Baltimore’s trying to get their quarterback back. Minnesota’s trying to stay unbeaten behind a defense that keeps bailing out their offense. And Cleveland-Pittsburgh? That division matchup suddenly matters a whole lot more than either fan base probably expected back in August.

That’s the setup for Sunday’s eight-game early window, and there’s plenty to keep an eye on. Everything kicks off at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT, with regional coverage on CBS and FOX.

Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills

CBS and Paramount+

This is the main event, especially if Lamar Jackson's back.

Baltimore’s quarterback practiced fully on Wednesday after missing three games with an ankle injury. That’s a good sign, but it doesn’t mean he’s definitely playing. The Ravens went 1–2 with Tyler Huntley starting, and now they’re 4–3 and heading to Buffalo after back-to-back division losses. Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith also missed practice Wednesday, so the injury concerns go beyond quarterback.

Buffalo's 5–1 coming off their bye, with Josh Allen leading an offense that’s averaging a league-best 32.8 points a game. The Bills haven’t exactly been cruising to the finish line, though.

They gave up 20 fourth-quarter points against the Rams and another 10 against Las Vegas. Baltimore’s second halves have been even worse. Just last week, a 13–0 halftime lead over Cincinnati turned into a 35–13 loss. The Bengals scored touchdowns on five straight second-half possessions.

If Jackson comes back, Baltimore’s ceiling changes right away. But he won’t magically fix everything else. As Ronnie Stanley put it:

We also don’t want to rely on him having to carry us as a team.

The question: Can Baltimore put together a complete second half against Allen?

Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals

CBS and Paramount+

Cincinnati just handed Baltimore a beating. Now comes the less glamorous part: proving it wasn’t a one-off against a team the Bengals should beat.

The Bengals are 4–2, a half-game behind Cleveland and Pittsburgh in an AFC North where everybody has a winning record. Joe Burrow's thrown 15 touchdown passes and just three interceptions. Wasting that kind of position against 1–6 Tennessee would be a pretty lousy way to spend a Sunday.

Tennessee’s best chance starts with Tony Pollard, who ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns against Cleveland. The Titans still rank last in total offense, though, and Cam Ward's averaging just 5.7 yards per attempt. If Tennessee can get the running game going, they have a shot to hang around. If they fall two touchdowns behind, asking this offense to chase the game gets a whole lot tougher.

The question: Can Tennessee keep it close enough to keep running the ball?

Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys

FOX and FOX One

Dallas finally got the kind of offensive performance they've been waiting for, beating Philadelphia 38–21 behind 155 rushing yards from Javonte Williams. At 3–4, the Cowboys have a chance to get back to .500 before the season starts really slipping away from them.

They’ve also got a weirdly persistent problem with this specific opponent. Arizona's won the last four meetings and is 4–0 at AT&T Stadium. That history won’t decide Sunday’s game, but it should probably keep Dallas from treating a 2–5 team like a guaranteed win.

Arizona’s more immediate issue is the offensive line. Right tackle Elijah Wilkinson and right guard Jon Gaines II missed Wednesday’s practice, and rookie running back Jeremiyah Love came back, but still on a limited basis. Whether he’ll actually play is still up in the air.

Dallas has something real to build on now. The next step is proving Monday wasn’t just a one-game cameo from a functional offense.

The question: Will Dallas have another balanced offensive performance?

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions

FOX and FOX One

If Ravens–Bills doesn’t live up to the hype, this is the next-best option.

The Vikings are giving up a league-low 12.3 points per game, while Detroit's scoring 30.7, second only to Buffalo. So you’ve got a real strength-against-strength matchup, plus some meaningful division stakes. If the Lions win, they’ll pull within one game of Minnesota and have the first head-to-head tiebreaker. The numbers line up pretty neatly here.

Brian Flores’ defense brings pressure from all over the place and forces quarterbacks to make quick decisions. Jared Goff's been excellent at doing that this season, throwing 14 touchdown passes without an interception. Detroit’s protection calls could be just as important as anything Goff does after the snap.

Health could still shake things up. Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown missed Wednesday’s practice. So did Minnesota’s Aaron Jones.

The question: Can Goff recognize Minnesota’s pressure without letting it throw Detroit’s offense off track?

Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars

CBS and Paramount+

Indianapolis is having the kind of week that can make a game preview feel outdated before you even finish writing it.

The 2–5 Colts traded Quenton Nelson to Seattle and DeForest Buckner to San Francisco on Tuesday, just a week after firing their general manager. Two longtime captains are gone, and the players still in the building have to turn around and get ready for a division game. It’s impossible to separate all that from what’s happening on the field.

Jacksonville leads the AFC South and is coming off a bye after losing 34–31 to Houston in London. The Jaguars convert 47.9% of their third downs, which ranks fourth in the league. If they can keep extending drives, they can also keep an unsettled Colts team from finding their footing.

Jonathan Taylor still gives Indianapolis a real chance to move the ball. But if the Colts fall behind early, a lot more will land on Daniel Jones and an offensive line trying to replace Nelson.

The question: Can Indianapolis stay competitive without having to chase the game through the air?

Las Vegas Raiders at New York Jets

FOX and FOX One

Remember when the Raiders were 3–0? Four straight losses have made that feel like a lifetime ago.

Las Vegas still has Kirk Cousins throwing to Brock Bowers, but the help around that passing game just hasn’t been good enough. The Raiders are averaging only 74.7 rushing yards per game and giving up 28.1 points. That’s a lot to put on the quarterback every single week.

The Jets are 2–5, but four of those losses have come by one score. Geno Smith will be looking to get some revenge on the team that traded him. He's completed 70% of his passes with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions so far this season.

So, yes, there’s going to be some extra motivation when the Jets have the ball. But the bigger question is whether Las Vegas can stop giving teams so many chances to erase whatever Cousins does.

Another loss would drop the Raiders to 3–5 after that perfect start. That’s a whole lot of ground to give back.

The question: Can the Raiders get enough defensive stops to finally end the slide?

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers

CBS and Paramount+

Both teams are 5–2, and Cleveland already won the first matchup. So yeah, this one has some weight to it.

The Browns won 27–24 on October 1st, when Andre Szmyt drilled a 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds left. Another win would give Cleveland the season sweep and a big head-to-head tiebreaker. That first game also made one thing pretty clear: Pittsburgh can’t just sit back and wait for Cleveland to beat themselves this year.

The Steelers have won three straight since then, and their defense ranks fifth in points allowed. Deshaun Watson's coming off his first 300-yard passing game in more than 2,000 days, but Pittsburgh will be a much tougher test.

Cameron Heyward’s focus this week has been finishing. That makes sense, considering Pittsburgh tied the first game late, only to watch Cleveland drive right back into field-goal range.

The question: Has Cleveland's late-game magic run out?

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

FOX and FOX One

Both teams just picked up wins they really needed. Now one of them has to keep that momentum going in a division game.

Atlanta is 3–4 after handing San Francisco their first loss, 29–20. Tampa Bay's 2–5 after piling up 258 rushing yards in a 43–13 win at Carolina. After the way things had been going, both fan bases finally had something to feel good about.

The Bucs still haven’t won at home, sitting at 0–4 there. Their rushing attack ranks third in the league, but Atlanta’s run defense is fourth. Tampa Bay won’t be able to just copy and paste the Carolina game plan against this front. That’s where this matchup gets interesting.

Michael Penix Jr. has thrown nine touchdown passes with just one interception, giving Atlanta a quarterback who’s making plays without giving the ball away. Tampa Bay needs their ground game to keep carrying the load and make life easier for Baker Mayfield.

The question: Can Tampa Bay run the ball nearly as well against a really tough front seven?

All stats courtesy of Fantasy Points Data.

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