Sky Sports NFL Sunday previews are powered by the guys at Pro Football Focus; watch live on Sky Sports Action from 5pm, with Redzone on Sky Sports Mix from 6pm
Monday 12 November 2018 01:30, UK
Sunday night's live NFL triple-header on Sky Sports sees the in-form Saints travel to the Bengals, and there are two divisional match-ups between the Seahawks and Rams and Cowboys and Eagles.
We are live on Sky Sports Action from 5pm for an hour's build-up. Here's a look ahead to what you can expect as we preview Sunday's games...
The Saints (7-1) have been in scintillating form since brushing off an high-scoring opening-day 48-40 defeat by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A 7-0 run has followed that loss, including a nerve-wracking one-point win over the Baltimore Ravens - that saw Drew Brees end his winless run against the AFC North side. And, the Saints handed the Los Angeles Rams their first loss of the season last Sunday as Michael Thomas picked up a 72-yard throw in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
The Bengals (5-3) have been less consistent, managing to put together a maximum winning run of just two games in a row through the first nine weeks of the season. Although the Bengals suffered back-to-back losses against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week Six and Seven, they came out on top against the Buccaneers before to head into last week's bye week with some confidence.
The Bengals rank last in total defense this season, giving up 447.8 yards per game. Perversely, Saints quarterback Drew Brees has faced the last-ranked defense on six previous occasions in his career, and has only won three times, throwing six touchdowns to seven interceptions in those games.
For the Saints, the threats are obvious, although it doesn't make it any easier to stop them, as the Rams can testify to. Drew Brees leads the offense, playing at an MVP-worthy level right now, Alvin Kamara is arguably the league's best dual-threat back, and Michael Thomas is unequivocally the No 1 receiver in New Orleans, perhaps even the NFL.
As for the Bengals, they suddenly look a little thin at receiver with the news that their primary passing-game target, A.J. Green, is down with a toe injury for two weeks, though Tyler Boyd has stepped up in his third season - 620 yards and five touchdowns through their first eight games. Running back Joe Mixon is also much improved in his second season in the NFL, while quarterback Andy Dalton, according to PFF, is having his best year in terms of passer rating since 2015.
A see-saw season for the Seahawks (4-4) so far. After losing their opening two matches, the Seahawks dismissed the Dallas Cowboys before edging to a 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals. They were unlucky to fall 33-31 against the Rams in early October but followed it up with big wins over the Oakland Raiders at Wembley and Detroit Lions, as they looked to have finally got their season on track. But, last week provided yet more disappointment as quarterback Russell Wilson's interception helped the Los Angeles Chargers clinch a 25-17 win over the Seahawks.
As for the Rams (8-1), they literally couldn't have wished for a better start as they were unbeaten through their first eight games, before they finally succumbed to the Saints last week, losing a thriller 45-35.
The Rams were the last undefeated team in the NFL, going 8-0 to start the season before defeat to the Saints last week. Since 2000, just eight of the last remaining unbeaten teams made the Super Bowl, and only one of those won it - the 2006 Indianapolis Colts.
How long do we have? The quarterbacks are both playing at an elite level, but we're going to focus primarily of the run game and the play-makers at receiver. The Rams have Todd Gurley - all 1,230 scrimmage yards and 16 TDs of him! As for the Seahawks, their 137.1 rush yards per game this year is the most the team has managed since 2015. And, since Week Three, Seattle ranks No 1 in the NFL in rushing. Chris Carson has been the lead back and the main reason for that, though Mike Davis has played his part too.
At receivers, all three of L.A.'s leading wideouts are on pace to set new career highs in terms of yardage - Brandin Cooks is on pace for 1,346, Robert Woods 1,321 and Cooper Kupp 1,054. As for the Seahawks, David Moore and Tyler Lockett have really emerged as consistent deep threats for Wilson, lightening the load on No 1 receiver Doug Baldwin.
The Cowboys (4-5) have been maddeningly inconsistent so far this season, following up defeat with victory and repeating until Monday night's embarrassing loss at home to the Tennessee Titans was their second straight to break the cycle. Pressure is on head coach Jason Garrett and his players.
It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for the defending-champion Eagles (4-4) either this year, but there were signs that they were starting to turn their form around with a convincing 24-18 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley in Week Eight. They're coming into this divisional clash off the back of their bye.
The Cowboys and Eagles will play each other on Sunday Night Football for the 10th straight season, and the 11th time in the last 12, this weekend. The series is currently tied 5-5 across that decade-long span.
As well as encouraging Dak Prescott to take more shots downfield, the Cowboys desperately need to get their run game going again. Ezekiel Elliott - such a star over his first two years in the league, leading the NFL with rush yards per game (92.4) - has tallied 61 yards or fewer in three of their last four games, all losses. It won't be easy for him though against an Eagles defense that has allowed the fewest rushing yards per game (80.7) since the start of the 2017 season.
Another intriguing narrative is the battle of newly-acquired wide receivers Amari Cooper (Cowboys) and Golden Tate (Eagles). Cooper had an encouraging debut for the Cowboys last Monday night, returning 58 yards and a touchdown from his five catches. As for Tate, this is his first outing since his deadline-day trade from the Detroit Lions. According to PFF, the receiver is No 1 in the NFL in yards after catch (6.7 per reception) since 2014, plus he already enjoyed a fine outing against the Cowboys earlier on this season - eight catches, 132 yards and two TDs.
@PFF will provide a host of in-depth analysis throughout the season across Sky Sports platforms including our live coverage on Sunday and throughout our weekly build-up and reaction on www.skysports.com/NFL
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