NFL Week 7 early games open thread

The Detroit Lions don’t play until 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, so fans have an early afternoon of football that they won’t have to stress about too much. Of course, you could spend those three hours mentally preparing yourself for Matthew Stafford against the Lions, or you could do the healthier thing and just bury your emotions in early NFL games.

Unfortunately, the 1 p.m. ET slate is filled with a bunch of crappy teams. Of the 12 teams in action, eight are .500 or worse. Stay far away from Falcons vs. Dolphins, Panthers vs. Giants, and Jets vs. Patriots.

That being said there are definitely a couple of opportunities to watch some high-intensity good football prior to the Lions game. Bengals vs. Ravens didn’t seem like it would be a great matchup a few months ago, but those are the two top teams in the AFC North, one of the most competitive divisions in football. There’s also Chiefs vs. Titans—a great rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game.

Here’s a full look at the six-game schedule at 1 p.m. ET.

Football Team vs. Packers — FOX
Chiefs vs. Titans — CBS
Falcons vs. Dolphins — FOX
Jets at Patriots — CBS
Panthers at Giants — FOX
Bengals at Ravens — CBS

If you’re wondering which games are available in your area, check out the NFL Week 7 distribution map courtesy of 506sports.com.

Also, here’s a look at our staff’s picks for these six games:

Feel free to chat below while the games kick off and we creep closer to Lions vs. Rams.