Winner of Patriots, Jets game takes first place in AFC East
Raise your hand if you thought the Patriots and Jets would be playing for first place in the AFC East in Week 6. Anyone?
Didn't think so.
It's difficult to decipher which is more unexpected: New England losing twice at home in the first month of the schedule, or the Jets being 3-2, same as the Patriots.
They meet today at MetLife Stadium, and with Buffalo on a bye, the winner grabs the top spot in the division. Heady atmosphere for New York, commonplace for New England.
Tom Brady has been nursing a sore left shoulder, but promises he'll be behind center going for a record 187th regular-season win for a quarterback. He's tied with Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.
"It's a physical sport, so I think everyone is dealing with something," Brady says. "Everyone's running around and they're big and they're fast and they hit hard. You have bumps and bruises, but you just deal with them the best you can and try to get ready for the next week."
Pittsburgh (3-2) at Kansas City (5-0)
Who has more incentive here?
Pittsburgh comes off a befuddling home loss to Jacksonville in which Ben Roethlisberger kept throwing to the wrong team. So the Steelers need a quick turnaround to re-establish themselves as an AFC contender.
The Chiefs don't need to have long memories when it comes to the Steelers. Last January, Pittsburgh came into Arrowhead Stadium and won an 18-16 playoff game.
Green Bay (4-1) at Minnesota (3-2)
The Packers can really establish themselves as the cream of the NFC North by extending their superiority over the Vikings. Green Bay has won five of its past seven road games vs. Minnesota, though it lost at U.S. Bank Stadium a year ago.
L.A. Rams (3-2) at Jacksonville (3-2)
The odyssey begins for the Rams, fortunately for them in Jacksonville. They begin an 11-day road trip that starts with a cross-country flight to Florida and continues across the Atlantic to face division rival Arizona in London on Oct. 22.
Detroit (3-2) at New Orleans (2-2)
Coming off two straight wins and a bye, the Saints have had no turnovers in four games.
Miami (2-2) at Atlanta (3-1)
It's been ages since the Dolphins won in Atlanta: Sept. 21, 1980, in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium — the one before the Georgia Dome, which was before the brand new Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Cleveland (0-5) at Houston (2-3)
With J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus sidelined for the season and Brian Cushing suspended, the Texans' defense could be in real trouble. Maybe not this week, though, as the mistake-prone Browns come to town.
N.Y. Giants (0-5) at Denver (3-1)
In a strange bit of scheduling, the Broncos play their fourth home game in six weeks, plus they had a bye. They won the previous three in Denver, and considering how banged-up the Giants are, this seems like a Mile High romp in the offing.
Tampa Bay (2-2) at Arizona (2-3)
Arizona made an intriguing move this week by trading for Adrian Peterson. If the once-dominant running back has much left, he could provide a boost for a spiraling team that severely misses standout running back David Johnson. Arizona is averaging a league-worst 2.6 yards per carry.
L.A. Chargers (1-4) at Oakland (2-3)
With Derek Carr (back) likely to return at quarterback, the Raiders are a different squad. They'd better be considering after three straight defeats they are falling well behind the Chiefs and Broncos in the tough AFC West.
Chicago (1-4) at Baltimore (3-2)
Now that Mitchell Trubisky has had his first taste of being a starting quarterback in the pros, he could be tasting more turf at Baltimore. The Ravens already have 12 sacks, with Terrell Suggs getting four of them.
San Francisco (0-5) at Washington (2-2)
San Francisco has won four consecutive games against Washington. Of course, the Niners haven't beaten anyone in coach Kyle Shanahan's first season. Shanahan was the Redskins offensive coordinator from 2010-2013.