The morning thread isn't overwhelmed with comments, but after a wild morning of NFL action, I thought an afternoon thread is a good idea. Heading into the AM there weren't a ton of quality matchups, but the results were highly entertaining with Beanie Wells scoring the big effort of the AM.
The afternoon games feature more games of playoff importance that could make for a big afternoon of football. The Oakland Raiders host the Chicago Bears in a huge game for both teams. The Raiders have a slim edge in the AFC West and the Bears will look to continue their hot streak without Jay Cutler. Given that the Bears are built as much around Matt Forte and strong defense, they will likely look to simply put Caleb Hanie in a position to succeed, rather than expecting big things from him.
The AFC West has its biggest game with the Chargers hosting the Broncos. If the Chargers lose, they are at best two games back of first, at worse three games back of first. The Broncos are looking to continue on the magic Tebow carpet ride in their fairly improbable return from the AFC West basement.
The New England Patriots travel to Philadelphia to face the mildly resurgent Eagles. The Eagles have been inconsistent all season, but at 4-6 they can maintain their two-game deficit with the Giants if they can beat the Patriots. The Patriots hold a two game lead in the AFC East but have been a bit inconsistent at times. They could blow out Philly, or they could lose an ugly one and neither result would surprise me.