Everything you need to know as kickoff approaches...
Harrison: Week 10 predictions
Key game-time decisions
All players questionable unless noted
Fred Jackson (groin) RB -- ACTIVE -- Buffalo Bills
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Media's Albert Breer reported Sunday morning that despite little work this week, the Bills are optimistic Jackson will be able to play against the Chiefs. UPDATE: Jackson was ruled active for Sunday's game.
Sammy Watkins (groin) WR -- ACTIVE -- Buffalo Bills
Watkins missed practice on Thursday and Friday with a groin injury suffered during Wednesday's practice. Rapoport reported Watkins' injury was believed to be minor and on Sunday, Rapoport and Breer reported the Bills are optimisticWatkins will play alongside Jackson. UPDATE: Watkins will play Sunday.
Mark Ingram (shoulder) RB -- ACTIVE -- New Orleans Saints
Ingram is expected to shoulder the majority of carries for the Saints on Sunday, despite his questionable status. UPDATE: Ingram was declared active.
Robert Meachem (ankle) WR -- OUT -- New Orleans Saints
Meachem popped up on the injury report on Thursday with an ankle injury and did not participate on Friday, either. UPDATE: Meachem will not play.
Rolando McClain (knee/groin) LB -- ACTIVE -- Dallas Cowboys
The linebacker did not practice during the week and his status is up in the air. UPDATE: McClain will play but will not start Sunday, per NFL Media's Kimberly Jones.Â
Patrick Willis (toe) LB -- OUT -- San Francisco 49ers
Willis didn't practice all week and will likely be a game-time decision. UPDATE: Willis was ruled inactive.
Martellus Bennett (ribs) TE, Chicago Bears
Bennett showed up on the injury report Thursday as a limited participant in practice, but missed practice on Friday with a rib injury.
Morgan Burnett (calf) S, Green Bay Packers
Burnett was downgraded Saturday from probable to questionable for Sunday night's game against the Bears.
Vincent Jackson (ribs) WR -- Â ACTIVE -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jackson is listed as questionable, but his status improved from a non-participant on Wednesday to full participation in practice on Friday. UPDATE: Jackson is active for Sunday's game against the Falcons.
Lavonte David (knee) LB -- ACTIVE -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
David was a limited participant on Wednesday and Thursday but fully practiced Friday. UPDATE: David will play.
Harry Douglas (foot) WR -- ACTIVE -- Atlanta Falcons
Douglas was a full participant in practice Friday after being limited Wednesday and Thursday. UPDATE: Douglas evaded the inactives list.Â
Michael Johnson (hand) DE -- OUT -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Limited in practice on Thursday, Johnson was a full participant on Friday. UPDATE: Johnson will not play in Tampa Bay's Week 10 contest.
Byron Maxwell (calf) DB, Seattle Seahawks
Maxwell was a full participant Friday after missing practice Wednesday and being limited Thursday.
Lamar Miller (shoulder) RB -- ACTIVE -- Miami Dolphins
Miller was a limited participant on Friday. Rapoport reported earlier in the week that Miller is dealing with an AC joint sprain. UPDATE: Miller is active for Sunday's game.
Nate Washington (shoulder) WR -- ACTIVE -- Tennessee Titans
The receiver was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but was a full participant on Friday. UPDATE: Washington will play Sunday.
Charles Sims (ankle) RB -- ACTIVE -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sims was activated last week but has yet to play in a game. The running back was limited all week. UPDATE: Sims will see his first NFL action this week, as he's active.
Daryn Colledge (back) G -- OUT -- Miami Dolphins
Colledge was listed as doubtful, but the team downgraded him to out on Saturday.
MNF
Nick Foles (collarbone), QB -- OUT -- Philadelphia Eagles
With Foles sidelined for six to eight weeks, Mark Sanchez is on tap for a long audition inside Chip Kelly's offense.
Weather Tracking*
As we get deeper into November, the games begin to take on a more wintery feel.
Chiefs at Bills -- 40 degrees / Chance of rain (36 percent), winds (10 mph at kickoff)
Giants at Seahawks -- 52 degrees / Rain showers (81 percent)
Bears at Packers -- 35 degrees / Rain, possible snow showers leading up to kickoff (80 percent at 10 a.m. ET)
*Forecasts courtesy of Weather Underground
Three matchups to watch
Brooks: Fear the 'Fins!
49ers' back seven vs. Jimmy Graham
Jimmy Graham has returned to form the last few weeks after a shoulder injury. When he is causing havoc across the middle and in intermediate routes, it opens up the entire Saints offense and brings the big plays back into play for Drew Brees. How the 49ers plan to match up against Graham will be interesting to watch. Coverage would have been simpler if Patrick Willis -- one of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL -- was playing. With Willis out, Vic Fangio will have to get creative. Rookie Chris Borland is a stud against the run but can get lost in coverage and will struggle with Graham in space. Expect Antoine Bethea's name to be heard from a lot, especially when Graham is targeted. If the 49ers can restrict Graham, it could short-circuit a Saints offense that has been on a roll.
Wake and Vernon quite possibly hold the key to an important inter-conference contest that will have big playoff positioning repercussions for both teams. If the Dolphins pass rushing duo can get to Matthew Stafford on a consistent basis, they could keep a struggling Lions offense on a leash. Calvin Johnson's return will be huge for Stafford, especially stretching the field, but the quarterback hasn't gotten a lot of time this season. Reiff has been average and struggled mightily the last time the Lions were on the field. Waddle has missed time with injuries this season, which led to a revolving door on Detroit's right side. If Waddle struggles against Wake, the defensive end could change the game all by himself.
In a pivotal AFC matchup that could have big playoff implications between two 5-3 teams, Justin Houston is a big player to watch. His 12 sacks lead the NFL and he's been a disruptive force all season -- Pro Football Focus ranks him as their No. 1 3-4 outside linebacker. Houston should be in the backfield plenty Sunday against a Bills offensive line that struggles in pass protection. Orton has steadied Buffalo's offense. The signal-caller has been especially heady in the fourth quarter -- hence leading a couple come-from-behind wins. Orton currently boasts an NFL-best 132.5 fourth quarter passer rating. However, the quarterback isn't exactly mobile, gets sacked at a high rate and has a history of bad turnovers. If Houston has free shots at Orton, the linebacker could singlehandedly discombobulate the Bills' offense.
Did You Know?
The Titans' defense has ramped up the sack totals, earning 14 in last three games after totaling just nine in the first five games.
Joe Flacco has performed remarkably better against non-AFC North opponents this season. Against division opponents he is 2-3 with a 60.7 completion percentage, 6.1 yards per attempt, a six-to-five touchdown-to-interception ratio and a passer rating of 77.7. Against the rest of the NFL those numbers leap to: 3-1, 65.9 completion percentage, 9.2 yards per attempt, 10-to-three TD-INT ratio and a 112.0 passer rating.
The Chiefs are the only team in the NFL that does not have a receiving touchdown by a wide receiver this season. Their 11 straight games without a receiving TD by a WR is the NFL's longest active streak. The Chiefs' last receiver touchdown was Week 14 of 2013, when Dwayne Bowe caught an Alex Smith pass at Washington. That was Dec. 8, 2013.
The Chiefs have been called for the fewest penalties in the NFL this season, just 39.
The Bills have been a completely different team the last four weeks since turning to Kyle Orton under center. They are 3-1 and Orton has thrown two-plus touchdowns in three straight games. The veteran signal-caller currently holds the fourth highest passer rating in the NFL (104.0) behind only Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger.
Ryan Tannehill is 0-4 in games played indoors, with three TDs, eight INTs and a passer rating of 69.6.
Tannehill has a touchdown pass and 20-plus yards rushing in each of last four games. The last two players with such a streak: Randall Cunningham in 1987 for Philadelphia; Fran Tarkenton in 1962 for Minnesota.
Matthew Stafford has struggled on passes in the 11-20 yard range -- presumably due to the absence of Calvin Johnson. Stafford's stats on passes 11-20 air yards: Week 1-5: 18 of 33 (54.5 percent), two-to-zero TD-INT ratio, 106.0 passer rating. Week 6-8: 9 of 24 (37.5 percent), zero-to-two TD-INT ratio, 28.6 passer rating.
After just nine games, DeMarco Murray has set career highs for an entire season in carries (225) and rushing yards (1,133). In the entire 2013 season, 11 players had 225-plus carries and 1,000-plus rushing yards.
This marks the first time San Francisco has been at .500 at the season's midpoint under Jim Harbaugh. The 49ers were 7-1 in 2011 and 6-2 each of the last two seasons.
This is only the fourth time the 49ers have lost consecutive games under Harbaugh. San Francisco has never lost three straight games Harbaugh helming the program.
Mark Ingram: 88 carries, 431 yards, six TDs, 4.9 yards per carry. Last two games: 54 carries, 272 yards, three TDs. He became the first Saints player with 20-plus carries in back-to-back games since Aaron Stecker in 2007 and the first with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since Deuce McAllister in 2006 (Weeks 13-14).
Ben Roethlisberger has 12 TD passes in his last two games; the New York Jets have 12 TD passes in their last 15 games. Roethlisberger needs four passing TDs to break the record for a three-game span (15 by Peyton Manning in 2004).
Antonio Brown has at least five receptions and 80-plus yards in all nine games this season, which ties the NFL record to start a season held by Michael Irvin (nine in 1995).
For the season the Jets' offense is averaging 4.74 yards per play, worst in NFL. They are also averaging 4.74 yards per pass play, worst in the NFL and is the only team averaging fewer than 5.0 yards.
Quick facts:
Atlanta is tied for second in the NFL in touchdowns of 20-plus yards (nine). Tampa Bay has allowed eight such touchdowns, tied for third most.
The Falcons are third in the NFL in red-zone scoring (76.5 percent). The Bucs have allowed 13 red zone passing touchdowns (tied for third in the NFL).
Atlanta has outscored opponents 86-64 in the first half of their last six games. Tampa has the worst first-half scoring differential in NFL (-98).
The Bucs allowed a season-low 50 rushing yards last week. The Falcons have compiled four straight games with fewer than 100 rushing yards.
Tampa has 300-plus yards of total offense in four of their last five games. Atlanta has allowed 300-plus yards of total offense in seven of eight games.
Derek Carr is the first rookie since the merger to start and lose his team's first eight games of the season.
The Rams are 2-1 vs. the NFC West this season, but 1-4 against the rest of the NFL.
St. Louis has 13 sacks in the last three games after compiling just one measly quarterback takedown entering Week 7.
Andre Ellington is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry. He has accumulated 559 rushing yards on 149 carries with two running scores to go along with 32 receptions for 313 yards and two receiving touchdowns. He is just one of two running backs with 75-plus yards in every game this season (DeMarco Murray).
Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro is 16-of-16 on field goals this season, which marks the most consecutive FGs made by a rookie to start season in NFL history.
Odell Beckham Jr had 156 receiving yards in Week 9. That is the most yards by a Giants rookie since Mark Bavaro in 1985 (176).
Russell Wilson has 158 rushing yards on third down, which is the most in the NFL among all players and 41 more yards than the next player on the list, Arian Foster, (117).
How much has Wilson struggled to find continuity with his receivers? The Seahawks' leader in touchdown catches this season: Marshawn Lynch, with three. Lynch has 22 receptions for 223 yards. He's already just 93 yards shy of tying his most receiving yards in a single season. His three touchdown receptions are a career high.
Green Bay's defense is allowing 153.5 rushing yards per game (worst in NFL). Chicago had 235 rushing yards versus the Packers in Week 4.
Chicago's offense scores a touchdown on 69.2 percent of their red zone trips (fifth in NFL). Green Bay's defense allows a TD on 51.7 percent of their opponents' red-zone trips (8th in NFL).
Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson have combined for 15 receiving TDs, the most in the NFL for any receiving duo.
Aaron Rodgers' passer rating is 22.7 points higher than Jay Cutler in prime-time games, 105.6 to 82.9.
In two starts on Monday night, Cam Newton is undefeated, with five touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 125.2. Among quarterbacks with a minimum of 50 pass attempts, only Colin Kaepernick has a higher passer rating than Newton on Monday Night Football.
After throwing five touchdowns and one interception in his first four games this season, Newton has three touchdowns to four interceptions during the Panthers' four-game winless streak.
Philadelphia's offense has 39 plays of 20-plus yards this season (T-fourth most in NFL). Carolina's defense, on the other hand, has allowed 37 plays of 20-plus yards this season (sixth most in NFL).
LeSean McCoy has more than doubled his rushing yards over the last four weeks, from an average of 48.0 yards per game (Weeks 1-4) to 107.5 yards per game.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast previews every Week 10 game and recaps the Browns' blowout win over the Bengals. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
