Conor Allen

It's 5-5 vs. 5-5. It's Cousins vs. Garoppolo. It's Shanahan vs. Zimmer. This Sunday we have ourselves an NFC masterpiece between two teams that have have struggled, but turned their seasons around with recent decisive wins. The winner will move to 6-5 and be in a a great position to ensure a wildcard playoff spot. Strap in.  The 49ers hit a low point on 11/7 when they lost to a Kyler Murraly-less Arizona Cardinals 31-17. They rebounded with a season-changing 31-17 win over the Rams on MNF the next week, then avoided a letdown with a 31-10 win over Jacksonville on the road last Sunday. The 49ers kept the Jags out of the end zone and held them to just 54 yards rushing, while racking up 171 on the ground for themselves. They did all that without their lead Runner Elijah Mitchell, who remains questionable with a broken finger. 79 of those yards came courtesy of Deebo Samuel, who apparently, when he isn't serving as the teams leading pass-catcher, is also a running back.  Sa...

The surging Patriots travel to Atlanta Thursday to take on a Falcons team that has put together some good wins but also struggled to achieve any kind of consistency this season. Atlanta is coming off a 43-3 beatdown at the hands of Dallas last week, while the Patriots issued a 45-7 drubbing of their own to the Browns on Sunday. Atlanta is just 1-3 at home, while the Patriots are undefeated (4-0) on the road.  Mac Jones is starting to look like the first rounder New England wanted. Jones was 19-of-23 for 198 yards and three touchdowns with no INTs in the Patriots 45-7 win over Cleveland. The rookie quarterback has thrown for 2,333 yards this season, 14th amongst QBs. Jones has completed 69 percent of his passes with 13 TDs and seven interceptions. New England's 241.7 yards per game though the air put them, like Jones, at 14th in the league. Jones and the rest of the offense are starting to translate those yards into points. Their 27.5 per game are sixth in the league. They should be...

The Chiefs will head to Vegas to take on the Raiders Sunday in a matchup between two teams that have had eventful seasons full of disappointments in production and personal conduct. Patrick Mahomes has thrown 10 interceptions and not looked like the dominating force of the last two years. The KC defense has struggled, ranking in the bottom half of the league in several categories, including passing and rushing yards allowed. Yet somehow they have won three of their last four and at 5-4 and still alive in the AFC West.  The Raiders fired head coach Jon Gruden after it was discovered he sent numerous homophobic and and misogonistic emails between 2011-2018. They've cut several players for off-field legal troubles, but somehow still sit at 5-3 and are also very much alive in the AFC West. Sunday's matchup will be a big game for both teams.  News flash! News Flash! Patrick Mahomes is no longer the league leader in interceptions. The world can stop panicking and predicting his demi...

The 6-2 Titans will travel to SoFi Stadium Sunday to take on the 7-1 Rams. Tennessee will be without star running back Derrick Henry, lost for the season following Sunday's win.  The Titans beat Indianapolis 34-31 Sunday for their fourth straight win, padding their lead in the AFC West to three games. Henry suffered a foot injury in the first quarter that at first seemed innocuous. He was looked at by team trainers on the sideline, but returned to play, finishing with 68 yards on 29 carries. But after the game it was revealed that doctors believe he suffered a Jones fracture, requiring season-ending surgery. Now every pundit in the land is proclaiming the Titans are done, Adrian Peterson is being signed to the practice squad, Mike Vrabel is calling Bill Belichick for tips, and Ryan Tanehill is preparing to throw 50 times a game. Funny how quickly things can change in the NFL.  Just how valuable is Henry to the Titans? To start, since 2019 they are 18-3 when he rushes for more ...

The Patriots head to sunny Los Angeles Sunday, but this will be no vacation, as they'll face the 4-2 Chargers and second year QB Justin Herbert at SoFi Stadium. The Chargers will be looking to get revenge following a 45-0 loss at the hands of the New England last season. The Patriots have proven to be tough to figure out so far this season. They have yet to beat a quality opponent, with wins over the Texans and the Jets (twice). Their defense is surrendering 105.6 yards per game on the ground and 245 through the air, putting them in the middle of the pack in both categories. But they're also giving up 20.6 point per game, good for 6th. T he Pats have lost only once by double digits, and their 54-13 drubbing of the Jets on 10/17 saw them score the most points in a game since 2013.  Rookie QB Mac Jones has struggled at times, but also shown flashes of why he can be the future of the franchise. Jones has thrown for 1,779 yards, with nine TDs, six INTs and a 74.1 complet...

The 2-3 Colts will travel to Santa Clara Sunday night to take on a 2-4 49ers team coming off its bye week. This may not be the powerhouse matchup NBC predicted when they made their schedule, but there are plenty of intriguing questions coming into this game. Will Jimmy Garropolo play? Where will Trey Lance run? What is the 49ers offensive identity? If Santa Clara isn't San Francisco, then where is it? The Colts will be arriving feling good about themselves after throttling the Texans on Sunday. Carson Wentz threw for 223 yards and two Tds, while Running back Jonathan Taylor ran for 145 yards, including a run of 83 that set up one of his two Tds. The Colts defense intercepted David Mills twice and held the Texans to just a field goal in the 31-3 win.  Wentz has had a few injury issues this season, but overall is putting up the kind of numbers the Colts were hoping to see. Through five games he's competed 64.2 percent of his passes, thrown for 1,545 yards with nine Tds and just ...

The Chargers will head to Baltimore on the heels of an incredible 47-42 win over Cleveland. The Ravens will have a short week after beating Indianapolis 31-25 in overtime on Monday night. Let's hope both teams have more left in the tank for this one, because it has the makings of a classic.   The Chargers' battle with Cleveland featured eight lead changes and Justin Herbert throwing four Tds, running back Austin Eckler scoring three TDs in the fourth quarter alone, Mike Williams hauling in two Td catches and 165 yards of receiving, and anyone who had any of those players on their fantasy team having too much fun. Los Angeles has won three straight and sits atop the AFC West.  Herbert, in his second year out of Oregon, is emerging into a top quarterback. He's thrown 13 touchdowns against three INTs through five games. His 1,576 passing yards are good for fourth amongst all quarterbacks in the league, and he's completed 67.1 % of his passes. Someone get this guy a shirt t...