Will Washington still haunt Saints?
How's this for an odd stat: As Saints QB, Drew Brees is 1-4 against Washington. Of all the teams New Orleans has played at least 20 times, their worst winning percentage (.320) is against Washington. The record is 8-17, including 1-7 at the Superdome. Sunday, the Saints and their suddenly dominant defense and running game will try to beat Washington at home for the first time since 1992. They Saints have won seven straight this season.
How long can the Packers stay afloat?
The bodies keep dropping in Green Bay as the Packers added rookie running back Aaron Jones to the list of wounded. But they're 5-4 and face the Ravens, Buccaneers and Browns over the next four weeks. Baltimore visits Sunday. It's coming off a bye but has lost two straight road games. If the Packers can stay close to the Vikings in the NFC North, the chance of Aaron Rodgers returning to save the day increases.
Vegas changes its tune on Bears
Apparently, Las Vegas thinks the Bears are who we thought they were: a 3-6 train wreck. A week after being favored to beat a wounded Packers team at home, the Bears are underdogs against a so-so Lions team that struggles with consistency over 60 minutes. The Lions have won eight of the past nine meetings. Matthew Stafford threw for 249 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in last week's win over the Browns.
Cowboys humiliated in prime time?
Well, this one seems like one of the no-brainers of the week. The Eagles have Carson Wentz, a seven-game win streak and well-rested squad coming off a bye. They travel to Dallas, where the Cowboys don't have Ezekiel Elliott and were humiliated a week ago in Atlanta. Perhaps the prime-time home game will help motivate the Cowboys. Or further expose them as a lopsided team.
Will Seattle get back its 12th-man edge?
Seattle takes a 3-1 home record into Monday night's game against Atlanta. However, when we last saw the Seahawks at home, they lost 17-14 to a Washington team decimated by injuries. It was deemed a fluky loss. But those things happen when you miss three field goals and commit 16 penalties. Seattle leads the league in penalties with 94. Meanwhile, Atlanta's Matt Ryan remains stuck in first gear, while Julio Jones has only one touchdown.
MARK CRAIG
