NFL Week 10: It’s rivalry week for many top teams

Several heated divisional rivalries will take place today, each with major implications. The AFC North, NFC West, and AFC South standings could be shuffled around after learning the result of today’s various contests. Here are a few to keep your eye on today — one in particular.

New England Patriots (6-2) at Indianapolis Colts (8-0), 6:20 p.m., NBC

Just like every other time these two teams meet, this is clearly the game of the week.

The Patriots and Colts have been hated rivals for years, and the competition between quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning has been hyped to no end.

The Patriots have suffered two close losses to the Jets and Broncos, but have otherwise looked brilliant in just about every aspect. Indianapolis, while showing signs of weakness last week against Houston, has played flawless football.

Manning is enjoying his best season as a pro, and is the obvious early favorite for the MVP Award. He will be able to mount scoring drives against an average New England pass defense. While the Colts’ defense has played very well this season, injuries are starting to take a toll and Brady should be able to match Manning pass for pass.

Like most other Patriots/Colts matchups, this game should be exciting until the finish.

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4) at New York Jets (4-4), 11 a.m., CBS

With both teams in need of a win to stay in their divisional and Wild Card races, the Jaguars and Jets will engage in what should be a close game this morning.

Neither team is especially tough against the run, so a large portion of offensive yards in this game will come from the ground.

On paper, the Jets are a much better team. A few crucial New York injuries and a tough matchup next week against the Patriots, though, could help even the playing field.

The extent of Jacksonville’s offense is basically Maurice Jones-Drew, who is averaging 92 yards per game and can explode for a monster game at any time. The Jaguars will probably lose this game, but they could give New York a run for their money.

Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2), 11 a.m., CBS

Cincinnati’s Cedric Benson and Pittsburgh’s Rashard Mendenhall have proven that they can run against any team.

The Bengals’ defense rank fifth against the run, and Pittsburgh boasts the top run defense in the league, but both teams should have their share of success on the ground.

This year, the Bengals have made themselves known by playing to the level of their competition, having barely edged out Cleveland while also defeating the Steelers earlier in the season. Pittsburgh, one of the top teams in the AFC, will host a Bengals’ team looking to back up their Week 3 victory in what should be another excellent divisional game.

Seattle Seahawks (3-5) at Arizona Cardinals (5-3), 2:15 p.m., FOX

This game will be decided by which team can best protect the quarterback. The offensive line has been a huge issue for the Seahawks this year, while Arizona has been able to keep quarterback Kurt Warner on his feet.

The last time these two teams met, Warner put on a clinic. Completing 32 of 41 passes for 276 yards, Warner tallied two touchdowns en route to an 27-3 victory. Since then, the Cardinals seem to have developed an effective rushing attack behind Chris “Beanie” Wells and Tim Hightower. Seattle’s mediocre rush defense will have their work cut for them.

The Seahawks aren’t without their share of offensive weapons, however. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck should be able to find TJ Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson against the lowly Cardinals’ secondary.

Philadelphia Eagles (5-3) at San Diego Chargers (5-3), 2:15 p.m., FOX

The Eagles struggled last week against the Cowboys, and their perception among fans is heading south.

The fact that quarterback Donovan McNabb hasn’t had a fourth-quarter comeback in four years is a statistic that is being widely distributed this week, in the wake of an embarrassing loss to a divisional rival.

The good news for Philadelphia, though, is that running back Brian Westbrook could be back in the lineup. Although head coach Andy Reid much prefers to advance the ball through the air (editor’s note: or kick field goals when his team is down a touchdown with no timeouts), Westbrook’s ability to pick up the San Diego blitzes will be extremely valuable.

San Diego has rattled off three quick victories, including a one-point edging of the Giants last week. The Chargers are a flawed team, to be sure, and they have no running game to speak of, but things have been going their way for the last month, which should make this out-of-conference matchup worth watching.

Andrew Kneeland is a junior at the Arizona Virtual Academy. He is an intern at the Green Valley News.