Peter King > WEEKEND PICKOFF

No Chris Samuels. No Chris Cooley. No Randy Thomas. And until I see otherwise, no hope for the Washington offense.

Posted: Wednesday November, 2009 02:23PM, Updated: Wednesday November, 2009 02:23PM

Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons certainly need a matchup with a weaker opponent. Facing the Washington Redskins should give them a good chance to win, but may not help Ryan end his struggles.

Losers of two straight for the first time under coach Mike Smith, the Falcons hope Ryan can handle a tough defense as they face an otherwise woeful Redskins team Sunday.

Atlanta (4-3) has struggled since winning four of its first five, losing 37-21 to Dallas on Oct. 25 and 35-27 on Monday night. The Falcons' defense faltered in those matchups, and Ryan fell short in trying to compensate.

He threw three interceptions versus the Saints and was picked off seven times over his last three games. His nine interceptions are two shy of his total from last season, when he was the NFL offensive rookie of the year.

Smith believes Ryan might be trying too hard.

"A lot of times it's from being competitive and wanting to make plays," Smith said. "I think that's the thread that has run through the interceptions that have occurred over the last three games. Matt is very competitive and confident in himself and in his receiving corps that we can make plays."

The Redskins have lost three straight and are 2-5 on the season, but a bounce back game for Ryan may not come easily.

Washington's defense is ranked second against the pass, giving up 164.9 yards per game while allowing six TDs. The Redskins are fifth in total defense at 283.4 yards a contest and in scoring defense at 17.6 points per game.

Washington has been more vulnerable against the run, allowing 118.5 yards a contest, but has limited opponents to three rushing TDs.

Smith and offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, encouraged by Pro Bowl running back Michael Turner's strong performance against New Orleans, could go with a run-heavy game plan to take some of the pressure off Ryan. Turner had his best game of the season last week with 151 yards rushing and a score, and may have helped himself by spending extra time watching film of his 2008 season, when he was the NFL's No. 2 rusher.

Atlanta will face Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who made two Pro Bowls with the Falcons after being drafted in the first round by them in 2004.

Hall got into a sideline shouting match with former Atlanta coach Bobby Petrino during the '07 season and was traded to Oakland during that offseason. This will be his first game at the Georgia Dome since the trade.

He faced Atlanta last year in a home game while with the Raiders, a 24-0 loss Nov. 2, 2008, and was cut after the contest. Washington signed him days later and gave him a $54 million, six-year contract this past offseason.

"I'm not Brett Favre walking back into Lambeau, but there's definitely going to be a little emotion tied into this thing," Hall said. "I saw a lot of those guys mature as players, mature as people on and off the field. Can't wait to go out there and mix it up with them."

Hall and the defense have tried to help Washington overcome terrible performances offensively. The Redskins, with a banged-up offensive line, are ranked 28th in the league with 13.7 points per game.

Left tackle Chris Samuels (neck) and right guard Randy Thomas (triceps) are on injured reserve, and Jason Campbell has been left with little time to pass while Clinton Portis is struggling to find holes. Campbell has been sacked 20 times and Portis has been held under 4.0 yards a carry in five of seven games.

"We went into the season, and we didn't address that issue," Portis said of the lack of depth on the line. "And it came back to haunt us."

Even if the Redskins improve, it might not result in wins. Each of their next five opponents has a winning record.

Washington owner Dan Snyder rarely talks during the season, but he had some telling comments Tuesday at an event to celebrate one of the franchise's charity programs.

"We feel frustration and are disappointed for our fans," Snyder said. "Obviously our performance to date is not what we expected, and we hope to turn that around."

This will be the teams' first meeting since Dec. 3, 2006, when Atlanta won 24-14 at Washington.

The Cardinals are my mystery team of the season. Explain, after watching the explosive team we saw in the playoffs last year (30, 33 and 32 points in the playoffs before sitting on the ball too long and managing 23 against the best defense in football in the Super Bowl), how the Cards can be scoring 22 points a game. And don't give me Anquan Boldin's hamstring/ankle injuries as an excuse either; he was hurt throughout the playoffs last year too. I've got to think Ken Whisenhunt is going to order some deep balls from Kurt Warner against a secondary that can be victimized by them.

Posted: Wednesday November, 2009 03:49PM, Updated: Wednesday November, 2009 03:49PM

The Arizona Cardinals suffered a stunning, nationally televised collapse in their last matchup with the Chicago Bears, which turned out to be a key victory in Chicago's run to the Super Bowl.

Neither team has looked primed for a lengthy playoff run of late, but the Cardinals return to Soldier Field on Sunday with a one-game lead in the NFC West and looking to win four straight on the road for the first time in 27 years.

The teams last met in a Monday night game in Week 6 of the 2006 season, as the unbeaten Bears visited a struggling Arizona club. The Cardinals, though, led 23-3 early in the fourth quarter as Chicago quarterback Rex Grossman committed six turnovers.

The Bears rallied to win 24-23, getting a pair of defensive touchdowns and Devin Hester's 83-yard punt return for a score with less than three minutes left.

The Cardinals (4-3) made their own run to the Super Bowl last season, but have been inconsistent in 2009 after losing to Pittsburgh in the final minute of the title game.

Arizona had its three-game winning streak snapped last week with a mistake-filled 34-21 loss to visiting Carolina. The Cardinals failed to extend their division lead over San Francisco, which has lost three in a row.

Kurt Warner matched a career high with five interceptions and lost a fumble. The Panthers returned one of the INTs for a touchdown and converted two other turnovers into field goals.

"You always are crossing bridges or facing obstacles as a football team in this league," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "Obviously, one for us is being able to play consistently after we've had some success."

The Cardinals fell to 1-3 at home, surpassing their loss total there from each of the last two seasons. They have been much better away from Phoenix, matching last season's total of three road victories.

Arizona last won four straight away from home Sept. 12-Dec. 19, 1982. The Cardinals hope to have one of their top receivers available as they look to match that run.

Anquan Boldin re-aggravated a right ankle sprain last week and is day-to-day. He caught three passes against the Panthers to became the franchise's all-time leader with 537 receptions.

"If I'm able to run, I'm going to play football," Boldin said.

The Bears (4-3) will attempt to win four in a row at home for the first time since 2006, but they hardly looked dominant last week as they avoided a third straight loss by defeating woeful Cleveland 30-6.

Despite changes to the offensive line, Jay Cutler was sacked a season-high four times and a late hit to the chin in the second quarter left him with a bloody tongue.

Cutler was 17 of 30 for 225 yards but failed to throw a touchdown for the first time in seven games with the team. He was also intercepted for the sixth time in three games.

The Bears failed to score a touchdown until late in the first half despite driving inside the Browns' 15-yard line four times.

"We've got a lot of work to do. It's good to get a win at home but offensively we've got to get to work,'' Cutler said.

Chicago did have its best rushing performance of the season with 170 yards, with Matt Forte picking up 90 of those and scoring twice. After rushing for 1,238 yards as a rookie, Forte has 408 nearly midway through this year.

The Bears defense also allowed a season-low 191 yards but has one sack over its last three contests.

"Even though Cleveland's struggling on offense, it felt good to go out there and execute defensively," linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer said. "I'm sure when we watch the tape, we'll realize that we didn't play perfect football, but especially with some of the teams we've got coming up in the next month, we need something to build on. This is definitely a good start."

The Bears have won five of six meetings since the Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988. Chicago lost 10-7 at Soldier Field on Dec. 19, 1982, during the Cardinals' four-game road win streak.

Cincinnati is 3-1 in the past four in this series at Paul Brown Stadium. The 1: Baltimore 34, Cincy 3 last November. In this one, I say the Ray Rice Show continues. "He's better than we thought he was,'' John Harbaugh told me the other day. "He was pretty much an inside runner at Rutgers, but his blitz pickup and receiving skills are so much better than we thought.''

Posted: Wednesday November, 2009 02:31PM, Updated: Wednesday November, 2009 02:31PM

A road win over the Baltimore Ravens last month helped the Cincinnati Bengals serve notice they could be a surprising factor in a crowded AFC North.

The Ravens now need to return the favor in Cincinnati or face a major uphill climb in the conference's toughest division.

The Bengals are coming off a bye week heading into Sunday's rematch, but Baltimore enters feeling confident after snapping a three-game losing streak with an impressive victory.

A 17-14 win over the Ravens on Oct. 11 has been among the highlights of Cincinnati's impressive start. Carson Palmer found Andre Caldwell for the game-winning touchdown with 22 seconds left after Cedric Benson became the first player in 40 games to top 100 rushing yards against Baltimore.

After a 45-10 drubbing of Chicago before their bye, the Bengals (5-2) are tied with Pittsburgh atop the division, and they can improve to 4-0 within the AFC North with a victory Sunday.

That would give Cincinnati the tiebreaker between these teams while Baltimore would fall two games out of first place.

"There is no doubt about it, this game matters. It matters a lot for us," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "They can probably survive a loss - we can survive a loss, too - but it will make it a lot more interesting if we go down there and win."

Baltimore (4-3) had dropped three straight by less than a touchdown before responding last Sunday with a 30-7 win over Denver, which had entered 6-0.

Joe Flacco was 20 of 25 for 175 yards and a touchdown while the emerging Ray Rice ran for 84 yards and a score against the stingy Broncos defense, but the Ravens' most important performance may have come from their own defense.

One of the most dominating units in the league in recent seasons, Baltimore's defense has slowed down this year after former coordinator Rex Ryan left to coach the New York Jets. The Ravens rank 13th overall defensively but looked rejuvenated last week, holding Denver to season lows of 66 rushing yards and 134 passing.

"Whatever success or failure you have one week does not guarantee or ensure anything for the next week," Harbaugh said. "Our guys are excited about the fact that they played well against a very effective offense, but we're going to line up against a really effective offense on Sunday. That presents a challenge for us."

Baltimore should be especially motivated against the Bengals after allowing Benson's 120-yard performance last month. Since 2000, Baltimore opponents have averaged 88.4 rushing yards, the fewest of any team in that stretch.

"That's something we take pride in," linebacker Jarret Johnson said after the loss to Cincinnati. "We put it on our backs, that, 'Hey, you're not going to run the ball on us.' And when a team is able to do that, yeah, it's hard."

But Benson has been doing it consistently during a bounce-back season. Coming off a career-high 189 yards on the ground against the Bears two weeks ago, Benson joins Tennessee's Chris Johnson as the only players averaging more than 100 yards per game.

Palmer threw for five touchdowns against Chicago and appears healthy after starting just four games last season. He's been well-protected by a new-look offensive line after the Bengals ranked last in total offense and allowed an AFC-high 51 sacks last year.

Even with tackle Andre Smith sidelined by a broken foot, Palmer has been sacked just twice in the last three games, a big reason Cincinnati has already exceeded its win total from 2008. Smith, the No. 6 overall pick in April's draft, could make his NFL debut Sunday.

"We're in a good spot right now," Palmer said. "Being 5-2 and tied for first in the division - it's ours to lose, really. We just need to hang on for as long as we can and finish the season with a bunch of wins and see what happens as far as the playoff picture's concerned.

"But that's a little far down the road for us right now. It's about Baltimore, and then it's about (Nov. 15 at) Pittsburgh. I don't even know who we play after that, honestly."

Cincinnati will be looking for a repeat performance defensively after holding the Ravens to a season-low 257 total yards and intercepting Flacco twice in last month's win. Baltimore has scored at least 21 points in each of its other six games, but it was held to one offensive touchdown and 12 first downs against the Bengals.

Flacco has looked much better since that game, completing more than 70 percent of his passes without an interception in the last two contests while frequently orchestrating a no-huddle attack.

As a rookie last year, Flacco was 19 of 29 for 280 yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens' 34-3 win at Cincinnati on Nov. 30.

Thought long and hard about picking the Texans. After four- and six-point margins last year, and the improvement of the Houston defense in the offseason, I could see it. In the end, I like the Colts' defense to make more plays against Matt Schaub than Houston on Peyton Manning.

Posted: Friday November, 2009 05:58PM, Updated: Friday November, 2009 05:58PM

Most NFL teams would be ecstatic to be in the Indianapolis Colts' position - the AFC's lone undefeated team riding a 16-game regular-season winning streak.

Peyton Manning and company are hardly satisfied, though. With their ground game struggling and their schedule about to get much tougher, he knows they still have plenty of work to do.

The Colts will try to get their offense in gear and continue their dominance over Houston on Sunday against a Texans team looking to win its fourth straight.

Indianapolis improved to 7-0 for the fourth time in five seasons with last Sunday's 18-14 home win over San Francisco, but it wasn't an inspiring effort by the normally high-powered offense.

The Colts settled for field goals on four trips into the red zone and Manning failed to throw a TD pass for the first time since Nov. 30, 2008.

Manning finished 31 of 48 for 347 yards, but missed high, wide and even short to finish with a season-low 86.0 quarterback rating. The three-time MVP had a 118.8 passer rating in the previous five games.

"I thought we weren't quite as sharp as we have been at times,'' Manning said. "There's definitely some areas we can improve on.''

Indianapolis hasn't lost since falling 31-21 at Tennessee on Oct. 27, 2008, and needs to get better in a hurry with stiff competition looming.

The Colts only faced one team with a winning record so far - Arizona (4-3) in Week 3 - but after this contest they host New England (5-2) on Nov. 15 followed by a trip to Baltimore (4-3) and back to Houston (5-3).

"We are getting into the teeth of our schedule right now," Manning said.

Creating a ground attack would be a big help to Manning and the offense.

The Colts rushed for 61 yards on 21 attempts against the 49ers with just five plays going as long as four yards. Indianapolis ranks 30th in the NFL with an average of 87.3 rushing yards per game.

"We know what we can do. We just have to correct the mistakes we made and move forward,'' said Joseph Addai, who has not rushed for more than 64 yards.

Correcting these mistakes against a Houston rush defense that has shown vast improvement over the past few weeks could be difficult. After allowing an average of 205.0 yards on the ground in their first three games, the Texans are yielding 58.2 in the last five.

Houston defeated Buffalo 31-10 last Sunday for its third straight victory to get off to the best start in franchise history.

The Texans, who won a franchise-best four in a row last season, are in the thick of the playoff picture but a defeat in this game would give the Colts a four-game lead in the loss column.

"When you get to where your football team is pretty good, they're all big,'' Houston coach Gary Kubiak said. "It's just nice that we're to the point now where we should play in some big football games here in the second half and none bigger than the first one.''

Beating the Colts would be a big step for the Texans. Indianapolis, though, is 13-1 all-time against Houston with the loss coming on a last-second field goal in 2006.

Manning has been sensational in those contests, passing for 3,859 yards with 33 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has 17 TD passes and one pick in the last seven meetings.

Houston's Matt Schaub, who has thrown a career-best 16 touchdown passes, completed 27 of 33 passes for 236 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in his only start against the Colts, a 30-24 loss on Sept. 23, 2007.

Schaub leads an offense that has already matched a franchise record set last season with four 400-yard games, but the unit will have a different look this week.

Tight end Owen Daniels, a favorite target of Schaub with 40 receptions for 519 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns, will miss the rest of the season after tearing a knee ligament last week.

Schaub will be joined in the backfield by running backs Steve Slaton, Ryan Moats and Chris Brown, all expected to split time.

Slaton was benched against the Bills after fumbling for a fifth time, and Moats did a stellar job as his replacement, running for a career-high 126 yards and scoring a franchise-best three touchdowns.

"They know they're all going to play and they know they're all going to be a part of what we're doing, so I just think we keep working them,'' Kubiak said.

Slaton rushed for 249 yards with three touchdowns on 30 carries in two games against Indianapolis last season.

Schaub and the offense won't have to deal with many of the Colts' best defensive players. Linebacker Tyjuan Hagler (biceps), cornerback Marlin Jackson (knee) and strong safety Bob Sanders (elbow) are all out for the season.

Veteran cornerback Kelvin Hayden is also expected to be sidelined for the next three to four weeks with a knee sprain.

The Dolphins are the 49ers of the AFC -- a better team than 3-4 indicates. And this game is vital to their playoff prayers. They'll be in it for 60 minutes, but I sided with the Patriots when I saw Tom Brady say the other day he's never felt better. Hmmmm. Brady, Chad Henne. Henne, Brady. In Foxboro. I can't see Miami winning.

Posted: Wednesday November, 2009 06:01PM, Updated: Wednesday November, 2009 06:01PM

The New England Patriots played more like the franchise's dominating 2007 version in two lopsided victories before a bye week, and now they want to show their high-powered attack can keep clicking against tougher competition.

They'll also have a few things to prove Sunday to the Miami Dolphins, whose blowout victory in Foxborough last year keyed their AFC East title.

The Patriots can further reassert their control over the division they've won six times this decade as they face the Dolphins, who try for a second straight road win as they attempt to resurrect their season.

New England's uneven start seems like a distant memory after the Patriots (5-2) outscored their last two opponents by a combined 94-7, with resurgent quarterback Tom Brady throwing nine touchdown passes.

Wes Welker and Randy Moss combined for 33 catches and six TDs in those games as Brady brought back memories of two years ago, when he threw for an NFL-record 50 touchdowns during a 16-0 regular season. He missed nearly all of last year with a major knee injury.

"For the most part, guys are in the spots where they need to be," Brady said Wednesday. "We have a pretty good understanding how we're going to attack people. I think everyone's excited for what's ahead."

Both Tennessee and Tampa Bay were winless at the time of New England's blowout victories, and the Patriots may find things a bit tougher after their return from the 35-7 win over the Buccaneers in London.

Their November slate includes visits to unbeaten teams Indianapolis and New Orleans and division games against the New York Jets and Miami (3-4).

"There's obviously some great teams," Welker said. "That's the way it is week in and week out, but especially this next month, so we're definitely going to stay on top of our game."

New England's defense was surprised by Miami's wildcat formation at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 21, 2008, giving up 461 total yards in a 38-13 loss that ended the Patriots' league-record 21-game winning streak in the regular season.

They avenged that loss with a 48-28 win at Miami on Nov. 23, but both teams finished 11-5 and the Dolphins won the division based on a better conference record while New England missed the playoffs.

Outspoken linebacker Joey Porter was sure to announce before the season that the Dolphins are still "champions until proven otherwise" in the division, but they'll fall three games behind with a loss Sunday.

Miami could have been in even worse shape if not for a 30-25 road win over the Jets last Sunday. Although the Dolphins mustered just 104 yards from scrimmage, they scored 21 points in one third-quarter stretch without the offense touching the ball.

Ted Ginn scored on two kickoff returns of at least 100 yards, and Jason Taylor had the other touchdown on a 48-yard fumble return as the Dolphins continued to rebound from their 0-3 start.

With the run-heavy attack out of the wildcat faltering lately, the Dolphins may need to find more balance offensively if they're going to win for the fourth time in five games.

"We just need to get better overall against an eight-man front," said quarterback Chad Henne, who will face the Patriots for the first time. "I don't think overall we executed - the running game or the passing game."

The Patriots have been working with a patchwork defense after Richard Seymour and Mike Vrabel were traded and Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi retired. New England also is missing defensive end Jarvis Green after he had minor knee surgery, but coach Bill Belichick said the team will be ready for whichever strategy the Dolphins offense uses.

"They give you a lot of stuff to defend and I'm sure that we'll need a lot of different options to handle the variations that they show," Belichick said.

New England also could remain without left tackle Matt Light (knee) and running backs Fred Taylor (ankle) and Sammy Morris (knee).

While the Patriots won five straight AFC East crowns before last season, Miami has often presented problems for New England this decade, going a respectable 8-10 in the series since Belichick took over in 2000.

The meetings have taken on an extra dimension since Bill Parcells, the former Patriots coach and Belichick mentor, joined Miami's front office in 2007, and Belichick said the Dolphins' roster has Parcells "stamped all over it."

"They are a big, powerful team," Belichick said. "... That's what Bill believes in and I think he has a great philosophy. And it works for him. And it should work."

I know this statement takes in a lot of ground. But in 25 years covering this league, I have never seen a group of receivers, tight ends and running backs that catch the ball better than the Saints' guys. How many of those catches Monday night came right out of Barnum and Bailey? The Jeremy Shockey catch, the one he looked to be about 8-foot-3, and the Devery Henderson ballet catch, and about five others. Amazing. And a good reason why the Saints are 7-0.

Posted: Wednesday November, 2009 05:41PM, Updated: Wednesday November, 2009 05:41PM

Outstanding play at the Superdome has helped Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints match the best start in their history. The Carolina Panthers certainly haven't minded playing there, either.

The Saints have a chance to go 8-0 for the first time Sunday, but they'll have to find a way to snap a seven-game home losing streak to a Panthers team that is hitting its stride.

Four of New Orleans' wins have been at the Superdome, where it is beating opponents by an average of 15.3 points. The Saints matched the best start in franchise history with a 35-27 home win over Atlanta on Monday night.

Only the 1991 Saints started a season with seven straight victories.

"I think our best is yet to come," said Brees, who leads an offense that is averaging an NFL-best 39.0 points per game.

Brees passed for 308 yards and two touchdowns versus the Falcons. He has completed 72.9 percent of his passes for 1,225 yards and 12 TDs with two interceptions at home this season, but has lost all three of his games there against Carolina (3-4).

Brees' four TD passes at home versus the Panthers on Dec. 28 weren't enough. John Kasay made a 42-yard field goal with 1 second left as Carolina won 33-31 to set a franchise record with 12 victories.

It was the Panthers' seventh straight win at New Orleans since a 27-23 loss Dec. 2, 2001. Carolina is averaging 27.0 points in the last six games during that streak.

The Panthers enter this contest having won three of four, beating Arizona 34-21 last Sunday, but this will be their toughest test so far.

New Orleans has complemented Brees with a strong running game and an opportunistic defense.

Pierre Thomas rushed for a score and caught a TD pass against Atlanta. Thomas, Mike Bell and Reggie Bush have each gotten at least 47 carries for a running game that is ranked fourth in the NFL, averaging 153.3 yards a contest.

The Saints have given up an average of 29.3 points in their last three games after surrendering a total of 17 in their previous two, but their secondary continues to make big plays.

Jabari Greer returned an interception for a 48-yard score Monday night after getting burned for a deep TD. It was New Orleans' fifth touchdown on an interception this season, tying the franchise record set in 1998.

Darren Sharper picked off his seventh pass, giving the Saints 16 overall. They have at least one INT in every game.

"The way we've been able to (get turnovers) and score is a big reason we're where we're at right now," coach Sean Payton said.

Panthers quarterback and New Orleans native Jake Delhomme has thrown an NFL-worst 13 interceptions, but he's coming off his first turnover-free game.

Delhomme threw his first TD pass to a wide receiver this season, a 50-yarder to Steve Smith, and managed the game well as Carolina relied on a dominant running game versus the Cardinals.

Delhomme left the game after getting hit in the chest while throwing a pass in the third quarter, but a CT scan showed no internal injuries and he hasn't missed any practice time.

The veteran, who began his career with New Orleans, is 5-0 with a 104.7 passer rating in road games against the Saints, throwing five TDs with one interception. Delhomme completed 70.0 percent (14 for 20) of his passes for 250 yards and a TD in last December's game at New Orleans.

DeAngelo Williams rushed for 178 yards and Jonathan Stewart added 56 for the Panthers in that contest. The duo combined for 245 yards and two scores versus Arizona, which entered with the NFL's No. 1 ranked rushing defense.

Carolina is averaging 217.6 yards rushing in its last three games after failing to reach 100 in three of its first four.

"I think we've run the ball pretty effectively over the last month," coach John Fox said. "That's not the area we've been concerned with."

Turnovers had been Fox's main concern, but Delhomme's last performance was promising. Fox is also getting spectacular play from defensive end Julius Peppers, who was criticized for his slow start.

Peppers had a leaping interception that he returned 13 yards for a TD last week, and had his sixth sack in four games.

"All of the naysayers and people that are saying this and that about Julius Peppers, well you can say what you want about him, but we love him," linebacker Thomas Davis said.

Impossible game to pick at dusk in New Jersey. Tom Coughlin is going to turn this into the Super Bowl for a Giants team playing on the Rams' level -- and that's no exaggeration. The Chargers are not great travelers. But what pushed me over the top in this one is how great Philip Rivers has been throwing the deep ball this year, how the Giants will have trouble matching up with Vincent "Wilt'' Jackson, and how confused the Giants looked on defense in Philadelphia last week.

Posted: Wednesday November, 2009 06:00PM, Updated: Wednesday November, 2009 06:00PM

Eli Manning and Philip Rivers will forever be linked by the draft-day trade in 2004 that brought Manning to the New York Giants and Rivers to the San Diego Chargers.

This season, they may end up being linked for leading a pair of contenders that underachieved.

The quarterbacks meet for the first time Sunday at Giants Stadium, with Manning looking to help New York avoid a fourth straight loss and Rivers trying to lead the Chargers to their first victory over a winning team.

San Diego (4-3) took Manning with the first pick in the 2004 draft, even though his family told the Chargers not to select him days before. After they selected him anyway and the Giants (5-3) chose Rivers at No. 4, the Chargers sent Manning to New York for Rivers and picks that San Diego used on linebacker Shawne Merriman and kicker Nate Kaeding.

The trade seems to have helped both clubs. Manning was the Super Bowl MVP two years ago when the Giants upset the 18-0 Patriots - the team that knocked off Rivers and the Chargers in the AFC championship game. Both players have been to one Pro Bowl.

"It's fun," Rivers said Monday. "The one thing I know and I know Eli knows, all the quarterbacks know, we're not playing one another out there. We've got plenty of other things to worry about on the defensive side of the ball we have to go against.

"But it is fun competing against another team led by a quarterback that you are linked to in many ways, especially being the same draft class."

Rivers backed up Drew Brees the last time these teams met - a 45-23 Chargers win Sept. 25, 2005. Manning was booed throughout his first game in San Diego, but completed 24 of 41 passes for 352 yards and two touchdowns.

Manning would likely settle for a similar effort, considering what he has produced during the Giants' slide. He had 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in New York's 5-0 start, but threw three TDs and six interceptions over the last three games.

"There is no secret ingredient," Manning said. "There is no 'We have to change our philosophy.' There is none of that. We are not in panic mode right now. But we do need to get better and we do need to play better than what we are playing right now. This is going to be a big week for us, this week versus San Diego, and hopefully we get back on track."

While Manning has played poorly the last three weeks, New York's defense has been worse. The Giants were outscored 112-61 during that span, with opponents totaling 1,172 yards.

New York allowed 180 rushing yards for the game and 30 first-half points in a 40-17 loss at Philadelphia on Sunday. The Giants' last four-game losing streak came Nov. 12-Dec. 3, 2006.

"I don't know what has happened to us the last three weeks," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "That's kind of disheartening, but it lets me know the guys care. You can just tell that frustration is kind of boiling over."

The defense should get some help this week, with defensive tackle Chris Canty and weakside linebacker Michael Boley expected to play.

Canty has been sidelined since the opening game with a calf injury. Boley had surgery on his right knee last month.

All of San Diego's wins were against losing teams, with its defeats coming to contenders Denver, Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The Chargers' two straight victories came against lowly Kansas City and Oakland - teams that also account for two of New York's wins.

"Every week is a treat to play in the NFL, to play in an NFL game," Rivers said. "But these are the kind of games, the reason why you play. You get to go right in the thick of all the action in the East Coast, being in New York, and play, obviously, a team that won the championship two years ago and is a very capable one and thought of highly this year.

"It's a tough place to go on the road, in a game I think that will say a lot about us."

San Diego limited Kansas City to 203 yards in a 37-7 road victory Oct. 25 and held Oakland to 180 yards in last Sunday's 24-16 win. The Chargers know it will be more difficult against a Giants offense that is fifth in the league with an average of 386.9 yards.

"We are growing and we're getting better," coach Norv Turner said. "We're getting some guys going. We'll have a great week of practice and we're looking forward to going back and playing."

The Giants rank 19th against the run, but will face a Chargers rushing attack that is second worst in the league with 523 yards. LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 192 in the 2005 game against New York, but has gone a career-high 13 straight games without gaining 100.

I know this is going to be a controversial point in the Westbrook household, and I value Brian Westbrook very highly as a player and important cog in the Eagles' success. But today, right now, Philly doesn't lose a lot -- except on blitz pickup, where Westbrook's a gem -- with LeSean McCoy in the lineup.

Posted: Wednesday November, 2009 01:45PM, Updated: Wednesday November, 2009 01:45PM

This matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles isn't nearly as big as the last one. Still, it always seems meaningful when these archrivals play, and the 100th meeting is certainly no different.

A few weeks after both teams seemed headed in the wrong direction, the Cowboys and Eagles have gotten back on track but only one will leave Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night alone atop the NFC East.

A wild-card playoff berth was at stake when Dallas visited Philadelphia to close the 2008 regular season, and the Cowboys trailed by 24 at halftime en route to a 44-6 loss. While the Eagles had little chance to make the playoffs when the day began but got the help they needed, Dallas entered only needing a win but had five turnovers - three by Tony Romo - and Philadelphia had fumble returns for touchdowns of 73 and 96 yards.

"We just flat out got our tail whooped, man. No excuse or anything like that," receiver Patrick Crayton told the Cowboys' official Web site. "We went home and had to sulk and had to deal with that for the whole offseason."

It was their most lopsided loss in the history of this series, which the Cowboys (5-2) lead 55-44 including playoffs.

"I think we all remember so much - I know I do and so many players on this team remember - how we left Philadelphia last year," owner Jerry Jones said.

The hangover appeared to carry into this season as Dallas opened 2-2. The two victories came against winless teams and the Cowboys beat another one - Kansas City - in Week 5 but needed overtime to do it.

A bye week followed and they've responded with two impressive wins, defeating Atlanta 37-21 before last Sunday's 38-17 rout of Seattle.

"Ever since their bye week, they've been playing well, too, so it's going to be a challenge for us no matter what," Donovan McNabb said.

A healthier McNabb has helped Philadelphia (5-2) recover from an embarrassing 13-9 loss at Oakland on Oct. 18. McNabb was sacked six times in that game, his second after missing two contests with a rib injury, but has since received better protection and more help from the running game in wins over Washington and the New York Giants.

Arguably his best performance of the season came in last Sunday's 40-17 victory over the Giants, who had been in first place, as he went 17 of 23 for 240 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Even without Brian Westbrook (concussion), who is likely to return this week, Philadelphia ran for 180 yards.

"The challenge is everybody kind of has a big head and you know just bouncing around like it's going to be like that every week," McNabb said. "You have to make sure everybody calms down."

His biggest concern may be staying on his feet because the Eagles have been jumbling their offensive line much of the season and now face a Dallas defense which has 17 sacks in the past 18 quarters. DeMarcus Ware has five sacks in the last three games - he had none in the first four - after leading the NFL with 20 last year.

"Defensively, they're flying around," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "They're blitzing from all over the place."

That's what the Eagles defense is known for. That unit is tied for second in the league with 23 sacks and third in interceptions (14), having allowed more than 17 points once all season.

Romo hasn't thrown an interception in a career-high three straight games while passing for eight touchdowns.

"I'm seeing things. It's as simple as that," said Romo, who has won 12 consecutive November starts. "I'm not throwing and hoping."

He's been helped by the discovery of Miles Austin, whose 482 receiving yards in his first three starts are the most by any player since 1970. He's scored in each of those games, totaling five TD receptions.

DeSean Jackson continues to be the big-play guy for Philadelphia. He notched his sixth touchdown of 50 yards or more last Sunday, three shy of breaking the NFL single-season record.

"I've just been put in some great positions to score long touchdowns," Jackson said. "Whatever we need to do to make it work, that's what we're going to do. I want to keep winning, keep making plays and hopefully make it to the Super Bowl."

In a battle of tremendously disappointing young quarterbacks drafted very high one year apart trying to resuscitate their careers before getting cut, I'll take the mobile Utah guy over the mobile Texas one.

Posted: Wednesday November, 2009 02:41PM, Updated: Wednesday November, 2009 02:41PM

The Tennessee Titans may be a different team with Vince Young re-installed as the starting quarterback and Chris Johnson coming off the best game of his career.

San Francisco's Alex Smith can relate to Young as far as being a high draft pick trying to resurrect his career after a difficult start.

Young and Johnson look to help the Titans earn a second straight victory when they try to hand the banged-up 49ers a fourth straight loss Sunday.

Tennessee earned its first win last week, beating Jacksonville 30-13. Young, named the starter after Kerry Collins guided the Titans to an 0-6 mark, responded by completing 15 of 18 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.

It was Young's second start since 2007.

"He looked all right out there," owner Bud Adams said about the No. 3 overall pick in the 2006 draft. "I think he's coming around a lot. I think there's some things that happened to him early in his career that didn't let him concentrate on football. I think he realized he needed to work at it hard. And he has shown that."

While Young was steady, the Titans' first victory was really keyed by Johnson. The second-year running back rushed for a franchise-record 228 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns.

Johnson leads the league in rushing with 824 yards after entering last week fifth. His five runs of over 40 yards also lead the NFL.

"It feels real good to look at some of the guys who have played before me, then come in and break a record," Johnson said. "But records are made to be broken."

Young improved to 19-11 as a starter, and he's 6-2 against NFC clubs. In contrast, Smith is 11-20 after he lost his first start since 2007 last week, 18-14 at Indianapolis.

Smith - the top overall pick in 2005 - played well in relief of Shaun Hill on Oct. 25 in a 24-21 loss at Houston, throwing three touchdowns to tight end Vernon Davis to rally the 49ers (3-4) from a 21-point deficit.

He completed 19 of 32 passes for 198 yards against the Colts with one touchdown to Davis and one interception, falling to 3-6 in starts against AFC teams.

"I thought Alex did very well," coach Mike Singletary told the 49ers' official Web site. "I was very pleased to see him make some throws. I was very excited and anticipated this game for him because I knew the rush was going to be coming at him."

Singletary received bad news Monday when he learned that cornerback Nate Clements and left tackle Joe Staley will be out for this game.

Clements, who has missed only one game in his career, has a broken right shoulder blade and is out for up to eight weeks. The 49ers signed cornerback Keith Smith on Tuesday.

Staley has a sprained right knee and will miss a game for the first time in his three-year career. Barry Sims is expected to take his place in the lineup.

"Obviously we're going to miss Joe Staley," Singletary said. "In terms of how it's going to affect our offensive line, which in essence is how it's going to affect our offense, you find a way to win. You find a way to work around it.

"Obviously he will be missed. We think a lot of Joe Staley. I'm hoping he's back real quick because he helps us tremendously. At the same time I know our offense will continue to get better."

Singletary has said he will go with the best players who give the team a chance to win even if it means he has to regularly shake up the lineup.

"This team right now is going through some changes," Singletary said. "You're seeing guys step up, young guys stepping up, and some other guys stepping back. It's going to continue to be that way. I believe in the best 11 guys on the field. Whoever that is, that's who's going to be out there."

San Francisco appears to be fairly healthy up front on defense, and that will be important as it tries to contain Johnson. The 49ers have the league's second-ranked rush defense, allowing 84.9 yards per game.

The Titans won 33-22 at home in the last meeting Nov. 27, 2005.

Not a good week to be traveling to Seattle. Nope. The 2-5 Seahawks looked like Seadogs on Sunday in Dallas, and Jim Mora read his team the riot act. "If a man's willing to fight and give his all,'' he told reporters, sanitizing what I'm sure was said in the locker room, "and come to work every day with great resolve and determination and great toughness and accountability, then I'll fight with him. But if someone reveals himself not to have those traits, then by the end of the season, there's a good chance he won't be a member of the Seattle Seahawks.'' In other words, this unimportant game in the NFL scheme of things is a very important game to the coach who's going nowhere -- and who will have much to say about which of his 53 men are back in 2010.

Posted: Wednesday November, 2009 09:36PM, Updated: Wednesday November, 2009 09:36PM

As rough as things are going for the Seattle Seahawks, they're still not as bad as the continued struggles of the Detroit Lions.

The Seahawks look to avoid a third straight loss when they host the lowly Lions on Sunday.

Two years removed from winning its fourth consecutive NFC West title, Seattle (2-5) has six wins in its last 23 games. The Seahawks' most recent loss, 38-17 at Dallas last Sunday, again showed how far they are from becoming a serious contender.

"We are going to find out who the strong people are, and they are going to be here fighting with us until the end,'' said first-year Seattle coach Jim Mora, who has put his team on notice regarding their accountability.

Mora already released third-string veteran cornerback Travis Fisher and ineffective running back Edgerrin James this week.

Despite being outscored 65-20 in losses to Dallas and Arizona after a 41-0 win over Jacksonville on Oct. 11, the Seahawks have a chance to bounce back against Detroit (1-6). The Lions have lost four in a row since snapping their 19-game losing streak with a 19-14 win over Washington on Sept. 27.

Coming off a 17-10 loss to previously winless St. Louis, the Lions have won two of their past 31 games. The last team with two victories in a 31-game stretch was the Houston Oilers during the 1982-84 seasons.

Seattle has won its last two meetings with the Lions, most recently 9-6 at Detroit on Sept. 10, 2006.

The Seahawks are expected to have quarterback Matt Hasselbeck starting despite missing practice time due to broken ribs.

Hasselbeck, who's 11 completions shy of tying Dave Krieg for the most in franchise history, was 22 of 39 for 249 yards with two touchdowns against the Cowboys. He's 46 of 58 for 417 yards with a TD in his last two games versus the Lions.

He'll also try to get back in sync with receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who had words with Hasselbeck after an incompletion between the two against Dallas.

Houshmandzadeh, who signed a $40 million, five-year contract in the spring, had 92 receptions last season with Cincinnati but only 35 through seven games this season and has said repeatedly he wants the ball more.

"That's kind of his demeanor,'' Hasselbeck said of Houshmandzadeh's fire. "There's no issue there. The issue is, we have to complete more passes.''

While Hasselbeck and Houshmandzadeh have a chance to thrive against Detroit's 27th-ranked pass defense that allows 251.9 yards per game, Seattle would also like to get its running game going.

Paced by 56 yards on 15 carries from Julius Jones, Seattle managed 79 yards on the ground against the Cowboys, one week after totaling a season-low 14 versus the Cardinals. The Seahawks are averaging 88.7 rushing yards - fourth-worst in the NFL - and haven't scored on the ground in three straight contests.

The Lions, who allowed 150 rushing yards to St. Louis, have issues on both side of the ball. Their most pressing, however, could be on offense where star receiver Calvin Johnson could miss a third straight game with a knee injury.

Detroit has scored 10 points in the two games without their biggest offensive threat who's caught 22 passes for a team-leading 325 yards with a touchdown.

Against the Rams, rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford was 14 of 33 passes for 168 yards, and didn't complete a pass to a wide receiver until the fourth quarter.

"Calvin affects the coverages we see and everything that teams do against us, because they always have to account for him,'' said first-year Lions coach Jim Schwartz, whose team ranks 25th in total offense (292.6 yards per game).

While Johnson is likely a game-time decision, so too could be running back Kevin Smith. Smith's rushed 125 times for 393 yards and three touchdowns this season, but aggravated a shoulder injury against the Rams.

While Seattle is 2-2 at home, Detroit has lost 15 straight road games since winning 16-7 at Chicago on Oct. 28, 2007.

People keep talking about whether the Saints and Colts might go 16-0. I wonder if the Bucs can go 0-16.

Posted: Wednesday November, 2009 04:57PM, Updated: Wednesday November, 2009 04:57PM

Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy is considering changes to fix the team's porous pass protection. Perhaps merely facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will give the offensive line some confidence.

With the hits on Aaron Rodgers beginning to take their toll, the Packers look to take advantage of a matchup with the winless Buccaneers on Sunday.

Green Bay (4-3) was hurt by its former star quarterback in a 38-26 loss to Minnesota and Brett Favre last Sunday. Rodgers fell to 0-2 against his one-time mentor despite throwing for 287 yards and three touchdowns without getting picked off.

If not for all the pressure he faced, Rodgers may have had an even bigger game. He was sacked six times, suffering a sprain on one foot and a sprained toe on the other.

McCarthy expects Rodgers to play against Tampa Bay (0-7), but the Packers need to find a way to give him better protection. Rodgers has been sacked a league-worst 31 times after being taken down 34 times all of last season, but has still managed to complete 65.3 percent of his passes for 1,989 yards and 14 TDs with two interceptions.

"Our sack numbers are clearly out of balance," said McCarthy, who is examining his options on the offensive line. "That's something we'll continue to work through."

McCarthy may replace rookie left tackle T.J. Lang with veteran Chad Clifton, who hasn't played a full game since the opener due to an ankle injury, and right tackle Allen Barbre is in danger of being benched in favor of Mark Tauscher.

Green Bay gave up a combined five sacks to Vikings defensive ends. The Packers now must contend with end Jimmy Wilkerson, who has 5 1/2 sacks, but he has been the Buccaneers' only real pass-rushing threat.

Tampa Bay's 11 sacks rank 29th in the NFL. Opposing quarterbacks have a 102.1 passer rating versus the Buccaneers, throwing 16 TDs.

Green Bay hasn't been much better at getting to the quarterback, totaling 12 sacks. Packers veterans continue to criticize defensive coordinator Dom Capers' new 3-4 defense.

Defensive end Cullen Jenkins was outspoken after Green Bay failed to sack Favre for the second time this season, saying the team is "in handcuffs" in Capers' scheme.

"It's tough," Jenkins said. "You come into the season with new stuff and you're told we're going to give you opportunities to do this and do opportunities to do that, and then you're not given them."

Cornerback Charles Woodson spoke out about Capers' play selection after the Packers' first loss to the Vikings on Oct. 5, but declined to point fingers after the last matchup.

After giving up 30 points or more for the third time this season, Green Bay will try to bounce back as it faces Tampa Bay rookie quarterback Josh Freeman, who is set to make his first start.

Freeman, the 17th pick in this year's draft, will try to boost an offense that has averaged 13.7 points. After sitting behind Byron Leftwich and Josh Johnson for seven weeks, Freeman comes off the Buccaneers' bye confident that he's ready for the challenge.

"Obviously, it's something that's very exciting to me. It's something that I'm not taking lightly," said Freeman said, whose only NFL action was two series in the fourth quarter of a 35-7 loss to New England on Oct. 25.

"I come out with a different swagger, I guess, because I'm the guy who's taking the majority of the snaps, and I've got to go out and radiate that type of deal or that type of swagger, so my teammates can catch on to it."

Freeman completed 2 of 4 passes for 16 yards versus the Patriots and was sacked twice. He's taking over a Buccaneers club that has lost 11 straight, the franchise's longest skid since dropping 26 in a row during its first two seasons.

Five of Tampa Bay's losses have been by double digits.

"Everything we've done to this point is who we are," first-year coach Raheem Morris said. "These guys are holding up, but we've got to do more than hold up. ... Holding up got you to 0-7. We're here to fight through, we're here to power through, we're here to be our best selves."

Tampa Bay beat visiting Green Bay 30-21 on Sept. 28, 2008, in the teams' last meeting as Rodgers was sacked three times and threw three interceptions. The Packers have lost six of their last seven road games against the Bucs.

I hear Jack Del Rio was found, in a daze, walking aimlessly around the parking lot at the team's stadium and practice facility the other night. A security guard approached. "Coach, can I help you find something?'' the guard said. Del Rio looked up. "Our heart,'' he said.

Posted: Wednesday November, 2009 06:31PM, Updated: Wednesday November, 2009 06:31PM

Beleaguered Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson had his suspension cut in half this week, but he won't get the chance to become the franchise's all-time leading rusher Sunday.

Without Johnson, the visiting Chiefs try to turn around a struggling offense when they face the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are looking to rebound from another woeful defensive effort.

Following a 37-7 loss to San Diego on Oct. 25, Johnson questioned first-year coach Todd Haley's credentials on his Twitter page and posted a gay slur. He used a similar slur the next day to reporters.

During the bye week, the Chiefs suspended the running back for two games, but reduced the penalty Monday over fears they would lose in arbitration.

Johnson, 75 yards shy of breaking Priest Holmes' team rushing record, cannot participate in team activities until Nov. 9.

"He learned from it and hopefully other people learned from it," Johnson's agent Peter Schaeffer said. "My hope is that people learn that something positive can come out of this and that there are words that should not be used because they demean people."

Even with Johnson, Kansas City (1-6) has been one of the NFL's worst offensive teams this season, ranking 30th with 251.6 yards per game and 27th with 15.0 points a contest.

The Chiefs are 21st in the league in rushing with 101.3 yards per game as Johnson has gained a career-low 2.7 per carry. Jamaal Charles, averaging 5.0 yards in limited action, could make his fourth career start.

Dantrell Savage, who has 41 yards on eight carries, could also see increased playing time.

"Our running game is something we know we have to have to have a chance to win,'' Haley said. "We're not going to beat people throwing it 50-60 times a game right now. Our running game is one of those areas that has to improve, specifically eliminating minus-yardage runs. So that's where our focus has been, and that's where it will continue to be."

Kansas City will face a Jacksonville team that ranks near the bottom in most major defensive categories. The Jaguars were burned for a franchise-worst 305 rushing yards in last week's 30-13 loss at Tennessee.

The Titans' Chris Johnson ran for a team-record 228 yards and had a pair of long touchdown runs that put the game away.

The Jaguars (3-4) managed to stay somewhat competitive because of Maurice Jones-Drew, who ran for a career-high 177 yards and two TDs on just eight carries. David Garrard wasn't nearly as good, getting sacked three times, intercepted twice and losing a fumble while throwing for just 139 yards.

"I don't have an answer, but we've got to find a way to fix it," Jones-Drew said. ``It's not a mentality issue. Everything can be fixed. It's what you want to do to fix it. It's the little things.''

That prompted coach Jack Del Rio to hold a rare full-pads practice Wednesday. He initially considered live tackling drills but backed off because of injury concerns.

Kansas City has won three of its last 29 games and dropped 13 of 15 away from home. The Chiefs earned a rare road victory Oct. 18 over Washington but lost their other two road games by a combined 72-38, gaining less than 200 yards in each loss.

The Chiefs are making their first trip to Jacksonville since a 22-16 defeat Oct. 17, 2004. The Jaguars lead the all-time series 5-2 and took the most recent meeting 17-7 at Arrowhead Stadium on Oct. 7, 2007.

Jones-Drew rushed for a 52-yard touchdown and Garrard threw for another TD in that win, while Johnson was held to 12 yards on nine carries.

Anyone notice last week, in the Denver-Baltimore game, how defensive coordinator Mike Nolan calls blitzes that allow his defenders to come unblocked? Happened at least three times that I saw, once with Brian Dawkins coming from the right that was one of those fear-for-Joe-Flacco's-safety moments. I mention that because if I'm Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, I'm thinking I've got to keep a back or tight end, or both, in or around the backfield consistently on pass plays, with heads on a swivel. That could make the Steelers screen game more effective, but it could also limit what Ben Roethlisberger can do downfield too.

Posted: Wednesday November, 2009 09:34PM, Updated: Wednesday November, 2009 09:34PM

The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't get off to a strong start this season, but the defending Super Bowl champions are now playing at a high level.

Pittsburgh goes for its fifth straight victory Monday night, when it looks to snap a three-game losing streak to a Denver Broncos club trying to bounce back from its first defeat of the season.

Since opening the season 1-2, the Steelers (5-2) have gone undefeated to give themselves a legitimate shot to win a third straight AFC North title. They own the same record as Cincinnati, although the Bengals currently own the tiebreaker by virtue of a home win over Pittsburgh in Week 3.

"We've put ourselves in a good position to go into this bye, but November, December, that's where the real teams start to separate themselves,'' Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel said. "Hopefully, if we're a real team around here, we can continue this win streak."

Pittsburgh will attempt to continue its surge in Denver, where it hasn't won a regular-season game since a 34-17 victory on Oct. 14, 1990.

The Steelers, though, defeated the host Broncos by the same score in the 2005 AFC title game en route to their Super Bowl 40 victory.

Coming off its bye week, Pittsburgh looks to build off a 27-17 home win over Minnesota on Oct. 25.

Ben Roethlisberger, third in the NFL with 2,062 passing yards, threw his 11th touchdown of the season, while the Steelers' defense scored twice in the fourth quarter - a 77-yard fumble return by linebacker LaMarr Woodley and Keyaron Fox's 82-yard interception return with one minute remaining.

Pittsburgh had four sacks - with James Harrison recording two to increase his team-leading total to eight - while holding the Vikings' Adrian Peterson-led running game to 89 yards.

The Steelers, who haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher in their last 25 regular-season contests, lead the league in run defense at 76.6 yards per game.

Pittsburgh, though, will have a patchwork defensive line when it faces rookie running back Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter and the Broncos' 11th-ranked rushing offense.

Defensive end Travis Kirschke, who was replacing the injured Aaron Smith (torn right rotator cuff), suffered a torn left calf muscle in the victory over Minnesota.

Nick Eason - Keisel's backup at right defensive end - will move to the left side, while rookies Ziggy Hood and Sunny Harris are expected to get plenty of playing time as the Steelers rotate linemen in Denver's Mile High altitude.

"I was released (by Pittsburgh) the fourth game and the next thing you know I'm playing,'' Eason said Wednesday. "Now I'll be playing a lot more. My snaps have doubled in three weeks. It's amazing, but that's the life story in the NFL."

The Steelers' makeshift line will not have to contend with Broncos third-year right tackle Ryan Harris, who suffered a toe injury in last Sunday's 30-7 loss at Baltimore. Tyler Polumbus will likely make his first NFL start in Harris' place.

"We always give (Tyler) plenty of reps in practice. He handled himself well in the preseason," Broncos first-year coach Josh McDaniels said. "We'll expect him to go in there and play well.''

McDaniels' team did not play well last week, dropping its first game of the season following a 6-0 start.

"Anytime you have a game like this, it forces you to look in a mirror,'' he said. "Hopefully we can find out just as much about one another ... through the adversity of a loss as you can through six wins.''

The Broncos' defense is looking to rebound from its worst effort of the season. Denver ranks third in the NFL in rushing defense at 86.1 yards per game, but surrendered a season-high 125 to the Ravens.

"Last week was last week," Broncos safety Brian Dawkins said. "We did some things in the second half that were not like us defensively. Getting out of our gaps - - I think we were trying to do too much towards the end - - and we gave up some scores that we usually don't give up."

Denver will try to slow a Steelers running game led by Rashard Mendenhall - who has a team-high 418 yards and four scores - and veteran Willie Parker.

Parker, who rushed for 93 yards on 21 carries in the teams' last meeting - a 31-28 Steelers loss at Denver on Oct. 21, 2007 - missed practice time this week due to a fever, but is expected to play.

"Pittsburgh is going to pound the ball,'' Broncos defensive lineman Kenny Peterson said. "They have a physical offensive line. Their mentality has been the same for decades, which is physical play.''

Denver's offense looks for a better effort after posting a season-low 200 yards last week, when they went scoreless in the first half for the first time this season.

"Yeah, they beat us up pretty good, no question about it,'' quarterback Kyle Orton said. "We feel like we've got a physical football team and certainly Pittsburgh prides themselves on that, too. So, it'll be a hard-hitting game and whoever can win that battle is going to have a good chance to win.''

Denver, which leads the all-time series 13-6-1, has won nine of 12 overall versus Pittsburgh.