Jonathan Dehn
Indianpolis Colts (5-3) at New York Giants (3-4) – 11/03 at 8:15 PM ET on ESPN
Andrew Luck and the Colts head to MetLife Stadium to take on Eli Manning and the Giants. The Giants come off of their bye week in this game while the Colts limp in after a Week 8 thrashing from the Steelers, where their once vaunted defense was taken to the woodshed and humbled by Ben Roethlisberger. Ben followed that 6 TD performance with another half dozen touchdowns against the Ravens last night. Misery loves company, I suppose. This could have Eli licking his chops and preparing to kick the Colts’ defense while they’re down, as the Giants claim to be getting more and more comfortable with their new offensive scheme this season.
Houston Rockets at Miami Heat – 11/04 at 7:30 PM ET on NBATV
The painful-to-watch Dwight Howard and the defenseless James Harden take their Rockets to South Beach to do battle with Dwyane Wade and the enigmatic Miami Heat, who definitively look forward to having the national stage to prove that they are a power in the Eastern Conference. Harden is coming off of a big performance on Saturday night, while Wade comes out of the weekend with a horrible shooting night but a splendid night in which he shared the basketball well and piled up a plethora of assists. Enjoy the scattered crowd in the lower bowl.
Detroit Red Wings at New York Rangers – 11/05 at 8:00 PM ET on NBC Sports
With nine goals in just the first ten games of the season, winger Rick Nash welcomes the Detroit Red Wings to Madison Square Garden to battle his New York Rangers. The Rangers are off to a slow start this season, and find themselves ninth in the conference. The Detroit Red Wings, fourth in the conference, will look upon Henrik Zetterberg, as usual, to help find the net and leave New York City in this battle of iconic teams.
Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors – 11/05 at 10:30 PM ET on ESPN
The “70 Million Dollar Man” Klay Thompson looks to bury the Clippers under a barrage of three pointers and fast break play with his “Splash Brother” Steph Curry. The Clippers will travel to Oakland with the usual complements in preparation for a high scoring showdown between two very fun, but extraordinarily flawed teams. The Clippers will need to cut down on mental mistakes, complacency and an inability to consistently execute in the half court. The Warriors will have to do the same.
Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trail Blazers – 11/06 at 10:30 PM ET on TNT
It’s a battle of two of the best power forwards in the league, as Dirk and his dudes travel to the Pacific Northwest to tangle with LaMarcus Aldridge and his partner on the hard court in Damian Lillard. There’s plenty of old drama between these two sides, perhaps the most notable being Brandon Roy’s final flourish as a pro, leading the Trail Blazers back from a sure home loss in the 2011 Western Conference Quarter-Finals. After such a humiliating defeat, the Mavs only lost three more games for the rest of their 2011 championship run.
NCAA Football – #9 Kansas State at #7 TCU – 11/08 at 7:30 PM ET on ABC
TCU is knocking on the door. They are potentially just a month away from securing their place in the playoffs. They host the strong Wildcats in this gigantic Big 12 match-up. The Wildcats enter this game undefeated in conference play after handily defeating Oklahoma State. The beauty of the playoff system is that it’s not just eyeballs on one team’s quest to stay undefeated against tough odds, but we have plenty of scenarios still in play that will live on after this match-up.
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers – 11/09 at 8:20 PM ET on NBC
The 3-5 Bears take a 3-2 road record to Lambeau Field to fight for their season while the Packers claw to keep pace with the 6-2 Lions in the NFC North. I’m going to oversell this game on the idea that if Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers do what they should do and easily defeat the Bears, that Chicago is done as a threat this season and beyond. A “dumpster fire” performance for Jay Cutler could seal his legacy and lead the Bears to find a QB next spring to develop while quietly waiting to send Cutler off into the forest after next season, where his dead money would be negligible. It’s a fair statement to make that the Bears offense has been the most disappointing in the league and that someone is going to have to be the scapegoat. Then again, Mel Tucker is still the defensive coordinator after last season, so you never know.
Image: AP
