The San Francisco 49ers get going against the New England Patriots at 1:25 p.m. PT, which means we get a morning of football to get us ready. There really aren’t any particularly great matchups on paper in the AM, but we have plenty to root for on the 10 a.m. slate.
The winless Cleveland Browns host the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC North rivalry matchup. The Browns are awful, but occasionally show signs of life. The Steelers are talented but struggling to put it together, and currently sit at 4-5. This is a sneaky one as divisional matchups can be close. I think the Steelers end up winning, but the Browns could make it interesting.
The other two games of note for 49ers fans feature teams just behind the 49ers in the draft order. The 2-7 Jacksonville Jaguars travel to face the 5-4 Detroit Lions, while the 2-7 Chicago Bears travel to face the 6-3 New York Giants. Both will be tough road games, but we’ll be rooting for Jacksonville and Chicago to give the 49ers some breathing room.
The other notable game would be the Indianapolis Colts hosting the Tennessee Titans. Frank Gore is back in action after the Colts Week 10 bye. If he rushed for 108 yards, he will move past Tony Dorsett for No. 8 all time. If he rushes for a touchdown, he will move into a tie for No. 23 all time with Clinton Portis. So, go Frank the Tank!
Here’s the full AM schedule:
Steelers @ Browns - CBS
Ravens @ Cowboys - CBS
Jaguars @ Lions - CBS
Titans @ Colts - CBS
Bills @ Bengals - FOX
Bucs @ Chiefs - FOX
Bears @ Giants - FOX
Cardinals @ Vikings - FOX