Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals

Paul Brown Stadium
1615 EST / 2115 GMT Sun 20 Nov
CBS (US) / Sky Sports (UK)

Why it matters

Every season at about this point, members of the 1972 Dolphins team get together to have dinner and watch the game. It may even be this week that CBS have a camera in a box at the stadium in Miami to watch the reactions of Bob Griese, Larry Csonka and Nick Buoniconti as another team, this time Indianapolis, aim to better the only "perfect record" in the modern era.

Since that Miami side won all 14 regular-season matches 33 years ago, on their way to winning Super Bowl VII, no team has matched them. The 1984 San Francisco 49ers and the Chicago Bears of the following year went 15-1, but the 16-game season and the effects of free agency have both been cited as reasons why no team will ever be perfect again.

The Colts are just the 11th team since the NFL was enlarged in 1970 to open a season 9-0, and are trying to become the first 10-0 starter since the 1998 Broncos, who got as far as 13-0.

In the Colts, we have one of the best candidates in the last 20 years. Run to perfection by quarterback Peyton Manning, with the three-pronged receiving threat of Marvin Harrison, Brandon Stokley and Reggie Wayne, the running of Edgerrin James and this season with a new, improved and seriously speedy defense, it will take a minor miracle to stop the Indianapolis.

Cincinnati are further back on their development curve but this could be the first time since 1990 that they either have a winning record or make the playoffs. In the last 15 years, they have become known league-wide as the "Bungles" but coach Marvin Harrison has gone a long way to turning things around with a mobile defense, strong players in the offensive skill positions and, this year, a star quarterback in Carson Palmer, who has come of age in his third season as a professional.

Critics of the Bengals say they have not yet beaten a side of substance yet – they have lost to both Jacksonville and Pittsburgh, the only teams they have faced so far that still have winning records. But this match still pits Crown Prince against Young Pretender, a chance for Cincinnati to prove their worth for years to come. Come season's end, it could be the deciding factor for seeding in the AFC playoff race, but that is prosaic in comparison to the quest for perfection.

Star players

Chad Johnson #85, WR, Bengals
Last time Johnson came up against unbeaten opposition at this time of the season, two years ago against Kansas City, Johnson famously guaranteed victory, and came through with his promise. The pantomime around the performing receiver has been in full swing this week, but he stopped just short, saying: "I guarantee that I will not be stopped on Sunday. For real. There's no need for me to guarantee a victory. No point." Johnson may have a big mouth, but he can back it up, and with an average of 89.8 yards per game he is on course for his best season ever.

Edgerrin James #32, RB, Colts
In praising the aerial feats of the Colts – and there are plenty of them – it is easy to miss one of the best backs in the game. Against spread defenses who are desperately trying to stop the pass, James regularly finds huge amounts of space to run, but he is not shy to exploit them to the full. After taking a year to fully recover from a knee injury that ruined his 2003 season, James is back at his best. And with the constraints of the salary cap kicking in, this is likely to be the last season he spends in Indy.

What to look for

Carson Palmer is one of just three players this season with a score of over 100 according to the labyrinthine quarterback rating system (unsurprisingly, Manning is another). However, in Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis the Colts have two speedy and hostile defensive linemen who can give even the most ice-cool QB night sweats. Palmer's mask slipped a little against Pittsburgh in week seven, when he threw two interceptions. If he avoids a similar dip in form, this could come to be seen as his coming-of-age party.

Unlike most teams, who take full advantage of the 45 second clock between plays to huddle and pass out their next tactic, the Colts regularly go no-huddle, getting to the line quickly, preventing the defense from using substitutions, allowing Manning to see what he is up against and call a play accordingly to exploit it. Two weeks ago, the Super Bowl champion Patriots were regularly caught on the hop trying to make changes as Manning shouted "Attack, attack" and immediately saw his opponents charged with being offside or having too many players on the field. The Colts look for match-ups against their receivers, picking regularly on the weakest defender lined up against one of their receiving trio. If there isn't one, James is regularly used on the draw play (fake pass, run middle), and tight end Dallas Clark is on hand too.

Tip

It looks like Griese and Co will be mustering again next Monday for Colts vs Steelers. Indianapolis to win 34-10.

Interesting trivia

The records keep coming for Manning's high-powered offense. Last year Manning set a new record for touchdown passes in a season, with 49. And last week Manning and Marvin Harrison became the first QB-receiver pairing to hook up for more than 10,000 career yards. The duo already hold career records for most completions, most yards and most touchdowns by a tandem.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons

Georgia Dome
1300 EST / 1800 GMT Sun 20 Nov
FOX (US) / Sky Sports (UK)

Why it matters

Six teams from each conference go through to the end-of-season playoffs, and Atlanta and Tampa Bay look to be competing for a single spot. With Carolina, many people's tip for the Super Bowl, at the top of the NFC South Division, these two are fighting for a wildcard spot among the best-placed runners-up. Unlike English soccer, head-to-head record rather than points difference is the first tie-breaker if they finish with equal records, and division record also plays a part so this match, and the teams' next meeting on Christmas Eve, count more than most.

Team talking points

These two sides should not be sharing the same 6-3 record. Atlanta were a game away from the Super Bowl last year but have been horribly inconsistent this season, handing Green Bay just their second win last weekend. Meanwhile the Buccs, Super Bowl Champions three seasons ago, have undergone major rebuilding and still do not look the sort of side that should be challenging.

Quarterback Michael Vick's inconsistency is becoming a major factor for the Falcons, who are ranked 28th in the 32-team league in passing. Generally considered the best athlete in the league, and certainly the most marketable, Vick is being asked by second-year coach Jim Mora Jr to fit the conventional quarterback mould, and it is one he seems to be bridling against. Part of the problem is the lack of people to throw to. Brian Finneran is his main target among the receivers but the most dependable target is tight end Algie Crumpler, who really should be a second option most of the time.

Coach John Gruden (nicknamed Chucky because he bears a frightening resemblance to the doll in the Child's Play horror movies) will remain under fire until he takes the Buccaneers back to the Super Bowl, which he achieved in his first season with the club. Since then the salary cap, which restricts each team to spending no more than $85.5m (£49.26m) in 2006, has restricted their ability to bring in new stars. Add to that the season-ending knee injury suffered by quarterback Brian Griese and you have a team that should be in turmoil. Instead they have rallied, behind a running corps of Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, Michael Pittman and Mike Alstott, and the passing of youngster Chris Simms.

Star players

Warrick Dunn, #28 , RB, Falcons
Atlanta were the leading team in the league in terms of rushing yardage last year thanks to the trio known as DVD. Vick's running is almost more influential than his passing, Dunn offers speed and sharp moves and TJ Duckett bashes through the middle. This season, opposing defenses have grown wise to Vick, who is on course to make just two-thirds of the yardage he managed on the ground last year, and Duckett has been nursing an ankle injury. Step forward Dunn, who is the major reason Atlanta are still ranked top in rushing as he is third in the league individually with 862 yards after nine games. That puts him on course to top 1,500 for the season – 1,000 is considered an achievement. At 180 lbs, Dunn is the size of a wide receiver, but he seems to elude defenders by sneaking through the big men, both those aiming for him and those blocking for him.

Joey Galloway #84, WR, Buccaneers
A Dallas Cowboys cast-off at the start of last season, Galloway is standing out this season for the Buccs, partly because of fellow wideout Michael Clayton's struggles with knee trouble but also because he has clearly become a favourite target of new boy Simms. In the last four games, Galloway have averaged 114.8 yards – 100 is very good - and he is the third-best receiver in the league in terms of yardage this season. If the last four weeks are anything to go by, you can guarantee one momentum-shifting long pass play from Simms to Galloway, whose blazing speed has seen him average almost a touchdown a match.

What to look for

Michael Vick. It does not matter what he is doing, Vick is the most watchable player on the field for the Falcons. He may not be that accurate but he zips the ball left-handed with the sort of speed that takes the skin off receivers' hands. If there is no receiver open, he will happily take off on foot. At 4.3 secs over 40 yards, he is faster than many receivers and if he is able to run forwards he creates the sort of indecision in defenses that wins the Falcons games. Teams have taken to bottling him up in the backfield rather than trying to bring him down, which makes things less fun but on Vick's shoulders the Falcons fortunes still rest.

Tampa Bay will establish the run, whether through Williams - this season's first-round draft pick who is coming back from a foot injury – Pittman, who is struggling with shoulder trouble, or Alstott, who looks like a human battering ram and can be guaranteed to come through in short yardage situations. The key, though, will be Simms, who has had a girl-with-a-curl kind of season so far. When he is good he is very good, with accuracy to match his father Phil, who won two Super Bowl rings with the New York Giants. When he is hustled out of his natural game – and the Falcons defense are great hustlers - he can still implode. If Simms fires consistently, the Buccs win.

Tip

There are so many ifs and buts, but if you have to back one, back Tampa Bay 31-24.

Interesting trivia

Warwick Dunn was taken as the 12th pick of the 1997 college draft by the Buccaneers and spent his first five seasons in Tampa before moving to Atlanta, in the season Buccs won the Super Bowl.

Williams as been known as "Cadillac" since his time at Etowah High School in Attala, Alabama, where team-mates marvelled at how smoothly he ran.

Marcus Vick is currently starring at his older brother's alma mater Virginia Tech, who were considered national Championship contenders until their defeat to the University of Miami a fortnight ago. This weekend the Hokies travel to local rivals Virginia. With his consistency and patience, some have even suggested the better Vick brother has not turned professional yet.

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

Lincoln Financial Field
0200 GMT Tues 15 Nov
UK TV: Five

Why it matters

The Cowboys and Eagles both play in the NFC East Division, which means both that they have a traditional rivalry – Dallas have won 50 of the 89 games between the two going back to their creation in 1960 - and that they are chasing the same place in the end-of-season playoffs, which makes the competition all the more intense.

The Eagles, who reached the Super Bowl last season and have been one of the league's best teams throughout the decade, have struggled sometimes this season, with injuries and off-field controversy. Dallas, meanwhile, are back to confounding the pundits with a revitalised team. The offense is more than the sum of its parts, thanks to the conservative game-planning of cult head coach Bill Parcells and a defense packed with young, fast and terrifyingly big players taken in this summer's college draft.

Team talking points

The Eagles have been front page news for the last week following the suspension of star wide receiver Terrell Owens. Don't feel too sorry for Owens, who caused the initial ruckus by asking for his seven-season, £28m contract to be re-negotiated just a year after signing from the San Francisco 49ers. The latest controversy came when Owens criticised the team for not properly commemorating his 100th career touchdown, then got into a changing-room fight with a former Eagles player. Philadelphia called it "conduct detrimental to the team" and Owens has been told he will not be brought back even when his four-game suspension is over.

Dallas fans are still marvelling at the success of quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Released by Buffalo after three indifferent seasons, the 33-year-old (born on Valentine's Day if that's of interest) was criticised as immobile and not accurate enough when throwing deep. Compared to his predecessor Vinny Testaverde, who was immobile and not accurate at all, he is a superstar. In fact, many in Dallas are comparing him with Troy Aikman, the QB who led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl wins in the 1990s. Bledsoe rejoins Parcells, with whom he played as a youngster at the New England Patriots in the mid-1990s, and the two clearly work well. But the success of the Dallas running game has given him far more time to complete his passes.

Star players

Donovan McNabb, #5, QB, Eagles
The brightest star of the side for much of his seven-year career, McNabb has been forced to share the headlines with Owens over the last 18 months, but with the loud-mouthed receiver sitting at home, McNabb is once again the man upon whom the Eagles offense relies. He has been slowed with injuries this year – the list so far includes a bruised sternum, a rib problem and a sports hernia – but has soldiered on.

Keyshawn Johnson, #19, WR, Cowboys
Known by Five pundit Mike Carlson as "Foghorn Keyshawn", the receiver has been through his fair share of controversy, and was even suspended then cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two seasons ago in similar circumstances to those of Owens. That meant the Cowboys could pick him up, and reunite him with coach Parcells, who – this script's becoming tired already – he began his career with at the New York Jets in 1996. Muscular for a wide man, Johnson catches the short passes to keep the pressure off Bledsoe when he needs a quick solution, and is also a valuable blocker down field, opening up space for Dallas' young runners.

What to look for

Old school football coaches always preach, "Establish the run to set up the pass" and both Parcells and Eagles boss Andy Reid are old school.

Unfortunately for Reid, he does not have a running back to dominate a defense and take their attention away from the pass. In their 33-10 victory over the Eagles on 9 October, the Cowboys restricted Brian Westbrook to 12 yards rushing – at least a sixth of what he should be aiming for. Last week he ran 17 times for 24 yards against Washington, and the Eagles lost 10-17. That was in the same week that the Eagles signed him to a five-year £14.35m contract extension, for some reason. If Westbrook cannot establish himself, the onus is even more heavily on McNabb, who does not have his leading man Owens waiting for him. The one hope is the exploit the Cowboys' weakness to deep passes up the middle but that is the sort of low-percentage play they won't be able to try often.

Dallas had pinned their hopes for the future on running back Julius Jones but now find an embarrassment of riches in their backfield. Jones sprained his ankle in the last match against the Eagles – after running for 77 yards in the first half – and is expected back for the first time since then. In his absence, Tyson Thompson and Marion Barber have proved more than capable. Once they have gained some yards on the ground, look for Bledsoe to run "play action", faking the run then passing long. Wide receiver Terry Glenn (who began his career under Parcells in the mid-90s ...) is his favourite target.

Tip

With neither team managing to dominate, the Cowboys prevail 24-17.

Interesting trivia

Since Owens joined them at the start of last season, the Eagles have yet to win without him in the line-up during regular season – they have lost all three matches when he has been injured or suspended. They advanced to the Super Bowl last year, though, with Owens unavailable because of an ankle injury.

Cowboys quarterbacks coach Sean Payton played the position for Britain's Leicester Panthers in 1988, leading them to the Budweiser League quarter-finals.

Tyson Thompson is the first Cowboys player ever to have grown up in Irving, Texas, the suburb just west of Dallas where they play their home games.

Less trivially, Bill Parcells' younger brother Don died last Wednesday after a three-year battle with a brain tumour. His funeral takes place on Monday in New Jersey. A college running back, Don Parcells played for Army, once scoring a touchdown against a Navy team that featured future Cowboys great Roger Staubach at QB. Obituary in the Newark Star-Ledger.