Scoreboard watching isn't for everyone.
Two weeks ago, in the hours leading up to a home game that could have clinched them the AFC West championship, members of the Denver Broncos were tuned in to their division rivals, the San Diego Chargers. They liked what they were seeing.
The Chargers fell behind the Kansas City Chiefs, 21-3, and the excitement was building among players because a Charger loss meant the Broncos would win the division.
Yet as the Broncos took the field to face the Carolina Panthers, the unexpected unfolded, and the Chargers charged back to record a 22-21 victory. The sudden change seemed to jolt some Broncos and coach Mike Shanahan believed it contributed to the team's 30-10 loss that day.
Call it the perils of scoreboard watching.
So this past weekend, Shanahan made a preemptive strike, telling his players that the Chargers game wouldn't be on in the locker room before their contest against the Buffalo Bills, and that no Chargers scores would be flashed on the scoreboard at Invesco Field (the plan didn't work, as Denver lost again).
Fortunately, such clicker control doesn't apply to NFL fans or the writers covering the league, because this Sunday is shaping up as a six-hour slice of scoreboard-watching heaven: Patriots at Bills at 1 p.m., followed by Dolphins at Jets, and Jaguars at Ravens, both at 4:15 p.m.
The Patriots must win to have a chance to qualify for the playoffs, then hope for help in the form of a loss by the Dolphins or Ravens.
With this in mind, here is a closer look at each game:
Patriots (10-5) at Bills (7-8)
A trip to Buffalo in late December always brings the elements into play, and the long-range forecast - always tricky in Western New York - indicates that snow could be part of the mix.
The Patriots have won the last 10 games in the series. The last two weeks, coach Bill Belichick has emphasized the importance of fast starts, and that figures to be the case again, because the Bills have been outscored, 105-46, in the first quarter this season. Only the Lions and Rams have been worse in the opening quarter.
If the Bills have something going for them, it's that J.P. Losman won't be at quarterback - he fumbled away a would-be win two weeks ago against the Jets while playing in place of injured starter Trent Edwards - and that their special-teams units can win games. The Bills have the NFL's top punt-return game and rank fourth on kickoff returns, which puts an onus on New England punter Chris Hanson and kicker Stephen Gostkowski and the coverage units for strong performances.
