Surprise contenders built on defense
There is a similar formula to be found when evaluating some of the surprise contenders in the NFL this season. Look at Tennessee, Jacksonville, Minnesota, New Orleans, Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Rams, and you find a group of teams that surged behind attacking defenses. By winning the turnover battle, as all these teams have done this season, they’ve put themselves in position to put together winning momentum. (Games on Sunday unless otherwise noted.)
Lions at Bears, 11 a.m. Back-to-back victories have kept Detroit in the mix for the NFC North title. The Lions must avoid the trap of looking ahead to their next game against the Nfc-leading Eagles in order to keep pace.
Jaguars at Browns, 11 a.m. Cleveland quarterbacks have been sacked 27 times this season, ninth-most in the NFL. Jacksonville leads the league with 35 sacks. It could be a long afternoon for rookie QB Deshone Kizer.
Ravens at Packers, 11 a.m. Green Bay QB Brett Hundley had one of the best games of his career — 18-of-25 for 212 yards and one TD — in a victory over the Bears last week, giving the Packers their first win since losing Aaron Rodgers to a collarbone injury.
Cardinals at Texans, 11 a.m. This is a battle of two teams who have gone south since losing their starting quarterbacks. The Cardinals are 1-1 since Carson Palmer went down. Houston has lost two straight since losing rookie Deshaun Watson to an ACL injury. Buccaneers at Dolphins, 11 a.m. This
game was supposed to be played in Week 1, but it was rescheduled to this week because of Hurricane Irma. The lack of a bye week is beginning to show for both.
Chiefs at Giants, 11 a.m., KCNC-4. Kansas City has lost three of four games following its 5-0 start. The lone victory in that stretch came against the Broncos. Still, a win over the floundering Giants would keep the Chiefs firmly in control of the AFC West race.
Redskins at Saints, 11 a.m. Drew Brees has
completed 73.9 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions during the Saints’ seven-game winning streak.
Bills at Chargers, 2 p.m. Buffalo, looking for a spark to keep its playoff hopes alive, will turn to backup Nathan Peterman in place of Tyrod Taylor. Chargers QB Philip Rivers, meanwhile, was in the concussion protocol this week, leaving his status in doubt.
Patriots vs. Raiders, 2:25 p.m. New England practiced in Colorado Springs leading up to this game in played in Mexico City to get acclimated to a higher altitude. Eagles at Cowboys, 6:30 p.m., KUSA-9.
Dallas did not fare well in its first game without RB Ezekiel Elliott, though the running game was hardly the problem in a 27-7 loss to Atlanta. Dak Prescott must take better care of the football against Philadelphia.
Falcons at Seahawks, 6:30 p.m. Monday, ESPN. QB Russell Wilson is playing at the top of his game, leading the Seahawks to victory in five of their last six games.