NFL Sunday: LIVE Game Thread

Today is a day of rest for Rams fans. The wounds acquired over the last 7 days have begun to heal, and boiling disappointment has been turned down to simmer. There are loads of NFL games being played today, with quite a few decent match ups to track.

Seattle @ Houston - This is a game to keep a close eye on. Houston looked moribund last week in a loss to Baltimore, losing 30-9. Matt Schaub was 25 of 35 for 194 yards and an INT. Arian Foster rushed for 54 yards, and their leading receiver was rookie DeAndre Hopkins, with 6 catches for 60 yards.

Houston will be facing - arguably - the best team in the NFC. Seattle is firing on all cylinders after smacking the Jacksonville Jaguars around 45-17. This game wasn't a close as the score indicates. The Jags scoring happened in junk time, though Cecil Shorts did appear to torch the Seahawks secondary on the way to a 8 reception, 143 yard performance. The Seattle defense was stingy as usual, holding the Jags' offense to under 100 total yards until midway through the 3rd quarter.

This isn't going to be a high scoring game. Two top defenses will be on the field, so Russell Wilson and Matt Schaub are in for a bruising day. Houston's home field advantage is under appreciated, but it's tough to see them running against Seattle's Bobby Wagner and Co. That means Schaub will have to go to the air to win, and that's a tough assignment. If Andre Johnson can find one of his big time performances, and Seattle is overconfident, Houston could squeak out a minor upset. I'm not seein' it - Seattle wins - 24-20

Arizona @ Tampa Bay - In a key contest for Arizona, the stars could be aligning for Bruce Arians' battered team. Tampa Bay's defense is tougher than their record indicates, but their offense will feature newly promoted Mike Glennon at quarterback. Both Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams are banged up, so the rookie QB has his work cut out for him.

Arizona has an injury list on defense that would make most head coaches cry. They've lost three linebackers to injury, and this unit couldn't afford to lose anyone. Sam Ocho is out with a broken leg, Alex Okafor is lost for the season with a torn Bicep, and Alonzo Alexander is dealing with a foot injury. They get Daryl Washington back next week, but it won't help them today. The Cardinals offense could be in for a decent day. Tampa is in it's usual locker room turmoil, with head coach Greg Schiano the focus of their discontent. At 0-3, the hot seat for the "boot on the neck" disciplinarian coach is hotter than ever. I don't see the Glazer family allowing Schiano to stay at the helm if the loss-bleeding isn't stopped very soon. In most cases, teams rise to try and protect their coach's job. But Schiano isn't on the best of terms with his players. It's bad day in Tampa. Arizona wins this one easier than they should - 27-10.

Here's the full schedule for today, courtesy of my very good friends at CBS Sports.com:

GAME	TIME/SCORE	TV	LOCATION
Baltimore at Buffalo	1:00 pm	CBS	Ralph Wilson Stadium
Arizona at Tampa Bay	1:00 pm	FOX	Raymond James Stadium
Pittsburgh at Minnesota	1:00 pm	CBS	Wembley Stadium
N.Y. Giants at Kansas City	1:00 pm	FOX	Arrowhead Stadium
Indianapolis at Jacksonville	1:00 pm	CBS	EverBank Field
Seattle at Houston	1:00 pm	FOX	Reliant Stadium
Cincinnati at Cleveland	1:00 pm	CBS	FirstEnergy Stadium
Chicago at Detroit	1:00 pm	FOX	Ford Field
N.Y. Jets at Tennessee	4:05 pm	CBS	LP Field
Washington at Oakland	4:25 pm	FOX	O.co Coliseum
Philadelphia at Denver	4:25 pm	FOX	Sports Authority Field
Dallas at San Diego	4:25 pm	FOX	Qualcomm Stadium
New England at Atlanta	8:30 pm	NBC	Georgia Dome