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Shea McClellin returned to practice this week and should be activated in a few weeks. And RB Rex Burkhead, out since Week 2, should be active tonight.

Last week the Falcons had a 17-0 lead over the Dolphins at home and somehow lost 20-17 to a Miami team that is struggling to score points.

The early week 8 games don’t offer a whole lot worth watching. Best of the lot in the early Sunday time slot involve the AFC East versus AFC West. The AFCE is currently a home favorite in both games. Buffalo (-2½ point) hosts Oakland, and the Chargers visit New England (-7).

Right now Alex Smith is the NFL MVP for 2017. The previously maligned quarterback is leading the league in completion percentage, yards per pass attempt and passer rating. The additions of Tyreek Hill in 2016 and rookie Kareem Hunt this year certainly help as well. The Pittsburgh defensive front seven is nothing special and won’t be able to handle that duo. Whispers about the demise of 35 year old Ben Roethlisberger (6 TD, 7 INT) will gain momentum this week in Iron City.

A win by the Patriots today in Brady’s start will put him over the top at 187 career regular season wins and add another career milestone for #12.

In a network decision nobody anticipated before the 2017 NFL season began, a Sunday afternoon Jets game will be broadcast to most of the nation. Three games dominate the NFL Week 6 afternoon broadcast distribution. Most of the nation will be fed the following games Sunday afternoon. In the early time slot CBS will air the New England Patriots at New York Jets for the lead in the AFC East.

Week 7 is highlighted by a rematch of what was possibly the greatest championship game in pro sports history. The Atlanta Falcons will travel to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots a week from Sunday night. The professional handicappers at the Westgate have listed the defending champs as four point favorites for the moment.

It’s safe to say that five games shouldn’t define a season, but given the trouble this Patriots team has had over that span, they’ve made some progress but obviously still have their work cut out for them.

Pittsburgh (-8) is the only team favored by more than a touchdown this week. Tennessee (at Miami), Kansas City (at Houston) and Minnesota (at Chicago) join New England at Tampa as the Week 5 road favorites.

Winston said about #12 “That’s a blessing, man, to meet someone like that. I dream to be able to be the type of quarterback he is for his team to our team.”

The two Super Bowl LI contestants are the biggest initial Week 6 favorites. Atlanta is a 9½ point home favorite, and New England is favored by the same amount on the road. The Falcons face a Miami team that has scored a mere six points in their last two games and are averaging just 8.3 points per game on the season. The defending Super Bowl champions travel to New Jersey to take on their arch rivals for the biannual encounter. The Jets have ruined management tanking plans and could enter on a three game winning streak should they defeat the Browns on Sunday.

A rematch of Super Bowl 39 is among the highlights of NFL Week 4. Carolina travels to Foxboro to take on the Patriots in an early afternoon game with New England favored by three. In the same time slot Baltimore hosts Pittsburgh in a battle of bitter AFC North rivals. The late afternoon game should be a good one as well. Oakland is at Denver

Week five kicks off with a highly unusual occurrence: a great Thursday night matchup. The New England Patriots travel to Tampa Bay for Tom Brady’s first-ever regular season game on Dale Mabry Highway. The last time the Pats played in Tampa their quarterback was Trent Dilfer. Still donning creamsicle uniforms and a winking pirate, that was the Bucs first winning season in sixteen years.

CBS owns the doubleheader in NFL Week 4, highlighted by Oakland at Denver in the late afternoon time slot. Fox takes advantage of their only broadcast of the Patriots this season in the early game. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will call the game from Foxboro between the Pats and Carolina Panthers. Connecticut football fans can rejoice; WTIC in Hartford will broadcast the Patriots game rather than the Giants.

The New England Patriots are listed as 3-point favorites over Carolina. Typically odds makers add three points for home field advantage. Taking that into consideration, that means the handicappers look at the Panthers and Pats as equals on a neutral field. Despite Carolina’s impressive defense I find that to be a slight surprise.