The NFL’s second “Color Rush” season begins Thursday night with the Jets taking on the Bills.
The Jets and Bills also played in a “Color Rush” game last year with the Jets wearing green and the Bills donning red. Many people who were red-green color blind complained they couldn’t differentiate between the two teams. The NFL corrected that problem by having the Jets wear white for Thursday’s game.
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While the game will be aired on both CBS and NFL Network, it will also be streamed live on Twitter as the NFL launches the inaugural season of its partnership with the social media platform.
On the field, the Bills and Jets both suffered tough losses to open the season. The Jets dropped a 23-22 decision to the Bengals on a late field goal by Mike Nugent while the Bills were stifled by the Ravens in a 13-7 loss.
Buffalo’s offense had its worst outing in years with 160 yards of total offense — the franchise's lowest total since 2006 — and 11 first downs, the fewest in a game since 2012. With a gimpy Sammy Watkins, who says he’ll play through the pain of his injured foot, and the absence of left tackle Cordy Glenn, the Bills could have a tough time finding success against an aggressive Jets defense.
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
We all remember how this one ended last January with the Bengals losing their cool and imploding while handing the Steelers an 18-16 playoff victory. The Bengals have won the AFC North twice in the last three years and have reached the playoffs in each of the last five seasons, but are still looking for their first playoff victory since 1990.
Beating the Steelers, who have two playoff wins over the Bengals since 2005, would certainly help Cincinnati’s confidence as each team tries to go 2-0 on the season.
“This is like an early playoff kind of a game. Cincinnati-Pittsburgh in Week 2,” former NFL coach Steve Mariucci said Tuesday. “The winner is going to have a leg up in that divisional race.”
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The Bengals defense, without suspended linebacker Vontaze Burfict, will certainly have its hands full with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown, both of whom put up big numbers Monday night against Washington.
Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans, Sunday, 1 p.m. (CBS)
In another rematch of a playoff game, the Texans hope to exact some revenge on the Chiefs, who left Houston in January with a dominating 30-0 victory. The Texans won their opener as new quarterback Brock Osweiler shook off a slow start to throw for 231 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-14 victory over the Chicago Bears.
The Chiefs stormed back from a 24-3 third-quarter deficit to beat the visiting Chargers.
“It’s pretty sweet,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said about the comeback victory. “When you come back in the National Football League from three scores down and win, that’s pretty nice.”
The defenses could take center stage, though neither was particularly sharp last Sunday.
Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. (Fox)
Congratulations Los Angeles, your Rams are back home and will play in their first regular-season game in L.A. since leaving after the 1994 season. The question is, do you still want them?
The Rams were horrendously awful Monday night in a 28-0 loss to the 49ers. They might have an even tougher time scoring against an always stout Seahawks defense that held the Miami Dolphins to just 214 yards of total offense and 10 points.
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The Rams did sweep the season series against the Seahawks last year and have won three of the last four. Those three Rams’ wins were by a total of 11 points while the Seahawks won 20-6 on Dec. 28, 2014.
The Rams have not won three straight against Seattle since winning four in a row between the 2003 and 2004 seasons, including a playoff victory — the Rams’ last — on Jan. 8, 2005.
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, 8:30 p.m. (NBC)
The Vikings will officially christen their new stadium by playing host to their longtime division rivals in Minnesota’s home opener.
The Packers saw their string of four straight NFC North titles come to an end last year with Minnesota winning the division for the first time since 2009. Since then, the Packers have won 10 of 13, with a tie in 2013, over the Vikings, though Minnesota did win the most recent matchup in the 2015 regular-season finale.
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“These are the top two teams in that division,” Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson said Tuesday. “But Minnesota, it's interesting to me, because they have really, if you look at the matchup between the Packers over the last couple of years, they have really handled the Packers. They have really taken control of that division in terms of being able to have the Packers' number. Can the Packers now reverse that?
“Can the Packers take control of that division? This is an early test for both teams.”
The run game could be a big factor Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson hopes to bounce back after being held to 31 yards on 19 carries in a 25-16 win over Tennessee. The Vikings defense did its part by scoring twice and holding the Titans revamped ground game to only 64 yards on 22 carries.
The Packers limited the Jaguars to 48 rushing yards in a 27-23 victory, though they managed only 98 yards on the ground themselves, led by Eddie Lacy’s 61 yards on 14 attempts.