gives Darnold time. He has been sacked 12 times in the past three games.
FANTASY TIP: Quarterbacks and receivers have eaten up the Giants and their No. 27 ranked defense all season. Surprise picks: In their return to MetLife, the former Jets step up, so use Darnold and Anderson.
N.Y. JETS (1-4) at NEW ENGLAND (2-4) Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Patriots by 7.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Jets 1-4; Patriots 2-4.
SERIES RECORD: Patriots lead 70-54-1.
LAST MEETING: Patriots beat Jets 25-6 on Sept. 19, 2021, at Jets.
LAST WEEK: Jets had a bye, lost to Falcons 27-20 on Oct. 10 in London; Patriots lost to Cowboys Texans 35-29, OT.
KEY MATCHUP: Wilson vs. Patriots secondary. The Patriots put pressure on Wilson for most of their Week 2 win, forcing him into those season-high four picks. Wilson has thrown just one pick each of the past two games but can expect New England to try to make him uncomfortable in the pocket again this week.
FANTASY TIP: Judon could have another big day against a Jets team that has allowed 18 sacks in 2021, the fifth most in the NFL. He had a sack in the Week 2 meeting and has a sack in two of his three career games against the Jets.
ATLANTA (2-3) at MIAMI (1-5)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE: Atlanta by 2 1/2.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Atlanta 2-3; Miami 2-4.
SERIES RECORD: Dolphins lead 9-4.
LAST MEETING: Dolphins beat Falcons 20-17 on Oct. 16, 2017, in Atlanta.
LAST WEEK: Dolphins lost to Jacksonville 23-20 in London; Falcons had a bye, beat Jets 27-20 on Oct. 10 in London.
KEY MATCHUP: Atlanta’s run game vs. Miami’s defensive front. The Falcons are rushing for only 91 yards a game. If that improves Sunday and softens the Dolphins’ defense against Atlanta QB Matt Ryan, that’s a big problem for Miami.
FANTASY TIP: If you have Pitts and aren’t playing him, especially this week, you probably need to fire yourself as your team’s fantasy GM.
DETROIT (0-6) at L.A. RAMS (5-1)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE: Rams by 15 1/2.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Detroit 3-3, Los Angeles 4-2.
SERIES RECORD: Rams lead 44-41-1.
LAST MEETING: Rams beat Lions 30-16 on Dec. 2, 2018, in Detroit.
LAST WEEK: Lions lost to Cincinnati 34-11; Rams beat New York Giants 38-11.
KEY MATCHUP: Lions rookie LT Penei Sewell vs. Rams OLB Leonard Floyd. Detroit’s pass protection has been solid enough to qualify as a bright spot given all the struggles elsewhere, allowing sacks on 6.3% of dropbacks. But with Goff attempting the fifth-most passes in the NFL, that still adds up to 15 sacks allowed. Sewell will be tested by Floyd, who had 1 1/2 sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery against the Giants.
FANTASY TIP: Not that anyone needs an excuse to consider Kupp a lock WR1 at this point, but the Lions have proven especially vulnerable to top-tier pass catchers this season. Deebo Samuel, Davante Adams, and Justin Jefferson each topped 100 yards receiving, and rookie Ja’Marr Chase came up 3 yards shy of the century mark last Sunday. Everything is set up for Kupp to continue piling up big numbers this week.
PHILADELPHIA (2-4) at LAS VEGAS (4-2)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE: Raiders by 3.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Philadelphia 3-3; Las Vegas 3-3.
SERIES RECORD: Eagles lead 7-6.
LAST MEETING: Eagles beat Raiders 19-10 on Dec. 25, 2017, in Philadelphia.
LAST WEEK: Eagles lost to Buccaneers 28-22; Raiders beat Broncos 34-24.
KEY MATCHUP: Eagles DT Javon Hargrave vs. Raiders interior OL. Hargrave leads all DTs in the NFL with six sacks and joined Jerome Brown (1989) as the only Eagles DTs ever to have that many through six games. The Raiders have struggled in the interior of the line with guards John Simpson and Alex Leatherwood and center Andre James.
FANTASY TIP: Carr has been putting up big numbers so far this season. He has thrown at least two TD passes in five of six games and ranks second in the NFL with 1,946 yards passing.
CHICAGO (3-3) at TAMPA BAY (5-1)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Tampa Bay by 12 1/2.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Chicago 3-3, Tampa Bay 2-4.
SERIES RECORD: Bears lead 40-20.
LAST MEETING: Bears beat Buccaneers 20-19 on Oct. 8, 2020, in Chicago.
LAST WEEK: Bears lost to Green Bay 24-14; Buccaneers won at Philadelphia 28-22.
KEY MATCHUP: Bucs offensive line vs. the Mack-led Bears pass rush, which was one of the keys to Chicago’s 20-19 win over the Super Bowl champions last season. Tampa Bay’s Oline has yielded nine sacks, the fifth-fewest in the league.
FANTASY TIP: Bucs wide receiver Antonio Brown had nine catches for 93 yards and one touchdown in last week’s 28-22 victory at Philadelphia. He’s faced Chicago twice during his career and had 19 receptions for 306 yards and three TDs in the two games.
HOUSTON (1-5) at ARIZONA (6-0)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m., EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Cardinals by 17 1/2.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Texans 3-3, Cardinals 5-1
SERIES RECORD: Tied 2-2.
LAST MEETING: Texans beat Cardinals 31-21 on Nov. 19, 2017, in Houston.
LAST WEEK: Texans lost 31-3 at Indianapolis; Cardinals beat Browns 37-14 in Cleveland.
KEY MATCHUP: Like Watt, Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins will certainly want to have a good game against the team that traded him to Arizona before the 2020 season. Hopkins has caught three TDs over the past two weeks, including two in last week’s win. The Texans’ secondary has been in the middle of the NFL pack this season. Lonnie Johnson and Justin Reid both have two interceptions.
FANTASY TIP: Arizona’s defense has suddenly become one of the NFL’s best. A matchup against the 31st scoring offense in the league is certainly enticing.
INDIANAPOLIS (2-4) at SAN FRANCISCO (2-3)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EDT, NBC
OPENING LINE: 49ers by 4 1/2.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Indianapolis 4-2; San Francisco 1-4.
SERIES RECORD: Colts lead 26-18.
LAST MEETING: Colts beat 49ers 26-23, OT, on Oct. 8, 2017, in Indianapolis.
LAST WEEK: Colts beat Texans 31-3; 49ers had a bye, lost at Cardinals 17-10 on Oct. 10.
KEY MATCHUP: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor vs. 49ers LB Fred Warner. Warner was so impressed with Taylor when they played in college back in 2017 that he told teams at the combine the following year that Taylor was the best player he faced in college. Taylor has lived up to that billing in his second season in the NFL, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
FANTASY TIP: Indianapolis WR T.Y. Hilton returned from a neck injury and had four catches for 80 yards in his 2021 debut. Hilton had a big day last time he faced San Francisco with seven catches for 177 yards in that 2017 game. But he is now battling a quadriceps issue but is expected to play.
NEW ORLEANS (3-2) at SEATTLE (2-4) Monday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN
OPENING LINE: Saints by 5 1-2
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Saints 3-2; Seahawks 3-3.
SERIES RECORD: Tied 8-8.
LAST MEETING: Saints beat Seahawks 33-27, Sept. 22, 2019, in Seattle.
LAST WEEK: Saints were on a bye, beat Washington 33-22 in Week 5; Seahawks lost at Steelers 23-20, OT.
KEY MATCHUP: Seattle run game vs. New Orleans run defense. The Saints have the second-best run defense in the NFL giving up 79 yards per game on the ground. Seattle believes with Russell Wilson sidelined the best method on offense is to have a solid run game that emerged in the second half last week. The question for Seattle is who will be the primary ball carrier with Collins dealing with injury and Penny coming off injured reserve.
FANTASY TIP: Probably best to avoid any of Seattle’s running backs. There’s uncertainty about Collins’ health and how good Penny will be coming off injured reserve. There’s also the Saints’ defense that is second in the league at stopping the run.
— All betting lines are according to FanDuel SportsBook
— The Associated Press