A game that many prognosticators thought could serve as a Super Bowl preview could finish with neither team sporting a winning record.
That will be the main story line when the Dallas Cowboys pay a visit to the struggling Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
A 1-7 start to the season torpedoed Dallas' hopes of becoming the first team to play in a Super Bowl in its own stadium, and the best the Cowboys (3-8) can do now is finish at .500 - if they can run the table.
Things are not as dire for the Colts (6-5), who are tied for first place with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South despite three losses in their last four games.
Still, such a record at this point in the season is cause for alarm in Indianapolis, which has pretty much occupied the penthouse of the AFC for much of Peyton Manning's tenure.
Manning, though, has shown he is not immune to struggles that regularly befall other NFL quarterbacks. The four-time NFL Most Valuable Player was intercepted four times in a 36-14 thrashing at the hands of the San Diego Chargers last week.
That capped a miserable stretch for Manning, who has been picked off seven times in his last two games and had thrown seven touchdown passes and nine interceptions during the 1-3 slide.
Of course, Manning has been hindered by injuries that have decimated his receiving corps and running backs – and the three recent losses have come to teams with elite quarterbacks at the controls – Philadelphia’s Michael Vick, New England’s Tom Brady and San Diego’s Philip Rivers.
Even with 38-year-old Jon Kita at quarterback, the Colts will be in for a test against the Cowboys, who have seemed to find their footing following the firing of Wade Phillips and the elevation of Jason Garrett to interim head coach.
Dallas had won two straight and appeared on the verge of making it three until wide receiver Roy Williams was stripped of the ball in the waning minutes of an eventual 30-27 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving Day.
Kitna will be making his sixth start since Tony Romo went down with a fractured collarbone in Week 7 against the New York Giants. He has thrown for 787 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions the past three weeks.
The Cowboys are well equipped to get into a shootout with the Colts, with Miles Austin and standout rookie Dez Bryant at wide receiver and reception machine Jason Witten at tight end. The trio has 156 catches between them.
The Colts are most vulnerable against the run, but that’s an area where Dallas has struggled all season. Felix Jones has a team-high 448 yards rushing and has only one game with more than 51 yards on the ground.
Running back Joseph Addai (neck) is expected to miss his sixth consecutive game for the Colts, although backup Mike Hart may return Sunday. Former first-round pick Donald Brown managed just 24 yards on 11 carries last week.