NFL Week 5 late games: Patriots rooting guide, how to watch, open thread

With the New England Patriots playing an early game against the Washington Redskins today, their fans can sit back and relax during the late slate of games. There are only three on the menu today, so let’s quickly go through the contests to find out who will face off today, and who Patriots fans should be rooting for.

4:05 pm ET

Denver Broncos (0-4) at Los Angeles Chargers (2-2): CBS

Go Chargers! The Patriots own Denver’s sixth-round draft pick because of the Duke Dawson trade: the worse the Broncos’ record at the end of the year, the better the selection will be. Rooting for L.A. is therefore an easy choice here — even more so as it would hurt New England’s AFC East rivals in the race for the number one overall pick next year.

4:25 pm ET

Green Bay Packers (3-1) at Dallas Cowboys (3-1): FOX

Go Cowboys! With New England scheduled to face off against them later this season, a Cowboys victory today would improve the club’s strength of schedule and potentially victory — two tiebreakers that might come into play when it comes to postseason scheduling.

8:20 pm ET

Indianapolis Colts (2-2) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-0): NBC

Go Colts! While New England fans are usually rooting against all things Indianapolis, the team led by ex-Patriot Jacoby Brissett is an easy choice today against the Chiefs. After all, Kansas City is the Patriots’ top rival for the number one playoff seed in the AFC. A Colts win would help move the race in the reigning world champions’ favor a bit.