2012 NFL Schedule: Kansas City Chiefs mercifully off Week 7

The Kansas City Chiefs' bye week feels like a mercy at this point, as the 2012 season hasn't exactly been a memorable one. The Chiefs are off in Week 7, along with fellow AFC West rivals Denver and San Diego.

Matt Cassel could certainly use the bye to get healthy, but it remains to be seen if he'll be the starting quarterback when he does return. Brady Quinn got the start for an injured Cassel in Week 6, a 38-10 loss to Tampa Bay that dropped the Chiefs to 1-5. Still, that's only two games behind division-leading Denver and San Diego with 10 games remaining, plenty of time for the disappointing season to take on a new narrative.

There's still plenty of NFL action to distract Chiefs fans this week. Thursday night kicks off Week 7 with an NFC West showdown between the Seahawks and 49ers. Sunday features three big AFC showdowns: Baltimore at Houston at noon, New York Jets at New England at 3:25 p.m. and Pittsburgh at Cincinnati at 7:20 p.m.

Here's the rest of the Week 7 slate. All times are Central:

Thursday's game
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers, 7:20 p.m., NFL Network

Sunday's games
Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills, noon, CBS
Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers, noon, FOX
Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans, noon, CBS
Washington Redskins at New York Giants, noon, FOX
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, noon, FOX
Green Bay Packers at St. Louis Rams, noon, FOX
Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings, noon, FOX
Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts, noon, CBS
Jacksonville Jaguars at Oakland Raiders, 3:25 p.m., CBS
New York Jets at New England Patriots, 3:25 p.m., CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals, 7:20 p.m., NBC

Monday's game

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears, 7:30 p.m., ESPN