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5 NFL Games You Can't Miss This Weekend (Week 7)

Bryan Altman, CBS Local Sports

Let's just hope that last night's game was an unfortunate speed bump as we make our way towards another great weekend of football. Man are the 49ers bad. And I don't know if it's his lack of confidence or if defensive coordinators have the book on Colin Kaepernick memorized word for word or what, but the once promising 49ers quarterback looks absolutely clueless at the moment. Yeah, the Seahawks defense was stifling, but they're still a bit of a mystery because let's face it, beating the 49ers isn't really much of a statement win these days. 

Anyway, onward and upward for the weekend rack of games. There are some great ones on the docket so let's take a look at the top five games that you don't want to miss this weekend. 

1. New York Jets @ New England Patriots - Sun. 1:00 p.m. ET

Believe the hype people, this one is going to be good. On top of the fact that the Jets and the Patriots just don't like each other, you've got Darrelle Revis returning to Foxboro, Todd Bowles trying to start the Pats-Jets rivalry on the right foot, and you've got the Jets' vicious defense going against Tom Brady and the high-flying Patriots offense. And on top of that, these two teams are squaring off for sole possession of first place in their division. 

As far as breaking down the matchup goes, if you ask this Jets fan it's pretty simple for NY: give Chris Ivory the ball. The Jets' defense will keep Brady and Co. relatively in check, but the Jets offense has to do its part if the Jets have any chance here. The Jets need to establish the run early and keep Brady on the sidelines. If Ivory can rush for over 100 yards against what will likely be an eight-in-the-box front from Bill Belichick and the Pats defense most of day, the Jets have a shot. If Ryan Fitzpatrick has to throw over 30 times, the Jets lose this one easily. It's going to be a fun one.

2. Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants - Sun. 4:25 p.m. ET

The Giants and Cowboys are both coming off of absolutely atrocious performances and each has to be salivating at the thought of getting back on track against an arch division rival. The Cowboys had a bye week to think about their 30-6 drubbing at the hands of the Patriots and after careful consideration have turned to Matt Cassel for the foreseeable future until Tony Romo returns. On the other side of the ball is the Giants, who have had to endure the enigma that has been Eli Manning. One week he looks like the Super Bowl-winning quarterback we all remember from 2007 and 2011, then the next week he looks like a practice squad call up thrown into the biggest game of life struggling to throw to the guys wearing the same color jersey. 

Can Cassel keep the Cowboys' ship afloat until Romo and Dez Bryant return? And can Manning recover from last week's crushing defeat at the hands of the Eagles? We'll find out on Sunday. 

3. Philadelphia Eagles @ Carolina Panthers - Sun. 8:30 p.m. ET

The Carolina Panthers got their signature win and they did it in stunning fashion. Cam Newton was brilliant late and the Panthers proved, at least in my eyes, that they're the real deal with last week's win over the Seahawks. This week they're facing another formidable opponent in the Philadelphia Eagles, who seem to have righted the ship after a rocky start to their year.

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Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

The Eagles absolutely dominated the Giants last week en route to a 27-7 victory. Their defense played well, DeMarco Murray ran the ball well, Sam Bradford looked - well, he looked like Sam Bradford, but hey, the team won. That's all that matters, right? 

Anyway, Bradford will have to be much better to get a win on the road against the Panthers. For Carolina, the key will be to get out to a lead early and avoid a sluggish start, which should be their biggest concern coming off a hugely emotional win last week on the West coast. If they stop DeMarco Murray and don't turn the ball over, there's no reason the Panthers shouldn't advance to 6-0. Wow. Did I really just write that? 

4. Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars - Sun. 9:30 a.m. ET (Game will be played in London)

Don't waste your time looking for this one on your TV set - the Jaguars-Bills game is the first NFL game that will be exclusively streamed online at Yahoo.com. It's the first of what will likely be many games streamed online and is a test for the NFL to see how many eyeballs they can attract with a new approach to airing their games. Unfortunately, that might be the most interesting part of this game.

The Bills will be without quarterback Tyrod Taylor, meaning former first round pick E.J. Manuel gets the start, which likely means this game will be closer than you think. Plus, the Jaguars aren't nearly as bad as years past when they've made their now annual pilgrimage to London, which should make for a close game if nothing else. And since everyone stateside waking up to watch this game is probably doing so for financial reasons, I'll offer these words of advice - take the Jaguars and the points. You can thank me on Monday. 

5. Oakland Raiders @San Diego Chargers - Sun. 4:05 p.m. ET

Outside of their loss to the Vikings in Week 3, the Chargers have lost all of their games by a touchdown or less. On top of that, their losses have been to the Packers (undefeated), Bengals (undefeated) and Steelers (no defending this one). So yeah, I think they've somewhat been the victims of a tough schedule in the early going here.

Their 2-4 record is also overshadowing just how good Philip Rivers has been this year. Rivers has thrown for nearly 400 yards more than the next closest quarterback and has thrown 12 touchdowns to just five interceptions this season. He's been stellar.

The Raiders have been playing some good football this year and their offense has been fun to watch with Derek Carr and Amari Cooper. Unfortunately for them, they don't have more wins to show for the improvements they made and sit at 2-3 on the year. 

It's highly unlikely the AFC West crown goes to anyone other than the Denver Broncos this year, but the Raiders and Chargers still have a chance to snag a wild card spot in the AFC this year. This game is a critical one for both teams, especially the Chargers, who can't afford to drop a game at home to the Raiders and take that dreaded fifth loss. For the Raiders, getting back to .500 puts them in position for a potential playoff run this winter. There's a combination of words that hasn't been used in quite some time. 

Bryan Altman is, for some reason, an unabashed fan of the Rangers, Jets and Mets. If he absolutely had to pick a basketball team it would be the Knicks, but he’d gladly trade them for just one championship for either of his other three teams.

Questions or comments? Feel free to follow Bryan on Twitter or send him an email

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