By Jason Bryden
Elm Senior Writer
San Diego (4-4) at Tampa Bay (4-4) (Sunday 1 p.m.)
Two teams with playoff hopes meet in this interconference game this weekend in Tampa, Fla. as the AFC’s Chargers fly across the country to play the NFC’s Buccaneers.
San Diego cruised to a 31-13 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9 as the Chargers got two defensive touchdowns to aid the cause. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Chargers as they seek to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2009. In all four of their wins, the Chargers have scored 22 or more points.
Tampa Bay won its second straight game with a 42-32 win at Oakland this past Sunday against the Raiders. Running back Doug Martin ran for 251 yards and four touchdowns in the win as he helped spearhead a 35-point second half. Tampa Bay is 3-1 in its past four games and has scored at least 28 points in all four of them.
The Chargers lead the all-time series 8-1 and have won all five meetings in Tampa.
Atlanta (8-0) at New Orleans (3-5) (Sunday 1 p.m.)
The NFC South’s top rivalry takes stage on Sunday as the Saints look to end the perfect season of the Falcons at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Atlanta went to 8-0 for the first-time ever with a 19-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night at home. Running back Michael Turner ran for 102 yards and the Falcons lone touchdown in the game. A win by the Falcons will get them closer to winning their second NFC South crown in three seasons.
New Orleans has gone 3-1 since starting 0-4 and is coming off of a 28-13 win on Monday night over the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. The Saints never trailed in the game and took the lead for good on a 99-yard interception return by cornerback Patrick Robinson to put New Orleans up 7-0. A win by the Saints will get them within one game of the last playoff team, the Seattle Seahawks.
Atlanta leads the all-time series 45-40 and has won the only playoff meeting in 1991. The Saints won both meetings last year.
Detroit (4-4) at Minnesota (5-4) (Sunday 1 p.m.)
Two teams going in opposite directions meet on Sunday at the Metrodome in Minneapolis as the Lions hit the road to play the Vikings.
Detroit won for the third time in its last four games with a 31-14 victory at the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in Florida, scoring all four touchdowns on the ground. Running back Mikel Leshoure ran for three touchdowns and running back Joique Bell ran for one. The Lions are seeking their first two-game winning streak in Minnesota since 1990-91.
Minnesota lost its third game in the last four with a 30-20 setback at Seattle to the Seahawks on Sunday. The Vikings fell in spite of running back Adrian Peterson rushing for 182 yards and two touchdowns, while averaging more than 10 yards a carry. Prior to last year, Minnesota won 13 straight at home versus Detroit from 1998-2010.
Minnesota leads the all-time series 67-33-2 and won the earlier meeting this season 20-13 in Week 4. The Vikings two touchdowns in the Week 4 win were on a kickoff and punt return.
Dallas (3-5) at Philadelphia (3-5) (Sunday 4:25 p.m. – FOX Chs. 5 and 10)
Two teams with big hopes entering the 2012 season will meet on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia with the winner keeping its hopes alive, while the loser will have its hopes further dimmed.
Dallas fell to 3-5 with a 19-13 loss at Atlanta on Sunday to the Falcons. The Cowboys cut the lead to 16-13 on a touchdown reception by wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, but could not stop the Falcons on third down and ended up allowing a field goal and did not get the ball back until 17 seconds left. This game concludes a stretch of four road games in five weeks for Dallas.
Philadelphia despite rolling up 447 yards and 221 yards on the ground dropped a 28-13 game to the Saints in New Orleans on Monday night. The Eagles hurt themselves with two red zone turnovers in the game, a theme for the team this season as they have given the ball away 19 times. Philadelphia is just 5-4 in nine meetings with Dallas at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Cowboys lead the all-time series 56-46 in the regular season and 3-1 in the postseason.
Houston (7-1) at Chicago (7-1) (Sunday 8:20 p.m. – NBC Ch. 11)
Two of the NFL’s top teams meet on the national stage on Sunday night at Soldier Field as the Texans travel to the Windy City to play the Bears in an interconference game that is a potential Super Bowl XLVII matchup.
Houston reached 7-1 with a 21-9 win over the visiting Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Reliant Stadium. Quarterback Matt Schaub tossed two touchdowns in the win as the Texans have the AFC’s top record at the midway point of the season. The Texans are a perfect 3-0 on the road this season and are 8-3 away from Houston since the start of the 2011 season.
Chicago set a franchise record for first quarter points with 28 en route to a 51-20 win over the Tennessee Titans last Sunday in Nashville. The Bears led 28-2 after the first quarter and scored their four touchdowns on a blocked punt, a rushing score, an interception and a passing touchdown, an NFL first for that combination of touchdowns in any quarter. Cornerback Charles Tillman forced four fumbles in the win, as Chicago recovered three. Chicago will seek to complete a sweep of the AFC South on Sunday.
The Texans have won both meetings in 2004 and 2008. Houston ended Chicago’s playoff hopes in 2008 with a 31-24 win in Week 17.