Last week was a mixed bag of games. The highly-promoted Jets v Packers game turned out to be a snoozefest, while the clash between Tampa Bay and Arizona was one of the weekend's best. This week, One HD has a couple of intriguing early games, which include two of the NFL's most exciting quarterbacks, Josh Freeman of Tampa Bay and Michael Vick of Philadelphia. Unfortunately, the schedulers are stuck with lots of Dallas games, and the Cowboys - minus injured QB Tony Romo - just aren't very good.

Week 9 games on Australian television

Monday, 5 am, One HD

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) @ Atlanta Falcons (5-2)

TAB Sportsbet line: Atlanta -8.5

Reason to watch: Suddenly and almost unbelievably, this is a battle for first place in the NFC South. Most pundits expected Atlanta to rebound after a poor season, and with the dangerous trio of quarterback Matt Ryan, receiver Roddy White and running back Michael Turner, the Falcons are among the NFC's best. But the real surprise has been Raheem Morris' baby Bucs. They have the league's youngest roster, which features flash QB Josh Freeman and rookie wide receiver Mike Wiliams. Add to that an opportunistic defense, and the fans in Tampa are fired up. This should be a good one.

Monday, 5 am, Fox Sports

Arizona Cardinals (3-4) @ Minnesota Vikings (2-5)

TAB Sportsbet line: Minnesota -9.5

Reason to watch: To see if a hobbled Brett Favre - with fractures in his ankle and a lacerated face - will actually convince coach Brad Childress that he should start a 293rd consecutive game. Favre has had a rocky season, both on and off the field, and it's debatable whether he's actually helped the Vikings this season. Just to add to the soap opera atmosphere, recently-acquired wide receiver Randy Moss was released during the week because of his bad attitude. Arizona, meanwhile, turns to former starter Derek Anderson at quarterback after Max Hall failed last week. If Anderson can't get the offense moving, at least you'll be able to see plenty of Ben Graham punting the ball.

Monday, 8:15 am, One HD

Indianapolis Colts (5-2) @ Philadelphia Eagles (4-3)

TAB Sportsbet line: Philadelphia -2.5

Reason to watch: The return of Michael Vick. After missing two games with injured ribs, the super-talented Vick takes the keys to the car back from Kevin Kolb. DeSean Jackson has been cleared to play after sustaining a concussion a few weeks back, and that should help the offense. Sav Rocca is having a solid year punting the football. The Colts are simply the Colts. Even without tight end Dallas Clark and wide receiver Austin Collie, QB Peyton Manning managed to engineer a comfortable win over Houston last week.

Monday, 12:15 pm, ESPN and One HD

Dallas Cowboys (1-6) @ Green Bay Packers (5-3)

TAB Sportsbet line: Green Bay -8.5

Reason to watch: Hard to think of one, unless you're a Packers' fan or like to see loudmouthed Dallas owner Jerry Jones under the pump. Tony Romo's replacement at quarterback, Jon Kitna, ran the offense well, but threw four interceptions in last week's loss to Jacksonville. The Dallas defense will be hard pressed to stop Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers, one of the league's best. The passionate Packer fans at Lambeau Field will be baying for Cowboy blood.

Tuesday, 12:30 pm, ESPN

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) @ Cincinnati Bengals (2-5)

TAB Sportsbet line: Cincinnati +5.5

Reason to watch: The Bengals need to win this football game if they want to remain in the AFC North race behind two very good teams, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Receiver Terrell Owens and QB Carson Palmer have both had decent seasons, but Cincinnati has no running game and a shaky defense. Pittsburgh is solid for the most part, but their running game isn't great either, and the offensive line has struggled to protect QB Ben Roethlisberger.