San Diego Chargers (3-5) @ Houston Texans (4-3), 12 PM CT CBS
The Line: Texans +1.5
The Experts: CBS has 4 of 5 going for the Chargers, Yahoo! has 3 of 3 going for the Chargers, ESPN has it even at 4 votes for each, Football Outsiders Premium picks the Texans, Mike Tanier picks the Chargers.
As much as I'd love to say that the Texans will save their season Sunday, their offense has not looked good against any defense with a hint of a clue about what it's doing outside of Kansas City. Ultimately, I think this game comes down to Rick Dennison and Gary Kubiak. As Battle Red Blog noted, this needs to be a game where the Texans push Arian Foster forward and try to win with him.
Ultimately, I just don't think the Texans defense has enough to stop Phillip Rivers. Even if his wide receivers are Larry, Curly, and Moe Williams.
The Pick: Chargers 33, Texans 24
For more on the Texans, check out Battle Red Blog.
Indianapolis Colts (5-2) @ Philadelphia Eagles (4-3), 3 PM CT CBS
The Line: Eagles -2.5
The Experts: CBS is 3 of 5 for the Eagles, Yahoo! 2 of 3 for the Eagles, ESPN is 6 of 8 for the Colts. FO Premium picks the Colts, and Mike Tanier also picks the Colts.
With Austin Collie presumably back on the field, a lot more of what the Colts want to do will be there. The Eagles defense will be a formidable challenge though, and you can bet that they'll try to make Jacob Tamme and Brody Eldridge try and beat them from the tight end spot.
How you feel about this game probably depends on how bulletproof you think the Indianapolis offense is. When I see a team that could only drop 23 points on the Texans defense, I get a little concerned. Collie may be rushing back just to make sure they don't have to run Blair White out there, and I don't think that offensive line will hold up quite as well against a team like the Eagles.
The Pick: Eagles 24, Colts 20
Jacksonville and Tennessee are both on bye weeks.