NFL: Back Colts, Eagles and Patriots in terrific TV treble

Philadelphia’s dynamic, up-tempo offense (fastest in the NFL) proved too quick for the Cowboys to keep up, and led the team to a win that left the Eagles perched atop the NFC East division with a joint-best league record (9-3).

Their opponents Seattle will be desperate for a win to boost their own playoff hopes. The Seahawks have blown hot and cold in 2014, and have disappointed many observers by not being as dominant a force as they were expected to be this year.

How the Seattle defense copes with the Philadelphia offense (ranked 4th overall in the league) will undoubtedly be the key to this contest.

The Eagles have the sixth-best rushing attack in the NFL and star running back LeSean McCoy (who exploded for 159 yards and a touchdown last week) could be in for another big performance. McCoy can be backed at 7/1 to score first on Sunday.

Seattle will also have to contend with a hostile home crowd at Lincoln Financial Field and, if they find themselves down early in the contest (as Dallas did against the Eagles a week ago), they could struggle to catch-up against a Philadelphia team that can put points on the board at breakneck speed.

New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers
New England will look to bounce back quickly on Sunday night, after suffering their first defeat in eight games against Green Bay last time out.

In spite of that narrow loss (26-21), which snapped a seven game winning streak, the Patriots still come into this contest at Qualcomm Stadium with an NFL joint-best record of 9-3.

Furthermore, Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady has won on all five occasions that his team has faced off against opposite number Philip Rivers, and could extend his hoodoo over the Chargers this weekend.

San Diego are playing catch-up in the race to the playoffs, having experienced a drop-off in form during the middle of the season.

The Chargers defense has struggled with injuries in 2014, and has not kept any opposing team to less than 24 points since losing star cornerback Jason Verrett to a season-ending injury in Week 11.

That’s bad news for a side going up against such a potent Patriots passing attack this weekend. Tight-end Rob Gronkowski, who has a league-best nine touchdowns at his position this season, could profit – and is 6/1 to grab the first touchdown for New England.

With San Diego likely unable to halt the Patriots advance, punters can expect Tom Brady to lead the Patriots to their tenth win of the season here.