Here are a few of the other games I'll be keeping my eye on while gearing up for the Steelers-Browns matchup during primetime on NBC's Football Night in America.
1) New Orleans at Washington - Besides my loyalties to Drew Brees from back in the day, I'm interested in this game because it will tell me something about Washington, an opponent of ours in early November. If they can handle a dangerous Saints team and hold serve at home, I think the talk ot the NFC East being one of the toughest divisions in football is justified. New Orleans, my sleeper to win the NFC, could make people notice with a solid road victory.
2) Indy at Minnesota - Two 0-1 teams with big expectations face off. My gut tells me Minnesota and Adrian Peterson run all over the Colts in the MetroDome.
3) San Diego at Denver - Does San Diego send Denver back to reality or do the Broncos establish themselves as contenders in the AFC West? I think it could be a high-scoring affair, with both teams in the mid 20s.
4) Tennessee at Cincinnati - Don't really care about this one too much other than to see how Carson Palmer responds after arguably his worst game as a professional.
5) Buffalo at Jacksonville - Another great early season matchup, much like San Diego and Denver, that could give us a lot more information about where these teams stack up in the bigger picture. Does Jacksonville bounce back at home against a very solid Bills team? Or should the Jags be taken less seriously after all. Big game for Garrad.
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A good, not great slate of games this week. But that's all irrelevant really, as we have everything in the world to look forward to in the form of the Steelers Browns game to wrap up the day's action.