The NFL's sixth Sunday kicks off with nine early games, although the best matchups don't start until later in the afternoon.
All eyes will be on Colin Kaepernick, and not just to see if he stands or kneels during the national anthem. After being benched during the start of the season, the team announced Kaepernick will take over as starting quarterback for the struggling 49ers at Buffalo.
Earlier this week, Kaepernick acknowledged Bills fans might be less than friendly on Sunday, but told reporters "I think there’s going to be a lot of people rooting for me.”
And Kaepernick was right. Several Bills fans lead a march outside New Era Field Sunday in support of Kaepernick, carrying signs and chanting "Bills fans. Justice. Now." The demonstrators then knelt during the national anthem outside the stadium before the game started.
The early games feature Tom Brady's return to Foxborough, where the Patriots will face the Bengals. Other early games are Eagles at Washington, Pittsburgh at Miami, Jacksonville at Chicago, the Browns at Tennessee, the Ravens at the Giants, the Rams in Detroit, Carolina at New Orleans.
The other late-afternoon game in Kansas City at the Raiders, while the Colts travel to Houston for the prime-time matchup on NBC.
San Francisco (1-4) at Buffalo (3-2)
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With Colin Kaepernick now the starter, he's going to attract attention for more than his refusal to stand during the national anthem. It took a four-game slide with Blaine Gabbert showing little at quarterback for coach Chip Kelly to make the change.
"We need to move the football offensively and that's why we made the decision to do what we were doing," Kelly says. "So, hopefully we can get a little more consistency on the offensive side of the ball and that's what I think we need.
"Critical things in third down I think have been the things that we've really tried to emphasize and work on as we get moving forward here. That's what we're hoping for and that's why we made the move."
Buffalo is hoping to keep streaking after going 3-0 since elevating Anthony Lynn to offensive coordinator and firing Greg Roman.
Dallas (4-1) at Green Bay (3-2)
There remain enough doubters about the Cowboys that this is another prove-it game. The way Dak Prescott is throwing it (155 passes without a pick) and Ezekiel Elliott is running it (league-high 546 yards), Dallas is proving you can win behind rookies .
"There are certainly a lot of areas where we have to get better," coach Jason Garrett says, "but we're doing a good job coming off the ball, getting into blocks and finding places for runners to run. The runners are running well."
Still, the Packers hold opponents to 42.8 yards rushing per game. If the Cowboys, 4-11 at the Packers, come close to their 155.2 yards per game on the ground, it will be impressive. And possibly decisive.
Cincinnati 2-3) at New England (4-1)
Tom Brady's first regular-season game in Foxborough after serving his four-game "Deflategate" suspension. Listen for wild cheers of support — and some nasty chants about Roger Goodell — and look for Brady to fill the air with regulation footballs. Many of those are likely to land in the hands of Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and a new favorite, TE Martellus Bennett, who had three TD catches last week.
The Bengals were humiliated in Dallas, and they haven't won in New England in 30 years. Brady is 5-1 against them with 12 TDs and a 101.2 passer rating.
Kansas City (2-2) at Oakland (4-1)
One of the NFL's great rivalries resumes — this is game 115, KC leads 60-52-2 — with the Chiefs needing to maintain their dominance in the AFC West. They've won three straight vs. Oakland and six straight within the division. Alex Smith loves seeing the Raiders on the other side of the line of scrimmage: He's 7-1 with 18 TDs, three interceptions and a 106.1 passer rating in this matchup.
These are the new Raiders, though, formidable and, at last, a threat to make the playoffs, a place they last visited 14 years ago. They rank fourth in total offense, a necessity considering they are last in defense.
Philadelphia (3-1) at Washington (3-2)
Another long-term rivalry (Washington leads 84-73-5), and this one should say a lot about the NFC East race.
Philly stumbled at Detroit after losing its momentum from a 3-0 start by having an early bye. Rookie quarterback Carson Wentz has been terrific, but it's the Eagles' defensive performance that has been just as crucial. They haven't allowed a touchdown in the second half and just six points overall.
Washington dropped its first two games, but Kirk Cousins throwing to DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Jamison Crowder and Jordan Reed has sparked the attack.
Pittsburgh (4-1) at Miami (1-4)
For the first time, twins Maurkice (Steelers) and Mike Pouncey (Dolphins) are opponents. Their showings on the offensive line will be critical, especially for Miami, which has been awful with the ball, struggles to protect Ryan Tannehill, and is a minus-7 in turnover margin; only the Jets are worse.
Just what Ben Roethlisberger needs is another dangerous receiver.
Well, he's got one: Sammie Coates is averaging an NFL-best 22.1 yards per catch, with at least one reception of 40 yards or more in each game. Big Ben leads the league with 15 touchdown passes, the most through five games in Steelers history, and WR Antonio Brown is tops with 37 catches.
Baltimore (3-2) at New York Giants (2-3)
Unlike their AFC North brethren, the Ravens have stalled on offense, leading to the firing this week of coordinator Marc Trestman.
Barring falling into an early hole, look for plenty of balance with the ball from Baltimore, with Terrance West toting the ball.
Odell Beckham Jr. finally got into the end zone last week at Green Bay, but that didn't do much for New York, which has dropped three in a row.
Even more worrisome: New York is minus-7 in turnover differential, with only three takeaways. All that money spent on the defense has yielded minimal returns thus far.
Los Angeles (3-2) at Detroit (2-3)
The Lions might have benefited from a missed call by officials in their comeback win against the Eagles. They expect DE Ezekiel Ansah (ankle) back after missing three-plus games, and cornerback Darius Slay comes off a strong performance in which he had a clinching interception.
To get to .500, Detroit will need to figure out Todd Gurley. The 2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year went for 140 yards on 16 carries and had two TDs in last year's win over the Lions in St. Louis. Gurley has yet to break out this season, though, with only a 2.7-yard average. But he has rushed for three scores.
Indianapolis (2-3) at Houston (3-2)
Given the other matchups this Sunday, it's a shame the flex schedule hasn't begun yet.
Still, this is for first place in a division, albeit the mediocre AFC South.
The Colts are 23-5 against Houston, and Andrew Luck has won 14 of his past 15 starts within the division. He might need a big game because Indy is not likely to shut down receivers DeAndre Hopkins, Jaelen Strong and rookie Will Fuller.
