- Arkansas vs Texas A&M – Why would Arkansas vs Texas A&M be a national 3:30 game? Last season Texas A&M played three sisters of the poor: Rice, Sam Houston State, and SMU. They won by a combined score of 159-72. Then they played Arkansas: 45-33. The hogs rushed for over 200 yards but lost in part due to 2 interceptions thrown. Neutral site game, this is set to be a closer ball game than expected.
- Stanford at Washington – For a 2nd straight year, Washington is 4-0 as they begin conference play. Last year they ended up dropping a 31-28 game on the road to Stanford, which led to a three game losing streak. In 2012, a 7-6 Washington team beat Stanford 17-13. If Stanford is going to stay in this playoff race and Pac 12 race, winning this road game is their season. Washington, under Chris Peterson, is looking to take that next step to the 10 win season territory. That’s how pivotal this game is for both teams.
- Starting 3-1 in the NFL – 34 of 58 teams - The Atlanta Falcons are one of 11 NFL teams who currently sit at 2-1 and are looking to reach the 3-1 mark by the end of this week’s play. New England, Dallas, Baltimore, Carolina, Chicago, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Buffalo and Houston are among the group that realizes that their playoff chances improve significantly with a win on Sunday. Since 2005, 58 teams have started an NFL season with a 3-1 record. 34 of those teams, roughly 59%, of those 3-1 teams made the NFL playoffs.
- Eagles at 49ers – The 49ers found themselves in a similar position last season when they had to go on the road with a 1-2 record. They won convincingly at St. Louis 35-11. That was the only other time under Jim Harbaugh that the team was under .500. Philadelphia is giving the league something different to deal with. Philadelphia lead the league in rushing last year and were 9th in passing yards. This year the team, without DeSean Jackson, is 3rd in passing yards but is now just 19th in rushing yards. If there is a way to take advantage of San Francisco right now, it’s through the air.
- Saints at Cowboys – This game comes down to whether or not the Cowboys can shorten the game and get off the field on 3rd down. 2013: New Orleans beats Dallas 49-17 (40 first downs, NFL record – 625 yards of offense) (29th in the league on 3rd down 43.3%)2012: New Orleans beats Dalllas in Dallas 34-31 (562 yards of offense) (23rd in league on 3rd down – 40.3%) 2014: 48.6% (27th) - but they’re defending fewer plays and have already had two games with multiple interceptions. If the Cowboys are to hang around and give themselves a chance to win, they must continue to run the football and play keep-away from Drew Brees. Dallas has been unable to pressure the quarterback with their front four, so putting the Saints into tough down and distances is paramount.