Everything you need to know as kickoff approaches...
Key game-time decisions
All players questionable unless noted
Odell Beckham (hamstring) WR, New York Giants
Beckham missed practice Wednesday and Thursday and was limited on Friday. Tom Coughlin, however, expects OBJ to play. After he played all but two snaps last week, we have no reason to doubt he'll be ready.
Ben Roethlisberger (knee) QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
He's listed as questionable, but NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports the plan is still for Landry Jones to start. Roethlisberger is, however, traveling to Kansas City. With Mike Vick out, the Steelers promoted Tyler Murphy from the practice squad as insurance in case Big Ben can't play.Â
Keenan Allen (hip) WR; Antonio Gates (knee) TE; Steve Johnson (hamstring), Melvin Gordon (ankle) RB; Chris Hairston (ankle) T; Chris Watt (groin, concussion) C; King Dunlap (concussion) T, San Diego Chargers
That's a heck of a skill-position list. Allen returned limited on Friday. Gates reportedly has an MCL sprain, per the San Diego Union-Tribune. Johnson was full-go Friday after missing the past two weeks. Gordon was limited on Thursday and Friday. Offensive line! Offensive line! Philip Rivers' kingdom for a healthy offensive line!!!
Jeremy Maclin (concussion) WR -- INACTIVE; Dontari Poe (ankle) DT; Tamba Hali (knee) LB, Kansas City Chiefs
Maclin returned to practice on a limited basis on Friday, but was ruled inactive. Hali was out Friday. Poe was limited all week.
Adrian Peterson (finger, illness) RB -- ACTIVE; Charles Johnson WR; Everson Griffen (illness) -- PROBABLE -- Minnesota Vikings
Peterson was downgraded to questionable on Saturday with an illness. Johnson and Griffen were full-go Friday. How much Charles Johnson plays with the rise of rookie Stefon Diggs is something to keep an eye on. UPDATE: Peterson is active.
Dion Lewis (abdomen)*RB -- INACTIVE*; Keshawn Martin (hamstring) WR; Josh Kline (shoulder) G; Shaquille Mason (knee) G, New England Patriots
LeSean McCoy (hamstring) RB -- PROBABLE; Marcus Easley (shoulder) WR, Buffalo Bills
The Bills offense is already without QB Tyrod Taylor (knee), WR Sammy Watkins (ankle), RB Karlos Williams (concussion), WR Marquise Goodwin (ribs), WR Percy Harvin (not injury related) AND T Seantrel Henderson (concussion).
T.J. Yeldon (groin) RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Yeldon practiced on a limited basis on Thursday and Friday. The Jags' running game needs its workhorse back on the field. UPDATE: Yeldon is ACTIVE.
Allen Robinson (shin) WR; Allen Hurns (ankle, thigh) WR; Julius Thomas (chest, hand) TE -- ALL PROBABLE -- Jacksonville Jaguars
All three were full-go on Friday and should be fine for their tilt in London. UPDATE:All three are ACTIVE.
Tavon Austin (thigh) WR; Lance Kendricks (hand) TE; Tre Mason (ankle) RB -- INACTIVE, St. Louis Rams
Mason sat out practice all week. Kendricks and Austin were back on a limited basis on Friday. Mason is inactive while Austin will play.
Marcus Mariota (knee) QB -- OUT -- Tennessee Titans
Zach Mettenberger will start in the rookie's stead.
Dez Bryant (foot) WR -- DOUBTFUL -- Dallas Cowboys
Dez was officially downgraded to OUT on Saturday.
Jadeveon Clowney (ankle) LB, Houston Texans
Our weekly Clowney update: He was limited on Thursday and Friday. Reminder: He still has zero career sacks. UPDATE: Clowney will play on Sunday, according to Rapoport.
Jordan Reed (concussion) TE; Trent Williams (concussion) T, Washington Redskins
Reed sounds like he'll be ready to return after being limited all week in practice. Williams should also return after missing last week. UPDATE: Rapoport reports that Reed and Williams will play.
Riley Cooper (knee) WR; Mychal Kendricks (hamstring) LB; DeMeco Ryans (hamstring) LB, Philadelphia Eagles
Cooper returned full-go on Friday, which is a positive sign. Ryans was limited on Friday. Kendricks told reporters on Saturday that he will play this week after missing three games. The Eagles need as many linebacking bodies as possible against the Panthers' run game and slowing Greg Olsen.
Monday Night
John Brown (hamstring) WR; Alex Okafor (calf) LB, Darren Fells (shoulder) TE -- BOTH OUT, Arizona Cardinals
Brown was a limited participant in practice on Saturday after missing Friday. He told the team's official website he's confident he will play Monday night. Bruce Arians said it will be a game-day decision.
Maxx Williams (knee, ankle) TE -- OUT -- Lardarius Webb (thigh) CB; Kendrick Lewis (knee) S; Asa Jackson (thigh) CB, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens can afford to miss Williams now that Crockett Gillmore is back healthy.
Weather Tracking*
*We will update as prognostications drift closer to game time.
Texans at Dolphins -- 84 degrees / Chance of Rain (20 percent)
Jets at Patriots -- 57 degrees / Chance of Rain early in game (42 percent)
Falcons at Titans -- 65 degrees / Chance of Rain (60 percent)
Buccaneers at Redskins -- 61 degrees / Chance of Rain (53 percent)
Eagles at Panthers -- 66 degrees / Chance of Rain (20 percent)
*Forecasts courtesy of Weather Underground
Three matchups that intrigue
Patriots RB Dion Lewis vs. Jets linebackers/safeties
There are a plethora of matchups to watch in this game, including the Jets' defensive front seven versus the Pats' offensive line. Malcolm Butler versus Brandon Marshall. The list goes on. One that might not be so obvious is the role Dion Lewis will play Sunday afternoon. While the Jets boast one of the strongest front sevens in the NFL and a stout secondary led by Darrelle Revis, their linebackers aren't great in coverage. Last week, shifty Redskins back Chris Thompson caught six passes. Look for Tom Brady to exploit mismatches to get Lewis in space. The satellite back has been lethal in the Patriots' quick pass spread attack and almost impossible to tackle in the open field. If the Jets can't neutralize him Sunday, Brady will use the back to pick them apart.
Saints CB Delvin Breaux vs. Colts WR T.Y. Hilton
Breaux has been fantastic this season, punctuated by his work last week against Julio Jones. He'll face another tough task in Hilton this week. The Colts' speedster is a different beast for Breaux -- who has had eight penalties called on him this year. When Hilton is stretching the field, it opens up the Colts' entire passing attack. Andrew Luck needs to get back on track this season and getting Hilton going is the key -- the wideout does not have a 100-yard game this season. If Breaux can slow down Hilton like he did Julio, the Saints can keep Indy's attack from finding its stride.
Panthers QB Cam Newton vs. Eagles DE Fletcher Cox
The bigger picture matchup is how the Eagles' eighth-ranked run defense will slow down the potent Panthers ground game, but I'm more excited to see Newton and Cox collide, whether inside or outside the pocket. Newton has been marvelous this season, showing better poise inside the pocket and masterful in the read-option game. When he runs, it's tough for anyone to bring him down -- 50 carries, 225 rush yards, three TDs. Cox meanwhile has destroyed quarterbacks this season. The 24-year-old has five sacks on the season. In the last two games alone, he has four sacks and three forced fumbles. If he's in Newton's face, pushing the pocket and corralling the powerful quarterback, it will put the Panthers offense in a bind.
Did You Know?
Through six weeks this season, there have been 21 pick sixes on passes that traveled 10 air yards-or-less. Including three by Peyton Manning, 91.3 percent of pick sixes this season have been on passes that traveled 10 air yards or less.
There are only 10 teams in the NFL that currently have a winning record. This is the fewest number of teams with a winning record through at least six weeks since there were just nine in 2012 (only two in AFC). Prior to that, you have to go back to Week 13, 1994 to find another week this late in the season with just 10 teams over .500.
Since the playoffs expanded in 1990, 74.8 percent of teams to start 5-2 have made the playoffs. No team has made the playoffs after starting 1-6 or worse. Only 3.2 percent of teams have made the playoffs after starting 2-5, 18.7 percent at 3-4 and 48.8 percent at 4-3.
Teams have combined to score 481 touchdowns, the most at this point of any season in NFL history (479 in 2014). Of the 481 touchdowns, 293 have been TD passes, the second-most through the first six weeks of any season (the record is 303 in 2014).
Divisions by Winning Percentage
AFC East: 14-7 (.667)Â
NFC South: 14-8 (.636)Â
AFC North: 13-11 (.542)Â
NFC North: 12-11 (.523)Â
AFC West: 11-12 (.478)Â
NFC West: 10-13 (.435)Â
NFC East: 10-13 (.435)Â
AFC South: 7-16 (.304)
This will be the 13th game played in London since 2007, with the winning team having an average margin of victory of 14.9 points per game. No team that lost in London has finished the season with a winning record.
EJ Manuel (2013) and Blake Bortles (2014) were the first two QBs selected in their respective NFL drafts. They have a combined 10-24 career record as starters.
Of the Bills' 145 total points, 81 have come from outside the red zone (most in NFL). Buffalo has 30 big plays (20-plus yards), which is tied for second-most in the NFL, 10 big play touchdowns (first in NFL), eight big play rushes (tied for first), three big play rushing touchdowns (first) and seven big play passing touchdowns (first).
The Bills are averaging 7.7 penalties for 71.7 yards per game in their three wins and 13.0 for 122.7 in their three losses.
EJ Manuel: 28-42, 263 yards, TD, INT, 81.7 passer rating. In Week 6, he compiled the second-most passing yards of career (263). Manuel has never thrown more than two TD passes in a game and has zero career 300-yard passing games.
The Bills have nine sacks this season (T-24th) -- they led the NFL in sacks last season (54). Buffalo has 10 takeaways this season (T-seventh most in NFL) -- eight takeaways in their first three games, two in the last three.
The Jaguars' offense has scored 20-plus points in consecutive games for first time since Weeks 13-15, 2013 -- 29 games of 20 points or fewer since 2013 (most in NFL).
Jacksonville is the only team in the NFL without a rushing TD this season. All 31 other teams have at least two.
The Jags' 27 plays of 20-plus yards in 2015 ties for sixth-most in the NFL. Buffalo has allowed 19 plays of 20-plus yards, tied for sixth-fewest.
Blake Bortles earned three-plus passing touchdowns in consecutive games for first time in career -- his 13 pass TD in the first six games are the most in Jaguars history. The Bills have allowed 13 pass TDs in 2015, third-most in NFL.
Allen Robinson, 2015 season: 28 receptions, 488 yards, 5 TDs. His six receptions of 25-plus air yards this season are the most in NFL -- had two receptions of 25-plus air yards in all of 2014.
The Jaguars' defense is giving up 29.3 points per game (30th in NFL), has just three takeaways (tied for last), allowed 10-plus play drives 14 times (30th) and allowed a 50 percent conversion rate on third downs (last).
Matchup to watch:Bills' pass rush vs. Jags' O-line
Teddy Bridgewater: 64.4 completion percentage, 204.6 YPG, 3 TD, 4 INT, 80.4 passer rating. Bridgewater's numbers are down slightly from what he accumulated his rookie season (64.7 completion percentage, 230.8 passing yards per game, 14-12 TD-INT ratio and 85.3 passer rating).
Vikings' offensive ranks: 29th in points per game (19.2); 31st in total yards per game (305.6); last in passing yards per game (179.6); sixth in rushing yards per game (126.0).
Adrian Peterson: 101 rush, 432 yards (4.3 avg.), 3 TDs. Peterson is averaging 107.1 rushing yards per game versus the Lions in 13 career games (eight 100-yard performances).
The Vikings' defense is allowing 16.6 points per game (second in NFL), 351.8 total yards per game (13th), 240 passing yards per game (14th) and earning 2.0 sacks per contest (T-21st).
In their Week 2 matchup against Detroit, the Vikings earned one sack of Matthew Stafford, nine QB hits and 18 QB hurries, per Pro Football Focus.
The Lions are dead last in the NFL in rushing yards per game, yards per rush and percentage of plays that are runs. Detroit's eight runs of 10-plus yards ranks 31st and their two rushing touchdowns puts them tied for 23rd.
Matthew Stafford: 64.6 completion percentage, 268.3 YPG, 10 TD, 9 INT, 82.4 passer rating. In Week 6, his 405 yards passing snapped an eight-game regular-season streak of fewer than 300-yards passing.
Calvin Johnson: 38 receptions, 488 yards, 2 TD. Johnson had receptions of 43, 39 and 57 yards in Week 6. Before Week 6, his longest reception of the season was 28 yards. It was the first time in Megatron's career with three receptions of 30-plus yards in a game.
Detroit's defensive ranks: 29th in points per game allowed (28.7); 27th in total yards (386.8); 26th in run D (120.7); 22nd in passing (266.2); 17th in red zone defense; T-11th in sacks and T-seventh in turnovers.
Matchup to watch:Calvin Johnson vs. Xavier Rhodes
The Saints' offense is seventh in the NFL in total yards per game (387.0), but only T-17th in points (22.3). New Orleans has gained 300-plus yards of total offense in 26 straight games -- the Saints' longest streak since going 29 straight from 2008-09. The Saints have scored at least one touchdown in 151 straight games, tied for the second-longest streak in NFL history with the 2002-12 San Diego Chargers (Cleveland Browns 1957-69, 166 straight games).
Drew Brees: 68.4 completion percentage, 323.2 YPG, 7 TDs, 3 INTs, 96.5 passer rating. Brees ranks tied for first in 300-yard games with four, third in passing yards per game, fifth in interception percentage (1.4) and eighth in completion percentage in 2015.
Brees is completing just 40 percent of his 20-plus air yard passes in 2015. He has yet to throw a 20-plus yard TD and has a passer rating of 66.7 with one INT on such passes, while averaging 12.8 yards per attempt. From 2006-2014, Brees completed 44.3 of 20-plus yard passes with 89 TDs to 45 INTs and a 100 passer rating on such throws while compiling 16.2 yards per attempt.
Willie Snead, 2015 season: 26 receptions, 436 yards (leads team), 1 TD. Undrafted out of Ball State in 2014, Snead spent last season on the Panthers and then the Saints' practice squad.
The Saints' defense is allowing 409.7 total YPG this season (second-most in franchise history) -- the 2012 Saints allowed 440.1 total YPG (most since at least 1933). Rob Ryan's unit has given up 400-plus total yards and 150-plus rushing yards in back-to-back games -- the last time any team in the NFL allowed three-straight such games was the Saints in 2012 (Weeks 1-3).
New Orleans has allowed 100-plus rushing yards in six straight games.
On the plus side, the Saints have improved their defense on third downs in the last three games: allowed 42.9 percent on third down conversions in Weeks 1-3; allowed 28.6 percent on third down conversions in Weeks 4-6.
The Colts have gained fewer than 350 yards of total offense in four of six games  -- earned fewer than 350 yards of total offense in just four of 16 games last season.
Andrew Luck: 57.2 completion percentage, 266.3 pass YPG, 8 TDs, 7 INTs, 75.0 passer rating, sacked eight times, eight giveaways. Luck is averaging just 6.4 yards per attempt.
At 32 years old, Frank Gore is on pace for 237 carries and is currently averaging 4.5 yards per rush. There have only been two players in NFL history at age 32 or older to carry the ball at least 200 times while averaging 4.5 yards per rush: Ricky Williams in 2009 and John Henry Johnson with the Steelers in 1962. Expect Ahmad Bradshaw to help lighten the load.
Indianapolis' defense has allowed 400-plus yards in four straight games (longest active streak in NFL) -- longest streak in team history.
No Colts player has more than 1.0 sack this season.
Matchup to watch:C.J. Spiller vs. snap count
Landry Jones: Week 6 was his first career appearance in a regular-season NFL game. He threw his first TD pass since 2013 AT&T Cotton Bowl (Jan. 4, 2013). In his relief appearance, Jones completed 8 of 12 passes for 168 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions and earned a 149.3 passer rating. The Steelers scored four times in four drives (excluding kneel down) with Jones under center (two touchdowns, two field goals).
Le'Veon Bell, 2015 season: 86 carries, 390 yards, 3 TD; 18 receptions for 107 yards. The running back has 120-plus scrimmage yards in three of four games this season -- 100-plus scrimmage yards in 16 of 20 games since 2014 (80.0 percent). Bell is 29 yards shy of 4,000 career scrimmage yards -- if he reaches it Sunday, he'll tie for seventh-fastest in NFL history.
Antonio Brown: 40 receptions, 547 yards, 2 TD. Three straight games with fewer than 50 receiving yards -- Brown had 50-plus receiving yards in his previous 35 games (NFL record), which coincides with Ben Roethlisberger's absence.
Martavis Bryant played his first game in Week 6: Six receptions, 137 yards, 2 TDs.
Kansas City has recorded two offensive TDs in 22 offensive drives in the last two games.
Alex Smith: 62.4 completion percentage, 262.2 pass YPG, 6 TDs, 3 INTs, 88.8 passer rating; 28 carries for 119 rush yards; sacked 23 times (second-most in NFL behind Russell Wilson).
K.C. has allowed opponents to score a TD on 15 of 21 drives into the red zone -- 71.4 percent of opponent's red zone TD efficiency is 30th in the NFL.
The Chiefs have been stout against some top-tier running backs this season.
Week 6, Adrian Peterson: 60 yards, 0 TDs
Week 5, Matt Forte: 71 yards, 0 TDs
Week 3, Eddie Lacy: 46 yards, 0 TDs
But K.C. did allow Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill to combine for 102 yards and four TDs in Week 4.
Justin Houston: 21 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 7 QB Hits -- T-10th in NFL in sacks
Matchup to watch:Antonio Brown/Martavis Bryant vs. Marcus Peters
Despite shuffling quarterbacks, the Texans rank first in the NFL in total plays (454), tied for first in first downs (147), third in 10-plus yard plays (96), fourth in passing yards per game (297.8) and sixth in yards per game (393.8).
In his last two games, Brian Hoyer is averaging a 71.6 completion percentage, 302.5 passing yards, 5-1 TD-INT ratio and a 118.1 passer rating.
Arian Foster: 45 carries, 104 yards, 0 TD; 17 receptions, 171 yards, TD. He's averaging 2.3 yards per carry this season -- career-low is 4.1 in 2012 season.
DeAndre Hopkins: 52 receptions, 726 yards, 5 TD. Hopkins has nine-plus receptions, 145-plus yards in three straight games -- first player in NFL history to do so. Hopkins leads the NFL with 89 targets this season (most by any player thru first six games since 1991, as far as STATS can track) and has 11-plus targets in each game this season.
Houston's defense ranks No. 20 in scoring (25.8 PPG) and No. 10 total defense (348.8 YPG). It's also T-24th in sacks (9) and T-28th in takeaways (5).
J.J. Watt: 0 sacks in last two games. J.J. has not had three-straight games without a sack since 2013. He leads the NFL with 11 tackles for loss.
In the first game under Dan Campbell, the Dolphins ran the ball on 50.8 percent of its plays (180 yards), compared to just 26.4 percent through the first four games (69.3 rushing yards per game average).
Ryan Tannehill: 59.5 completion percentage, 269.2 pass YPG, 9 TDs, 7 INTs, 80.1 passer rating. He has multiple interceptions in three-straight games.
Rishard Matthews: 23 receptions, 363 yards, 3 TD -- leads team in receiving yards and receiving TD and has 85-plus receiving yards in three of the last four games.
Miami defense: 141.0 rush YPG allowed this season (31st in NFL). In Week 6, the Dolphins allowed season-low 63 rush yards. Miami had a league-low one sack entering Week 6 and racked up six sacks in Week 6 (4.0 by Wake, 1.0 by Vernon), which snapped a streak of three straight games without a sack -- seven sacks this season are tied for fewest in NFL.
Matchup to watch:DeAndre Hopkins vs. Brent Grimes
Tom Brady has not struggled against many corners in his career, but this week he'll face two who have given him problems. Brady has a passer rating below 70 against only three players in his career (min. 30 targets), headlined by Week 7 opponents Antonio Cromartie (68.1) and Darrelle Revis (69.6). The other is former Jet Kyle Wilson (68.8).
The Jets' ground game ranks first in rushing yards per game (146.0), second in carries per game (32.6), seventh in yards per carry (4.5) and tied for eight in rushing scores (6). New York has ran 200-plus rushing yards in each of last two games -- first back-to-back games with 200 rushing yards by Jets since 2009. The Jets have never had three straight games with 200-plus rushing yards.
Jets notable offensive playmakers:
Chris Ivory: Leads NFL in rush YPG (115.0). 140-plus rush yards and a TD in each of last two games
Brandon Marshall: 100-plus yards in four straight games
Eric Decker: Receiving TD in five straight games
The Jets' defense ranks first in points per game allowed (15.0), yards per game (269.2) and three-and-out drives (21); second in yards per play allowed (4.33) and passing yards per game (186.6); and third in takeaways (15). Allowed fewer than 250 yards of total offense in each of the last two games.
The Jets are only allowing opponents to score on 18.0 percent of their possessions this season, which also leads the NFL. Only two teams since 1995 have finished with a lower percentage of scoring drives allowed by the defense -- the 2000 Ravens and 2002 Buccaneers, which both went on to win the Super Bowl with less-than-stellar quarterbacks.
The Patriots are 46-4 in their last 50 home games, outscoring opponents by an average of 14 points per contest. New England owns the best home winning percentage (.920) by any team in a 50-game span in the Super Bowl era (best since 1922-1928 Bears, .927).
Tom Brady: 70.6 completion percentage, 339.8 YPG, 14 TD, 1 INT, 118.4 passer rating. Brady is on pace to throw 45 TDs, 3 INTs this season, which would be the best single-season TD-INT ratio in NFL history. Brady has multiple TD passes in every game this season -- eight straight games dating back to last season, including playoffs, which is the longest active streak in NFL.
Dion Lewis, 2015 season: 40 carries, 201 yards, 2 TD; 26 receptions, 256 yards, 1 TD (457 scrimmage yards). 57.5 percent of Lewis' carries have gone for four-plus yards this season (second most among RBs with at least 30 carries behind Giovani Bernard's 62.3 pct).
Rob Gronkowski: 23 receptions, 425 yards, 5 TD (on 38 targets). Gronkowski leads all tight ends in receiving yards per game this season (85.0 YPG), but ranks ninth in receptions per game (4.6).
New England has the No. 10 scoring defense this season (20.6 PPG). The Patriots have 19 sacks this season (T-third in NFL) -- 3.8 sacks per game. The Pats have the NFL's No. 22 rushing defense this season (114.2 rushing YPG) and are allowing 4.84 yards/carry (fourth highest in NFL).
After throwing a league-low 12 pass TDs in all of 2014, the Browns have 11 pass TDs through six games this season. Cleveland is 0-4 this season when scoring 27 points or less and 0-4 in games with at least one giveaway this season. Cleveland has three rush TDs in its last nine games -- 25 individual NFL players have at least three rush TDs in that span.
Josh McCown: 64.4 completion percentage, 283.2 pass YPG, 8 TDs, 3 INTs, 84.6 passer rating. McCown has two pass TDs in four straight games -- first Browns QB to throw multiple TD passes in four straight games since Derek Anderson in 2007.
We've got a lot to say about Gary Barnidge: 27 receptions, 413 yards, 5 TDs. Barnidge has at least one TD reception in four straight games. The last Browns TE with at least one TD reception in four straight games was Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome in 1981 (Weeks 3-6). No Browns tight end has had a TD reception in five straight games since 1960. The last Browns player with a touchdown in five straight games was Josh Gordon in 2013. The last Browns TE with more than five TD receptions in a season was Jordan Cameron with seven in 2013.
Now let's do the really ridiculous and compare Barnidge's stats to Rob Gronkowski:
Barnidge: 41 targets, 27 receptions, 413 yards, 5 TDs
Gronk: 38 targets, 23 receptions, 425 yards, 5 TDs
Cleveland's defense has allowed 26-plus points in four straight games. The Browns rank last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (149.8), 30th in total yards per game (407.3) and 28th in yards per play allowed (6.03).
The Browns have allowed 3.94 yards/play in red zone (31st in NFL).
The Rams' offense ranks last in total yards per game (297.0), first downs (72) and 10-plus play drives (2). They also rank 31st in points per game (16.8) and passing yards per game (183.2). The Rams have gone four straight games passing for fewer than 200 yards (169.8 YPG in that span) -- 20 games with fewer than 200 pass yards since 2013 (third-most in NFL).
Nick Foles: 57.4 completion percentage, 191.2 YPG, 6 TDs, 5 INTs, 77.6 passer rating. Foles ranks 29th in completion percentage (57.4) and passer rating (77.6), 28th in passing yards per game (191.2), 27th in yards per attempt (6.78) and tied for 26th with six passing touchdowns.
Todd Gurley, 2015 season: 55 carries, 314 yards, 104.7 rush YPG. Gurley has two straight games with 140+ rush yards.
St. Louis' defense has 19 sacks this season (T-third in NFL) and at least two sacks in each game this season.
The Rams have allowed 2.02 yards/play in the red zone this season (fewest in NFL).
Matchup to watch:Todd Gurley vs. Browns' poor run D
Devonta Freeman (801 yards) and Julio Jones (638 yards) have accounted for 56.9 percent of Atlanta's scrimmage yards this season (most in NFL by any teammate duo) -- Chris Ivory & Brandon Marshall are second, accounting for 54.2 percent of NYJ scrimmage yards this season.
Jones will be facing the Titans' top-ranked pass defense. The Falcons average 277.3 pass yards per game (eighth in NFL), while the Titans allow 184.0 pass yards per game (first in NFL). The only WR to gain 100 receiving yards versus the Titans this season is Browns WR Travis Benjamin (3 receptions, 115 yards, 2 TD in Week 2).
Freeman will be facing the Titans' bottom-five run defense. The Falcons average 130.0 rushing yards per game (fourth in NFL). The Titans allow 129.6 rushing yards per game (28th in NFL). Freeman is second in the NFL with 505 rushing yards, first with nine rushing touchdowns and first in scrimmage yards with 801. Freeman has more rushing touchdowns himself (9) than 31 other entire teams in the NFL (Bengals also have 9).
The Falcons are averaging 30.5 PPG this season (third in NFL). Their 47.7 conversion percentage on third down is third in the NFL and they are averaging 33:16 time of possession this season (highest in NFL).
Dan Quinn's defense ranks first in rushing yards per game allowed, 17th in points per game, 20th in total yards per game, 28th in third down conversions allowed and 29th in passing yards.
Zach Mettenberger was announced as the Titans starting quarterback on Friday. In 2014, Mettenberger completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 201.7 pass YPG, 8 TD, 7 INTs and a 83.4 passer rating -- 0-6 as starter as a rookie.
Dorial Green-Beckham: 6 receptions, 92 receiving yards, 2 TDs. DGB's snap count has risen as the season has progressed: Week 1 at TB: 9; Week 2 at CLE: 13; Week 3 vs IND: 14; Week 5 vs BUF: 18; Week 6 vs MIA: 29.
Tennessee's defense has multiple sacks in every game this season but owns the NFL's worst red zone defense this season (9 of 12, 75.0 percent).
Matchup to watch:Julio Jones vs. Titans' secondary
Tampa Bay's offense had zero giveaways in Week 5 versus Jacksonville, which snapped a 25-game streak with one-plus turnover. The Bucs have given up one-plus sack in 36 of last 37 games.
Tampa's offense ranks near the bottom of the league in several key categories: 30th in first downs (93), 29th in 10-play drives (6), 26th in passing yards per game (218.4) and third down percentage (32.8) and tied for 25th in 10-plus yard plays (68).
Jameis Winston: 56.6 completion percentage, 234.8 pass YPG, 7 TDs, 7 INTs, 77.6 passer rating. Winston has at least one giveaway in four of five games this season. In Tampa's two wins, Winston has a 57.5 completion percentage, 2-0 TD-to-INT ratio and a 118.3 passer rating. In the three losses, he's completed just 52.7 percent of passes with a 5-7 TD-INT ratio and a 63.0 passer rating.
Doug Martin: 90 carries, 405 yards, 81.0 rush YPG, 3 TD; 11 receptions, 94 yards, TD. His 81.0 rush YPG this season ranks fifth in NFL this season and 14 carries of 10-plus yards this season ranks tied for second. Martin has compiled back-to-back games with 100-plus scrimmage yards and at least one TD.
Tampa Bay's defense ranks fifth in YPG allowed (322.8), but 31st in PPG (29.6) -- 1+ takeaway in 11 straight games.
Jacquies Smith: 12 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 6 QB hits, 4 TFL
Gerald McCoy: Leads team with 4.5 sacks (T-sixth in NFL).
The Redskins earned 270 total yards or less in two straight games. Washington ranks 31st in passer rating (77.0), 30th in yards per play (5.03), 28th in points per game (19.5) and tied for 27th in three-and-outs (18). The offensive line has given up just seven sacks this season (T-third fewest in NFL) and held opponents to one sack or less in four straight games.
The Redskins have one or more giveaways in 17 straight games, the longest active streak in NFL -- Washington had a 68-game streak with a giveaway from 1951-56.
Kirk Cousins: 66.2 completion percentage, 236.7 pass YPG, 6 TDs, 8 INTs, 77.4 passer rating. He has thrown multiple interceptions in 10 of 20 career games. Cousins has a passer rating of 6.8 on passes of 20-plus air yards this season, second-lowest in NFL (Marcus Mariota, 5.0). He has completed just four of 27 20-plus air yard passes with zero touchdowns and three interceptions on such passes.
Pierre Garcon: 32 receptions, 295 yards, 3 TDs -- leads team in each category this season. Garcon has fewer than 100 receiving yards in 19 straight games -- his last 100-yard game was Week 3, 2014 versus the Eagles.
Washington's defense has allowed 415-plus total yards in two straight games but has eight takeaways in the last three games.
Matchup to watch:Doug Martin vs. Redskins' front seven
Philip Rivers is 14-4 in his career against the AFC West-rival Oakland Raiders. No QB in NFL history has racked up more wins against the Raiders.
The Chargers have the league's No. 1 total offense, but are 2-4 on the season. The teams that round out the top 5 in offense are a combined 20-2.
Rivers has 177 completions for 2,116 passing yards this season. He's on pace for 472 completions and 5,643 pass yards this year, which would break Drew Brees' single-season completions record (468 in 2011) and Peyton Manning's single-season yardage record (5,477 in 2013). Rivers' 2,116 yards passing is 355 yards more than the next closest quarterback (Andy Dalton, 1,761 yards). Oh, and he's done all that with an offensive line consisting of misfit toys.
Keenan Allen has 53 receptions through six games, the most in the NFL since 1960. If he plays, he needs just six receptions versus the Raiders to surpass the record for most receptions through seven games, which is currently shared by Marvin Harrison (2002 Colts) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (2007 Bengals) with 58.
San Diego is averaging 86.7 rush YPG (29th in NFL). Its run defense is ranked 29th (132.5 yards per game).
Derek Carr: 63.6 completion percentage, 234.2 YPG, 8 TD, 3 INT, 93.9 passer rating. In the Raiders' two wins this season, Carr is averaging a 64.1 completion percentage, 332.5 pass yards per game, a 5-1 TD-INT ratio and a 107.1 passer rating. In the three losses, Carr is averaging a 63.1 completion percentage 168.7 pass yards per game, a 3-2 TD-INT ratio and a 81.7 passer rating.
Amari Cooper: 28 rec, 386 yards, 2 TDs. Leads all rookie receivers in targets (44), receptions (28), yards (386), tied for most TD (2).
Oakland is averaging 90.0 rush YPG (27th in NFL) with only six rushing plays of 10-plus yards this season (fewest in NFL).
The Raiders' defense is allowing opponents to score on 44.6 percent of drives this season -- second-worst in NFL (NO, 45.6 percent). Oakland's pass defense is ranked 31st in NFL (299.2) while its run defense is ranked No. 3 in NFL (83.2 rush YPG).
Matchup to watch:Philip Rivers vs. arm falling off from excess throws
Dallas' offense has had 27.3 percent of its drives result in a three-and-out (T-second most in NFL). With Tony Romo: two of 18 drives resulted in three-and-outs (11.1 percent). With Brandon Weeden: 13 of 37 drives resulted in three-and-outs (35.1 percent).
Matt Cassel's career stats as a starter: 34-38 win-loss record; 58.9 completion percentage; 204.7 passing YPG; 90-65 TD-INT ratio; 80.0 passer rating.
Joseph Randle: 289 rushing yards, 4 TD, 3.9 yards/carry -- Cowboys' leading rusher this season.
Jason Witten's career stats versus Giants: 175 targets, 127 rec, 1,324 yards, 13 TDs -- 127 receptions are most by any player versus the Giants in NFL history.
Greg Hardy, Week 5 versus NE: 5 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 5 QB hits, 1 TFL, 1 forced fumble -- first game back from suspension (Cowboys debut).
Sean Lee, 2015 season: 41 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 1 INT, 3 passes defensed.
The Giants have the 28th-ranked rushing attack in the NFL this season. They are one of two teams to rank in the bottom 10 in rushing and have a record of .500-or-above. The other team is the 6-0 Denver Broncos (30th in rushing). The Giants have gone seven straight games without totaling 100 rushing yards, their longest streak since at least 1950.
Eli Manning: 66.0 completion percentage, 267.7 YPG, 11 TDs, 4 INTs, 94.0 passer rating. Keeping Manning upright is imperative for the Giants to be successful: 14-29 when sacked three-plus times (including playoffs); 88-53 when he is sacked two or fewer times (including playoffs).
Odell Beckham Jr.: 38 receptions, 489 receiving yards, 4 TD -- 13 TDs in his last 12 games. Beckham has fifteen straight games of five-plus receptions (longest active streak) and 100-plus receiving yards in nine of 18 career games.
Matchup to watch:Matt Cassel vs. playbook
Philadelphia's defense has allowed two TDs to tight ends in their last 22 games (fewest in NFL). Panthers TE Greg Olsen has three TDs in his last three games.
Philly's defense has 16 takeaways this season (second-most in NFL). Carolina's offense has five giveaways this season (fourth-fewest in NFL).
Sam Bradford has thrown multiple INTs in four of his six games this season. That's tied for the most such games this season with Kirk Cousins. No Eagles QB has had five games with two-plus INTs since Randall Cunningham in 1988.
Four of Bradford's nine INTs this season have come in the end zone. Since we started tracking INT in the end zone in 1991, no QB has thrown more than five in a season (Brett Favre in 2005, Drew Brees in 2002 and Vinny Testaverde in 1996).
DeMarco Murray: 71 carries, 239 rushing yards, 3.4 yards per rush, 3 TD; 21 receptions, 127 yards, 1 TD. Murray has had his best games of the season in Weeks 5 and 6. First three games: 9.7 carries per game, 15.7 rushing YPG, 1.6 yards per carry, two rushing TDs. Weeks 5-6: 21.0 carries per game, 96 rushing YPG, 4.6 yards per carry, two rushing TDs.
The Eagles' defense has two or more takeaways in five of six games this season. The Philly defense is allowing the fourth-fewest offensive TD per game (1.67) and boast the eighth-ranked rush defense in the NFL (94.2 yards per game).
The Panthers have a +6 turnover differential this season (T-best in NFL). Their five giveaways through five games are the fewest in Carolina franchise history.
Carolina's offense has scored 135 points (27.0 PPG), which is their most through five games in franchise history -- 148 points scored is most through six games in franchise history.
Cam Newton: 55.4 completion percentage, 215.6 pass YPG, 8 TD, 4 INT, 83.2 passer rating; 50 carries, 225 rush yards, 3 TD. He has the most carries and rush TDs among QBs. Cam is on pace for 160 carries this season -- the most by a QB in NFL history is 141 by Bobby Douglass in 1972 with Chicago.
Jonathan Stewart: 79 carries, 298 yards, 2 TD, 3.8 yards/carry -- six straight games without 100-plus rush yards.
Greg Olsen: 24 receptions, 374 receiving yards, 3 TD. He's posted two games with 130-plus receiving yards this season -- 0 games with 130+ yards in his first 126 career games.
Panthers' defensive ranks: third in yards per play allowed (4.88); sixth in takeaways (11); seventh in points per game allowed (18.8) and total YPG (338.0). Carolina is allowing an opposing passer rating of 68.8 this season (second-best in NFL).
Josh Norman: 21 tackles, 4 INT, 1 forced fumble, 8 passes defensed -- 2 INTs returned for TD. Norman is allowing an opposing passer rating of 24.1 this season, the best in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.
Matchup to watch: Kwann Short vs. Eagles O-line
Steve Smith Sr. has seven 100-yard games since his 35th birthday. The only player since 1960 with more is Jerry Rice (15).
From Weeks 2-6, the Ravens' offense is averaging 408.8 yards per game, 290.0 passing yards per game, 118.8 rushing yards per game and 1.4 turnovers per contest.
Joe Flacco: 62.3 completion percentage, 267.5 YPG, 8 TDs, 7 INTs, 80.1 passer rating. The Ravens are 0-3 this season when Flacco throws for 300-plus yards. He ranks 25th in completion percentage and TD-INT ratio, 27th in passer rating and 30th in yards per attempt (6.5).
The Ravens' defense has struggled this year compared to recent seasons dating back to the beginning of the John Harbaugh era:
2008-2014: 18.2 points per game allowed, 313.2 total yards per game, 216.4 passing yards per game
2015: 27.0 points per game allowed, 380.7 yards/game, 286.2 pass yards/game.
Ravens' defense: 20 points allowed in five straight games for the first time in the same season since Weeks 9-17, 2007 (the team's last season with a losing record), four takeaways (30th in NFL), 31st ranked third-down defense (47.8 percent).
Carson Palmer threw for 421 yards in the Cardinals' Week 6 loss at Pittsburgh, dropping him to 1-7 in his career when throwing for 400-plus yards. The only QB with a worse winning percentage when throwing for 400-plus yards (minimum five games) is Tony Romo, who is 0-5 in such starts.
Palmer has a 100.7 passer rating versus the blitz (12th highest in NFL). Ravens opponents have a 132.2 passer rating versus the blitz (highest in NFL).
Larry Fitzgerald (583 rec yards) and John Brown (497 rec yards) have combined for 1,080 receiving yards this season (most among all WR duos) -- Denver's Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are second with 1,054 combined receiving yards this season.
Chris Johnson: 445 yards, 4.8 yards/carry, 2 TDs. Johnson is fifth in the league in rushing. For his career, Johnson had 640 rushing yards, 5.0 yards/carry in seven Monday Night games.
Arizona defense: sixth in total defense, ninth in pass defense, 16th in run defense. The Cardinals have 13 takeaways (fourth-most in NFL) -- have lost two games with 0 takeaways this season. The Cards' defense has allowed 140-plus rushing yards twice this season, and lost both games.
Matchup to watch:John Brown vs. Ravens DBs
*Wake up and watch with the world. The NFL is live on Yahoo. For the first time ever the NFL is streaming a live game on Yahoo. Bills vs. Jaguars live from London, Sunday October 25th 9:30 am ET. *
