The Denver Broncos took care of business on Thursday night against the Oakland Raiders, and moved to 5-0 in the division and 10-3 overall. Denver already locked up the AFC West last week, and now will be jockeying for position in the AFC playoff race.
The game that could have a huge affect on how that plays out will take place this week on Monday Night Football.
The New England Patriots will host the Houston Texans in what will definitely be the marquee game of the weekend.
There will definitely be some other games to pay attention to. Baltimore and Washington face off, as do the Saints and Giants. In the NFC North, it’s Detroit and Green Bay playing in the primetime Sunday Night Football showdown.
But really, it’s the Texans and Patriots matchup on Monday Night which steals the headlines, and for good reason. Houston comes in tied for the best record in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons at 11-1, and the top-seed in the AFC playoff race. The Texans currently own a two-game lead over New England and Baltimore for the coveted home-field advantage in the playoffs.
The Patriots get the opportunity to close that gap this weekend at home where they are set as four-point favorites over the Texans.
Houston’s lone loss this season came at the hands of Green Bay and quarterback Aaron Rodgers. And if ever there were an offense on that same level, or perhaps better, it’s Tom Brady and New England.
This will be a big challenge for the Texan defense, to see if they can prove that they can handle an elite quarterback. You can bet Brady and head coach Bill Belichick have gone over that 6-touchdown performance Rodgers hung on Houston.
Both the Texans and Patriots come in with six-game winning streaks on the line, so one of these will come to an end.
Things will get very interesting if New England can get a win and pull to within one game of Houston. The Texans still have a tough schedule over the final three weeks, with two games at the Indianapolis Colts.