Is the Miami Dolphins prolific offense going to continue to set records? Are the Philadelphia Eagles destined to go back to the Super Bowl? Can the San Francisco 49ers win with a quarterback who was the last pick of the 2022 NFL draft. And are the Dallas Cowboys the team that looked so good the first two weeks of the season or the one that looked so bad in a week three loss to Arizona?
All of these questions won’t be answered in the next month. There may be some clarity, however, as the season progresses through October. With that in mind here are the top five games for the month.
Check all the odds for these games prior to kickoff at Action Network.
Oct. 1 Miami at Buffalo: The Bills have owned the AFC East the past three years, and have owned the Dolphins even longer than that. Buffalo has won nine of the last 10 games against Miami, including last year’s playoff game. In the early going the Dolphins look ready to change that narrative. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been the hottest quarterback in the league. Miami scored an unfathomable 70 points against Denver and that came with star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle out of action. This game will go a long way to see if the Dolphins have indeed changed the balance of power in the AFC East.
Oct. 8 Dallas at San Francisco (Sunday Night Football): This is a rematch of last year NFC semifinals which the 49ers won, 19-12. In that one, the Cowboys were on the road for the fourth straight week in their third different time zone. Don’t think head coach Mike McCarthy and Co. haven’t circled this date on the calendar as soon as the schedule was announced. It’s back in the Bay Area again, but the Cowboys will be coming off a home game against the Patriots before heading west.
Oct. 22 Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City: The Super Bowl champs biggest challenger in the AFC West is once again the Chargers. Kansas City has won the last three meetings, but all three have been one-score games that have come down to the final possessions. Patrick Mahomes and his Chiefs offense against Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense is worth the price of admission.
Oct. 22 Miami at Philadelphia (Sunday Night Football): This one should be fun in a lot of ways. First it’s a battle of former Alabama teammates at quarterback as Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa matches up with the man he replaced Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts. Both teams finished September undefeated and if Miami can get past Buffalo both teams could be 6-0 heading into this prime time thriller.
Oct. 29 Cincinnati at San Francisco: This is a battle between last year’s two conference runners-up. For the second straight season the Bengals got off to 0-2 start. Last year they righted themselves, won the AFC North and advanced to the AFC Championship Game. The 49ers started the season strong thanks to their tough defense and timely offense. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow will be a good test for that strong D.
