Oct 14, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) celebrates a touchdown pass against the Houston Texans in the fourth quarter at Reliant Stadium. The Packers defeated the Texans 42-24. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE
I’m calling this cruel and unusual punishment. We’ve had to wait 15 days since the Bears beat up on the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s hard enough to get through a bye week Sunday, but to have to suffer through consecutive Sundays before the Bears take to the gridiron against their division rivals, the Detroit Lions, on Monday Night Football.
At least last Sunday we had a triple header of NFC North action to drive our rooting interests. This Sunday won’t be nearly as enticing, but it’s football and somehow, some way, we’ll get by. Here’s the action that’s slated for the Chicago market this Sunday:
Green Bay at St Louis
The Packers burst onto the scene in a big way last Sunday with a HUGE win over the Texans in Houston. They continue their road trip outside the Cheddar Curtain with a visit to St. Louis.
The Rams have continued the trend in the NFC West with a strong defense, but after seeing what the Packers did to the Texans, they could have their hands full if the Packers found their offensive game. They lost their best wide receiver Danny Amendola, so it will be up to Brandon Gibson to pick up the slack. Steven Jackson is on the downside of his career, but against this Packers defense, he could have a decent day.
The Packers continue to battle injuries including offensive weapons Greg Jennings and Cedric Benson, but it didn’t slow Aaron Rodgers down last week. Jordy Nelson could have his hands full with Cortland Finnegan on Sunday, but I don’t think the Rams present much of a challenge for the resurgent Packers.
Baltimore at Houston
This matchup features the only two teams in the AFC currently boasting winning records. The Texans look to rebound after a tough loss to the Packers on SNF last week while the Ravens hope to recover from serious injuries to top CB Ladarius Webb and middle linebacker Ray Lewis.
The focus on this game will be whether the depleted Ravens can slow down a potent Texans offense, keyed by the rushing attack of Arian Foster. In year’s past, you might consider sitting a RB against the Ravens’ ferocious defense, but this Raven squad is giving up 136.5 rushing yards per game, ranking them 26th in the league.
For the Texans, their defense will look to bounce back after getting pantsted by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense. ARod threw 6 TD passes against a Texans D that had been dominant thanks to the MVP caliber performance by DE JJ Watt in the early going.
This AFC matchup does nothing for me as a Bears fan except it gives an opportunity to scout the Texans, which come to town in a few weeks for a Sunday Night matchup with the Beloved.
NY Jets at New England
Can we please stop giving national attention to these two teams? No one outside of the East Coast really cares. The Jets have become a punchline of endless Tim Tebow jokes while the Patriots have become a part of the blob. I have to admit, not really interested in this one, so maybe I’ll spend this time catching up on Boardwalk Empire or Dexter.