NFL 2016 Game of the Week Preview, Week 15: Cowboys vs Buccaneers

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5) will travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys (11-2) at AT&T Stadium on Sunday night. Dallas has already clinched a spot in the playoffs, but they still have to lock up the division, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage in the playoffs. Dallas has the best record in the NFC, and they’re tied with New England for the best record in the league.

Both of the Cowboys losses this season have come to the New York Giants. Last week, they were defeated by the Giants, 10-7. Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has been fantastic all season long, but he’s struggled recently. Last week’s game was the first time Prescott threw multiple interceptions in the same game. The Mississippi State alum has failed to reach 200 passing yards in each of his last three games. Dallas has scored 24 points in their last two games.

The Cowboys backup is Tony Romo, but Head Coach Jason Garrett seems adamant about keeping Prescott in as the starter. The Cowboys magic number to secure the NFC’s number one seed is two with three games left. Under rookie Head Coach Dirk Koetter, Tampa has won five straight games. This is Tampa’s longest unbeaten streak since 2002. The resurgent Buccaneers are tied with Atlanta atop the NFC South. Tampa controls its own postseason destiny as they currently sit in the second wild-card spot. Tampa’s defense has gotten them to this point.

Tampa has given up a league-low 12.8 points per game since Week 10. The team has allowed the fewest touchdowns since Week 10 (6). The offense has struggled, as they’ve scored just six touchdowns in their last four games. Tampa defeated Dallas 10-6 last season in Tampa.

NFL 2016 Game of the Week Preview, Week 13: Saints vs Lions

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The Detroit Lions travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints in the Week 13 Game of the Week. Kickoff in the Louisiana Superdome is set for 1 p.m. ET.

Detroit (7-4) enters the game atop the NFC North division, one and a half games ahead of the Minnesota Vikings (6-6) and two games ahead of the Green Bay Packers (5-6). New Orleans (5-6) sits third in the NFC South, one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5) and two games behind the Atlanta Falcons (7-4). The intensity that will be on display due to the playoff implications for both teams, plus the potential offensive firepower, make this game an entertaining option this Sunday.

New Orleans has one of the league's best offenses, with quarterback Drew Brees at the helm. He leads the league in passing completions (326), attempts (456), completion percentage (71.5) yards (3,587) and touchdowns (30) despite having just one receiver in the top 35 in receptions and none in the top ten in yards. Their defense, though, is one of the league's worst. They allow the sixth-most passing yards per game and the third-most points per game. Of their six home games, their opponents have scored at least 25 points four times, with the only exceptions being the mostly-inept Seattle Seahawks (20 points) and horribly inept Los Angeles Rams (21).

Detroit has had one of the most remarkable seasons in recent memory. The Lions have had a deficit in the fourth quarter of every game they have played this season. They have lost just four of them, and have come from behind to win in seven of them. Additionally, each one of their games have been decided by seven points or less. Essentially, watching a Lions game guarantees an exciting, close game.

The Saints want to earn a victory here because the Falcons have a solid chance of losing their matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Buccaneers play in San Diego against a potentially-dangerous Chargers team, so solid ground can be made up for them. The Lions can put some distance between themselves and Minnesota with a victory, giving them a two-game lead with just four weeks to go. A loss would increase the pressure on them the rest of the season.

The last five games in the New Orleans-Detroit matchup have all resulted in a victory by the home team, with the three contests played in New Orleans all combining for at least 48 points: 48, 72, and 77. Expect tons of offense, a thrilling ending, and a Saints victory this week in New Orleans.

NFL 2016 Game of the Week Preview, Week 12: Broncos vs Chiefs

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The Kansas City Chiefs (7-3) face the Denver Broncos (7-3) on Sunday Night Football at Mile High Stadium. This will be the 112th meeting between these two storied franchises, with the Chiefs leading the series, 57-53. However, the Broncos have won seven of the last eight meetings.

This will be the first time this season that the Chiefs and Broncos face off. They will meet again in Week 16 at Arrow Head Stadium. The Broncos and Chiefs trail the AFC West leading Oakland Raiders (8-2), which makes this a crucial game for both teams if they want to keep pace with the surging Raiders.

Keeping pace with Oakland is going to be a challenge for both the Broncos and Chiefs. Both teams have the toughest remaining strength of schedule in the AFC for the rest of this season. Their remaining opponents have a combined winning percentage of .607.

The Broncos need to open up their offense, but in order to do that, they need their defense to create more turnovers for fear their offense might do the same.

Despite the Chiefs 7-3 record, they've been slightly unimpressive. There were games where their defense shined, however, by forcing multiple turnovers and not allowing the opposing team any offensive touchdowns. The Chiefs offense and defense, though, are coming off a tough loss at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Making this an even bigger game for Kansas City given Denver's recent dominance over them. During the past 15 seasons, the Broncos are 20-12 versus their divisional rivals, and are 12-4 in games played at Mile High.

If the Chiefs defense can't keep the Broncos out of the endzone, then their offense which is led by quarterback Alex Smith, will have to score more than the 1.8 touchdowns they average on the season.

NFL 2016 Game of the Week Preview, Week 11: Cowboys vs Ravens

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The Dallas Cowboys host the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX on Sunday afternoon. This is game is a matchup of #1 teams. 

The Cowboys have the #1 rushing offense led by none other than Ezekiel Elliot. The Ravens have the #1 rushing defense. One will have to give on Sunday afternoon.

Both have two great quarterbacks, as well. Dak Prescott has led the Cowboys to eight straight wins while Joe Flacco has led the Ravens to two consecutive wins.

NFL 2016 Game of the Week Preview, Week 10: Eagles vs Falcons

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A couple of weeks ago, this contest was looking a lot more appealing. Carson Wentz was looking like he had the 'Ginger Magic' and Matt Ryan had Atlanta looking like a Super Bowl contender.

The Falcons have been able to keep up their end of the bargain with an NFC South leading record of 6-3. However it looks like Wentz may be hitting the rookie wall and the Eagles have dropped four of their last five and are at the bottom of the NFC East.

All that being said when you look at the numbers this game appears to be one of the most even matched we've seen this year. Despite their struggles on offense Doug Pederson's defensive unit has remained consistent.

They rank in the top ten for both points and yards allowed. If that's not enough of a selling point according to the DVOA metric used at football-outsiders.com they have the best defense in the NFL.

The DVOA metric also has the Falcons ranked as the top offense and a lot of that has to be attributed to Matt Ryan's MVP season. As for the other side of the ball both teams are ranked #24 respectively.

The key matchup to watch is going to be If the Eagles secondary can contain Atlanta's passing attack. Ryan is leading the league in passing yard touchdowns while Julio Jones is the games top wideout.

NFL 2016 Game of the Week Preview, Week 9: Raiders vs Broncos

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The Oakland Raiders will host the Denver Broncos on Sunday night. The winner of this game will take the lead in the AFC West at 7-2. 

The Broncos are a great team once again after winning Super Bowl 50. The Raiders are exceeding expectations in 2016 and are looking like a serious contender for the Super Bowl, let alone the playoffs.

There's a lot on the line in this week's Sunday Night Football game. Hopefully, the game can live up to the hype. 

2016 NFL Game of the Week Preview, Week 8: Cowboys vs Eagles

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The Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) will travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys (5-1) at AT&T Stadium on Sunday night. These two NFC East rivals will meet for the first time this season. This divisional matchup usually always has playoff implications, and we can expect this prime-time game to impact the division and the playoff picture down the road.

 Dallas is coming off their bye week. Since 2003, they are 8-6 in the game after their bye week. Philadelphia enters this game having dominated the Minnesota Vikings 21-10 last week. Quarterback Carson Wentz, the second overall pick in last year’s draft, has the Eagles playing much better than most expected, as they are second in the NFC East behind the Cowboys. 

The North Dakota State alumni has thrown for 1,324 yards and eight touchdowns, and he’s thrown three interceptions. Wentz has been a large part of this Eagle’s turnaround, but Philadelphia’s defense has dramatically improved, which is the reason why they are in a favorable position at the mid-way point of the season. Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz’s defense has recorded 20 sacks this season. 

The defense is allowing 14.7 points per game, which is third best in the league behind Seattle and Minnesota. Philadelphia has forced 12 turnovers, which has led to their plus-6 turnover differential. Led by Head Coach Jason Garrett, the Cowboys have enjoyed success despite injuries to key players. Quarterback Tony Romo has been out since the preseason, and wide receiver Dez Bryant has been out for three games. Dallas has also been missing guard La’el Collins, linebacker Rolando McClain, and cornerback Orlando Scandrick. 

Dallas has reeled off five straight wins since losing to the New York Giants in Week 1. Two rookie on offense have contributed to this winning streak. Rookie and fourth round pick Dak Prescott has filled in brilliantly for Romo, which makes him an early candidate for MVP. Prescott has thrown for 1,486 yards and seven touchdowns while only throwing one interception. The Mississippi State alumni has been handing off to one of the NFL’s best running backs. 

Rookie and former Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott has been running wild behind an offensive line that is one of the best in the league. Elliott has run the ball 137 times for 703 yards and five touchdowns. Elliott has rushed for an average of 5.1 yards per carry. Despite a plethora of injuries and suspensions, the Cowboys defense has been a pleasant surprise. Rod Marinelli’s unit has not allowed a 100-yard rusher or receiver, and the defense has forced nine turnovers. This game will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday night, and it will air on NBC.