TV GAMES All times Central
Panthers at Bears
Noon, CBS
LINE — Panthers by 4
ON OFFENSE
PANTHERS CATEGORY BEARS 95.5 (22) RUSHING 136.0 (3) 228.0 (17) PASSING 170.8 (28) 323.5 (19) TOTAL YDS 306.8 (27) 21.3 (18) POINTS 17.5 (28)
ON DEFENSE
PANTHERS CATEGORY BEARS 83.3 (5) RUSHING 104.3 (15) 196.7 (7) PASSING 198.3 (8) 280.0 (4) TOTAL YDS 302.7 (6) 20.3 (9) POINTS 24.7 (25)
SERIES
Bears lead 5-4; Panthers beat Bears 31-24, Oct. 5, 2014
KEY MATCHUPS
Bears RBs Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen vs. Panthers defense: Bears offense begins and ends with Howard and Cohen as rookie QB Mitch Trubisky is not being asked to do too much.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey and QB Cam Newton vs. Bears defense: Mc-Caffrey (37-293 receiving) leads all RBs in receptions. Newton has been volatile, with 9 TD passes, 8 INTs, 3 rushing TDs and has been sacked 17 times.
Buccaneers at Bills
Noon
LINE — Bills by 1½
ON OFFENSE
BUCS CATEGORY BILLS 82.8 (30) RUSHING 106.6 (17) 299.2 (2) PASSING 165.0 (30) 382.0 (4) TOTAL YDS 271.6 (31) 23.6 (13) POINTS 17.8 (27)
ON DEFENSE
BUCS CATEGORY BILLS 101.8 (12) RUSHING 87.6 (7) 301.6 (31) PASSING 234.8 (20) 403.4 (30) TOTAL YDS 322.4 (13) 24.2 (22) POINTS 14.8 (1)
SERIES
Buccaneers lead 7-3; Buccaneers beat Bills 27-6, Dec. 8, 2013
KEY MATCHUPS
Buccaneers offense vs. Bills defense: Bills are 20th in passing yards allowed but No. 1 in scoring defense; the Bucs are fourth in offensive yards but 13th in points scored.QB Jameis Winston is questionable with a shoulder injury.
Bills No. 31 offense vs. Bucs No. 30 defense: Something has to give here, you would think, but Buffalo’s strength is its running game with LeSean McCoy and QB Tyrod Taylor, and the Bucs are much better at stopping the run.
Cardinals vs. Rams
Noon (London)
LINE — Rams by 3
ON OFFENSE
CARDINALS CATEGORY RAMS 69.8 (32) RUSHING 116.0 (13) 286.2 (3) PASSING 243.8 (10) 356.0 (11) TOTAL YDS 359.8 (8) 19.8 (21) POINTS 29.8 (1)
ON DEFENSE
CARDINALS CATEGORY RAMS 90.7 (9) RUSHING 139.5 (29) 250.0 (25) PASSING 210.7 (13) 340.7 (22) TOTAL YDS 350.2 (23) 26.3 (28) POINTS 23.0 (19)
SERIES
Cardinals lead 38-37-2; Cardinals beat Rams 44-6, Jan. 1, 2017
KEY MATCHUPS
Cardinals RB Adrian Peterson vs. Rams rush defense: Was Peterson’s 134-yard, 2-TD effort in his Arizona debut vs. Tampa Bay a fluke or an indication of things to come? On paper, Peterson appears to be in prime position for another big performance vs. the Rams’ No. 29 rush defense.
Rams No. 1 scoring offense vs. Cards No. 28 scoring defense: QB Jared Goff has 14 passing plays of at least 25 yards, second only to Tom Brady (18) this season. RB Todd Gurley (123-521 rushing; 23-245 receiving) is the focal point of the Rams’ offense.
Titans at Browns
Noon
LINE — Titans by 7
ON OFFENSE
TITANS CATEGORY BROWNS 132.0 (5) RUSHING 96.7 (21) 204.0 (26) PASSING 211.7 (24) 336.0 (17) TOTAL YDS 308.3 (26) 24.3 (11) POINTS 15.7 (31))
ON DEFENSE
TITANS CATEGORY BROWNS 105.8 (16) RUSHING 84.3 (6) 231.2 (19) PASSING 226.3 (17) 337.0 (17) TOTAL YDS 310.7 (8) 27.3 (31) POINTS 26.2 (27)
SERIES
Browns lead 35-30; Titans beat Browns 28-26, Oct. 16, 2016
KEY MATCHUPS
Browns No. 31 scoring offense vs. Titans No. 31 scoring defense: Cleveland is minus-9 in turnover margin, which helps explain why the Browns’ respectable yardage rankings don’t translate into respectable points. Rookie DeShone Kizer (9 INTs) returns at QB.
Titans QB Marcus Mariota vs. Browns No. 8 overall defense: Mariota’s sore hamstring will be a big factor, especially since he is coming off a Monday night game vs. the Colts when he attempted only 2 rushes.
Cowboys at 49ers
3:05 p.m., Fox
LINE — Cowboys by 4½
ON OFFENSE
COWBOYS CATEGORY 49ERS 124.0 (8) RUSHING 94.8 (23) 232.2 (13) PASSING 226.5 (20) 356.2 (9) TOTAL YDS 321.3 (20) 25.0 (9) POINTS 18.8 (25)
ON DEFENSE
COWBOYS CATEGORY 49ERS 118.0 (22) RUSHING 112.8 (18) 221.8 (16) PASSING 262.3 (26) 339.8 (21) TOTAL YDS 375.2 (28) 26.4 (29) POINTS 24.3 (23)
SERIES
Tied 17-17-1; Cowboys beat 49ers 24-17, Oct. 2, 2016
KEY MATCHUPS
Dallas RB Ezekiel Elliott vs. 49ers defense: If Elliott can beat the legal system — he got another reprieve to delay his 6-game suspension — he can run circles around a defense that ranks No. 28 in yards allowed.
49ers rookie QB C.J. Beathard and TE George Kittle vs. Cowboys defense: Beathard went 19 for 36 for 245 yards and 1 TD in relief of Brian Hoyer at Washington. Kittle, who played with Beathard at Iowa, ranks second among rookie TEs with 21 catches and 212 yards receiving.
Ravens at Vikings
Noon
LINE — Vikings by 4
ON OFFENSE
RAVENS CATEGORY VIKINGS 129.5 (6) RUSHING 117.2 (12) 159.7 (31) PASSING 238.8 (12) 289.2 (30) TOTAL YDS 356.0 (10) 19.0 (24) POINTS 20.3 (19)
ON DEFENSE
RAVENS CATEGORY VIKINGS 141.3 (30) RUSHING 78.7 (3) 189.5 (5) PASSING 216.8 (14) 330.8 (16) TOTAL YDS 295.5 (5) 20.7 (11) POINTS 17.2 (5)
SERIES
Ravens lead 3-2; Ravens beat Vikings 29-26, Dec. 8, 2013
KEY MATCHUPS
Vikings RB Jerick McKinnon vs. Ravens No. 30 rush defense: McKinnon (41-190 rushing; 19-121 receiving) has scored 3 touchdowns, filling in after rookie Dalvin Cook was lost for the season.
Ravens No. 30 offense vs. Vikings No. 5 defense: RBs Alex Collins (Arkansas Razorbacks) and Buck Allen lead the NFL’s No. 6 rushing offense vs. Vikings defense, which is No. 3 vs. rush and No. 5 overall. Ravens QB Joe Flacco has 4 TD passes 8 INTs.
Saints at Packers
Noon
LINE — Saints by 1½
ON OFFENSE
SAINTS CATEGORY PACKERS 113.8 (14) RUSHING 88.3 (26) 258.4 (6) PASSING 230.0 (15) 372.2(7) TOTAL YDS 318.3 (22) 29.0 (4) POINTS 24.5 (10)
ON DEFENSE
SAINTS CATEGORY PACKERS 100.8 (11) RUSHING 119.8 (24) 268.4 (27) PASSING 206.3 (11) 369.2 (26) TOTAL YDS 326.2 (14) 23.2 (21) POINTS 22.5 (17))
SERIES
Packers lead 16-8; Saints beat Packers 44-23, Oct. 26, 2014
KEY MATCHUPS
Saints RBs Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara vs. Packers defense: Ingram and Kamara have averaged 184.2 scrimmage yards in 5 games this season, and accumulated 237 yards in 44 touches vs. Lions last week after Adrian Peterson was sent to Arizona.
Packers QB Brett Hundley vs. improving Saints defense: Hundley gets his first start after the injury to Aaron Rodgers and meets a tougher-than-it-appears-on-paper Saints defense. New Orleans has done an about-face, giving up 17 points per game in past 3 after 32.5 in first 2.
Broncos vs. Chargers
3:25 p.m.
LINE — Chargers by 2½
ON OFFENSE
BRONCOS CATEGORY CHARGERS 123.6 (9) RUSHING 79.0 (31) 231.8 (14) PASSING 266.2 (4) 355.4 (12) TOTAL YDS 345.2 (14) 21.6 (17) POINTS 19.3 (23)
ON DEFENSE
BRONCOS CATEGORY CHARGERS 70.2 (2) RUSHING 152.5 (32) 191.6 (6) PASSING 186.0 (4) 261.8 (1) TOTAL YDS 338.5 (18) 19.4 (8) POINTS 21.8 (14)
SERIES
Broncos lead 65-50-1; Broncos beat Chargers 24-21, Sept. 11, 2017
KEY MATCHUPS
Broncos rushing attack vs. Chargers rush defense: Broncos flopped when faced with a similarly positive matchup last week vs. New York Giants when C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles were held to 14 carries and 36 yards.
Chargers QB Philip Rivers vs. Broncos No. 1 overall defense: Rivers (1,633, 10 TDs, 5 INTs) faces feared CBs Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr., but RB Melvin Gordon (28-222 receiving) and TE Hunter Henry (Arkansas Razorbacks, 17-228) give Rivers options.
Bengals at Steelers
3:25 p.m., CBS
LINE — Steelers by 6
ON OFFENSE
BENGALS CATEGORY STEELERS 84.0 (29) RUSHING 107.3 (16) 227.0 (18) PASSING 242.3 (11) 311.0 (24) TOTAL YDS 349.7 (13) 16.8 (30) POINTS 19.7 (22)
ON DEFENSE
BENGALS CATEGORY STEELERS 103.2 (14) RUSHING 118.5 (23) 159.6 (2) PASSING 153.5 (1) 262.8 (2) TOTAL YDS 272.0 (3) 16.6 (2) POINTS 17.0 (4)
SERIES
Steelers lead 60-35; Steelers beat Bengals 24-20, Dec. 18, 2016
KEY MATCHUPS
Bengals WR AJ Green vs. Steelers No. 1 pass defense: Green (32-504 receiving, 3 TDs) is 22-363, 3 in 3 games since Bill Lazor took over as Bengals OC; Steelers held Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill to 5-34 receiving last week.
Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell vs. Bengals No. 2 overall defense: Bell totaled 191 scrimmage yards last week vs. Kansas City, but he’ll face a defense that has allowed 178 rushing yards total to RBs in its past 3 games.
Jaguars at Colts
Noon
LINE — Jaguars by 4
ON OFFENSE
JAGUARS CATEGORY COLTS 265.8 (1) RUSHING 97.5 (20) 169.7 (26) PASSING 203.7 (27) 335.0 (18) TOTAL YDS 301.2 (28) 26.0 (8) POINTS 19.8 (20)
ON DEFENSE
JAGUARS CATEGORY COLTS 145.7 (31) RUSHING 114.2 (20) 166.0 (3) PASSING 295.8 (30) 311.7 (9) TOTAL YDS 410.0 (31) 18.3 (7) POINTS 32.5 (32)
SERIES
Colts lead 22-10; Colts beat Jaguars 24-20, Jan. 1
KEY MATCHUPS
Jaguars QB Blake Bortles vs. Colts pass defense: Bortles has been asked to do little more than hand off to Leonard Fournette and not throw INTs, but his role might expand if Fournette (ankle) can’t go.
Colts offense vs. Jaguars defense: Colts haven’t done anything particularly well on offense, but they might have a better chance at running the ball with Frank Gore, Marlon Mack and QB Jacoby Brissett than trying to pass against a Jaguars defense that is third in pass defense and 31st against the rush.
Jets at Dolphins
Noon
LINE — Dolphins by 5½
ON OFFENSE
JETS CATEGORY DOLPHINS 105.2 (18) RUSHING 87.4 (27) 213.5 (23) PASSING 155.4 (32) 318.7 (21) TOTAL YDS 242.8 (32) 18.2 (26) POINTS 12.2 (32)
ON DEFENSE
JETS CATEGORY DOLPHINS 138.8 (28) RUSHING 80.4 (4) 219.2 (15) PASSING 235.0 (21) 358.0 (24) TOTAL YDS 315.4 (11) 21.7 (12) POINTS 16.8 (3)
SERIES
Jets lead 54-49-1; Jets beat Dolphins 20-6, Sept. 24, 2017
KEY MATCHUPS
Jets QB Josh McCown vs. Dolphins defense: McCown is 2-0 against Dolphins and 23-66 against everyone else in his career. He leads NFL with third-down completion percentage of 75.4 while averaging 8.8 yards per attempt. His overall completion percentage of 70.1 ranks second.
Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi vs. Jets defense: Ajayi (130 rushing yards last week) was held to 16 yards when the teams met in Week 3, but the Jets defense is 28th in rushing yards allowed. The Dolphins outscored the Falcons 20-0 in second half to win at Atlanta.
Seahawks at Giants
3:25 p.m.
LINE — Seahawks 7½
ON OFFENSE
SEAHAWKS CATEGORY GIANTS 109.2 (15) RUSHING 89.5 (25) 228.4 (16) PASSING 226.8 (19) 337.6 (16) TOTAL YDS 316.3 (23) 22.0 (16) POINTS 17.5 (29)
ON DEFENSE
SEAHAWKS CATEGORY GIANTS 127.2 (27) RUSHING 123.5 (25) 202.8 (9) PASSING 248.3 (24) 330.0 (15) TOTAL YDS 371.8 (27) 17.4 (6) POINTS 22.0 (15)
SERIES
Giants lead 9-8; Seahawks beat Giants 38-17, Nov. 9, 2014
KEY MATCHUPS
Giants offense vs. Seahawks defense: QB Eli Manning engineered a shocking upset in Denver by handing off to Orleans Darkwa (117 rushing yards) and pitching the ball to hybrid TE Evan Engram (5-82 receiving) with his entire group of wide receivers sidelined.
Seahawks TEs Jimmy Graham/Luke Willson vs. Giants secondary: Tight ends have gained 390 receiving yards and 6 TDs against the Giants this season. New York is allowing the 27th most yards but are No. 15 in points allowed.
Falcons at Patriots
7:30 p.m., NBC
LINE — Patriots by 4½
ON OFFENSE
FALCONS CATEGORY PATRIOTS 120.6 (11) RUSHING 102.2 (19) 257.8 (7) PASSING 309.8 (1) 378.4 (5) TOTAL YDS 412.0 (1) 24.2 (12) POINTS 28.7 (5)
ON DEFENSE
FALCONS CATEGORY PATRIOTS 102.0 (13) RUSHING 115.8 (21) 210.4 (12) PASSING 324.8 (32) 312.4 (10) TOTAL YDS 440.7 (32) 21.8 (13) POINTS 26.5 (30)
SERIES
Patriots lead 8-6; Patriots beat Falcons 34-28, OT, Feb. 5 in Super Bowl
KEY MATCHUPS
Falcons WR Julio Jones vs. Patriots No. 32 pass defense: Jones has 53 catches for 822 yards and 3 TDs in past 8 games vs. AFC and gets a favorable matchup against a Patriots defense that is allowing 324.8 yards per game through the air. Jones (25-367 receiving) is looking for his first TD of season.
Patriots No. 1 offense vs. Falcons No. 10 defense: QB Tom Brady (1,959 yards) can score on anybody, especially when facing a defense that yielded 20 second-half points to a woeful Jay Cutler-led Miami