Jonathan Dehn
Carolina Panthers (3-5-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) – 11/10/2014 at 8:15 PM ET on ESPN
Hey, remember when Cam Newton led the Auburn Tigers to the 2010 title? Chip Kelly sure does. He had a terrific view of the event, even. Newton leads the Panthers into this primetime game to take a shot at The Sanchize. Mark Sanchez, perhaps buoyed by the speculation that he’s more talented than Nick Foles and just the victim of poor management, looks to rejuvenate his career on a national stage. Rest assured, this game will be more competitive than last night’s thrashing at Lambeau Field. Yikes. For those who missed the bulletin, Jay Cutler is 1-11 against the Packers during his Bears career.
Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs – 11/12/2014 at 8:00 PM ET on NBC Sports
It’s an Original Six matchup and another opportunity for Leafs fans to get royally pissed off with their team. I feel like they should hire Rick Pitino just to remind everyone that Mats Sundin and Doug Gilmour aren’t walking through that door. Man, was Mats Sundin good and blessed with an awesome name for a hockey player. Despite being a long-tortured franchise, the Bruins and Leafs find themselves in the middle of the pack and a win over the other could provide a nice boost to both teams.
Brooklyn Nets at Golden State Warriors – 11/13/2014 at 10:30 PM ET on TNT
In part two of TNT’s weekly doubleheader of Thursday night NBA action, the Nets find themselves in northern California. This is a place where Steph Curry can usually be seen hitting no look three pointers during the winter. The Warriors are off to a tremendous start and are running people out of the gym, while the Nets will go as far as Deron Williams’ ankles and Brook Lopez’s feet can take them. Klay Thompson sat out of action on Sunday, and it remains to be seen what condition he will be in come this Thursday.
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers – 11/14/2014 at 10:00 PM ET on ESPN
Perhaps not too surprisingly, the Spurs have come out of the gate somewhat slowly as they round into form. People will stop noticing the Spurs in a month or so, and they’ll still finish the season with plenty of wins and the #1 seed in the conference. They visit Kobe. The Lakers got their first win on Sunday, and I would have loved to have seen the official end of Charles Barkley’s hunger strike. I can’t fathom how many times Shaq would mention barbeque chicken, though. Still, the Lakers are a bad team and the fun in watching is to see Kobe reloading and firing blindly every game as his organization tanks the season.
NCAA Football – #1 Mississippi State at #5 Alabama – 11/15/2014 at 3:30 PM ET on CBS
Alabama survived Death Valley and host the frontrunners in this battle for a playoff spot. Alabama, always lurking, could be favored to take this game and find them competing for a national title. Of course, there’s still the meeting with Auburn on the 29th. With the playoff picture befuddling most media outlets, it’s extremely hard to place anyone in the spots at the moment, making the regular season far more interesting than it was in the past.
New England Patriots (7-2) at Indianapolis Colts (6-3) – 11/16/2014 at 8:20 PM ET on NBC
In a rematch from last years’ playoffs, Brady and company are off from their bye week and thrashing of the hopeless Chicago Bears. Luck hosts and looks to continue to play his part in this now classic rivalry. A win for either team would all but secure their divisions. More so for the Colts, who could win the soft AFC South with ten wins, perhaps.
