LOS ANGELES - Seattle coach Pete Carroll will face his former pupil Mark Sanchez when the defending league champion Seahawks visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Mark Sanchez of the Philadelphia Eagles directs the offense against the Dallas Cowboys in the second half, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on November 27, 2014
Carroll has the book on Eagles quarterback Sanchez because the two were at the University of Southern California together during Sanchez's standout US college career.
"I think he's playing fast," Carroll said. "He's playing with a lot of confidence in the system. It's obviously a system that helps the quarterbacks perform at a high level.
"The fact that Mark's come off the bench and performed at a high level is really a statement about the programme as well as the players. I think that's what we're seeing."
In the only game Thursday night, the Dallas Cowboys remained perfect on the road this season to beat the Chicago Bears 41-28.
DeMarco Murray had 41 touches for 228 total rushing and receiving yards and quarterback Tony Romo threw three touchdown passes for Dallas who rebounded from last week's disappointing 33-10 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Eagles.
Sanchez replaced injured quarterback Nick Foles in a win at Houston on November 2 and has started the last four games for Philadelphia, who have won two straight and four of the last five.
They have sole possession of first place following their lopsided win over the Cowboys.
Sanchez threw a touchdown pass and ran for another, while LeSean McCoy eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark with a season-high 159 yards and a touchdown on Thanksgiving Day.
McCoy (6,491) needs just 48 rushing yards to break Wilbert Montgomery's team record of 6,538 yards, which he has held since 1984. He ranks third in the NFL in rushing yards with 1,018.
The Eagles will face a much-improved Seattle defence Sunday, that includes cornerback Richard Sherman who is arguably the best at his position.
"We certainly have a healthy respect for the fact that (Sherman) is one of the finest corners in the league," Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. "But I do think we've got some good receivers who can go out and match up."
Seattle has recorded back-to-back 19-3 wins over Arizona and San Francisco, and have won five of their last six games to erase a 3-3 start.
The Cincinnati Bengals will be seeking to avoid losing ground for the top spot in the AFC North when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are just one of many teams chasing them for the division crown.
- First time in franchise history -
Cincinnati departed on a three-game road trip following a disappointing 24-3 home loss to Cleveland back on November 6, but managed three straight wins over New Orleans, Houston and Tampa Bay. That gave the Bengals road victories over three consecutive weeks for the first time in franchise history.
Two other clubs that are in the thick of the AFC playoff race will collide Sunday when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots attempt to rebound from a rare loss by trying to beat the San Diego Chargers and Philip Rivers.
The Patriots have never lost to Rivers and the Chargers with Brady at quarterback, winning five straight when the two veteran all-stars duel.
In other games Sunday it is, Indianapolis at Cleveland, Tampa Bay at Detroit, Houston at Jacksonville, Baltimore at Miami, NY Jets at Minnesota, Carolina at New Orleans, NY Giants at Tennessee, St. Louis at Washington, Kansas City at Arizona, Buffalo at Denver and San Francisco at Oakland.