The Patriots, averaging 28 points and nearly 420 yards a game, host the Raiders, who have the most impressive set of speed receivers in the National Football League. This one could be like a tennis match, with nearly as many balls flying through the air and almost as many points.
The perenially weak Patriots (3-2) are rising in their second year under coach Bill Parcells. Second-year quarterback Drew Bledsoe has four 300-yard passing games and leads the NFL in yards (1,751) and is second in touchdowns (11).
The Raiders can get down the field in a hurry, although they've generally been on a treadmill in a 1-3 start. They have done almost all of their moving through the air, but fleet wideouts Tim Brown, James Jett, Alexander Wright and Rocket Ismail have not been stellar.
With AFC West division frontrunners San Diego and Kansas City playing each other, a loss for the Raiders would be especially damaging, dropping them way behind either the Chargers or Chiefs. For New England, a victory could catapult it into a tie for the AFC East lead -- if Miami loses at Buffalo.
The Chargers have lost every regular-season meeting with the Chiefs in the 1990s. Six of the last eight games have been decided by four points or less.
The Dolphins could take a stranglehold on the AFC East race if things work out right. But coach Don Shula said the Bills "are still the team to beat."
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