· Web viewPatriots special teams captain Matthew Slater is reluctant to use that word. ......

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FLASHUPDATE WEEK 13 TEAM NOTES/Wednesday, 26 November, 2014Compiled By FlashUpdate Editor Bob Harris

=========================ARIZONA CARDINALSAs ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss framed it, "For 10 games, it has been more than a motto, more than a slogan, more than coachspeak.

"Arizona's next-man-up mentality was as tangible as it could get. ..."

Indeed, when one player went down, another stepped in, took his place and kept the Cardinals' engine purring to a league-best 9-1 record.

Until Sunday.

When wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was ruled inactive at Seattle 90 minutes before kickoff, the baton was handed to the latest in a long line of next men up. This time, it was Jaron Brown, who entered Sunday with nine catches for 76 yards. He showed no matter how good a team has become, enough injuries can pile up until it hits a limit.

And, as it turned out, that limit was Fitzgerald -- not quarterback Carson Palmer, as would be expected. When the two were missing together, Arizona looked like a team that wouldn't be favored next Sunday in Atlanta.

The Cardinals finished Sunday's 19-3 loss with 204 total yards, their lowest under head coach Bruce Arians. They got 140 in the air and just 64 on the ground.

"All right, very simple analysis of this one: If you don't block, catch, tackle, kick, you can't win," Arians said. "We didn't do any of the four."

For the third straight week, the running game also came up short. Andre Ellington finished with 24 yards on 10 carries, his second-lowest output of the season. Quarterback Drew Stanton was the team's second-leading rusher with 23 yards on four carries.

Of primary concern to fantasy owners, the Cardinals have scored three points in their past seven quarters. But Stanton told Weinfuss that's more a result of the defenses Arizona has faced than ineptitude and poor execution by the offense.

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Maybe.

But as Weinfuss put it, "After four games -- three of them wins -- of solid football, Stanton looked like a backup for the first time this season. He was making bad choices, such as trying to fit an end zone pass to Michael Floyd between two defenders, as well as on a run early in the third quarter.

"His accuracy was an issue throughout the game, especially on a high pass to tight end Rob Housler in the second quarter."

In fact, without Fitzgerald as an option Sunday, Stanton was 6-of-13 with an interception targeting wide receivers, according to ESPN Stats & Information. All six completions went to just two men: John Brown and Jaron Brown. Stanton's favorite target, however, wasn't even a receiver. It was Ellington, whom Stanton targeted eight times, completing five for 39 yards.

Offenses don't tend to win games when a running back is the most-targeted option.

"He's a playmaker," Stanton said of Ellington. "We get the ball in his hands and that's pretty well documented how good that defense is, so they present some problems and we thought we could attack them from some different areas, and we did early on."

One of Stanton's incompletions could've been a turning point for Arizona, but Jaron Brown, wide open near the middle of the end zone, left his feet to make a catch and tried to secure it against his body. After the game, he said he knew better than to do both.

And Fitzgerald?

He has 20 drops in his 11-year career.

But the drop cost Arizona a touchdown and it entered halftime down 9-3 instead of 9-7.

"That's part of the game unfortunately," Stanton said. "Those are physical errors. We just have to limit those. Everybody took turns today. It wasn't one position group or anything like that.

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"Offensively, we didn't play well enough to win. Anytime you score three points and come in here and only put up that number, you're not going to be successful. We're aware of that and we have to find a way to correct it."

For what it's worth. ... Sunday's game was the first Fitzgerald has missed a game since Dec. 2, 2007 -- a run of 110 straight contests that was the NFL's second-longest streak for active wide receivers.

Fitzgerald suffered a grade two sprain of the left MCL last week. He didn't practice and was listed as questionable for the Seahawks game.

Making him inactive was an easy decision.

"He couldn't run," Arians said.

As Arizona Republic staffer Kent Somers notes, a sprained MCL often keeps players out two to four weeks, so it's possible the Cardinals could be without Fitzgerald this Sunday.

Arians claimed on Tuesday, however, that Fitzgerald "finally felt some progress today."

It wasn't enough progress, however, to get on the practice field Wednesday. ...

In a related note. ... Stanton's left ankle is "fine."

With about 7 minutes left in Sunday's loss, Stanton went to the sideline and got his left ankle taped.

"We're good," he said.

"I was just scrambling, got rolled up a little bit, just kinda got caught in the pile," he added. "It wasn't anything major."

After it was taped, Stanton walked on it and could be seen testing it on the sideline. In the meantime, backup quarterback Logan Thomas started warming up, even going so far as taking snaps on the sideline from center Lyle Sendlein.

"It's not anything severe," Stanton said. "It's just precautionary for tape. ..."

I'll have more on Fitzgerald and Stanton via Late-Breaking Update in coming days. ...

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Worth noting. ...Arizona plays three of its remaining five games on the road, beginning at Atlanta. After that, the Cardinals are home against Kansas City and at St. Louis before finishing the season at home against Seattle and at San Francisco.

Other notes of interest. ... As CBSSports.com noted, Sunday's game was Ellington's third-straight game with less than three yards per carry. It was also his third straight with less than 70 total yards.

Granted, the last two have come against especially tough defenses and with no help from the passing game, but CBS' Scott White suggested Ellington had every reason to succeed Week 10 against St. Louis. White added that Ellington's struggles combined with Arians' recent comments suggesting that a lack of practice time have been an issue are reason to wonder if you can rely on him to close out the season.

White added: "He deserves one last chance Week 13 at Atlanta, but if he struggles then, we'll know it's not just a matchups thing. ..."

Perhaps not coincidentally, the Cardinals signed free agent running back Michael Bush on Tuesday.

With a rushing attack that ranks 31st in total yards and dead last in yards per attempt, Arians knew the Cardinals needed a different piece in their backfield for the stretch run.

A bigger back is a piece the Cardinals have been lacking since Jonathan Dwyer was placed on the non-football injury list after a domestic violence arrest in September. After a failed waiver claim on Ben Tate, the Cardinals elected to turn to Bush instead, working him out and signing him to a deal on Tuesday.

"We really miss (Dwyer)," Arians said in an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio. "I like our backs but we need a guy who's going to pound it in there and close out some games in short yardage and goal line situations. Michael is in great shape."

Bush has not played in 2014 and averaged 3.1 yards per carry in 2013. His best season occurred in 2011 when he rushed for 977 yards and scored seven touchdowns for the Raiders. To make room for Bush, the Cardinals released running back Kerwynn Williams from the 53-man roster. ...

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Michael Floyd played his fewest snaps of the season, even without Fitzgerald in the lineup, while Jaron Brown played his most of the year by more than double.

Looking for positives?

The Cardinals' defense made a team one-dimensional by stopping another star running back. Arizona held Seattle's Marshawn Lynch to 39 yards -- well below his 81.3 yards per game average. He had an impact on the game, certainly, but Lynch wasn't the reason the Seahawks won. Also, he was kept out of the end zone for the second straight game.

Calais Campbell had three sacks -- all coming in the first half -- giving him six for the season, part of a seven-sack effort by the Cardinals.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Drew Stanton, Logan Thomas, Ryan Lindley RB: Andre Ellington, Stepfan Taylor, Marion Grice, Michael Bush FB: Robert Hughes WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John Brown, Jaron Brown, Ted Ginn, Walt Brown TE: John Carlson, Robert Housler, Darren Fells, Matthew Mulligan PK: Chandler Catanzaro =========================

=========================ATLANTA FALCONSRoddy White thought victory was in hand. He truly did.

With 4 minutes, 59 seconds left in regulation on Sunday and his Falcons trailing the Browns 23-21, White figured the momentum had just turned in the Falcons' favor. He watched teammate Desmond Trufant vault into the air and snare a throw by Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer in the end zone.

"When Tru picked it off, I though the game was over," White said. "I thought we'd just go out there and kind of push the [tempo] up. And I felt like we didn't do that. We just kind of sat back and looked at the clock and said, 'All right, let's try to play this out.' I don't think that's what we should have did.

"We should have kind of attacked those guys because we had them on their heels every time we went up-tempo. But we kind of slowed everything down.

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And they responded on defense. They did a good job. They made us punt the ball. And then the defense went back and got another interception, gave us great field position. And we managed to only gain 15 yards."

As ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure suggested, credit White for his honesty, even if head coach Mike Smith scolds him later for voicing his opinion. Truth is the 4-7 Falcons might not have come up short in a 26-24 loss to the Browns had the offense closed the way it is capable of doing.

Remember, the offense was supposed to carry the Falcons this season.

"Today, we just didn't play well on offense," White said, who did his part with nine catches for 96 yards. "We didn't play well enough to win, I'll tell you that. We've got to play better. Defense did a good job today. ... Gave us three turnovers. Gave us short fields. I felt like they did pretty good. We just didn't hold our end of the bargain."

Yes, there were other contributing factors in defeat. But the offense still had a chance to put its stamp on the game late -- and they didn't.

In addition, Smith admitted he made a mistake with a late timeout -- the timeout that helped set up Cleveland's game-winning field goal.

The blunder occurred with 55 seconds remaining in regulation with the Falcons facing third-and-2 from the Browns' 35-yard line. The Falcons could have kept the offense going and forced the Browns to call timeout. Instead, Smith initially said a timeout was called to make certain the right play call was made for third down.

The Falcons failed to convert as Matt Ryan's deep ball to Devin Hester was incomplete, stopping the clock before Matt Bryant's 53-yard field goal.

The Browns then had 44 seconds and three timeouts to set up the game-winner.

Smith began his Monday news conference by addressing the issue.

"Before I open up for questions, I would like to address the last 55 seconds of the game. After reflecting and analyzing on how that played out, I would have done some things differently, given the opportunity to think about it through the night and doing some analyzing," Smith said. "I didn't do the things that needed to be done to put our guys in the best position to win the game. There's

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lot of plays in a football game that can affect the outcome, and I didn't do my best to help us win yesterday."

Smith was asked how difficult it was to realize his mistake.

"Again, you go through it and you make decisions and they're made on the fly, and it was a decision that didn't give us the best opportunity to win," Smith responded. "And as a coach, it is your intention to always put your players in the best position to win. There were a lot of plays in that game, and it usually comes down to a handful of plays. And I didn't put the guys in the best position."

It was odd for the Falcons not to have a third-and-2 play ready, even despite the pressure of the moment.

"Again guys, we wanted to get the best, what we felt like was the best play for us," Smith said. "Again, as I mentioned, I didn't do my job as the head football coach and put our guys in the best position that they possibly could be in that situation. And it's my responsibility as the head coach to make sure that that happens."

Smith remains on the hot seat with the Falcons falling to 4-7 after the loss. Two of those losses have come down to late-game clock management. The Falcons had a similar issue in a 22-21 loss to the Detroit Lions in London.

All that being said, the Falcons remain 4-0 in the NFC South and are right back in first place after the Saints lost to Baltimore Monday night.

This week, the Falcons have another home game with one of the league's best as the Cardinals come to the Georgia Dome. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Julio Jones, who missed two practices last week because of a cold, caught his first touchdown pass since Sep. 18 against Tampa Bay.

He was targeted on 13 passes but caught just five for 68 yards while mainly going against Cleveland cornerback Joe Haden.

Jones wouldn't use his illness as an excuse.

"I've been here four years," Jones said. "That's on us. We have to hit those plays. We have to make it work."

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He didn't feel that Haden slowed him down.

"I played (Haden) in college and. ... Nobody here feels like one guy should be able to stop me man-to-man out there," Jones said. "We just have to keep working and make those plays. ..."

Ryan was cold for much of the day. He also walked into a sack and just didn't appear to have the right chemistry with Julio Jones. Ryan finished 27-of-43 for 273 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

As Pro Football Focus noted, Ryan forced multiple throws throughout the game and seemed to have a poor pass for every good one he threw. Donte Whitner dropped a likely pick-six early in the game as Ryan should have had at least one more interception than the one that was caught.

That said, Ryan's 24-yard touchdown pass to Jones was his 18th touchdown pass of the season. The Sports Xchange pointed out that Ryan has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 16 straight games. Ryan has put together streaks of at least 15 games with a touchdown pass four times in his career, including a career-best 22-game streak from September 2011 to October 2012. ...

Steven Jackson punched in his fifth rushing touchdown of the season and the 67th of his career. Jackson has scored 11 rushing touchdowns since joining the Falcons in 2013. His 67 career rushing touchdowns are tied with Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch for the third-most among active running backs, while his 76 total touchdowns are seventh among active players. ...

Jacquizz Rodgers caught his first touchdown pass of the season and the fifth of his career. The fourth-year running back out of Oregon State has scored 10 touchdowns (five rushing and five receiving) during his career. ...

Bryant has connected on 17 of 19 field goal attempts this season, including a career-high five from beyond 50 yards. That tops the four he hit in 2012. Since joining the Falcons in 2009, Bryant has connected on 16 of 21 kicks from 50 yards or longer.

And finally. ... Harry Douglas was not practicing on Wednesday, which has become the norm since he injured his foot in Week 3. He has been playing without difficulty in recent weeks, however. In addition, McClure reports that White wasn't seen early Wednesday. Smith subsequently advised reporters that White is dealing with an injured ankle.

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I'll have more when Late-Breaking Updates crank up early Thursday. ...

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Matt Ryan, T.J. Yates, Sean Renfree RB: Steven Jackson, Jacquizz Rodgers, Devonta Freeman WR: Julio Jones, Roddy White, Harry Douglas, Devin Hester, Freddy Martino, Eric Weems TE: Levine Toilolo, Bear Pascoe PK: Matt Bryant =========================

=========================BALTIMORE RAVENSAs Associated Press sports writer Brett Martel reported, after each of his two touchdowns, Justin Forsett kneeled in the end zone, spread his arms wide and tilted his head back as if gazing toward the heavens beyond the Superdome roof. As he did so, the Ravens running back couldn't help but think of how much his career has changed in a year.

He played in nine games and rushed for 31 yards all of last season with the languishing Jacksonville Jaguars, who then let him go in the offseason.

On Monday night, before a national television audience, his very first carry went for 38 yards and he finished with a career-high 182 yards rushing to lead playoff-contending Baltimore to a 34-27 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

The performance earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this year (he also earned that distinction for his Week 10 effort against the Titans).

"It's crazy, man. You think about where I was this time last year, mostly doing a lot of scout team work and coming in (to play) every once in a while," Forsett said. "To just get the opportunity when I thought I would never get it again, it's a blessing."

While Forsett is grateful to the Ravens for the chance they gave him, Baltimore (7-4) might say the feeling is mutual. No one really knew how the Ravens' running game would fare after Ray Rice was suspended and later released because of an assault on his wife that was captured by hotel video cameras.

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With five games still to go, Forsett has rushed for 903 yards and seven TDs while averaging 5.8 yards per carry.

"The work he's putting in, the results he's getting and what he's doing for this team was huge," said quarterback Joe Flacco, who passed for 243 yards and a touchdown against New Orleans. "He's not letting the guy tackle him in the hole with his arms or anything like that. He's breaking those little things."

In particular, Forsett is punishing defenses that have struggled against the run.

He's now broken the 100-yard mark and scored twice in two straight games. He rushed for 112 yards in his previous outing against Tennessee.

He's on pace to finish the season with 1,313 yards.

As the Baltimore Sun noted, once thought of as a place-holder during running back Ray Rice's original two-game NFL suspension, Forsett beat out Bernard Pierce and Lorenzo Taliaferro for the starting job when the three-time Pro Bowl runner was indefinitely suspended by the league in September.

And now he's firmly locked in as a top-10 fantasy producer and must-start RB1 in any format. ...

Up next, the Ravens return home to play the San Diego Chargers (7-4), who have won two straight after losing three in a row. This is the Chargers' first trip to Baltimore since 2006, when they lost 16-13. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Veteran receiver Steve Smith, who tormented the Saints for much of his 13 seasons in Carolina, left the NFC South for Baltimore but wound up playing once more in the Superdome. He caught four passes for 89 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown while crashing down backward.

Smith now has 11 TD catches against New Orleans, more than he has against any other team. ...

As ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley notes, Monday night's game was one of the few times this season the Ravens were able to get the ball to Steve Smith and Torrey Smith in the same game.

They combined for 187 yards receiving. Torrey Smith was physical in going over the middle to make the intermediate catches. In addition, Pro Football Focus notes that Torrey Smith shone after the catch collecting 11 yards per

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reception after the catch and evading a pair of tackles, only a touchdown eluded him in his best display of the season thus far.

Also according to PFF, Torrey Smith has caught 76.9 percent of his targets in his last two games (10 of 13); prior to that he was catching less than 50 percent (22 of 46, 47.8 percent).

Flacco's touchdown pass to Steve Smith was his 11th TD on a throw at least 15 yards downfield this season. The only quarterback with more is Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers with 12.

Flacco also excelled against the blitz, completing 13 of 17 attempts for 222 yards and a touchdown against the Saints' added pressure.

Flacco found the Smiths when the Saints sent the blitz. Flacco was 9-of-11 for 187 and one touchdown when targeting Steve Smith and Torrey Smith against the blitz. The totals accounted for every reception by both Smiths.

Justin Tucker made his fourth field goal of at least 50 yards this season. Tucker and Phil Dawson are the only kickers to have at least four field goals that long in each of the past three seasons.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor RB: Justin Forsett, Lorenzo Taliaferro, Bernard Pierce FB: Kyle Juszczyk WR: Steve Smith, Torrey Smith, Marlon Brown, Jacoby Jones, Kamar Aiken, Michael Campanaro TE: Owen Daniels, Crockett Gillmore, Ryan Taylor PK: Justin Tucker =========================

=========================BUFFALO BILLSAccording to Associated Press sports writer Noah Trister, the Bills' impromptu trip to Detroit went about as well as they could have hoped.

The Bills routed the New York Jets 38-3 on Monday night, and the news from back in Buffalo was generally encouraging. Ralph Wilson Stadium will be ready to host the Buffalo Bills' game against the Cleveland Browns this Sunday, team president Russ Brandon announced Tuesday.

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The team was forced to play Monday night at Ford Field in Detroit as Ralph Wilson Stadium had been snowbound from last week's severe lake-effect storms.

"The best thing that I said, and I told this to the players, and I've been dying to say it: I just want to go home," head coach Doug Marrone said. "It's been a long, long week."

All the snow in the Buffalo area forced the Bills to head to Michigan for their "home" game against New York. They practiced at the Detroit Lions' facility and weren't sure what to expect when they showed up at Ford Field for the game, but there were plenty of Buffalo fans in the crowd of 56,044 -- and the Bills looked inspired from the start.

The highlight might have come in the second quarter, when Scott Chandler caught a touchdown pass and then mimicked a shoveling motion in the end zone. If the city of Buffalo's resolve has been tested the last week, the Bills wanted to do their part to set an example.

"We want to be a representation of the city of Buffalo," Chandler said. "Hopefully we can continue to just persevere and be tough and win these games, because we know that the people back there in Buffalo, they're tough and they're going to be rising from this last week."

Buffalo (6-5) has not made the playoffs since the 1999 season, but the Bills are only a game out of a wild card in the AFC.

Other notes of interest. ... Robert Woods had nine catches for a career-high 118 yards, including a stellar, one-handed catch along the sideline in the second quarter.

As ESPN.com's Mike Rodak asked, "Does anyone need two hands to catch in the NFL anymore?"

With fans' jaws still dropping at New York Giants rookie Odell Beckham's physics-defying grab Sunday night, Woods put on his own show Monday night.

In a play that quickly drew comparisons to David Tyree's incredible catch in Super Bowl XLII, the second-year Bills receiver pulled in an astonishing 27-yard pass from Kyle Orton in the second quarter of the Bills' 38-3 blowout win over the New York Jets.

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On third-and-2, Woods streaked past Jets cornerback Darrin Walls down the right sideline, stretching out his right hand for Orton's pass. Bobbling the pass as he continued to run, Woods was able to momentarily pin it against his helmet while keeping his feet in bounds.

Talk about concentration.

"He could have caught it with two hands," teammate Sammy Watkins opined. "But being Robert, he wanted to go one-handed and it was a great catch."

Yet it wasn't Woods' only impressive grab of the night. Darting into the end zone on a third-and-goal in the first quarter, Woods turned his body and fell backward while snagging a 7-yard touchdown pass from Orton.

Part of Woods' production, Marrone explained, was courtesy of the Jets shading their coverage to help take Watkins out of the game.

"If you look at it, they kept rolling everything to Sammy so it was difficult for us to get him the football," Marrone said. "Like I said before, when they do that you're going to need the other guys to step up because they're going to be in one-on-one coverage.

"I thought Robert really stepped up and played extremely well and if he doesn't then we're in trouble. That's just the way it is."

Compared to Woods' 11 targets, Orton threw at Watkins just five times and the rookie finished with three catches for 35 yards.

"When you're winning the game, you don't get caught up into that. If I was losing, it probably would've been a problem," Watkins said. "But when you're winning and seeing your boys, the team who you grind with every day, [Chris Hogan] and Robert making plays, it's nothing. But it can get scrapping if you're losing the game. But if we're winning, I'm fine. ..."

"After I made the one-handed catch, (Orton) came up to me and said, 'I'm coming to you every time pretty much, and find the holes in the defense,"' Woods said. ...

Worth noting. ... Woods turned up on the team's Wednesday injury report after working on a limited basis with a sore ankle. Marrone told reporters the injury shouldn't be an issue, but I'll follow up as needed via Late-Breaking Update. ...

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Orton bounced back in a big way from his recent shaky outings, completing 24 of 32 passes for 230 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Both of those touchdown throws were in the red zone, part of an overall 3-for-3 showing for the Bills inside the 20-yard line, a big improvement for the NFL's worst red zone offense entering the weekend.

Meanwhile, CBSSports.com's Chris Towers notes that Fred Jackson saw his role return to normal against the Jets, and that shifted the dynamic of the backfield drastically Monday.

Jackson got 13 touches Monday, his highest total since before he suffered the groin injury in mid-October, and received some goal-line work too. He mostly split time in the backfield with Anthony Dixon, who rushed for 54 yards on 12 carries, including a touchdown, while Bryce Brownreceived just six carries for 20 yards and was held without a catch.

Jackson saw the field most of the three, as he had 48 snaps, compared to 20 for Dixon and 15 for Brown.

Towers believes that might be the split moving forward, which will make both Brown and Dixon especially hard to rely on. "Neither player showed much in Jackson's absence to make you want to start them anyways, so they are best left on the bench most weeks moving forward, with Dixon looking like just an emergency start at best," Towers added. ...

Chandler's touchdown catch was his fourth touchdown in his last five games against New York. He caught all three of his targets for 28 yards. ...

Dan Carpenter nailed a 53-yard field goal in the 38-3 win over the Jets, making him 4 of 5 from 50-plus yards this season. Carpenter added five PATs for eight points. He'll play the Browns in Week 13.

One other item of interest. ... Buffalo scored a touchdown on a blocked punt, and its kickoff coverage was outstanding, holding the Jets to an average of 15 yards per return. New York started at its own 15 or worse after five Buffalo kickoffs.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Kyle Orton, EJ Manuel RB: Fred Jackson, Anthony Dixon, Bryce Brown, C.J. Spiller FB: Frank Summers

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WR: Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, Chris Hogan, Mike Williams, Marquise Goodwin, Marcus Easley TE: Scott Chandler, Lee Smith, Chris Gragg PK: Dan Carpenter =========================

=========================CAROLINA PANTHERSAs ESPN.com's David Newton suggested this week, there are times when Kelvin Benjamin makes a catch that makes you say "wow," like the juggling 22-yarder falling backwards in the end zone during the fourth quarter of the team's Week 11 loss to Atlanta.

There are times he drops the routine catch that makes you say "wow" in not such a good way, like the one in the back of the end zone in a 13-9 loss to Seattle in which he let the ball go through both hands.

That kind of inconsistency is why his number of catches (52) to targets (98) isn't spectacular.

But one thing is certain: Feeding passes to the 6-5, 240-pound rookie out of Florida State will continue to be a priority when the Panthers return from their bye week.

"You've got to get him touches, because he gets going," wide receivers coach Ricky Proehl said. "Just like any great receiver, when you feed him he gets into the game."

The 19-17 loss to Atlanta before the bye week is a prime example. Cam Newton targeted Benjamin six times in the first three quarters. Benjamin had two receptions for 26 yards.

The two connected on all seven attempts in the fourth quarter for 88 yards and a touchdown.

"You could ask any receiver that plays the game, when you get involved and get in the rhythm of the game, you get fired up," said Proehl, who played wide receiver for 17 seasons in the NFL. "That's what we have to do, to make sure we get him involved."

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A 53.06 reception-to-target percentage aside, Benjamin is having a spectacular season. He is second among rookie receivers in receptions (52) and receiving yards (768), and first in touchdown catches with eight.

He is not likely to break any rookie records, but his numbers are good enough to make him a strong candidate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

"Haven't looked at it," Benjamin said of the ROY race.

Benjamin is focused on turning around Carolina's season that includes five straight losses. He hasn't given up on passing Atlanta and New Orleans in the NFC South to win the division and make the playoffs.

He even mentioned Super Bowl hopes.

But first and foremost, he wants to improve.

"I'm not pleased," Benjamin said of his performance thus far. "A lot of games I left a lot on the table. I should have done some things way better."

That goes back to his targets versus completions. To put Benjamin's success rate into perspective, Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown leads the NFL in receptions with 88 on 123 targets (71.5).

Steve Smith, the player Benjamin has replaced as Carolina's No. 1 target, is at 59.03.

But everywhere else Benjamin holds an edge on Smith, Carolina's all-time leading receiver who was released in March. Now with Baltimore, Smith has 49 catches for 728 yards and four touchdowns.

"The best thing about Kelvin is he understands when he makes mistakes," Proehl told David Newton. "A lot of it is focus. He's down on himself or frustrated, and sometimes it affects his performance."

Part of the frustration stems from being used to success. Benjamin is coming off a 14-0 season and national championship at Florida State in which he caught the winning touchdown for the title.

"It's a transition for him," Proehl said. "It's about learning how to deal with adversity, the ups and downs. ... When you preach that, and then it happens in a game, where all of a sudden it's crappy, crappy, crappy, and then he makes a

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couple of big plays and we're right back in the game ... it changes the whole outlook and makes him understand you've got to play for 60 minutes."

Benjamin might not be pleased with what he's done so far, but Proehl is.

"He's on schedule to ahead of schedule," he said. "There's room to grow, and that's what we saw when we looked at him. He's a great talent, and there's a lot of upside. He's going to get better. ..."

Meanwhile, few have ever suggested Mike Tolbert is a "difference-making" player.

Perhaps that's because the Panthers didn't realize just what a difference Tolbert made in the offense until he was placed on temporary injured reserve with a hairline fracture in his left leg following a Week 3 loss to Pittsburgh.

In particular, Tolbert was missed in the red zone, where the Panthers rank 28th in the NFL with only 14 touchdowns on 30 trips inside the 20-yard line.

Now that he is set to play in a at Minnesota when Carolina returns from its bye week, there is optimism the 5-9, 245-pound Tolbert can make a difference in Carolina's attempt to make a run at the playoffs.

"I definitely bring a different dynamic to our offense," Tolbert reluctantly admitted.

Without Tolbert, the Panthers have relied on tight ends Brandon Williams and Ed Dickson to play fullback. Because they are not as adapt to taking on defenders with a full head of steam, that has hurt Carolina in terms of pass protection as well as rushing.

Because neither is a threat to run, that has limited the calls of offensive coordinator Mike Shula, particularly close to the goal line. In addition, neither tight end is a big threat to catch passes out of the backfield, so that takes play-action out of the mix.

Tolbert can do it all.

"Because of who he is and what he does for us, he gives you a lot of flexibility in terms of the personnel and formation you can align into," head coach Ron Rivera said. "When you have a pure fullback in there, you know the ball is going to one person.

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"With Tolbert in there as kind of a hybrid fullback, you don't know if he's going to get the ball running it, catching it, or if he's going to block. So he's going to add a dimension to us as far as our offense is concerned."

Red zone struggles have hurt Carolina repeatedly this season. In the loss to Atlanta, they settled for a field goal after having first-and-10 at the Falcons' 11.

In the loss to Seattle in Week 8, they scored only six points on three trips inside the 20 -- in the first half.

A year ago, with Tolbert healthy, Carolina ranked seventh in the NFL in red-zone efficiency with 29 touchdowns on 50 trips inside the 20.

Worth noting, The Panthers are not out of playoff contention.

As the Sports Xchange notes, Atlanta's loss to the Browns made this the easiest scenario for the Panthers: Win their final five games which includes a matchup with the New Orleans Saints in Week 14 and hope the Saints lose one of their other five games. If that happens, Carolina wins the division.

Of course, help elsewhere does not matter much if the Panthers cannot help themselves. Their last win came in Week 5 against the Chicago Bears. What followed was a tie and six straight losses.

Rivera spent last week's bye, the latest in franchise history, reading reports written by each of the Panthers' coaches. He probably did not read anything groundbreaking. From personnel to coaching to execution, there are plenty of reasons the Panthers have lost seven times in two months. But now he is trying to get his team to focus on why they can win, starting Sunday in Minnesota.

"A lot of the why-nots have been written already," Rivera said. "We're trying to get past the negativity. We're trying to look at the positive side of it. I know it's hard to look at the positive side of being 3-7-1, but we're past being a young team. We're past being different players. We've played together for over half a season, so we should know.

"We should understand, and we should be better, and these are the reasons why as we go forward."

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Joe Webb

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RB: DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Fozzy Whittaker, Chris Ogbonnaya FB: Mike Tolbert WR: Kelvin Benjamin, Jerricho Cotchery, Jason Avant, Brenton Bersin, Philly Brown TE: Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson, Brandon Williams PK: Graham Gano =========================

=========================CHICAGO BEARSAccording to ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson, Matt Forte praised the team's opportunistic defense for keeping the club afloat after another lethargic first half by the offense that helped Tampa build a 10-0 lead and win the total yardage battle, 211 to 68.

"Basically at halftime coach was telling us that basically we just played the worst half of football and we're only down 10 to nothing," Forte said. "Our defense definitely kept us in the game with that. We can't come out and lay an egg in the first half and expect to come from behind all the time. Luckily it was only 10 points. Our defense did a great job in the second half causing turnovers that we could convert into touchdowns down in the red zone. Our defense did a great job doing that and helped us win the game."

Forte finished with a game-high 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the 21-13 victory, but the offense managed to put together scoring drives of only 58, 13 and 15 yards. The Bears scored 14 of their 21 points off turnovers provided by the defense.

Forte said penalties and a lack of attention to detail hurt the Bears all afternoon. The Bears have still not scored above 28 points in a game this year.

"It was all on us," Forte said. "Penalties. ... Backing us up first-and-15 and not executing little nuances of the plays. If all 11 aren't on the same page, sometimes the play can work but most times it won't work. Halftime we came in and Kyle [Long] wrote on the board, ‘execute and no excuses.' Don't make excuses of why we didn't do this or why we didn't do that, just go out there and execute the plays and drive the ball down the field."

Jay Cutler admitted the discussions in the locker room at halftime became a little heated with the team down 10-0 and the offense struggling.

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Over the first two quarters, the Bears gained just three first downs and generated 68 yards of offense. By comparison, Tampa Bay racked up 211 yards in the first half and 11 first downs.

"We were challenged, offensively," Cutler said. "Defensively, they were playing really good football. They just had to sustain that. Offensively, Marc [Trestman] challenged us. The players, we challenged each other. We knew if we continued down this road, we were going to lose this game. We didn't want that to happen."

Asked to elaborate on how the team was challenged, Cutler said, "Verbally, we questioned guys. Made sure everyone was in this for the right reasons. Made sure when we left that locker room, everyone's mind was right on what we wanted to accomplish."

The Bears obviously responded well to the halftime challenges.

The offense marched 58 yards on six plays in the team's first possession of the second half, with Cutler finding Alshon Jeffery for a 2-yard touchdown to cap the drive and put the club's first points on the board.

Still, the Bears finished with a season-low 204 yards on offense and converted on just 25 percent of third downs. Fortes touchdowns came late off turnovers forced by the defense to lift the Bears.

"To me, it was very easy," Trestman said of his first-half assessment of the team. "Dropped balls, penalties, tipped balls, all of that. As I said to the guys at halftime, there was no one guy. We passed it around to everybody. You can't be efficient playing football that way, especially when you are dropping footballs and you have penalties. When we get over that, we'll move the ball effectively and efficiently, but we have to get over that. And we did."

The penalties were certainly an issue.

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall was flagged three times in the first half, twice for illegal blocking (the Bucs declined one of the illegal blocking penalties) and once for a false start.

Marshall offered no explanations for why the Bears looked so sluggish, but he did throw a bouquet at the defense for its four-turnover, five-sack effort.

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"Man, they won the game," Marshall said. "They did a great job today. We're really proud of them. They did a great job."

As Dickerson suggested, "there needs to be a full-scale offseason investigation to figure out why the offense is broken. The group looks lethargic. Is it the play calling? Is it the quarterback? Is it the work of moody skill position players?"

It was the sort of game where really Cutler only had to avoid mistakes given the errors Tampa Bay were making on their own.

Still, as Pro Football Focus notes, it wasn't a great performance, as he too struggled in the rain, with too many passes falling short or wide of their intended target. He was smart though, and didn't take too many risks with the ball.

In fact, Cutler threw just three passes of 10 yards or longer, completing two for 41 yards.

As for the play calling?

Forte is the best player on offense. Why only five carries in the first half? According to Dickerson, it's just another example of the Bears forgetting about one of the most versatile tailbacks in the league.

Forte did catch four passes for 25 yards in the opening 30 minutes, but haven't opposing defenses caught on to Cutler constantly checking down to Forte?

You know what teams haven't picked up on?

Running the ball, because the Bears rarely do it with any consistency. Forte is one of the few bright spots for an offense that is struggling to forge any sort of identity, outside of being dysfunctional.

Like most teams with West Coast offensive philosophies, the Chicago Bears script their first 15 plays.

As the Sports Xchange put it, "The script is badly in need of a rewrite."

The Bears haven't scored in the first quarter of six consecutive games. The Bears fell behind 10-0 or more in five straight games, and they did all this on a full week or more of preparation time.

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Now the Bears have to go into Detroit for Thursday's Thanksgiving morning show with only some walk-throughs and light practice from Monday through Wednesday. The Bears must extend the Lions' two-game losing streak or Chicago can pretty much discount any playoff chances.

"We've all had experience in putting game plans together and knowing how much information the guys can handle going into a game without practice time," Trestman said, via Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. "So we put that into play and we communicate with our players as well. ... We want to be able to go out there and play fast and not have to think."

As Profootballtalk.com's Darin Gantt suggested, "When you're 12 weeks into a season, the information and the game plan is clearly important, but the rest for weary bodies could have a bigger positive impact than practicing would."...

Other notes of interest. ... Robbie Gould went a sixth straight game without a field goal, the longest stretch of his career. He missed a 54-yarder off the left upright. Gould had had only 11 attempts on the year and only two attempts since Oct. 12. He has never had a season with less than 25 attempts.

Linebacker Lance Briggs suffered a groin injury in Sunday's game, and cornerback Kyle Fuller a knee injury. Trestman had no further information whether either will be available, saying only it's "an on-going situation" and they would be updated as the week progresses.

Briggs, however, said during his weekly show on CSN Chicago that his groin issue would likely keep him out "a few weeks."

Marshall (ankle) was listed as a limited participant on Tuesday. I'll be following up via Late-Breaking Update, but expect him to play as usual.

Receiver Chris Williams continues to miss practices with a hamstring injury.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Jay Cutler, Jimmy Clausen RB: Matt Forte, Ka'Deem Carey, Senorise Perry RB: Tony Fiammetta WR: Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Marquess Wilson , Josh Morgan, Chris Williams, Marc Mariani TE: Martellus Bennett, Dante Rosario PK: Robbie Gould

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=========================

=========================CINCINNATI BENGALSAs ESPN.com's Coley Harvey asked after Sunday's game: "What toe injury?"

A.J. Green has looked completely healthy again the last two weeks, pushing off both feet to make some of toughest contested, jumping catches and tip-toe sideline landings of his career.

He has looked like a Pro Bowl receiver who's just reaching midseason form.

Actually, forget midseason form. On Sunday, he played his best game in a Cincinnati Bengals uniform.

So it really wasn't all that surprising after the 22-13 win over the Houston Texans that he said he felt as good as he has in the last two months.

"The toe is 100 percent," Green said, referencing the toe he originally tweaked during the season opener. "Last week was good, the couple games before that was all right, but now, I have no pain."

As Harvey suggested, it's the last part of his quote that is the most telling: No pain.

Green had been bothered by his right big toe from the moment he landed on it awkwardly in the first quarter of the opener at Baltimore. Although he finished that game, he was unable to make it past six plays the following week. He played again a week after that, and then three weeks later the pain became so unbearable that during the stretching portion of a practice, he stopped, took his shoe off and slammed it down in frustration before getting carted off the field.

Whatever forced the discomfort that time caused Green to miss practices and games the following three weeks. When he returned against Jacksonville in a limited outing three games ago, he looked like a shell of his old self. It still seemed he was getting back into form and trying hard to get his conditioning up again.

In the last two games, he has looked like a completely different player.

"It's felt good just to get back in the groove of things," Green said.

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Against the Texans, he caught a career-high 12 passes for 121 yards. He was one reception shy of Carl Pickens' franchise record set in 1998.

"For him to have a performance like he did, that's what we expect from him," quarterback Andy Dalton said. "He's so talented we feel like he matches up with almost anybody so it was big for him to get going."

As Pro Football Focus noted, Green got more targets (15) than the next two most targeted Bengals combined. He was kept quiet downfield with just one catch on a throw more than 10 yards in the air, but Green absolutely tore it up underneath, turning those 15 targets into 12 catches and 121 yards.

Nine of Green's 12 catches went for a first down.

Green said he didn't face as much press coverage in this game as he has in others this season, including last week's at New Orleans. He felt like he constantly had a cornerback on top of him, or a safety helping up top in that game. Against the Texans, though, cornerbacks routinely backed up and gave him a pre-snap cushion that led to numerous slants and short-yardage receptions he was able to exploit and turn into bigger gains.

In the last two weeks, Green has 18 catches for 248 yards and a touchdown. In the two games before that, his first back from the injury, he caught six passes for 67 yards.

"The fact of the matter is, he's a dominant football player and a great one," veteran offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth said. "We need him to be our J.J. Watt. We need him to dominate people and let them know about it. Not necessarily with talk, but let them know about it with confidence and with that swagger. 'If you want to cover me, then try.' We need him to be that way."

Fantasy owners couldn't agree more. ...

Up next, Cincinnati's great November road swing ends next Sunday when the Bengals travel to Tampa Bay for the last of a three-game stretch away from Paul Brown Stadium. The Buccaneers lead the all-time series 7-3 and haven't lost in the past six meetings. The last time the Bengals beat the Buccaneers was in 1989, the last year Cincinnati went to the Super Bowl. ...

Other notes of interest. ... According to the Sports Xchange, Sunday was the closest the Bengals have come this season to employing a true 50-50 split with running backs Giovani Bernard and rookie Jeremy Hill.

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Hill rushed 18 times for 87 yards and Bernard carried 17 times for 45 yards against the Texans.

"I think that's kind of what envisioned at the beginning of the season," Hill said. "To get me going and have the confidence in me, it can take a load off Gio. I know Gio starting to get the bulk of the carries kind of led to his injury. It's good to take the pressure off him."

Bernard took a couple of big shots in the Indianapolis game Oct. 19 and injured his hip the following week against Baltimore, forcing him to miss three games.

Hill had two huge games while Bernard was sidelined, rushing for 154 yards against Jacksonville and 152 vs. New Orleans.

While the carries were evenly distributed, Bernard was on the field more often, playing 49 snaps to Hill's 32.

"If you're a competitive guy you want to be out there, but at the same time, once you're getting some runs and getting your wind going, you need a guy who can come spell you," Hill said. "Then, when you get back in there, you can be explosive and run with determination and aggression. Any time we can split it up like that, it's definitely helpful for the team."

Again, Cincinnati Enquirer staffer Paul Dehner Jr. has predicted a 65-35 split in touches -- favoring Hill -- going forward. That makes sense and it's a good baseline to work with; but remember the flow of the game on any given Sunday can throw a wrench in any game plan. ...

Starting right tackle Andre Smith suffered a torn triceps against the Texans and is done for the season. He will have surgery next week. The Bengals will turn to Marshall Newhouse at right tackle. According to Harvey, it wasn't pretty, but Newhouse's protection for Dalton was just good enough on the 73 plays when he was thrust into the fray in Houston. He didn't allow possible league MVP Watt to sack the quarterback, and held his own in other quarterback pressure situations.

Dalton had a quick trigger, taking the ball from snap to release in an average 1.88 seconds, according to PFF. That was the best among quarterbacks in Week 12 entering Monday night's game.

Slants and screens were among the shorter routes the Bengals employed to make sure he got it out before Watt could get his hand up and swat the ball

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away. That also was the tactic employed to help lessen the amount of time Newhouse had to hold his blocks.

Also according to PFF, receiver James Wright saw a season-high 43 snaps. He didn't catch a pass, although he was targeted twice.

And finally. ... Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson doesn't expect tight end Tyler Eifert back until the playoffs. Eifert has been sidelined since suffering an elbow injury in the season opener.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Andy Dalton, Jason Campbell RB: Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard, Cedric Peerman, Rex Burkhead WR: A.J. Green, Mohamed Sanu, James Wright, Brandon Tate, Dane Sanzenbacher, Greg Little TE: Jermaine Gresham, Ryan Hewitt, Tyler Eifert PK: Mike Nugent =========================

=========================CLEVELAND BROWNSAs ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler suggested Monday, everything you need to know about Josh Gordon's return from suspension and the Browns' plans for him, you can find in a screen pass.

Late in the first quarter, Gordon gained 22 yards on a well-contested screen play that had no business gaining even half of those yards. Brian Hoyer shoots the ball to the left, then Gordon begins to twitch, contort and smash his way through at least three Falcons defenders to set up an Isaiah Crowell touchdown in the first quarter.

According to Fowler, "It's why Cleveland fights for Gordon after all his troubles; the Browns believe in him, sure. Good kid making bad decisions? Very possibly. But they also know what he can do on that screen pass. He turns bleak options into fruitful ones."

That's why he was here in Atlanta, playing 41 of the Browns' first 63 offensive snaps despite the team's best efforts during the week to quell expectations on Gordon after he missed 10 games.

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According to Fowler, "Gordon wants to fight for Cleveland, like he fights for those yards on the screen, like Cleveland believes he's worth fighting for."

"I knew the guys weren't going to quit on me," said Gordon, minutes after his eight-catch performance for 120 yards. "I definitely wasn't going to quit on them."

And the Browns didn't quit throwing in the direction of Gordon, who was targeted 17 times, equaling 42.5 percent of Hoyer's passing attempts.

That number is a bit startling, even for an elite receiver, since Gordon and Hoyer obviously haven't found their rhythm yet.

The day was not without its issues. Gordon felt he got pushed in the back by Falcons corner Desmond Trufant on Hoyer's throw to the back of the end zone with 4:59 left that Trufant picked off. On Hoyer's third interception of the day, he threw Gordon a go route when Gordon cut toward the sideline. A few more weeks together and they can clean those up.

The Browns' identity is still running with Crowell and Terrance West -- see Crowell's shifty second touchdown and you'll understand -- so the Browns' decision to throw on five of seven downs midway through the fourth, when they were gaining nearly six yards per carry, was curious.

Hoyer is at his best when he's not asked to throw 40 times. Twenty-five to 28 times is more like it.

That's why getting this win, and letting the storyline of Gordon's return dissipate, releases tension the offense might have put on itself to get Gordon the ball. Hoyer never said there was pressure, but you could sense he wanted to let Gordon naturally ease into the offense, which was already working for the team before he arrived, even if it was clear Cleveland needed a game-breaking receiver.

Gordon said it's "a matter of time" before he regains the form that earned him 1,646 yards in 14 games last year. The athleticism certainly hasn't left him. That was obvious Sunday.

Gordon's biggest impact will be how he elevates this offense, regardless of where the ball goes, and how he forces defenses to play. He'll get his numbers and targets.

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"He opened a lot of stuff in the run game by going deep on some passes," said Crowell. "He really helped me a lot."

The Browns must find ways to feed Gordon the ball while not compromising what got them this far, a calculated offense that will run the ball 50 times if you dare it to.

Gordon made a point after the game to highlight how far the organization has come. The Browns just avoided a double-digit-loss season for the first time since 2007. The door for general managers and head coaches is not revolving at the moment.

After Billy Cundiff's 37-yarder burst through the uprights, Gordon was seen beating his chest continuously. The Gordon experiment in Cleveland might take time to refine, but his pulse can be found on every play.

"It means the world to me to be back -- not just to be back but to be back with this team," Gordon said. "I'm going to take advantage of every opportunity I get."

As for the miscommunications on the INTs?

"I think it we just had to knock the rust off and that's all it was," Gordon told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "It's kind of crazy to knock the rust off in the middle of a game, especially a big game like this. That's not what we were hoping for, but I think we're exactly where we need to be. Moving forward, we're going to get better."

As noted above, the Browns threw Gordon's way 17 times overall. The 17 targets tied him for the most by anyone in a game this season. It was tied for the second most in a game for Gordon in his career (he had 18 against the Vikings last season).

Hoyer was 8 for 17 (with the two interceptions) targeting Gordon, including 2 of 8 on passes thrown at least 15 yards downfield. Hoyer was 12 of 16 for 170 yards and no interceptions targeting other Browns receivers, though none of those passes were thrown at least 15 yards downfield.

After entering Week 11 with the league's best completion percentage on deep throws (15-plus yards downfield), Hoyer has completed only 6-of-22 of those throws.

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Meanwhile, Profootballtalk.com's Josh Alper made an excellent point when he suggested we should expect the hit rate to improve the more that Hoyer and Gordon get to work together in the coming weeks.

That would make for a major boost to a team that saw another key defensive player -- safety Tashaun Gipson -- hurt on Sunday as they try to navigate their way to the postseason.

In a related note. ... Head coach Mike Pettine said Monday that he never considered taking Hoyer out of Sunday's game in Atlanta and replacing him with rookie Johnny Manziel. Pettine praised Hoyer's "resolve" and for being accountable.

Wide receiver Andrew Hawkins said although Hoyer may have been briefly shaken by the interceptions, "the entire team has so much confidence in him."

Hoyer became the third quarterback since the AFL and NFL merged to throw for 300 yards, have no touchdown passes and three interceptions in a win (Billy Joe Tolliver in 1989 and Matt Ryan in 2012). Hoyer is only the third Browns quarterback to throw for 300 yards in back-to-back games, joining Brian Sipe (multiple times) and Otto Graham (once).

It's the first time a Browns quarterback threw for at least 300 yards in consecutive games since Sipe did in 1983.

Hoyer improved to 10-4 as a starter in two seasons with the Browns (7-4), who will play the Bills in Buffalo this Sunday. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Crowell rushed for 88 yards on 12 carries. He has seven rushing touchdowns this season. Only two Browns rookies have had more in a season -- Trent Richardson with 11 in 2012 and Jim Brown with nine in 1957.

It's worth noting that Crowell is listed as the starter on the Browns' updated depth chart.

As Rotoworld.com put it, "The Browns' starting running back is a fluid, week-to-week situation. But logic suggests Crowell will get the nod again against the Bills in Week 13 even though he was out-touched by West 15-12 in Week 12."

Crowell is averaging 5.73 yards per carry over the last two games while West is at 3.89.

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As the Sports Xchange notes, the Browns have 14 rushing touchdowns after scoring only four on the ground last season. This is the most rushing touchdowns for the Browns since 1989, when they scored 14 on their way to a 9-6-1 record and an appearance in the AFC Championship Game, which they lost to the Broncos. ...

Cundiff is 2 for 2 on go-ahead field goal tries in the final minute of the fourth quarter this season. Prior to that, he was 4 for 7 on such attempts for his career.

At one point in his football life, Cundiff thought his career was over. Sunday he stood calm and poised in giving the Browns a heart-stopping 26-24 victory over Atlanta. Cundiff's winning kick was never in doubt, and he gets the game ball over several others who could have gotten it -- including Hoyer (for the winning drive) and Crowell (two touchdowns). ...

On the injury front. ... ESPNCleveland.com's Tony Grossi advised his Twitter followers this week that tight end Jordan Cameron appears to be on track to return this week. He was on the practice field Wednesday and is currently considered day-to-day.

One could argue that Gordon's return will open up the middle of the field for Cameron down the stretch. ...

As noted above, Gipson's season could be over after he sustained a severe sprain to his right knee in Sunday's win.

Gipson, who leads the NFL with six interceptions, was hurt when he collided with teammate Joe Haden near the goal line while defending a pass in the fourth quarter. Gipson's knee took the brunt of the force and his leg bent back awkwardly.

Pettine said Monday that the team has not yet decided whether to place Gipson on injured reserve. Pettine said the uncertain timetable for Gipson's return combined with having just five games left in the regular season makes it difficult.

Veteran Jim Leonhard replaced Gipson against the Falcons and will likely take over his spot.

And finally. ... A Browns fan who says he wanted to give Manziel "a hug" was struck by the rookie quarterback's entourage at a downtown hotel and was left with a swollen eye and lip, police said.

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Police were called to The Metropolitan at The 9, where Manziel has a luxury apartment, after a fight broke out at 2:25 a.m. Saturday.

According to a police report, Chris Gonos told police he was assaulted by "Johnny Football and his entourage." The 33-year-old fan said he and his girlfriend approached Manziel while waiting for an elevator and he told the popular first-round draft pick: "I'm the biggest Browns fan ever. I love you. I want to give you a hug."

Gonos said he took one step toward Manziel and was punched by a man listed on the report as Dana Kirk. Gonos contends he was struck several times in the face and "pushed and attacked" by a group of unidentified men who were with Manziel. Kirk said Gonos tried to assault Manziel, and he defended the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner.

Gonos sustained a swollen lip and right eye, the report said. No arrests were made. The report also said the hotel manager said cameras located near the elevators may have captured video of the dispute.

General manager Ray Farmer said in a statement the team is gathering more information to understand what happened.

"Nonetheless, the time of the incident is concerning to us. We continually stress to all of our players the importance of sound decision making in an effort to avoid putting themselves in these types of situations," Farmer said. "We have addressed this appropriately with the player and will have no further comment at this time."

Pettine said he has spoken with Manziel about the incident and that QB did not break any team rules. Pettine would not divulge any details of his meeting with Manziel.

"It was a conversation between a coach and a player," said Pettine, who added he had not seen video of the altercation. ...

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Brian Hoyer, Johnny Manziel RB: Isaiah Crowell, Terrance West FB: Ray Agnew WR: Josh Gordon, Andrew Hawkins, Miles Austin, Taylor Gabriel, Travis Benjamin, Rodney Smith, Marlon Moore

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TE: Jim Dray, Gary Barnidge, Jordan Cameron PK: Billy Cundiff =========================

=========================DALLAS COWBOYSThe Cowboys landed around 5 a.m. local time Monday after a 31-28 victory over the New York Giants pulled them even with Philadelphia atop the NFC East at 8-3. That game ended about 90 hours before they kick off against the Eagles at home on Thanksgiving.

Dallas players were home for only a few hours Monday morning, which was more time than coach Jason Garrett spent in his own bed. He didn't go home, catching a short nap at the end of the flight and another one in his office.

Not that the rare Sunday-night-Thursday-afternoon turnaround changed much for the process-oriented Garrett.

"Regular Thanksgiving Monday," he said. "Back to work, clean up the game as quickly as you can and get on to the next one."

And it's a big one, but in a different way for the Cowboys. They are used to high-stakes division games because they have finished each of the past three seasons with a loss to an NFC East foe with a playoff berth on the line.

Dallas' postseason fate won't be sealed in the first of two meetings with the Eagles over 18 days. The Cowboys have a little flexibility after Tony Romo's second touchdown pass to Dez Bryant with 1:01 remaining forced the Giants to settle for the thrill of Odell Beckham's spectacular one-handed scoring catch in the first half.

Had New York ended a five-game losing streak, Dallas might have needed a sweep of the Eagles to end a four-year playoff drought, despite a 6-1 start. Instead, the Cowboys have answered a two-game skid with consecutive wins, and can put themselves in prime position by winning on the same field where the Eagles grabbed a postseason spot last season.

"I think the excitement and adrenaline can override how tired you are," tight end Jason Witten said. "It's a great opportunity for us. You can't worry about anything else. Just get through it and move forward."

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Defensive end Jeremy Mincey said "not at all" when asked how much sleep he got before Monday's meetings and light walkthrough practice. Then he glanced at a clock in the locker room.

"It's 5:23 now?" Mincey asked. "So I'll be asleep by 7:30 and catch up."

And Mincey's not worried. He says the bye week before beating the Giants means the Cowboys are a little fresher than normal this late in the season.

"Sometimes it's good to play games closer to games," Mincey said. "Your experience is closer. Your wind is up because you just played a game. We look forward to the challenge."

Garrett said the coaches graded the New York film on the plane and "didn't spend a long time on it" with the players a few hours later Monday.

"We really emphasized to them that it's Wednesday morning," Garrett said. "Start thinking that way. It's first- and second-down day for us. Tomorrow we are going to wake up and it's Thursday. It will be a third-down day and the same kind of thing."

Witten, who has more catches than anyone on Thanksgiving as he gets ready for his 12th game, says the slightly quicker turnaround does feel different.

"But you are tired regardless," he said. "You have to be able to move on quickly. Evaluate that one and move on to the next one. That is the focus."

Meanwhile, Romo took part in Monday's walkthrough as the Cowboys started their quick turnaround. He was also on the field again for Tuesday's session.

Romo has not practiced three straight days since the second week of the season, but with short, light workouts leading into the Eagles' game he did not think his back would take too much of a toll.

"I don't know that we're going to have much time to go too hard," Romo said after Sunday's game. "I think if you're playing in football games, I'm sure you can make it through walkthroughs."

The Cowboys held their normal "Wednesday" practice on Tuesday and will go through a quick workout on Wednesday.

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Terrance Williams fractured the tip of his index finger against the Giants. He missed practice Monday but was back on the field Tuesday. He'll get a splint on it and should play against the Eagles on Thursday. He's officially listed as probable. ...

Other notes of interest. ... As ESPN.com's Todd Archer notes, it's not often Bryant is overshadowed by another receiver, but that's what happened to him Sunday night.

Beckham had perhaps the catch of the season with a one-handed, falling backward 43-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter that kept the MetLife Stadium crowd buzzing the entire night. He also finished with 10 catches for 146 yards and had a touchdown on New York's first drive of the game.

But Bryant ended the night with the game-winning touchdown catch, a 13-yarder from Romo with 1:01 to play in the Cowboys' victory.

In doing so, Bryant reached 50 touchdown catches in 70 games, which is second quickest in team history (Hall of Famer Bob Hayes) and seventh fastest in NFL history.

"Thank you, but it doesn't mean anything to me," Bryant said. "Thanks for letting me know."

Bryant tied Frank Clarke for fifth in the club's all-time touchdown list. He has 10 touchdowns on the season, giving him double digits for the third straight year, tying Terrell Owens (2006-08) for the second longest streak in team history.

He finished the game with seven catches for 86 yards and the two scores.

But what about Beckham?

"The man's a monster," Bryant said. "You have to give it to him. He's one of those guys who loves to play the game. You can tell. He jumps around. He wants to be out there and make a play. That catch? Outstanding. I was like, ‘Oof, some of my work.'"

Witten finished with four catches for 30 yards, including a 15-yarder on the Cowboys' game-winning drive. He now has 922 for his career, passing Torry Holt for 15th in league history. He also has 56 career touchdowns, which is sixth most in league history for a tight end.

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That it came on a shovel pass was even more surprising.

"It was a great call by Scott [Linehan]," Witten said. "We have been working on that for a few weeks. I don't think they were expecting that. I thought it was a rushing touchdown but they just told me it was a receiving touchdown. Hey, take them any way we can get them though."

Romo led the Cowboys to a comeback victory for a team-record 23rd time. It was typical vintage Romo performance as he was 6 for 6 for 66 yards on the final drive, including the winning touchdown pass to Bryant. Romo finished 18 of 26 for 275 yards with four touchdowns and a passer rating of 143.4. ...

DeMarco Murray rushed 24 times for 121 yards. It was his 10th 100-yard game in 11 outings this season. He was the only running back who carried the ball. The offensive line was dominant, as usual.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Tony Romo, Brandon Weeden, Dustin Vaughan RB: DeMarco Murray, Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar FB: Tyler Clutts WR: Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Dwayne Harris, Devin Street TE: Jason Witten, Gavin Escobar, James Hanna PK: Dan Bailey =========================

=========================DENVER BRONCOSAs Denver Post staffer Mike Klis framed it: "In the past three seasons, it has been Peyton Manning and the Broncos' offense. Peyton this, Peyton that. What a quarterback, that Peyton. For the first time this season, if not for the last time if the Broncos know what's good for them, the stars realigned. Order was rearranged on this chilly Sunday afternoon in late November.

"Magnificent running by C.J. Anderson and an inspired performance by a beleaguered offensive line lifted Manning and the Broncos to a 39-36, come-from-behind victory against the Miami Dolphins. ..."

Anderson ran for 167 of the Broncos' 201 rushing yards. He also came through with three clutch plays late in the game by scoring on a go-ahead 10-yard touchdown scamper with 5:01 remaining to give the Broncos their first lead,

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recovering an onside kick with 1:33 remaining, and making a final, 26-yard run to put the game away.

"It's the same game we were playing since we were 7," said Anderson, whose yards rushing were the most by a Broncos undrafted player. "Those are the same cuts I made in Little League. Those were the same holes the O-line was making in high school."

As Klis suggested, "Not a bad game for a guy who came off the bye seven weeks ago as the Broncos' No. 4 running back behind Montee Ball, Ronnie Hillman and Juwan Thompson."

Ball and Hillman were high draft choices who are now hurt. Anderson and Thompson, who rushed for 6.6 yards per carry against the Dolphins, were signed as undrafted free agents.

Against a Dolphins defense that came in ranked No. 2 in the league, the Broncos rushed for 5.6 yards a carry, converted 9-of-13 third downs, passed for four touchdowns -- and scored 39 points.

With game-time temperature at 39 degrees, offensive coordinator Adam Gase began a play-calling mission to address his critics. The Broncos had only nine called rushing plays against 54 passes in a loss the previous week at St. Louis, and there was a cry for play-calling balance.

Gase agreed. There were more early snaps for Paul Cornick as a third offensive tackle and Virgil Green at tight end than for slot receiver Wes Welker and "receiving" tight end Jacob Tamme.

With 1:54 left in the first half, the Broncos had 40 yards rushing on 13 carries, and 57 passing yards, on 11 attempts.

Which was fine, except the Broncos were trailing 21-10.

In those final two minutes of the half, the game plan was ripped up and the hurry-up offense was employed. Let there be no doubt what the Broncos do best. Manning returned to his methodical brilliance, mixing in completions to Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas.

Manning completed the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Thomas, who beat his man on a skinny post.

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"They told us we were going to run the ball," offensive guard Orlando Franklin said. "We were excited about that, and we got into a groove in the running game. The more you run the ball, the more you get a feeling for it. We were able to get on our guys and protect Peyton and help win this game."

Klis added: "Here is a quarterback term that is almost never used to describe Manning: Game manager."

His 257 yards passing, balanced with 201 yards rushing, is about as close to "game manager" as Manning gets.

"I've always believed every game kind of takes on its own identity," he said. "Protecting the ball was key. I had turned it over twice in the past three games, and it was nice to be able to change that."

There still were plenty of stats to go around for the passing game, even without tight end Julius Thomas, who sat out with an ankle injury. Demaryius Thomas' streak of 100-yard receiving games ended at seven, one short of the NFL record, but he made up for it with three TD catches.

The Broncos' "other" wide receiver, Sanders, came off a concussion to catch nine passes for 125 yards.

The victory lifts the Broncos to an 8-3 record that leads the AFC West heading into their showdown Sunday night at 7-4 Kansas City.

The Broncos will bring renewed offensive confidence along on their flight. As Klis suggested, if it's cold, the Broncos can have Anderson run the ball. If the weather is nice, Manning can pass the ball.

And the offensive line has renewed faith it can block for either call.

"A lot of people have opinions after you lose a game," Manning said. "Those guys were focused all week. ..."

Other notes of interest. ... More healing is necessary but there's a chance Julius Thomas will return to play at Kansas City.

"I have had better days, and I have had worse days," Thomas said Monday. "You hope you just wake up one day and it feels good again, but that didn't happen last week. But it has improved."

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Thomas made an NFL-record 12 touchdown receptions through nine games. He had such a big lead that two weeks later he still tops all NFL players in touchdowns.

Also on the injury front. ... Hillman missed his second consecutive game because of a mid-foot sprain suffered against Oakland in Week 10. The Broncos hope to have him practicing this week, but with Anderson flourishing, there is no rush. The same goes for Ball, who missed Sunday's game after aggravating the groin strain that kept him out from Weeks 6-10 before a brief return at St. Louis.

The Broncos are expected to be cautious with his recovery this time, which could extend his absence. ...

As mentioned above, Demaryius Thomas didn't even like to talk about, the one Thomas' teammates hoped would lead to an NFL record, is over. But after Sunday's win over the Dolphins, Thomas had three more touchdowns to salve the wound.

Thomas had entered the game with seven consecutive 100-yard games, one short of Calvin Johnson's NFL record of eight set in 2012. The Broncos ran the ball a season-high 35 times on Sunday with their first 50-50 run-pass split of the season to try add a little muscle to the offense.

The Miami defense gave Thomas plenty of attention, but the Broncos' top receiver finished with 10 catches for 87 yards to go with touchdown catches of 5, 15 and 5 yards.

"And I'll take the win any time," Thomas said. " ... I didn't want to talk about the record because it would like jinx it or something. I just want to keep playing better and better ... Anybody would like to have a record like that, but I just want to keep working and have us keep getting wins."

It was Thomas' second career three-touchdown game -- the other was last November against the San Diego Chargers.

Thomas struggled some in the season's early going as he was asked to often line up in the slot because Wes Welker was suspended. He had an uncharacteristic number of drops -- four in the team's first three games combined -- and didn't top five catches or 62 yards in any of the three games.

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But since the Broncos' Week 4 bye, Thomas has had 69 receptions for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns in the last eight games combined.

And finally. ... The Broncos waived kicker Brandon McManus on Tuesday, two days after he clanked a 33-yard field goal attempt off the right upright.

The Broncos brought in veterans Jay Feely and Connor Barth for tryouts and went with Barth.

"We're a performance-based business and regardless of what your job description is you're expected to perform," head coach John Fox said Monday. "I don't think he's the worst kicker in the league by any stretch."

Actually, McManus' 69.2 percent conversion rate (9-of-13) this season was dead last among kickers who still have a job in the NFL.

The Broncos decided to keep McManus in October following Matt Prater's four-game suspension for violating the league's drug policy by drinking alcohol. Prater subsequently signed with Detroit, where he's made 12 of 16 field goal attempts.

Barth, 28, is a five-year veteran who's made 84.2 percent of his career field goal tries but hasn't played since 2012. He was the most accurate kicker in Buccaneers history but missed all of last season after tearing the Achilles tendon in his right foot during a charity basketball game. He was replaced this year by rookie Patrick Murray.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, it wasn't an easy decision for Denver to go with Barth over Feely, who made 14-of-15 field goals with a long of 60. Both impressed.

But Barth is now working alongside on of the league's most prolific scoring offenses. That's always a plus.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Peyton Manning, Brock Osweiler RB: C.J. Anderson, Juwan Thompson, Jeremy Stewart, Ronnie Hillman, Montee Ball WR: Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Wes Welker, Andre Caldwell, Cody Latimer, Isaiah Burse TE: Julius Thomas, Jacob Tamme, Virgil Green

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PK: Connor Barth =========================

=========================DETROIT LIONSAccording to ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein, Matthew Stafford wanted to make one more play, extend one more drive to try for another improbable comeback.

Stafford was pressured on fourth-and-10 from the Patriots' 25-yard line with 11:36 left. He kept looking downfield. With nothing available, Stafford scrambled. He headed toward the sideline and had enough room to get the first down.

Instead he slid, starting a yard short. Instead of extending the drive, his decision to slide ended it, giving the ball back to the Patriots again in a 34-9 loss Sunday.

It was another poorly performed play in a litany of them Sunday against New England, a day so bad that Detroit's perpetually level-headed coach Jim Caldwell couldn't even find a bright spot when he addressed the media after the game.

"This is one of the few times that we've kind of stood here in front of you and didn't have at least some bright spots to talk about," Caldwell said. "We didn't have many in this game."

On offense, that has been the problem for a series of games now -- almost every one this season. This -- against Miami, Arizona and New England -- was a stretch of games where Detroit could have established itself as a contender in the NFC.

What this game -- along with the lackluster offensive showing against Arizona -- showed is the Lions are still far from being one of the league's elite teams. Instead, they went 1-2 and have scored only field goals the past two games. They were picked apart on defense for the first time this season by a future Hall of Famer in Tom Brady.

Touchdowns have also disappeared from Detroit. The Lions haven't scored a touchdown in eight quarters and counting. They haven't had a rushing touchdown in four games.

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"It's one of those games, we just. ... It's embarrassing," receiver Golden Tate said. "We've got to chalk it up and have a short-term memory. That's the most important thing, not to lose our swagger, not to lose our confidence.

"Just come out with a mission, come out on a mission to really take it out on our next opponent, which happens to be Chicago, who is also another good team regardless of what their schedule says."

Detroit could easily be a playoff team, even though Sunday's loss combined with Green Bay's win over Minnesota pushes the Lions a game behind the Packers in the NFC North. And for now, it throws Detroit into a murky wild-card mix with Philadelphia, Dallas, Seattle and San Francisco -- essentially four teams fighting for two spots.

Reaching that goal starts with rehabilitating an offense that has not looked consistently sharp since the opening week of the season. While Detroit may have put up more yards and points than a week ago in Arizona, larger issues once again showed up.

Tate, who went over 1,000 yards for the season and once again had a strong game with four catches for 97 yards a week after the Lions only threw two passes to him, was one of the few Detroit receivers to not drop a pass -- an accomplishment on a day where the Lions dropped three potential touchdown receptions.

Eric Ebron dropped Stafford's best throw of the day -- a touch pass in stride that hit Ebron in the hands before he dropped it. There were also drops in the end zone by Joseph Fauria, Corey Fuller and Jeremy Ross.

Calvin Johnson had a couple of drops as well. But those three dropped touchdowns made a massive difference in the game.

"Everybody has one of them games," Ross said. "We just weren't executing, weren't playing Detroit Lion football, the football that we know we are capable of playing. Whenever there's dropped passes, there's just lack of focus on our part."

That lack of focus crushed drives Sunday -- or at least kept the Lions from finishing them with touchdowns. The lack of offensive cohesion sums up where the Lions are right now as their true identity slowly comes into focus with a unit still struggling to find itself with five games left.

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"We were scoring three," center Dominic Raiola said. "They were scoring seven. Can't do it. We got to score six, you know."

As Rothstein noted, whether Detroit starts to score with more consistency the remainder of the season will be the difference between the Lions being a playoff team or watching at home again in January.

It's worth noting that Caldwell said he would not consider taking play-calling duties away from first-year offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. After another game without a touchdown -- the first time the team has gone two straight games without an offensive touchdown since 2000 -- Caldwell said they would be looking at things to change in the offense, although nothing drastic.

When asked if he would consider taking play-calling duties away from Lombardi, Caldwell offered a one-word answer: "No."

The Lions have a short week before facing division rival Chicago on Thursday in the annual Thanksgiving game.

Other notes of interest. ... Caldwell didn't offer up much of an update Tuesday on the status of running back Reggie Bush, who has missed the last two games due to a lingering ankle injury. As for his status for Thursday's game against the Bears, Caldwell said, "We'll see."

Bush, who was said to be targeting Thursday for his return, has appeared in just two of the Lions' last six games. He was listed as a limited participant in practice Monday and Tuesday due to both the lingering ankle issue and a new back problem. If active Thursday, Bush will face a Chicago defense yielding 106.8 rushing yards per game.

Johnson (ankle) was limited Tuesday as well, but should be available Thursday.

The Lions could be without starting left tackle Riley Reiff on Thursday after he suffered a left knee injury on the first play Sunday and did not return.

If Reiff can't play, the Lions would likely go into the game with two rookies, including undrafted tackle Cornelius Lucas, starting for an offensive line that has already allowed 33 sacks this season.

The Lions have parted ways with tight end Kellen Davis on Tuesday, according to the Detroit Free Press. The team promoted linebacker Jerrell Harris and guard Rodney Austin from the practice squad. ...

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And finally. ... Caldwell said he met with Raiola to address his dirty plays on the final drive against the Patriots on Sunday.

"He and I talked," Caldwell said Monday. "We addressed the issue. What we talked about is a private matter, but he knows how we like to do things around here and that's the end of the story."

The team will not punish Raiola, Caldwell said, but the league reviewed Raiola's performance to determine whether or not he should face consequences for attempting to harm a fellow NFL player. The league did not consider suspending Raiola, and according to an NFL Network report Monday afternoon, he will not be fined.

On the last play of the game, a kneel-down by Stafford, Raiola snapped the ball then dove at the knees of Patriots defensive tackle Zach Moore. The cheap shot did not draw a penalty because Moore wasn't engaged.

Raiola said after the game he cut Moore because he thought the Patriots ran up the score with a 1-yard touchdown run by LeGarrette Blount with 1:57 left in the fourth quarter, which made it 34-9.

Raiola also punched Moore in the back of the head with his right arm twice on the final drive -- a 14-yard pass to Theo Riddick on the first play and an 8-yard pass to Riddick three plays later.

Caldwell grew increasingly agitated with questions about Raiola on Monday.

"We don't condone it. We addressed it. End of story," he said

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Matthew Stafford, Dan Orlovsky, Kellen Moore RB: Joique Bell, Reggie Bush, Theo Riddick, George Winn FB: Jed Collins WR: Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, Jeremy Ross, Corey Fuller, Ryan Broyles TE: Eric Ebron, Joseph Fauria, Brandon Pettigrew PK: Matt Prater =========================

=========================GREEN BAY PACKERS

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Eddie Lacy got Green Bay's running game back on track by playing through a stomach illness.

And as the Associated Press suggests, with the Wisconsin weather turning cold and snowy -- and opposing defenses likely to follow Minnesota's blueprint in an effort to limit wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb -- Lacy may be emerging at just the right time for the Packers.

Playing with what head coach Mike McCarthy termed Monday as a gastrointestinal illness, Lacy carried a season-high 25 times for 125 yards in the Packers' 24-21 victory at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday. Five of those carries for 27 yards came in the final 3:23, with Lacy running out the clock in the Packers' seventh victory in their last eight games.

Lacy was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

After the game, Lacy's teammates said they knew he was sick but he insisted on playing through it. No. 2 running back James Starks had only one carry for minus-4 yards.

"I think it's really just a credit to Eddie. He's a heck of a football player," McCarthy said Monday, adding that the medical staff is "monitoring" Lacy. "Just for him to go out and have that performance in that situation I think speaks volumes to the type of person he is."

Lacy did not speak to reporters after the game Sunday, and players were off celebrating a "Victory Monday" and not available to reporters.

But according to ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky, Lacy was still feeling the aftereffects of what McCarthy called a gastrointestinal illness on Monday.

"He was in today for the [regeneration] workout, so he went through the weight-room work and so forth," McCarthy. "It's something that we're still monitoring."

Next up for Lacy and the Packers (8-3) is a possible Super Bowl preview against the New England Patriots (9-2) on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Despite Aaron Rodgers' gaudy numbers -- he has thrown for 2,957 yards with 30 touchdowns and only three interceptions for a league-high passer rating of 119.3 -- most opponents this season had opted to play with one safety deep, bringing the other up into the box to help defend against Lacy.

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On Sunday, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer made it Minnesota's top defensive priority to take away Cobb and Nelson, and it worked.

Although Nelson had eight receptions, they went for just 68 yards -- enough to put him over the 1,000-yard mark for the third time in his career but the fourth-fewest receiving yards he's had in a game this season. Cobb had a pair of important third-down catches, but finished with only four grabs for 58 yards.

"Teams are going to take away what we do best, and what we've done best is get the ball to Jordy and Randall," Rodgers said after Sunday's game. "They've had big statistical seasons so (opponents) try to take them out of the game."

That was what made Lacy's performance so vital, even though the Packers receivers were expecting that approach from the Vikings from the start.

"Like we've said for weeks, teams have been playing a lot of one-high," Nelson said. "That's why we've been throwing it and Eddie hasn't had a lot of opportunities but still has been running great. (In this game), it kind of reversed. He got opportunities and he made the most of them and had a great game and had a lot of huge plays for us."

The Patriots match up well with the Packers because of cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, meaning Lacy likely will be counted on again this week.

Before his 25-carry performance against the Vikings, his season high for carries had been 17 attempts at Chicago on Sept. 28. Last season, Lacy carried at least 17 times in 11 of the 15 full games he played.

One reason for the drop in Lacy's attempts: Despite scoring 354 points this season -- second only to the Patriots' 357 -- Green Bay has run just 663 offensive plays. The Patriots, by comparison, have run 757 plays.

"The only thing I've ever focused on with Eddie or any of the offensive perimeter players is how many times they touch the ball," McCarthy said. "If you look at our season, it's been different. To score this many points with the total number of plays (is unusual). So I don't think statistics really reflect the whole picture of everything that we've done."

Lacy was on the practice field Wednesday. ...

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Worth noting. ... McCarthy also spotted linebacker Clay Matthews in for treatment and workout Monday.

For the second time this season, Matthews wasn't full go for the entire game Sunday. He aggravated a groin injury in the 53-20 win over the Eagles the previous week and practiced on a limited basis ahead of the matchup with the Vikings.

McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dom Capers compensated for Matthews' health situation by taking him off the field typically in obvious passing situations on third down. Former starter Brad Jones went in as the lone inside linebacker in place of Matthews and fellow starter A.J. Hawk.

"He looked like he came out of the game OK," McCarthy said Monday.

Other notes of interest. ... As CBSSports.com's Chris Towers notes, Davante Adams put together his third underwhelming game in a row in Week 12 against the Vikings, as he hauled in just one of the four passes thrown his way for 10 yards.

It is his third game in a row with just one or two receptions, and he now has just 33 yards in that span as well. ...

Rookie tight end Richard Rodgers knows what he's going to do with the ball he caught for his 1-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. "Probably give it to my dad," Rodgers said of his father, who is the Carolina Panthers' special-teams coach. It was perhaps one of the most memorable plays of the game because of how far Aaron Rodgers had to throw the ball for just 1 official yard.

He rolled to his right and from just outside where the 10-yard-line number is painted, he throw the ball all the way to back left corner of the end zone, where the tight end was completely uncovered and waving his arms.

Tight end Brandon Bostick missed a second straight game Sunday because of a hip injury, but he was on ther practice field Wednesday.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien RB: Eddie Lacy, James Starks, DuJuan Harris FB: John Kuhn WR: Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Jeff Janis, Jarrett Boykin

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TE: Richard Rodgers, Andrew Quarless, Brandon Bostick, Justin Perillo PK: Mason Crosby =========================

=========================HOUSTON TEXANSRyan Mallett's season is over.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed Monday that the Texans quarterback is out for the year after tearing his right pectoral muscle during warmups prior to Sunday's 22-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, according to a source informed of the injury.

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle first reported the news.

Mallett underwent an MRI on Monday after aggravating an existing strained chest injury that landed the passer on last week's injury report. Rapoport was told Sunday that Mallett decided to play through the pain after waiting four years for his shot to start.

When asked Monday about the quarterback, head coach Bill O'Brien said, "Mallett's still being evaluated. Basically, we'll have more to report towards the end of the week."

Losing Mallett elevates benched veteran signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick back into the top spot for next Sunday's AFC South duel with the Tennessee Titans and beyond.

It's a disappointing turn for the Texans (5-6), who wanted to use the rest of the campaign to make a judgment on the little-seen, quarterback.

However, Rapoport reported the team informed Mallett -- who's a free agent after this season -- it wants him to return in 2015. The likely scenario would see Houston hand him a short-term extension and draft a quarterback -- possibly very highly. Mallett would then battle the rookie for the starting job.

The little-seen quarterback remains as enigmatic as ever after a promising start against the Browns but gave way to an ugly showing against the Bengals. Certainly Mallett's injury played into his troubles on Sunday.

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ESPN.com's Tania Ganguli noted that Mallett's teammates have been impressed with his toughness after he didn't even mention what he was going through physically.

While the Texans are a strong bet to draft a quarterback this spring, it looks like O'Brien will keep Tom Brady's former backup around for a longer look. ...

Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick has thrown for 1,960 yards with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Texans are 28th in the league with just 207.5 yards passing a game.

Despite his benching, the Texans insist that they're confident in Fitzpatrick's ability to lead the team.

"Fitz isn't a stranger to the starting lineup or playing in big games," Brown said. "We have all the confidence in the world in him if he's under center. That's just where we are."

Fitzpatrick said it won't be anything new to him if he gets thrust back into the starting job.

"That's what being a quarterback is," he said. "That's what kind of my whole career has been."

He faced a similar situation last year when Jake Locker was injured midway through the season and Fitzpatrick had to step in and finish the year for the Titans. ...

In a related note. ... The Texans will sign quarterback Thad Lewis to replace Mallett, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In six career starts, Lewis has thrown five touchdown passes and four interceptions. ...

Other notes of interest. ... The Texans were without starting running back Arian Foster for a second straight game. Foster, who suffered a groin injury Nov. 2, missed his third game of the season. Last week against the Cleveland Browns, it didn't matter.

The offensive line dominated the Browns' front and Alfred Blue rushed for 156 yards. This week, the Texans faced a more aggressive Bengals team and rushed

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for only 64 yards. Blue was limited to 2.9 yards a carry. He ran 16 times for 46 yards.

O'Brien remained ambivalent about Foster's playing status for Sunday's game against Tennessee, according to the team's official website.

"I think there's a potential that he could play." O'Brien said.

Andre Johnson was limited to three catches for 36 yards despite being targeted 12 times by quarterback an Mallett.

Tight end Garrett Graham had a season-best four catches against the Bengals. He scored his first touchdown the week before. Tight end has been virtually ignored in the passing game this season.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tom Savage, Thad Lewis RB: Arian Foster, Alfred Blue, Jonathan Grimes FB: Jay Prosch WR: Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins, Damaris Johnson, Keshawn Martin, DeVier Posey TE: Garrett Graham, C.J. Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin PK: Randy Bullock =========================

=========================INDIANAPOLIS COLTSAccording to Associated Press sports writer Michael Marot, head coach Chuck Pagano laid it on the line Monday.

Andrew Luck needs to be protected better than he was in the first half against Jacksonville.

"It's pretty plain," he said roughly 24 hours after watching his franchise quarterback trying to flee from the Jaguars' continual pressure. "It was pretty obvious what we needed to clean up."

Indy's halftime adjustments made a big difference.

After Luck was sacked a season-high five times and fumble three times, losing two, in the first 30 minutes Sunday, he was barely touched in the second half.

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Luck led the Colts to two third-quarter touchdowns. He methodically put the game away in the fourth period.

If the Colts intend to make a deep playoff run, they know they must keep it up. And Luck upright.

Sure, there were explanations for what went wrong against the Jags (1-10).

Injuries knocked two starters, right tackle Gosder Cherilus and tight end Dwayne Allen, out of the lineup. The Colts lost a third starter, right guard Hugh Thornton, with a knee injury during the game.

Pagano said he expects Cherilus to play this weekend when Washington (3-8) comes to town. Allen is listed as day to day with a sprained right ankle -- but he wasn't on the practice Wednesday, and Thornton's status is even more uncertain after doctors found a sprained medial collateral ligament. Pagano called Thornton week to week, meaning it's probably unlikely he'll play against the Redskins and that the line dance will continue this week.

"We're going to continue to talk about that as a staff in the next 24 to 48 hours," Pagano said when asked about Thornton's potential replacement. "We know that we've got a bunch of guys that are more than capable. We know A.Q. (Shipley) can play, we know Xavier (Nixon) can play. It looks like we're going to get Gos back, so we've got some flexibility with Joe (Reitz)."

Reitz, the Colts' most versatile lineman, replaced Cherilus at right tackle Sunday and struggled early against Chris Clemons, who had three sacks and a forced fumble in the first quarter.

But it's not as if this is new territory for Indianapolis.

A year ago, the Colts used six different offensive line combinations over the second half of the season and still wound up winning the AFC South and a first-round playoff game.

Still, nobody in the organization wants Luck taking so many hits. After drafting Luck with the No. 1 overall pick in 2012 instead of Robert Griffin III -- in part because team owner Jim Irsay thought Luck would hold up better in the NFL -- Irsay made it clear to general manager Ryan Grigson that the No. 1 priority was protecting his quarterback.

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In 2013, the Colts invested heavily in two veteran free agents. Cherilus has usually played well. Guard Donald Thomas missed most of last season with an injury and all of this season because of another injury.

Now, the Colts expect to see results.

"They (the Jaguars) have a good football team and got a defensive front that's loaded with a bunch of game-wreckers, and they played extremely well," Pagano said. "Obviously the No. 1 thing is ball security, so we've got to make that a point of emphasis moving forward."

Especially when it comes to taking care of Luck's blind side, something the Colts did not do particularly well Sunday.

Pagano believes his players got the message loud and clear at halftime. He just hopes it continues to resonate.

"I think we had six fumbles total out during the course of that game. You're not going to win many games doing that," he said. "The bottom line is we won the game and that was our main objective."

In a semi-related note. ... The Colts' red-zone issues continue. Indianapolis was able to score one red zone touchdown but had to settle for field goals twice and fumbled on another occasion Sunday.

"Yeah, didn't do a good enough job of finishing drives. You also realize that's the number one red zone defense in the NFL, so good when we got that seven," Luck said.

"I think we had a turnover down there once, maybe twice, and field goals the other times. We know we've got to be able to punch it in down when the field gets constricted and we'll get back to work and work on it. ..."

Other notes of interest. ... According to ESPN.com's Mike Wells, T.Y. Hilton thought somebody was playing a joke on him the first time his hotel phone rang. He hung up on them.

Then the receiver thought he was being "punked" when the phone rang again, and he hung up again.

It wasn't until a knock on his hotel door at 5:15 a.m. on Sunday morning that Hilton realized it wasn't a joke.

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Hilton's wife, Shantrell, was in labor. Hilton, just hours away from a game against Jacksonville, rushed to the hospital to support his wife, who wasn't due until Dec. 15.

"I almost got in trouble because my phone was on silent," Hilton said.

The Hilton's welcomed a daughter, Eugenia, weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces, into the world at about 7:30 a.m. Hilton remained at the hospital until 75 minutes before the 1 p.m. kickoff.

Hilton didn't let only having three hours of sleep stop him from hauling in four catches for 122 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars.

"I figured he would play, and if he didn't, that's personal family stuff," Luck said. "You realize there are some things more important than a football game on a Sunday afternoon, but I think everybody's super, super stoked for T.Y. I'm sure he's going to sleep about 24 straight hours after this, but what a wonderful day for his family."

Hilton said before the game that he wanted to catch a touchdown for Eugenia. He followed through with that when he scored on a 73-yard reception in the third quarter. Hilton cradled the football and rocked it in the end zone.

"I was holding her and just walking at about 11:15 (a.m.) then I said, 'Baby you want the game ball or touchdown ball?' That was my goal to get both of those for her," Hilton said.

Reggie Wayne got his three catches, extending his streak of games with three or more receptions to 81.

But as the Indianapolis Star wondered, "Was it worth more than a golf clap on a day when Wayne caught just three of the nine passes that were intended for him for a mere 10 yards?

"Wayne is still a very valuable piece for the Colts, but it's becoming more and more apparent that he has lost a step."

Indeed, when the Colts tried to stretch the field with him on Sunday, the pass routinely seemed to be just out of his reach. That's not a coincidence

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In what could be looked at as surprising decision, Daniel "Boom" Herron started at running back over Trent Richardson.

Herron had been the third running back most of the season behind Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw. Herron moved up on the depth chart after Bradshaw was placed on injured reserve with a fractured fibula. Herron finished with 65 yards on 12 carries, while Richardson had 42 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

And on Wednesday, Wells reported that Herron will continue to start over Richardson.

In other words, Herron has fully assumed the Bradshaw role here. It doesn't mean Richardson won't keep doing his (unimpressive) thing, but those of us hoping for an increase in volume probably won't get our way. ...

And finally. ... Newly-signed Josh Cribbs was brought in by the Colts to take over for recently released Griff Whalen and hopefully spark their return game, and Cribbs did not disappoint in his debut. As Pro Football Focus notes, he opened the game with a 46-yard kickoff return, and averaged 9.6 yards on punt returns, even after having an 82-yard touchdown called back.

Although he initially muffed the punt, Cribbs was able to recover quickly, burst to his right and weave his way down the sideline for a score, only to have it negated by a block out-of-bounds.

Whalen was signed to the practice squad on Tuesday.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck RB: Dan Herron, Trent Richardson, Zurlon Tipton FB: Mario Harvey WR: T.Y. Hilton, Reggie Wayne, Hakeem Nicks, Donte Moncrief, Josh Cribbs TE: Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, Jack Doyle, Weslye Saunders PK: Adam Vinatieri =========================

=========================JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

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The stat sheet tells you it was the Jaguars' worst offensive performance of the season.

As ESPN.com's Michael DiRocco notes, the Jaguars set a season-low in points, passing yards (114) and completions (14), and it was their second-lowest output of the season with 194 total yards. They had only four drives reach Colts territory, and two of those possessions began with fumble recoveries already inside Colts territory.

It goes beyond the stats, though.

It's getting two turnovers in Indianapolis territory and coming away with just three points.

It's a rookie quarterback who seems to have regressed and isn't playing as freely as he did early in the season.

It's a group of receivers who couldn't get separation and managed just 5 receptions for 71 yards.

It's failing to score on four tries inside the 3-yard line and not once giving the ball to their best short-yardage back.

Granted, leading receiver Allen Robinson is done for the season with a stress fracture in his foot, and 10 first- or second-year players either started or got significant playing time. But that doesn't excuse the mess the Jaguars put on the field against the Colts.

DiRocco went on to explain the two biggest reasons for Sunday's loss are Blake Bortles' seeming regression from the gunslinger mentality that he had when he first stepped on the field in Week 3 and the Jaguars' inability to get points off the turnovers.

Bortles completed 15 of 27 passes for 146 yards with 107 of those coming in the fourth quarter, and most of it went to the running backs (nine catches). He should have had pretty good numbers because the Colts regularly put eight men in the box and played with a single high safety. The Colts were concentrating on stopping the run and challenging Bortles to beat them.

All that said, Associated Press sports writer Mark Long reports the team aren't making excuses for Bortles.

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Head coach Gus Bradley said Monday they expect more from the rookie QB.

He was 4-of-10 passing for 34 yards in the first half, and his third quarter was even worse as the Jaguars fell behind by double digits. He completed just two passes for 5 yards in the third, was sacked twice and fumbled.

Bortles completed only one pass in which the ball traveled more than 10 yards in the air -- a 13-yarder to Allen Hurns.

"My hope is that fear hasn't entered in the equation for Blake, where he gets in there and he's going, 'Oh, I made an interception' and, 'Oh, I've thrown a couple interceptions. Boy I need to make good decisions and I'm going to hold onto the ball,'" Bradley said. "We don't want that from him."

Bradley added that Bortles' confidence remains high heading into this week's game against the New York Giants, saying don't confuse the first-round draft pick's frustration with anything else.

"I think he wants to get more and wants to produce more and that part is frustrating," Bradley said. "But (lack of) confidence, I don't see that. He's confident going into it, game plan and things like that, but it's just the execution."

Bortles' quarterback rating of 70.8 is second worst in the league to Geno Smith of the Jets, who's been benched at 65.6. Two other rookie quarterbacks, Derek Carr of Oakland and Teddy Bridgewater, are just above him at 76.7 and 75.7 but Carr has thrown 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions and Bridgewater is six and seven.

Bortles continues to be plagued by interceptions. He has an NFL-high 15, including at least one in each of the nine games he's played. He has eight touchdown passes.

"I don't want it to be where every throw he makes he's worried that if he gets a turnover and we have to be perfect," Bradley said. That's not how he operates best. ... We don't want to take away his freedom to make big plays."

Receiver Cecil Shorts believes Bortles is "handling things just fine."

"You kind of get the same Blake each and every day," Shorts said. "He's calm, he's cool, he's not down on himself, at least that we can see. Blake will be fine. I really like him and his game. Blake is a confident guy, that's his nature. I don't

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see any fear with him. We're just facing a lot of adversity right now. As an offense, we've got to find a solution."

Bortles threw 12 interceptions in his first six games, including four returned for touchdowns, and Bradley and offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch have asked him to be more careful with the ball in recent weeks. The Jaguars don't have enough playmakers to overcome turnovers, so Bortles is playing with a small margin for error.

Still, he seems to be holding the ball too long and hesitating on throws.

"There's got to be a heightened sense," Bradley said. "You can't sugar-coat it. It's the game of football and it's the NFL and you're expected to play at a high level."

Bradley also had concerns with his special teams. Josh Cribbs returned five punt for 48 yards and two kickoffs for 64 yards. Even on Jacksonville's lone score -- a 28-yard field goal by Josh Scobee -- the kick was partially blocked. It made it through the uprights, barely clearing the crossbar.

"Let's get this corrected," Bradley said. It was still a make, but it's happening too many times, a couple times over the course of the year."

Bradley had kinder words for his defense. Jacksonville matched a season-high with five sacks and recovered three fumbles.

"Defensively, I thought we played very well. I was very pleased with our effort," Bradley said. "I think some guys really stepped up, especially in the first half. Five fumbles, they lost three of them, we gained three. They were 0-for-3 in the red zone and sacked five times."

Other notes of interest. ... When Denard Robinson rushed for over 100 yards against the Browns and Dolphins, the Jaguars hoped he was turning the corner in his transition to running back. But he got only 60 yards against Dallas although 32 came on a touchdown run and 25 against Indianapolis and fumbled in both games.

After Jonas Gray ran for 201 yards against the Colts, the Jaguars hoped they could run against them but they stacked the box to stop Robinson.

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Meanwhile, Toby Gerhart ran four times for 31 yards, including a season-long 23-yarder, and caught three of four passes for 19 yards in the loss at Indianapolis.

And finally. ... Clay Harbor played six snaps against the Colts and he's unlikely to get much traction going forward with Marcedes Lewis back in the mix.

"I'm the No. 3 now," said Harbor. "I was surprised by it. It was hard. My role is now on special teams."

Making his return from short-term IR, Lewis was targeted three times against the Colts, but he caught only one (for a five-yard loss).

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Blake Bortles, Chad Henne RB: Denard Robinson, Toby Gerhart, Storm Johnson, Jordan Todman FB: Will Ta'ufo'ou WR: Cecil Shorts, Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee, Ace Sanders, Mike Brown TE: Marcedes Lewis, Clay Harbor, Mickey Shuler PK: Josh Scobee =========================

=========================KANSAS CITY CHIEFSAs the Sports Xchange noted this week, the Chiefs went into last Thursday night's game in Oakland a good team, sporting a 7-3 record, a five-game winning streak and a share of first place in the AFC West.

They left the Bay Area a good team, although they blew a chance to show the football world they could be something more, as the Raiders pulled off a 24-20 victory, the first for Oakland this season.

"They outplayed us; they outcoached us today," said head coach Andy Reid.

As usual, Reid's view was succinct and on the money. There were a host of reasons (excuses) available to the Chiefs to explain their first loss since early October. They were the road team for Thursday night, getting just two days of preparation for the game as they lost a day to travel. The Chiefs were coming off a victory over Seattle and have a game next Sunday night against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium. Nobody's ever written a song about a

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rainy night in Oakland, but that could have been as a factor as well, as the rain was pretty intense at times in the first half.

Ultimately, it came down to a lack of execution and for that the Chiefs only needed a mirror to identify the culprits. After stumbling to a 0-2 start, the Chiefs saved their season by playing efficient football, with minimal mistakes and solid productivity on both sides of the ball. They were not flashy, but they were getting the job done.

Thursday night against the Raiders, they could not make that happen when they had a final chance to win the game. NFL teams spend many hours in OTAs, mini-camps, training camp and practice after practice training for situations like the Chiefs faced: down by four points, 102 seconds to play and no timeouts left, playing on the road and in poor weather conditions.

And, it started off so well with rookie returner De'Anthony Thomas grabbing a kickoff nine yards deep in the end zone and carrying it out 48 yards to the Chiefs' 39-yard line. They were 61 yards away with 95 seconds to play.

The Chiefs had eight snaps before giving up possession. Their only first down came because the Raiders were flagged for not one, not two, but three different penalties on a fourth-and-3 play. Without help from the zebras, the Chiefs produced just four yards on the possession. They did not challenge the Oakland end zone. They did not challenge the Raiders red zone.

Quarterback Alex Smith did not throw the ball well, but he was under intense pressure from the Raiders' defense. Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and tight end Travis Kelce had opportunities to make difficult catches but could not make the plays. On the final play, wide receiver Frankie Hammond did not appear to be on the same page of the play called by Smith, as the pass fell incomplete without the wide receiver anywhere close to catching the ball.

The Raiders celebrated as they should have, considering the type of season Oakland has lived with in what is now a 1-10 record. Now 7-4, the Chiefs were well aware of what the loss meant for them and how they fit in the picture of the AFC playoffs.

"We'll learn from this and become a better team because of it," Reid said. ...

Worth noting. ... Third downs have been where the Chiefs have shined during the 2014 season. It was a major element in their ability to post a 7-3 record

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going into Oakland. By the end of the evening, the Chiefs' performance on third down set them up for the loss.

The offense converted 2-of-14 third-down plays, or 14 percent. Going into the game, they were No. 3 in the league at 48 percent. The defense allowed Oakland to convert 8-of-16 third downs, or 50 percent. Before Thursday night, they were No. 3 in third-down defense at 35.2 percent.

"We did not do a good job on third down," said Smith in the post-game understatement of the year. It was backed up on the defensive side by linebacker Josh Mauga. "We allowed them to stay on the field for too long," said Mauga. "You can't keep giving an offense chances. ..."

Other notes of interest. ... Jamaal Charles ran for 80 yards, but never really broke loose against the Raiders' defense. His longest run was 11 yards. Knile Davis was largely invisible with just two carries for two yards. Thomas had one jet sweep for nine yards.

This was not the normal production outing for the Chiefs' offense.

As Pro Football Focus noted, Charles engaged in an interesting psychological battle of the blitz with Charles Woodson, that once saw Woodson pick up a sack, and another Charles a touchdown (after some excellent work after the catch). ...

In case you missed it, Jason Avant was signed by the Chiefs last Friday.

The 31-year-old Avant was released earlier in the week by Carolina and played in 11 games for the Panthers this season and had 21 receptions for 201 yards. The Chiefs do not have a touchdown catch by a wide receiver this year after 11 games. Reid is familiar with Avant, having coached him with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Avant had 259 receptions for 3,199 yards and 10 touchdowns during his time with the Eagles.

A.J. Jenkins (shoulder) was placed on reserve/injured to clear a roster spot for Avant. Jenkins missed the past two games because of the injury. He finishes the season with nine catches for 93 yards.

Receiver Junior Hemingway suffered a concussion in Thursday night's game against Oakland and missed most of the second half. Future status remains

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unknown. Donnie Avery, who last played on Sept 29, is close to returning from hernia surgery. We'll see if it's this week or not in coming days. ...

And finally. ... Safety Eric Berry's season is over after doctors found a mass on the right side of his chest.

Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder announced the news Monday, saying that Berry will visit a lymphoma specialist to determine a final diagnosis. The Chiefs said the 'leading consideration' is that he has lymphoma. Berry was placed on the non-football illness list Monday.

"I am truly thankful for all of the support from family, friends, coaches, teammates and the entire Chiefs kingdom. At first I was in shock with the diagnosis on Saturday and did not even want to miss a game, but I understand that right now I have to concentrate on a new opponent," Berry said in a statement. "I have great confidence in the doctors and the plan they are going to put in place for me to win this fight. ... I am so thankful and appreciative of being a part of this franchise and playing in front of the best fans in the NFL. I will be back!"

Burkholder says Berry didn't complain about anything before the team faced the Oakland Raiders last Thursday. He had a physical before the season and checked out fine. Coach Andy Reid said that Berry was able to address the team on Monday about his condition, and "feel their love and support."

Berry, 25, has made the Pro Bowl three times in his previous four seasons. The Chiefs expressed optimism about Berry's future prognosis, but cautioned it was early in the process.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Alex Smith, Chase Daniel, Aaron Murray RB: Jamaal Charles, Knile Davis, De'Anthony Thomas, Charcandrick West RB: Anthony Sherman WR: Dwayne Bowe, Junior Hemingway, Frankie Hammond, Jason Avant, Albert Wilson, Donnie Avery TE: Travis Kelce, Anthony Fasano, Phillip Supernaw PK: Cairo Santos =========================

=========================MIAMI DOLPHINS

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The Dolphins haven't been able to win a game decided in the closing minutes, which leaves them little or no margin for error as their season heads down the stretch.

At 6-5, the Dolphins might need to sweep their final five games to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2008. A fourth-quarter flameout at Denver left Miami with the 10th-best record in the AFC, where 11 wins could be required for a postseason berth.

As Associated Press sports writer Steven Wine notes, that gives the Dolphins little wiggle room as they prepare to play at the New York Jets next Monday night.

"I don't think the records really matter right now," head coach Joe Philbin said Monday. "We have to go win a game against the New York Jets. That's really the only thing that is on my mind and should be on our players' minds at this point. The other stuff -- stuff happens. We really don't control what the other teams do. We do control how we play when the ball kicks off next Monday night."

An extra day off this week will be welcome, giving four key injured players more time to mend. Tackle Ja'Wuan James (stinger) and cornerback Jamar Taylor (shoulder) left Sunday's game, while cornerback Cortland Finnegan (ankle) and tight end Charles Clay (knee and hamstring) were inactive. All could be back for the Jets game.

Clay and Finnegan both participated in practice Wednesday.

Philbin said the Dolphins must play better than Sunday, when they took a 28-17 lead into the fourth quarter but lost to the Broncos and Peyton Manning, 39-36. It was the first time since 2000 that the Dolphins lost after entering the fourth quarter with a lead of more than 10 points.

The failure to close out a game was nothing new. Miami blew leads in the final minute of losses to Detroit and Green Bay.

The Dolphins' six victories have each been by at least 13 points, and they've outscored opponents this season by 66 points. But they're only one game above .500 because they're 0-3 in games decided by four points or less.

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In the first three quarters the Dolphins have outscored opponents 231-137, which is the second-largest margin in the NFL. But in the fourth period they've been outscored 82-54.

The schedule is favorable the rest of the way, with two games against the last-place Jets and one against the last-place Vikings. More daunting is a game at AFC East leader New England on Dec. 14, and Miami also faces Baltimore at home on Dec. 7.

Regardless of the opponent, Philbin said, his team's play late in games must improve.

"We've won a lot of games by double-digits in the six wins we've had," he said. "We've had some good margin of victory in those games. But you look at the last three losses we've had and they're by three, four and three points. We have to find a way to win some of those games. We are going to be in some more of those games. That's just the way the National Football League typically is."

Miami gave up 22 points in the final quarter Sunday, and defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle is well aware blown leads have become a recurring problem. The Dolphins rank fourth in the league in yards allowed, but in the fourth quarter they've given up seven touchdown passes while making only one interception.

"There are games that obviously stand out where we didn't play well down the stretch," Coyle said. "We've got to do more things well at critical times."

Miami actually had trouble stopping Denver the entire game. The Dolphins tackled poorly, put little pressure on Manning and allowed 167 yards rushing to C.J. Anderson.

"We didn't play great fundamental football, which has been our trademark since we've been here," Coyle said. "I'm not really sure totally why."

Other notes of interest. ... As ESPN.com's James Walker notes, Miami's offense has been notorious for its slow starts.

But the group's stock is rising after coming out hot and producing three touchdown drives for its highest-scoring first half of the season. The Dolphins registered 212 yards of total offense in the first two quarters. They also had a season-high 90 rushing yards in the first half, and the early production was needed against Denver's explosive offense.

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Ryan Tannehill went head-to-head against Broncos star Peyton Manning and never flinched. Tannehill threw for 228 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in a losing effort. Tannehill also led the team to five touchdowns in five red zone trips. The Dolphins entered the game ranked No. 30 in red zone efficiency.

As the Sports Xchange notes, Tannehill is now No. 8 in the NFL in completion percentage at 66.1, No. 10 in touchdowns (20) and No. 11 in passer rating (93.4). Each is a career best and he continues to trend upward, according to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor.

"I think Ryan is getting better," Lazor said. "I think he's playing with control. I have a lot of confidence he's only going to get better. He's a competitor. He likes to run the ball. I think he's feeling better and better about what we are doing in the pass game. Obviously, we didn't have enough (Sunday). We need a little more."

Jarvis Landry is the team leader in receptions (49), taking the lead over Mike Wallace (48). Landry, a rookie second-round pick who has been as good during the season as he looked during training camp, is second on the team in receiving yards (490) and touchdowns (five).

Wallace wasn't on the practice field Wednesday. He worked and played through a calf injury last week, so this could a continuation of that. I'll have more via Late-Breaking Update in coming days. ...

As noted above, Clay missed last week's game mostly due to the hamstring injury, which he sustained in last Wednesday's practice. Backup tight end Dion Sims (four receptions, 31 yards) did a nice job filling in for Clay both blocking and receiving. Sims isn't as polished as Clay, but he's coming along nicely.

Brandon Gibson (five receptions, 42 yards) had two fumbles against Denver, neither of which was lost. Still, it was a troubling sight and might have hurt Gibson in the coaches' eyes. Otherwise, he seemed to do OK with an increased workload due to the absence of Clay. ...

And finally. ... Lamar Miller (12 carries, 59 yards) did well despite a sore shoulder and knee injury suffered in practice last week, and Tannehill had his first rushing TD of the season. Miami rushed for 97 yards and two TDs, which was good. But it wasn't difference-making.

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DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore RB: Lamar Miller, Daniel Thomas, Damien Williams WR: Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Jarvis Landry, Rishard Matthews, Brandon Gibson TE: Charles Clay, Dion Sims, Gator Hoskins PK: Caleb Sturgis =========================

=========================MINNESOTA VIKINGSAs ESPN.com's Ben Goessling notes, Teddy Bridgewater's first NFC North game was supposed to come against the Green Bay Packers in prime time at Lambeau Field four days after he threw for 317 yards in his first NFL start.

The fact the rookie missed that game with a sprained ankle, evidently, was still on his mind on Sunday, when a quarterback usually lauded for his composure came out firing rockets.

"I wasn't able to play the first time we played the Green Bay Packers, and I was just trying to get a feel for this rivalry," Bridgewater said. "I think I was just very excited to be able to play the Green Bay Packers for the first time. I just have to settle down and remain poised and let the game come to me."

On a day when their defense held the league's hottest offense to 24 points and their cornerbacks won plaudits from Aaron Rodgers, the Vikings will have to wonder if they could have secured their first NFC North win of the year had Bridgewater been more accurate.

In the first two quarters, he overshot Charles Johnson deep, threw too high for Jarius Wright, had an interception overturned by a holding penalty, fired a 9-yard pass that required a leaping grab from Greg Jennings, floated an interception that Micah Hyde said "felt like it was in the air for five seconds" and threw another high pass that Tramon Williams nearly intercepted.

In the third, he missed Johnson on a deep throw after Sam Shields fell down, costing the Vikings a chance at a touchdown before Blair Walsh's field goal.

Bridgewater settled down in the fourth quarter, playing his best as he usually does when the Vikings tried to rally late. He hit eight of his 10 throws in the fourth quarter, for 69 yards and a touchdown, as the Vikings pulled within three

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of Green Bay. But the efficient, assured quarterbacking Bridgewater did at the end of the game made it easy to wonder why he couldn't play that way earlier.

"I didn't think he was as accurate as he normally is early in the ballgame," head coach Mike Zimmer said. "He had a couple of high throws, a couple of missed throws. He seemed to settle down in the second half -- now, he got hit a bunch of times; we didn't protect him nearly well enough. He continued to keep drives alive in the second half, so those were all good things. We have to start, he needs to play better in the first half."

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Bridgewater was off target on seven of his 37 passes on Sunday, which was tied for the third-most off-target throws he has had in a game this season. He generally hasn't been among the league's wildest quarterbacks this season -- he's 15th in the league in terms of the most off-target throws per game -- but what sticks out is how many of his struggles have come early in games. On Sunday, six of his seven off-target throws came in the first half.

"One of the things I told him is, 'You can't win a game by yourself; you can't lose a game by yourself,'" Jennings said. "When you have a guy that you know is trying to do everything the right way, you're willing to be patient. There's mistakes that I will make. There's mistakes he's going to make. But at the end of the day, I can't focus on the mistakes. We have to learn how to be together, and make sure we're doing things the right way to give our team a chance to win."

Bridgewater has criticized himself for overthinking things on a number of occasions this season, and his rough start to Sunday's game seemed to be because he was too fired up. It's another thing he's working through as a rookie quarterback, but on Sunday, it cost him a chance for a better debut against the Vikings' biggest rival.

Bridgewater will get his next shot this week, when the Vikings continue their three-game homestand against the Carolina Panthers.

Other notes of interest. ... Johnson, a seventh-round draft pick of the Packers in 2013, got his first NFL start and his first NFL touchdown against his former team on Sunday.

And with the receiving corps struggling to separate from defenders and connect with Bridgewater, Johnson also became the top target on Sunday. He was

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targeted 11 times and caught only three balls for 38 yards. He had a third-down drop on a deep ball inside the Green Bay 10.

But, overall, at least Johnson is getting open. Not bad for a guy who was signed off the street in late September and caught his first pass in the team's 42-10 loss at Green Bay on Oct. 2.

"The team that drafted me, I got my first catch on (in Week 5) and now I got my first touchdown on and my first start against them," said Johnson, who suffered a knee injury in training camp and never played for the Packers in 2013. "It was pretty exciting for me but kind of overshadowed now that we lost. I know what type of player I can be, I know what type of player I am. It's just all about opportunity. Hard work makes opportunity and creates your own success. ..."

Meanwhile, fellow receiver Cordarrelle Patterson was slow to get up after he was dragged down on his 42-yard kickoff return in the third quarter and sustained knee and ankle injuries on the play. But Patterson said he thought he'd be fine and added he didn't want to give up kickoff-return duties because of the injury risk.

"Of course it's always risk-reward every time you get back there on a kickoff return," Patterson said. "But it's my job. Being back there, I have to take full advantage of it. ..."

Patterson (ankle, knee) did not practice Wednesday.

According to Pro Football Focus, Kyle Rudolph played on 61-of-69 snaps in Sunday's loss. This in contrast with the 14 snaps he got in his Week 11 return from hernia surgery. Rudolph caught three passes for 50 yards. ...

Jerick McKinnon has 538 yards rushing, becoming the seventh rookie in franchise history to top 500. With 264 yards in the final five games, he would move ahead of Chuck Foreman for second place with 802. First is Adrian Peterson, who had 1,341 in 2007.

Matt Asiata missed Sunday's game against the Packers and still has not passed the league concussion protocol.

Running back Ben Tate was active for his first game in a Vikings uniform but was one of two players on the Vikings' active roster not to see the field on

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Sunday (Christian Ponder was the other). Joe Banyard got his first NFL carries instead, running five times for 26 yards in Matt Asiata's absence.

"I think Banyard had the hot hand at the time," Zimmer said.

For the record, Asiata returned to practice Wedneday while McKinnon (back) sat out. That's become the norm for McKinnon in recent weeks. I'll have more on McKinnon and Patterson via Late-Breaking Update as the week progresses. ...

And finally. ... Right tackle Phil Loadholt suffered a torn pectoral muscle in Sunday's game against the Packers and will miss the rest of the season. Loadholt has missed only two games and starts since becoming a starter as a rookie in 2009.

Mike Harris, who spent the past two seasons with the Chargers, will step in for Loadholt. Harris started 12 of 20 games for the Chargers and was there in 2012 when current Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner was Chargers head coach.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Teddy Bridgewater, Christian Ponder RB: Jerick McKinnon, Joe Banyard, Ben Tate, Matt Asiata, Adrian Peterson RB: Jerome Felton WR: Greg Jennings, Charles Johnson, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jarius Wright, Adam Thielen TE: Kyle Rudolph, Chase Ford, Rhett Ellison, MarQueis Gray PK: Blair Walsh =========================

=========================NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTSAs Associated Press sports writer Howard Ulman notes, the Patriots have piled up points and big victory margins against NFL division leaders.

Now they're preparing to face another one and leaving all those routs behind.

"Nobody is happier than I am when we win, but right now all that doesn't really mean anything going into Green Bay," head coach Bill Belichick said Monday. "They're playing real good football now."

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The Patriots will be playing in Lambeau Field, where the Packers are 5-0 this season with their own string of runaways -- against Minnesota (42-10), Carolina (38-17), Chicago (55-14) and Philadelphia (53-20) in their past four home games.

New England (9-2) can match that with the last four games in its current seven-game winning streak -- against Chicago (51-23), Denver (43-21), Indianapolis (42-20) and Detroit (34-9).

So why not call Sunday's game The Blowout Bowl?

Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater is reluctant to use that word.

"It's not realistic for us to expect to continue to blow teams out like that, or, I don't want to say blow out, but win by a large margin," he said. "I can't really put my finger on what it is. I think it's a culmination of things and preparation, I think, is at the forefront of that.

"But you've got to have some breaks along the way and we've certainly had our fair share of those."

More importantly, the Patriots have simply dominated most opponents during their winning streak. Starting with a 43-17 win over Cincinnati, four of those seven wins have been by at least 22 points against teams that were in first place entering the games.

In the latest, they picked apart the team that had allowed the fewest points in the NFL, scoring 34 on Sunday, the most against the Lions (7-4) all season.

The Patriots and Packers (8-3) are one-two in the NFL in both points per game and average margin of victory.

In Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers (ranked first) and New England's Tom Brady (sixth), they have two of the best quarterbacks.

Tight end Tim Wright caught two touchdown passes from Brady on Sunday and has contributed to the blowouts by scoring on six of his 23 receptions.

"I would just say taking it one play at a time, not looking at the scoreboard" keeps the offense rolling, Wright said. "It all builds up at the end of the game when you look at the scoreboard at the points that we're beating teams by."

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The more they score, the more the momentum and confidence grow.

"When you're able to string together a few scoring drives or, defensively, have a big stop, or special teams score a touchdown, it gives you a lot of confidence," Slater said, "and confidence is contagious. So when our group is showing confidence and we're rolling, we've been fortunate enough to continue to be able to do that."

Meanwhile, as ESPN.com's Jackie MacMullan noted, there was considerable discussion about what Jonas Gray would do for an encore after rushing for 201 yards, being named AFC Player of the Week and landing on the cover of a national sports magazine.

Here's what he did on Sunday: nothing.

Nothing at all. Gray stood on the sideline with his helmet strap carefully tucked around his chin without getting onto the field for a single snap while his team completely dismantled the Detroit Lions 34-9.

You don't need to be a Rhodes Scholar or an analytics genius to discern that Gray's tardy arrival at practice Friday played a major role in his disappearing act.

It's one thing to be an All-Pro cornerback who shows up late to the facility, as Darrelle Revis did earlier this season -- and still started the following game. It's quite another to be a rescue from the practice squad who was given the opportunity of a lifetime, then botched it within days by breaking one of the rules that's guaranteed to trigger the wrath of Bill Belichick.

Gray would not confirm whether his sitting out was a disciplinary decision but said he was "moving past" the issue.

"I'm glad we got the team win. I think it would have stung more if I didn't play and we would have lost the game," Gray said. "I'm happy for these guys and I just wish I was able to contribute to the win, but I was glad that we came away with the victory and these guys played great."

Belichick was even more brief in his comments when asked why Gray did not play any snaps in the victory.

The snaps, including penalties, looked like this: Vereen (62), LeGarrette Blount (17), Brandon Bolden (2) and Gray (0).

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"We do what we think is best," he answered. "That's what we did today."

And that's they'll always do, often to the chagrin of fantasy owners. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Despite a lack of commitment on the ground against the Lions' top-ranked run defense, the Patriots had a pretty solid run game. Blount pitched in with 78 yards and two touchdowns in his return. Shane Vereen didn't find running room, but he did chip in eight catches for 48 yards. Normally, this would be an average performance, but against a top run defense, the grade gets inflated.

As for the wideouts, ESPN.com's Mike Reiss notes it's a two-man wide receiver show in New England. The Brandon LaFell experience keeps getting better as he looked deadly on play-action passes, especially with comeback routes. Julian Edelman should win the toughest man alive award after taking a beating throughout the game and playing on an injured thigh. He still contributed 11 catches for 89 yards.

LaFell left the game in the fourth quarter after making a diving catch and did not return, with members of the athletic training staff looking at his left shoulder on the sideline.

After the game, LaFell met with reporters and relayed that he won't be sidelined because of the ailment. "I'm good. If we had a game tonight, I'd be ready to play," he said. "I won't miss [any] time. My body is feeling great."

Asked how good it feels to have worked himself into a top role, which makes his injury status is a top storyline, LaFell said, "It feels great to be where I'm at now compared to where I was at the beginning of the season. Going out there and putting together good games back-to-back and earning [Brady]'s trust, and the coaching staff's trust, and the trust of my teammates to depend on me in big-time situations like it was today, it feels good. As a whole offense, as a whole team, we feel good to be in the position we are now."

Meanwhile, if it's possible for Rob Gronkowski to have a quiet day while still putting five catches for 78 yards on the stat sheet, then he did it Sunday. Gronkowski's best moments came when he was left uncovered on two consecutive plays over the middle of the field at the end of the first half to set up a field goal.

Wright continued to make his contributions in the red zone with two touchdown grabs on the day.

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Wright's previous season high for snaps played was 21, which he hit twice (at Miami on Sept. 7 and vs. Chicago on Oct. 26). He shattered that total in this game with 60 (including penalties), as the Patriots favored a pass-first approach out of their two-receiver/two-tight end/one-running back package with Gronkowski and Wright as the tight ends.

With Wright known as more of a receiving tight end, it set him up for his most extended opportunities of the season. His two touchdown receptions give him six this season. ...

Aaron Dobson was once again inactive, the 2013 second-round pick serving as a healthy scratch for the eighth time in 11 games this season. James White, a fourth-round rookie, was a healthy scratch for the ninth time this season. ...

And finally. ... According to ESPN.com's Field Yates, the Patriots signed Slater to a 2-year, $4 million extension through 2016 on Wednesday.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo RB: Shane Vereen, LeGarrette Blount, Jonas Gray, Brandon Bolden, James Develin, James White WR: Brandon LaFell, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Bryan Tims, Matthew Slater, Aaron Dobson TE: Rob Gronkowski, Tim Wright, Michael Hoomanawanui PK: Stephen Gostkowski =========================

=========================NEW ORLEANS SAINTSAccording to ESPN.com's Mike Triplett, the Saints got one thing right in Monday night's 34-27 loss to the Baltimore Ravens -- the offensive aggressiveness and sense of urgency that was so blatantly lacking a week earlier.

The Saints' first play of the game was an empty-backfield pass, with Drew Brees hitting Jimmy Graham for 11 yards.

Their second: a 67-yard gain on an end-around run by seldom-used dynamic receiver Joe Morgan.

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Of course, that drive ended with a failure to punch it in, despite having first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. But we've established by now that this team is far from perfect.

At least the Saints looked more like their usual selves on offense while failing to get the job done.

"Last week was real tough the way we looked, but I thought we had energy tonight," said head coach Sean Payton, who had admitted his team was too "flat" after a 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. "I felt like our guys had the energy and were ready to go. It's a game that comes down to opportunities, and we weren't able to capitalize on them."

That aggressive approach backfired when Payton said he went with a "gut feeling" to go for it on fourth-and-1 on the Saints' opening drive because he thought it was an important time in the game to send a message. Saints running back Mark Ingram wound up getting stuffed for the third time on that goal-line stand.

But it was the execution that failed -- not the mindset, especially considering the Saints need their offense to lead the way with their defense struggling so mightily.

"Our approach going in, and our players knew it, was that we were going to be aggressive in this game," Payton said. "And we obviously could look back and [have] kicked it. But it's something I decided."

Brees' performance was also aggressive but imperfect.

His stat line was a pretty good summation of what kind of night it was, for better and for worse: 420 yards, three touchdowns and one colossally-costly interception that was returned for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Brees admittedly missed a couple of throws in the red zone -- where the Saints scored only 20 points on five trips inside the 16-yard line. However, he seemed to be too generous on himself for a poor decision to throw the interception while under pressure.

Brees described it as "really just bad luck -- you get wrapped up just as the ball's coming out of your hand and it kind of deviates the throw a little bit."

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The offensive line did earn its share of the blame, too -- on that play and many others. The Saints couldn't run a lick in the first half, and Brees was sacked four times overall.

In a bit of a role reversal, the unit that played the best was the receiving corps, which had been sagging for much of the season. Morgan also had a 62-yard catch in the first quarter. Marques Colston and Kenny Stills also had big nights. Even Nick Toon got in on the action.

Another positive spin for the Saints: Baltimore's defense was probably the best remaining on their schedule. New Orleans will certainly have better opportunities for success against the other three struggling members of the NFC South later this season (vs. Carolina in Week 14, vs. Atlanta in Week 16, at Tampa Bay in Week 17).

And, yeah, that's grasping at a consolation prize at this point. But, hey, someone has to win the embarrassing division. And an aggressive, attacking Saints offense offers their only hope to be that team. ...

Up next, the Saints' AFC North nightmare continues with a trip to Pittsburgh to face the 7-4 Steelers. The Saints are 0-3 against the AFC North this year. The only good news is that the rest of the NFC South is also getting hammered by that division, which is why the Saints are still tied for first. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Believe it or not, Brees is actually on pace to throw for 5,078 yards with 32 touchdowns and a league-best 70.3 completion percentage.

But it's still easy to see that he's not playing up to his usual standard. And according to Triplett, it's easy to identify why: The turnovers.

Brees has thrown 11 interceptions and lost two fumbles this year. And it's not just the volume that's disturbing -- it's how incredibly costly they've been in huge moments. His interception returned for a touchdown in the third quarter of Monday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens was the latest example.

Brees has thrown three pick-sixes this year. Only Blake Bortles and Austin Davis have thrown more, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Brees' accuracy also has been a tick off on some of his deep balls throughout the year and some of his red zone throws Monday night. And I don't disagree with analysts who say he's not the same as usual this season.

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But Triplett also believe that's magnified by the fact that the Saints so desperately need Brees to do it all for them. Brees has been pressing too much with the Saints' defense once again playing so poorly (a flashback to 2012 in both regards). ...

This was also one of the worst performances of the year for the Saints' offensive line. New Orleans couldn't run a lick against a stout Ravens front (except for a 67-yard end-around by receiver Joe Morgan). Brees' four sacks matched a season-high. And Brees was also hit as he threw the pick-six while trying to escape the pocket.

Morgan and Colston both gave the offense the juice it so badly needed. Morgan had just two touches in the game, but they were a 62-yard catch and that 67-yard end-around run. Colston caught four passes for 82 yards, including two big-time catches down the field, one for a touchdown.

Stills was second among the team's wide receivers as he logged 51 snaps Monday, and was second on the team overall in targets with nine. He and Brees hooked up on nine of those passes for a team-high 98 yards in the loss.

As CBSSPorts.com notes, Stills' playing time increased from 56 percent of the team's snaps last week to 70 percent Monday, as he mostly stepped right into Brandin Cooks' role.

Toon set career highs Monday night with three catches for 42 yards in the loss to the Ravens. The five targets he received also were a career best.

"Obviously, I prepare every week like I'm playing," he told the New Orleans Times-Picayune (via CBSSports.com). "I got an opportunity to go out there and get some good work in. Hopefully, I can continue to be out there contributing and I just have to build off of what we did last night. ..."

And finally. ... Ingram, who had averaged 26 carries in the team's previous four games, had just 11 Monday, en route to a disappointing 27-yard showing. More alarmingly, Ingram played just 34 percent of the team's snaps in the loss, as Pierre Thomas' return cut into his playing time drastically.

Thomas had just five carries, but hauled in six passes while playing 53 percent of the team's offensive snaps, as they fought their way back from a late deficit.

The Saints were within 10 points of the Ravens for much of the game, until a late touchdown put the Ravens up 14 with three minutes left. However, the

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Saints were clearly focused on throwing the ball for much of the game, which meant Thomas was the more useful option. As CBS' Chris Towers suggests, that has to be concerning for Ingram's owners, who have gotten used to a healthy dose of carries.

This won't be as much of a concern if the Saints jump out to early leads, but it adds a layer of uncertainty to the situation we haven't had to worry about in recent weeks.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Drew Brees, Luke McCown RB: Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas, Travaris Cadet, Khiry Robinson FB: Erik Lorig WR: Marques Colston, Kenny Stills, Robert Meachem, Nick Toon, Joe Morgan TE: Jimmy Graham, Ben Watson, Josh Hill, Tom Crabtree PK: Shayne Graham =========================

=========================NEW YORK GIANTSAccording to the Associated Press, Eli Manning isn't giving up on the season even though the Giants' playoffs chances are just about shot.

Coming off a sixth straight loss that left the Giants with a 3-8 record with five games to play, Manning on Monday said it's time for the team to start doing things right. It's time for the Giants to win a game.

New York, which can no longer win the NFC East after Sunday night's 31-28 loss to the Cowboys, will get a break over the final five weeks with games against Jacksonville (1-10), Tennessee (2-9), Washington (3-8), St. Louis (4-7) and Philadelphia (8-3).

All eight of the Giants' losses have been to teams that currently have at least seven wins.

"I think everybody wants to win," Manning said. "Everybody wants to get that feeling back. I have seen that these last few weeks, we haven't got discouraged. It is frustrating. Everybody is disappointed today that we didn't get that win. We didn't make every play we needed to get that win and left some plays out

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there on the field. I think guys understand every game is important, everything you are doing is important."

Manning said the Giants aren't playing for next season despite the prospect that they are going to miss the playoffs for the third straight season.

"Right now we are playing for this year, playing for right now," the two-time Super Bowl MVP said. "That is the mindset. I think you just have to understand that it is not too late to get on a hot streak and feel good about what we are doing."

Head coach Tom Coughlin said his sole focus is playing the Jaguars on Sunday.

"The goal is to win, to win a game," Coughlin said. "That's what we've been talking about for quite some time."

The Giants had chances to win the past two weekends against San Francisco (7-4) and Dallas (8-3). Five turnovers against the Niners led to a 16-10 loss, and the failure of the defense to stop Tony Romo and the Cowboys after the Giants took a 28-24 lead with 3:00 to play cost them on Sunday night.

Manning said the Giants weren't very good in 2006 and finished with an 8-8 record. The next year they won the Super Bowl without making many changes in personnel.

"Being with the same crew for a year, two years, or three years, it is going to make you stronger and more comfortable," Manning said. "We had some new guys on this squad and hopefully we will be able to stick together for a few more years and make something special. I think it can start right now. It can start at this time. I think we have made some improvement, we are doing some better things, but it is not too late to get on a hot streak, and get things rolling right now."

Veteran defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka isn't interested in the Giants' record.

"It is not about getting to a certain number," Kiwanuka said. "It is not about changing or doing anything out of the ordinary. It is about playing hard and just getting wins."

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Meanwhile, Odell Beckham's mindset was simple before making a one-handed catch quickly heralded as one of the best in NFL history: Just catch the ball.

Little or no thought of keeping his feet inbounds. Or screening Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr. Or how to position his body.

But after years of practicing one-hand catches in practice and before games, instinct and reaction took over early in the second quarter in his team's loss to Dallas.

Beckham fully extended his body, leaping back and reaching as far as he could with his right hand to haul in a 43-yard heave from Manning. The spiral hit his thumb, middle and ring fingers and fell the rest of the way into his hand for a touchdown.

It was the kind of catch that drew a visceral reaction from fans watching it, hanging on the replay and begging for a GIF to share online.

The moment was set up through years of practice.

At LSU, he and a teammate practiced the grabs to improve his game. And he does it before every NFL game with Giants equipment man Ed Skiba throwing the ball.

"Hold on to the ball," Beckham said when asked what he was thinking when it came time to make that practice pay off. "The ball couldn't have been placed better. It was a perfect spiral. With a ball like that, it makes it a lot easier to make a catch."

Asked if that made it an easy catch, Beckham smiled.

"Not by any means," the Giants' first-round draft pick from LSU said. "Just the ball placement makes it a lot easier to do something like that."

As AP sports writer Tom Canavan noted, small, tough-to-notice things made the catch even better. Carr grabbed Beckham's jersey just before the catch and Beckham seemed to hook the defender's arm in pushing him away. Two officials threw flags and for a split second, fans wondered whether Beckham was being called for offensive pass interference. The call went the other way.

http://www.gfycat.com/PointedKindheartedAtlanticsharpnosepuffer

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Beckham also somehow kept his feet inbounds before the catch and also landed inbounds, making it a legal catch. Once the replay confirmed the catch, the play took a life of its own online while the crowd roared its approval.

"Honestly, after that type of moment, I couldn't really hear anything that's going on besides the crowd," he said. "I was just looking in the crowd and seeing the excitement that they had. That's enough right there."

Manning said he was impressed Beckham could make the catch without pulling the ball into his body as he fell.

"It was like he caught it with a couple of fingers," said the two-time Super Bowl MVP who also combined with David Tyree on the famous "helmet catch" during the title game in 2008. "It also looked like he pulled it down and was ready to throw it. He kind of had a grip on it like he was ready to make a throw."

Returning to the bench, teammates smiled and congratulated the kid with the oversized hands for a 5-foot-11 player.

"I think I had a few guys just smile and laugh and say 'that was the best catch I've seen,'" Beckham said.

Still, the catch was hard to enjoy Sunday night after the 31-28 loss to the Cowboys, the sixth straight for the Giants -- even if fans were drawn to the moment online.

"I wish there wasn't so much technology," Beckham said. "It's just a sick feeling losing. I've gotten better. I definitely don't like to lose, no matter what it is. Keep fighting. Keep practicing this week. Practice hard and come out next week ready."

Meanwhile, Manning has been the Giants' starting quarterback for a full decade, and he's not sure he's ever played with a player quite like Beckham.

"He's a little bit different type of receiver than we have had," Manning said on a conference call Monday. "He has that explosiveness coming out of breaks, that speed. Getting down the field, the catch ability -- he catches the ball very naturally. Obviously, the big hands. He is a pretty rare combination of speed and explosiveness, with also really good route-running and being able to stop on a dime as well out of his breaks."

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But mostly, Manning sounded impressed with Beckham's ability to do the nitty-gritty work of a wide receiver at such a young age.

"He comes out of his breaks very sharply. He doesn't drift," Manning said. "You're able to see right when he's making that cut and he's coming out of his breaks very smoothly. His breaks are very precise. It's much easier for the quarterback to know where he's going to be out of the break."

One last note on Beckham. ... The rookie took a shot to his back that caused him to leave the game for a bit, was "very sore" the day after, according to head coach Tom Coughlin. "He had mentioned to me that he had something like this in college as well," the coach said, adding that he was unsure if Beckham's practice time would be affected in the coming week. "We'll have to see how that goes."

Beckham is, however, practicing fully this week. ...

Other notes of interest. ... According to the Sports Xchange, it really doesn't seem to matter who the Giants line up on the offensive line. This unit cannot run-block to save its life, and in the latest fiasco, New York finished with an average of 2.8 yards per carry.

The issues continue to be the interior of the line, where right guard John Jerry and center J.D. Walton just couldn't get any push nor sustain blocks. When it over, the Cowboys managed to drop the Giants ball carriers for seven tackles for a loss, which is unacceptable.

Indeed, as CBSSports.com's Scott White, in his second game back from a four-game absence for a knee injury, Rashad Jennings topped 100 total yards for just the third time this season thanks in large part to a season-high eight catches. But outside of PPR leagues, his fantasy owners couldn't help but feel disappointed by the performance.

That's because the one time the Giants ran the ball inside the 5-yard line, they gave it to Andre Williams, who promptly scored.

Given that Williams got 10 carries to Jennings' 19, it probably wasn't a fluke occurrence. White added, Jennings is still a great option in PPR leagues, but in standard formats, this timeshare is some cause for alarm. Fortunately, this week's game at Jacksonville should make him worth starting in all formats.

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DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib RB: Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, Orleans Darkwa RB: Henry Hynoski WR: Odell Beckham, Rueben Randle, Preston Parker, Corey Washington, Kevin Ogletree TE: Larry Donnell, Daniel Fells, Adrien Robinson PK: Josh Brown =========================

=========================NEW YORK JETSAmid the final weeks of a lost season, Rex Ryan has decided to give Geno Smith one last shot.

Or at least somebody has. ...

As Profootballtalk.com's Michael David Smith suggested, it's possible that the decision wasn't up to Ryan. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported that Ryan preferred Vick -- but that the decision might be taken from Ryan by GM John Idzik and owner Woody Johnson.

Regardless, the Jets are going nowhere this season. And the quarterback to lead them in the future probably isn't on the roster right now.

According to NFL.com's Conor Orr, Ryan met with both quarterbacks early on Wednesday morning.

It would be hard to imagine the 2-9 Jets going away from Smith again this season.

At this point, this decision almost feels meaningless and closes the book on another disastrous season at quarterback for the club. The team has been pining for stability for so long that it's hard to remember the last time they felt totally comfortable with the man under center.

Smith, who could very well be auditioning for a role elsewhere next season, is 1-7 as a starter in 2014 with just seven touchdown passes. He completed fewer than 60 percent of his throws and was picked off 10 times in nine games.

The decision is also an interesting one from Vick's perspective.

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On one hand, he came into the season hoping this one-year deal could propel him to another starting role next year. On the other, reports of his uninspiring training camp and relative acceptance of a backup role could not ring truer, especially when Vick himself started to admit that he wasn't prepared for games. What kind of opportunity will he get next season?

It's worth noting that Ryan offered only a lukewarm assessment of Smith's performance, saying he was "pretty decent." He criticized Smith for a late sack and for not sliding on a scramble. In short, Ryan didn't sound like he was eager to get him back in the starting lineup.

Vick was solid in his first two starts, but he struggled against the Bills. Under heavy pressure, he completed only 7 of 19 passes for 76 yards and an interception. He was sacked five times. His worst moment was overthrowing a wide-open Eric Decker on what should've been a 69-yard touchdown pass.

Smith replaced Vick with 4:57 remaining in the third quarter. At the time of his benching for the Kansas City game, Smith had committed 37 turnovers in his 24 career NFL games.

Meanwhile, the Jets are 2-9, so their final five games will just be a slow trudge to the finish for Ryan, who the Newark Star-Ledger believes "almost certainly will be fired after the season. ..."

Up next, we'll all get to see just how bad the Jets are on "Monday Night Football." They face the Miami Dolphins (6-5) at MetLife Stadium.

Other notes of interest. ... According to ESPN.com's Rich Cimini, someone needs to Percy Harvin he shouldn't return kickoffs from 8 yards deep in the end zone. Time after time, Harvin made poor decisions, putting the Jets in bad field position. He averaged only 16.6 yards per kickoff, with a long of only 23 yards.

Harvin caught 14 passes and rushed seven times in the two games preceding the Jets' bye. As CBSSports.com noted, in Monday's loss to the Bills, he was nearly invisible. Harvin made a 2-yard catch on five targets and got zero carries.

Running backs Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory each ran seven times in Monday's loss. Johnson gained 40 yards, Ivory 31, but the Jets got away from the ground game as their deficit mounted.

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Johnson caught three of four passes for 22 yards, while Ivory hauled in all three of his targets for 7 yards.

Cimini added that several players said the Bills threw a curve ball, showing more two-safety looks than ever before. Usually, the Bills are a single-high safety defense. The Jets never adjusted, as the offense looked lost throughout the game. ...

And finally. ... Jace Amaro (concussion) did not practice Wednesday and will have to make it through the NFL's concussion protocol before getting clearance for Monday night. The additional day that comes with a Monday kickoff will help Amaro, but not fantasy owners who will surely find better options in advance of that.

Jeff Cumberland would move into the starting role if Amaro can't go, with Zach Sudfeld moving up to work two-TE sets.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Michael Vick, Matt Simms RB: Geno Smith, Chris Ivory, Chris Johnson, Bilal Powell RB: John Conner, Tommy Bohanon WR: Eric Decker, Percy Harvin, Jeremy Kerley, Greg Salas, T.J. Graham, Walter Powell, Saalim Hakim, Chris Owusu TE: Jeff Cumberland, Zach Sudfeld, Jace Amaro PK: Nick Folk =========================

=========================OAKLAND RAIDERSHow fast is the Latavius Murray train filling up after the running back burst on the scene Thursday night with 112 yards on four carries, including touchdowns of 11 and 90 yards?

The swell of support behind Murray, who left the game in the second quarter with a concussion, has been palpable. And for good reason: He's looked like the Raiders' most explosive back the past two weeks in limited attempts. The world wants, nay, needs more Murray in Oakland.

However, interim coach Tony Sparano pumped the brakes to our train on Friday, hesitating to trumpet Murray as the featured back moving forward.

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"I know what he did, but he played nine plays and unfortunately got hurt. He had a heck of a run," Sparano said. "He also had the ball out one time which we need to get corrected."

That fumble came on the play in which Murray suffered the concussion. The 24-year-old back tweeted that he was fine on Friday. The Raiders got the weekend off after their first win of the season, so we won't get an official update on the back's status until next week.

Sparano said Murray would get more work when healthy but added the young back has to continue to earn them in practice.

"Like any young player there is a progress you've got to see before you feel like you're going to put him out there in those situations," Sparano said. "I've had to see that in practice, and little by little I've seen it and this has kind of been where it has gone."

After watching Darren McFadden slip and slide for a 3.4-yards-per-carry average and Maurice Jones-Drew flop around for negative plays, Murray deserves a longer look as the front office evaluates their talent in another lost season.

Murray, who ran for two TDs against Kansas City, did not practice Monday, but he was on the field Wednesday. This after he was scheduled to undergo a baseline test Tuesday, according to ESPN.com. The fact he was able to get in some work on Wednesday is a positive sign -- though he still has more steps to take in order to get cleared.

I'll have more on his progress via Late-Breaking Update in coming days. ...

Meanwhile, receiver Rod Streater returned to practice Monday for the first time since breaking his left foot two months ago.

Streater was placed on the injured reserve list with a designation to return on Oct. 2 after breaking his foot in New England. He was eligible to return to practice on Nov. 13 but was finally ready to do so on Monday.

The Raiders now have a 21-day window to decide whether to activate Streater and place him back on the 53-man roster. He is eligible to play as soon as this Sunday against St. Louis.

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"I think I'm close," Streater said. "I went through pretty much the whole practice without any pain. Cutting, running full speed, catching it. I feel I'm very close.

Streater had nine catches for 84 yards and one touchdown in two-plus games before the injury. Streater has 108 receptions for 1,556 yards and eight touchdowns since joining the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2012.

Sparano said he thought Streater looked good on the practice field but said it was important to be patient and not risk a more significant injury.

Streater said he got a bit "winded" in his first practice after spending the past few weeks working out on the side. He said it will take some time getting back into rhythm with quarterback Derek Carr after missing the past two months.

"That's going to be a big thing," Streater said. "I'm probably going to have to put in some extra time after practice, getting the timing down, but I felt like I didn't miss a step really. Little routes were off, but that's going to come. That will come back real quick."

Streater's return came the day the Raiders practiced for the first time since winning their first game of the season last Thursday against Kansas City.

Oakland had lost its first 10 games this season and 16 in a row dating back more than a year before breaking through with a 24-20 victory over the Chiefs last week.

"I saw good focus," Sparano said. "Normally you bring a team in on a Monday after a couple of days off, you see a lack of focus, a lack of attention to detail. They were very focused, very good in meetings and very good out there on the field."

While the Raiders have already started preparing for this week's game against the Rams, Sparano told his players that it was still all right to look back at the victory and savor that feeling.

"It's OK to close your eyes and think back to the locker room a couple days ago and think about what that feeling is all about because you want more of it," Sparano said he told the players. "It becomes something that possesses you a little bit when you win a football game like that. ..."

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Other notes of interest. ... Carr barely completed half of his passing attempts (18 of 35) for 174 yards against the Chiefs, but had the game-winning 9-yard touchdown pass to James Jones with 1:42 remaining.

The Chiefs got their hands on a lot of passes but never got an interception.

Jones has a team-leading 54 receptions, 10 behind his career high of 64 with Green Bay in 2012. Former Chargers wideout Vincent Brown made his biggest impact since joining the Raiders with two receptions for 30 yards.

Marcel Reece had seven carries for 26 yards in nine games and seven carries for 34 yards in the final drive against Kansas City. ...

And finally. ... The Raiders placed tight end David Ausberry on injured reserve with a foot injury, ending his season.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Derek Carr, Matt Schaub, Matt McGloin RB: Latavius Murray, Darren McFadden, Maurice Jones-Drew FB: Marcel Reece, Jamize Olawale WR: James Jones, Andre Holmes, Vincent Brown, Brice Butler, Denarius Moore, Kenbrell Thompkins TE: Mychal Rivera, Brian Leonhardt PK: Sebastian Janikowski =========================

=========================PHILADELPHIA EAGLESThe Eagles can finally look toward their NFC East showdown with the Dallas Cowboys, and they don't have much time to do it.

After disposing of the Tennessee Titans 43-24 on Sunday, the Eagles immediately turned their focus to the rival Cowboys, whom they will visit Thanksgiving Day.

"We had to stay focused on Tennessee all week," linebacker Trent Cole said. "That was the next game. And we were coming off a bad game (a 53-20 loss to Green Bay). So there was no reason to think about Dallas.

"But now we can. Now, it's all about Dallas. If you can't get excited for this game, you shouldn't be playing football."

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The Eagles and Cowboys go into Thursday's game with 8-3 records. The Eagles have a slight advantage in that Dallas already has one loss in the division, to Washington, while the Eagles are 2-0.

According to Associated Press sports writer Rob Maaddi, a closer look shows just how similar the teams are. The Eagles' eight wins have come against teams with a combined record of 28-59-1. Dallas' eight wins have come against teams with a combined record of 29-58 heading into New Orleans' matchup with Baltimore on Monday night.

Two of the teams' losses have come to both Arizona and San Francisco, although the Eagles lost both games on the road and Dallas lost them both at home.

Coincidentally, the Eagles are 6-0 at home and the Cowboys are 5-0 on the road.

"It's going to be a great game," defensive end Fletcher Cox said. "I'm really excited, man. I'm looking forward to it. We're ready to roll. We're ready for Thursday."

Head coach Chip Kelly and his staff got to work on the Cowboys while Dallas was still playing Sunday night against the New York Giants, returning to their offices right after the win over Tennessee.

The Eagles had a light practice Monday, went full out Tuesday and have another light practice Wednesday before flying to Texas.

"We've looked at them a lot," Kelly said about the Cowboys. "We've got a pretty good understanding of what they are right now. They play extremely hard on the defensive side of the ball; and then, obviously, offensively they are running the ball at a very, very high rate."

Dallas has the NFL's leading rusher in DeMarco Murray, who has rushed for 100 yards in 10 of the Cowboys' 11 games this season.

"I think our run defense has been good. I think it's been a strength," Kelly said, even though the Eagles are ranked 17th in that category. "And that's obviously one of their strengths, so it should be a good matchup."

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After playing in Dallas Thursday, the Eagles host Seattle and Dallas on consecutive Sundays. Those two games against Dallas in 17 days will go a long way toward deciding the title.

Meanwhile, as ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan noted on Monday, the Titans were exactly what the Eagles needed to get their running game back on track.

"They tried to play a lot of guys close to the line of scrimmage," Kelly said. "So when the ball does get popped, there's no real second-level defenders, and if we could get it past the second level, then we were going to get some big runs. I thought that's what we capitalized on."

LeSean McCoy carried the ball 21 times for 130 yards despite spending the fourth quarter watching from the sideline. McCoy could have padded his stats by playing, but having him healthy for the final five weeks, starting with Thursday's game in Dallas, was more important.

"It gets colder, the ball is a lot harder to catch," McCoy said. "Due to different weather, you might have to run the ball more and you pound the ball late in the year. Even though everybody talks about it starting to be a passing league, I think late in the year you really count on the running game to kind of take some time off the clock, to manage that game. I think late in the year, you have to count on your running game."

The Eagles had gotten to 7-3 with McCoy running for over 100 yards only twice. It stands to reason they will need a few more such games if they're going to finish ahead of the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East race. They will play Dallas on Thanksgiving Day.

The Titans' defense was ranked near the bottom of the NFL against the run. The Eagles were able to get a good rhythm going for the first time in weeks.

"We just stuck to it," McCoy said. "Coming off a terrible loss to Green Bay, everybody focused in and had a terrific week of practice and we just stuck to it. I think everybody executed. They got the backs in one-on-one situations. The guys up front really, really blocked well."

It was a performance that helps smooth the road for the tough games ahead. McCoy heard the whispers. He snapped at a reporter who asked him during the week whether he was the same player who led the NFL in rushing last season. "Are you crazy?" was the gist of McCoy's reply.

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"Obviously," McCoy said, "you guys and everyone else are going to make their own opinions and write what they want, so I am fine with that. As long as the guys in the locker room, they know what's up. We are a team. If the running game isn't going, I'll take the blame or whatever. It doesn't really matter as long as we're winning games. And that's what we've been doing this year."

There was no blame to take Sunday. McCoy ran the ball like it was 2013 and the Eagles won. ...

On the injury front. ... Jordan Matthews was added to the injury report leading up to Thursday's showdown against the Cowboys with a knee injury.

Matthews has led the team in receiving for the past three weeks, totaling 25 catches, 322 yards and three touchdowns over that span. On Sunday he came down with six grabs for 77 yards. He has 635 yards and six scores on the season.

Kicker Cody Parkey was added to the injury report for Thursday's game against the Cowboys due to a groin injury. As CBSSports.com notes, Parkey is days removed from registering 19 points against the Titans. He converted 5 of 6 field goal attempts. He is expected to play Thursday. ...

Indeed, Matthews, Parkey and tight end Zach Ertz (oblique) are all listed as probable. ...

Josh Huff's 107- yard kickoff return was the 10th return touchdown of the season for the Eagles. That total includes two kickoff returns, two punt returns, two interception returns, two blocked punt returns and two fumble recoveries. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only other team since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger to have 10 return touchdowns in its first 11 games was the 1976 Denver Broncos. Those extra touchdowns help explain how the Eagles have managed to score 30 points or more seven times in 11 games. ...

Huff was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday. ...

Riley Cooper said he was "joking" when he commented Monday that Jeremy Maclin's contract situation is playing a role in his playing time, but Maclin did not find it funny.

"That was not a very smart thing for Coop to say," Maclin said.

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As the Philadelphia Inquirer notes, Cooper's playing time has decreased over the last six games from 91 percent of the offensive snaps during the first six games to 76 percent in the last six. He played 58 of 87 snaps (67 percent) in the Eagles' 43-24 win over the Titans on Sunday. Maclin's role has not changed.

When asked about it Monday, Cooper said that "Maclin's trying to get a contract so he's probably not going to try and come out of the game." Cooper emphasized he was joking and admitted he shouldn't have made the comment.

"I'm supposed to sub every four, five plays and that's what I do," Cooper said. "Maclin, I guess, is a lot better player than me, so he doesn't have to sub. I guess I should have said that yesterday."

Maclin said that the rotation is different on his side than Cooper's side. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said the wide receiver rotation is fluid.

"We get a couple of long plays or a play where a receiver is involved in something and we may sub in and out, so it's -- we got a good little system for it," Shurmur said. "I won't reveal all the details, but that's how we do it."

And finally. ... Quarterback Nick Foles, out with a broken collarbone, will have a checkup to see how the break is healing either this week or next week, according to Kelly.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley, Nick Foles RB: LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles, Chris Polk WR: Jeremy Maclin, Jordan Matthews, Riley Cooper, Brad Smith, Jeff Maehl, Josh Huff TE: Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, James Casey, Trey Burton PK: Cody Parkey =========================

=========================PITTSBURGH STEELERSAfter consecutive 8-8 seasons, the Steelers are in the playoff hunt again at 7-4 and in a much different form than they and their fans are accustomed -- their offense is their strength; defense not so much.

With quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, wide receiver Antonio Brown and halfback Le'Veon Bell among the best players at their positions in the league,

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the Steelers have an explosiveness on offense that could carry them into the playoffs and beyond.

But they have been a disappointment, too. They have lost to the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets (scoring just 13 points) and barely escaped Jacksonville and Tennessee.

As the Sports Xchange notes, the Steelers are one of four teams in the AFC who are 7-4 and not in first place in their division. The Ravens win over the New Orleans Saints Monday night, leaves three teams in the division behind the 7-3-1 Cincinnati Bengals at 7-4.

The Steelers' next game is against New Orleans Sunday.

All five of the Steelers remaining games, come against contenders -- Cincinnati, Kansas City (7-4) and the top two teams in the NFC South, New Orleans and Atlanta, although both of those teams have losing records.

"We wouldn't have it any other way," said defensive end Cam Heyward. "What better way to say we're part of the playoffs than to beat some of these playoff teams? We have a five-game stretch where we want to take care of business and cement ourselves in the playoff picture."

Their most recent game was typical of the Steelers season. They jumped quickly on top of Tennessee 10-0, then fell behind by 11 points by the start of the fourth quarter before pulling out a 27-24 victory.

"We just have to be consistent," cornerback Ike Taylor said. "We started off hot in that Tennessee game and then came that ebb and flow. We just have to stay consistent. There can't be no ebb and flow. So when we start fast we have to finish fast

"But since I've been here, that's how we play. For some odd reason, man, we always give each other heart attacks on the sideline. ..."

Meanwhile, with LeGarrette Blount gone and only two inexperienced rookies behind him, halfback Le'Veon Bell says he feels no more pressure to perform. Bell has 252 touches 195 runs (951 yards, 2 TDs) and a team-record 57 catches for a halfback (484 yards, 2 TDs). Those opportunities could climb over the next five games.

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"I don't really feel pressure," Bell said. "This is what I trained for. I didn't feel fatigued in the game or tired. As long as I continue to work and train as I've been, I'll be fine."

Fantasy owners should be thrilled at the notion of undersized speedster Dri Archer (8 rushes 41 yards) and practice squad promotee Josh Harris the only other options on the rosters.

Head coach Mike Tomlin would not reveal to reporters whether Archer or Harris will get more carries behind Bell, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Tuesday. Tomlin added that he's not reluctant to use both rookie backs.

"Everyone is probably excited to watch them and see what they can do," Tomlin said.

Still, in Bell they have one of the most versatile and hard-working backs in the league, one they'll rely on heavily as the calendar flips to December. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Roethlisberger ranks fourth in the NFL with both 297.3 yards passing per game and his 105.3 passer rating. He has thrown 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions -- and he's also the fourth-most sacked quarterback in the league with 30.

Brown leads all receivers with 88 receptions and is second with a 105.5-yard average per game with a career-high nine touchdowns.

A few final notes here. ... Jarvis Jones (wrist) who has been on the short-term injured reserve since his injury in the third game and subsequent surgery, started practicing Monday, which gives the Steelers three weeks to decide whether to activate him or keep him on IR the rest of the season.

Safety Shamarko Thomas, who missed the past five of six games with separate hamstring injuries, went through a full practice Monday.

Tomlin also told reporters he's not expecting any issues in terms of safety Troy Polamalu (knee) playing Sunday against New Orleans. Tomlin also included cornerback Ike Taylor (forearm), who is on track to return to the starting lineup Week 13.

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DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones RB: Le'Veon Bell, Dri Archer, Josh Harris FB: Will Johnson WR: Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, Martavis Bryant, Lance Moore, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Justin Brown TE: Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Michael Palmer PK: Shaun Suisham =========================

=========================ST. LOUIS RAMSAccording to Associated Press sports writer R.B. Fallstrom, Shaun Hill can relate to that nauseating sense of failure 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick carried off the field earlier this month when his goal-line fumble handed a victory to the St. Louis Rams.

Now, it's Hill's turn to be humbled.

The Rams (4-7) turned to the 34-year-old journeyman confident he wouldn't make the game-killing mistakes that dogged neophyte Austin Davis' play. St. Louis was turnover-free in a surprise victory over the Broncos last week, perhaps the signature accomplishment of the three-year Jeff Fisher era. But Hill was the goat after his goal-line interception in Sunday's three-point loss at San Diego.

"Shaun just made a bad decision," Fisher said Monday. Later, he added, "He'll be fine."

As is the case most in of his day-after news conferences, Fisher was a lot more interested in second-guessing the officiating. He had harsh words for referee Carl Cheffers' crew, which assessed a total of 17 penalties.

"I knew this crew's going to throw (flags), and we talked about it," Fisher said. "They were incorrect at times and they missed things as well."

Fisher thought wide receiver Kenny Britt had been held on Marcus Gilchrist's deciding interception, although he added that doesn't often get called. But he had trouble comprehending offsetting penalties that wiped out Tavon Austin's 73-yard punt return to the San Diego 5 late in the fourth quarter.

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After the Rams' Marshall McFadden was called for offensive holding and Chargers punter Mike Scifres was penalized for a low block, St. Louis had possession at the San Diego 40 with 1:27 to go.

Fisher had no argument with where the ball was spotted. But he said game tape didn't reveal the Rams penalty.

"I mean, we've been looking for it today," Fisher said. "Seriously, we looked all over the place for it. We just didn't see it."

The Rams advanced to the 4 with just over a minute to go anyway, seemingly a cinch to at least force overtime. Hill took full responsibility for throwing into traffic.

"It is a tough loss, but I think the mark of a true pro is somebody that can take all the pats on the back one week and then take all the ridicule the next week and still be the same guy after both," Hill said. "Hopefully, that's the example I'm going to set for this team and I think this team is built to do just that.

"That's been the way we've picked ourselves up in the past and I wouldn't expect anything different."

The Chargers were the last in a string of eight consecutive opponents that had double-digit wins last year. The Rams were 3-5 during what Fisher referred to as a "gantlet," including the stunning 13-10 steal at San Francisco, and must win out to avoid an 11th consecutive season without a winning record.

They're a touchdown favorite to beat 1-10 Oakland at home this week and should get defensive end Chris Long back from the injured reserve-designated for return list from ankle surgery.

Their lack of consistency is evident by the fact they've yet to win consecutive games. No one has a good reason for it.

"I really can't say," Austin said after scoring his first touchdown of the season. "They trust in me and I trust in them. We'll get back to work next week and work 10 times harder."

If there's any consolation, the entertainment value was definitely there in San Diego.

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Janoris Jenkins returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown, partially offsetting San Diego's two touchdowns in a span of 21 seconds. Two touchdown passes were wiped out by penalties, although they ended up scoring on one of the drives, plus had a field goal blocked by San Diego.Johnny Hekker pulled off another fake punt.

The missed opportunity at the end overshadowed all of it.

"It was like a stab in the back," running back Tre Mason said. "It was like one of your friends crossing you."

As ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner notes, the backbreaking and avoidable turnover from a quarterback has been a sight all too familiar for the Rams this season.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, it was the Rams' NFL-leading fifth interception this season when trailing in the fourth quarter by seven or fewer points. That's three more than any other team. And it reaffirmed this simple truth: for the Rams to take the next step from mediocrity to contender, it starts with the quarterback.

With their brutal eight-game stretch against 2013 playoff teams (plus Arizona) now finished, the Rams return home to take on the well-rested Oakland Raiders, who are coming off their first win of the season.

Other notes of interest. ... As CBSSports.com's Scott White asked this week, "So who predicted Stedman Bailey would lead the Rams in receiving Week 12 at San Diego?"

Despite entering the game with only eight catches all season, there he was catching seven balls for 89 yards and a touchdown.

White went on to contend it wasn't one of those fluky, flow-of-the-game-type performances either. The Rams only lost by three. Since the injury to Brian Quick in Week 8, no one had emerged as the go-to guy, and the recent change at quarterback only added the opportunity.

So perhaps we shouldn't be any more surprised by this performance than we were by Britt's four catches for 128 yards and a touchdown last week. Britt, by the way, had only two catches for 37 yards in this one, receiving six targets, which is exactly why you should sit back and see how this situation develops rather than commit big dollars to Bailey.

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The opportunity is there for sure, but Rams aren't exactly built to have a prolific passing attack. And so far, no one has sustained anything from one week to the next. Even Quick had to do that before we bought into him in fantasy.

Still, we at least have a pecking order. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that Britt played 59 snaps at San Diego, followed by Austin (50) and Bailey (43).

Chris Givens played just 14 snaps and was not targeted.

As for the rushing attack. ... Mason had 62 yards on 16 carries and Benny Cunningham 4-for-18. Austin scored his first touchdown of the season on a 6-yard run and had three carries for 27 yards.

It wasn't a great day for the Rams offense as a whole but Mason had some big gains. With 32 snaps, Mason's playing time actually decreased from last week, as the Rams leaned on Cunningham a little more. Cunningham played 30 snaps on offense.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Shaun Hill, Austin Davis RB: Tre Mason, Benny Cunningham, Zac Stacy, Chase Reynolds, Trey Watts WR: Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens TE: Jared Cook, Lance Kendricks, Cory Harkey, Alex Bayer, Justice Cunningham PK: Greg Zuerlein =========================

=========================SAN DIEGO CHARGERSThe perceived easy part of the San Diego Chargers' schedule is over.

They close with five games against teams with winning records.

The Chargers (7-4) have won just one game against a team with a winning record, a Week 2 upset against defending Super Bowl champion Seattle.

The Chargers beat the Rams 27-24 Sunday after safety Marcus Gilchrist intercepted Shaun Hill at the goal line with 56 seconds left.

It was San Diego's third takeaway. But the Chargers also had three turnovers, including a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown by Janoris Jenkins.

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Says head coach Mike McCoy: "Week in, week out, you turn the ball over and odds of losing go up higher."

San Diego visits Baltimore Sunday. The Ravens were 6-4 going into Monday night's game at New Orleans.

Meanwhile, ESPN.com's Eric D. Williams reports that Philip Rivers sees it after he hands the ball off to Ryan Mathews -- the real possibility that whenever his talented teammate touches the ball, he can score from anywhere on the field.

"You need a home run sometimes," Rivers said. "A 30-yard run or whatever it was. He ran so hard."

Mathews finished with 105 yards on 12 carries, averaging a robust 8.8 yards per carry, a career-high for a game, in the San Diego Chargers' 27-24 win over the St. Louis Rams. It's no surprise that with the return of Mathews, the Chargers magically can run the football again after languishing most of the season in the cellar of the NFL in yards per carry.

Having Mathews back in the fold gives San Diego's offense the balance the team craves, at a time when the Chargers need it most -- making a final push toward a second straight postseason run. At 7-4, the Chargers are right in the thick of the AFC West division race, a game back of the Denver Broncos (8-3) and tied with the Kansas City Chiefs (7-4).

"When we need a first down or a big run, he always delivers for us," Chargers cornerback Brandon Flowers said. "He's so humble, he doesn't hardly care if he gets noticed or not. It's great having him on the team. We have a lot of guys on the team that don't care about notoriety, and that can take us a long way."

Establishing balance on offense is critical for San Diego's offense moving forward. Rivers said his team's offense is at its best when they are going no-huddle, controlling tempo by mixing the pass and run, converting third downs and getting into the end zone.

The Chargers finished with 128 yard rushing as a team on 22 carries. But up 27-17 with just over eight minutes left, San Diego struggled to grind out a win. The Chargers ran just three times in the final quarter. San Diego is 5-0 in games this season in which they rushed at least 22 times and totaled at least 101 rushing yards

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Mathews suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter but returned to help close things out.

"This was a fun game," Mathews said. "The intensity was really high. The Rams brought a tough game. Their defense is tough. I think we did a great job of keeping our composure and getting a win."

Mathews' bruising running style also provides extra fuel for a banged-up offensive line that had trouble getting a push in the run game. On Mathews' 32-yard touchdown run, right tackle D.J. Fluker could be seen racing alongside Mathews to get an extra block.

"I was excited to see him break loose," Fluker said. "You saw me high-stepping, because I knew he was gone. To have him back healthy, and to be able to run and do the things he's used to doing is great."

Rookie Chris Watt, the fourth starting center for the Chargers this season, said Mathews gives the guys up front more motivation to hold on to blocks longer because they know he can break free for big gains on any play.

"You know if you give him a little opening and stay on your block a little longer, he's going to get some big yardage for you," Watt said.

Mathews' running style is infectious. It's something that spreads throughout the entire offense and the defense, adding fuel to another potential postseason run.

"I told them, let's just push piles," Mathews said. "If we got a couple defenders on me, then let's just push the pile forward. And they've been doing it. And that's very humbling that they take what I say to heart, and they do it. All the credit goes to them. ..."

Other notes of interest. ... As Williams suggested, Rivers wasn't awful, but he has not returned to the MVP-type effort we saw from him early in the season. Rivers finished 29-of-35 for 291 yards, one touchdown pass and an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Rivers eclipsed 35,000 career passing yards with his effort on Sunday and now has 35,204.

Keenan Allen rebounded from a couple costly mistakes. He continued to struggle finding a rhythm with Rivers. Allen finished with six receptions for a team-high 104 receiving yards. But he failed to knock down the pass that Jenkins intercepted and returned 99 yards for touchdown. Allen also fumbled

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after a long reception and muffed a punt after cornerback Chris Davis ran into him.

However, Allen corralled his second touchdown catch of the year, a 29-yard reception for the winning score. Allen has as many tackles (2) as touchdown catches (2) this season.

And finally. ... After he's dealt with a nagging back issue for most of the season, the Chargers finally brought center Rich Ohrnberger's season to a conclusion, placing the Penn State product on the season-ending injured reserve.

The Chargers now have placed three centers on injured reserve this season in Nick Hardwick (neck), Doug Legursky (knee) and Ohrnberger.

Rookie Chris Watt started in place of Ohrnberger last week against the St. Louis Rams and played well. The Chargers selected Watt in the third round of this year's draft as a potential long-term replacement for Hardwick at center, and the Notre Dame product will get a chance to prove his worth for the rest of the season with Ohrnberger out.

With a vacant spot, the Chargers signed outside linebacker Cordarro Law from the practice squad to the active roster.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Philip Rivers, Kellen Clemens RB: Ryan Mathews, Branden Oliver, Donald Brown, Ronnie Brown WR: Keenan Allen, Malcom Floyd, Eddie Royal, Seyi Ajirotutu, Dontrelle Inman TE: Antonio Gates, Ladarius Green, John Phillips, David Johnson PK: Nick Novak =========================

=========================SAN FRANCISCO 49ERSAs ESPN.com's Paul Gutierrez noted this week, 11 games in and the San Francisco 49ers have yet to put together a complete game, one in which the offense, defense and special teams all show up on the same day.

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There was a significant development Sunday, though, in the Niners' 17-13 victory over Washington. One that gives the team faith for the last five games of the season and, the Niners hope, into the playoffs.

That is, the first-team offense finally, mercifully scored a fourth-quarter touchdown. And the first such score of the year proved to be the difference when rookie running back Carlos Hyde rumbled into the end zone from 4 yards out with 2:59 to play. And yes, it's understood that technically Hyde is a second-stringer, but the point remains (No. 2 QB Blaine Gabbert led the backups to a TD late in the blowout loss at Denver).

"Now is a good time to have it," Colin Kaepernick said. "So, we're going to need more of those moving forward."

Things looked bleak for the 49ers earlier in the quarter, considering their final-quarter offensive travails, after Kai Forbath's 46-yard field goal gave Washington a 13-10 lead.

And when the Niners faced fourth-and-1 at their own 34-yard line with just over five minutes to play, the game was on the line. Enter Frank Gore, who gained 3 yards to extend the drive.

Then came the key catch and run of the game.

Kaepernick found Anquan Boldin down the right seam for a 23-yard pickup, the ball arriving just before Washington safety Ryan Clark, who launched his head into Boldin's helmet. But while Clark fell to the grass, where yellow flags littered the field, Boldin bounced off and ran for another 6 yards.

"I knew I was going to get hit ... I saw the safety cheating to that side before the play even started," Boldin said. "So Kaep made a real nice throw, which allowed me to catch the ball and protect myself as much as possible at that point."

Clark was called for unnecessary roughness, a 15-yard penalty, so by the time the Niners lined up for their next play, they were at Washington's 19-yard line -- two plays after facing fourth-and-1.

"Valiant effort," head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Anquan Boldin with that catch in traffic. Great throw by Colin. Our guys did what they needed to do when they needed to do it. Good teams win those kind of games. Proud of our guys.

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"By any means necessary. That's how we're looking for wins."

It took the Niners only three more plays to find the end zone -- a Hyde run up the gut for 5 yards, a Kaepernick pass to Boldin on the left that picked up 10 yards and Hyde's game-winning charge.

It was particularly satisfying for Hyde in that he lost a fumble on the first play of the second quarter.

"I fumbled and they put the ball back in my hands," Hyde said.

"It took me a minute to get over that play."

But he did. And the Niners' offense got over its fourth-quarter case of the yips as it extended the team's winning streak to three games.

Was it for just one game, though, or is it the springboard this team needs to really get going?

"That's big-time stuff," Harbaugh said. "Good team doing what it has to do to win the football game.

"They play their hearts out. Valiant effort, individual effort and team effort. What more could you want if you're a coach?"

Maybe more fourth-quarter touchdowns by the offense to ease the anxiety. ...

The 49ers (7-4) play host to the Seattle Seahawks (7-4), who handed the division-leading Arizona Cardinals their second loss of the season Sunday, on Thanksgiving night in what many see as a possible playoff elimination game between two second-place clubs. ...

On the injury front. ... Gore was among the players listed on the 49ers' first injury report of the week Monday. The team held a walk-through instead of a practice. But because of Thursday's game, they and the Seahawks were required to submit injury reports as if they had a full practice.

Gore, 31, would have been listed as limited with a knee injury. He dealt with a hip ailment before the team's Week 11 game against the Giants but was not on the injury report for the contest against Washington.

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Brandon Lloyd (quadriceps) and fullback Bruce Miller (shoulder) worked fully. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Kaepernick's 30-yard touchdown pass to Boldin in the first quarter did more than give the Niners the 7-0 lead; it also tied a franchise record. It was the 18th straight game in which Kaepernick had thrown a TD, tying him with Hall of Famer Steve Young, who did it from Oct. 9, 1994 through Nov. 26, 1995.

Boldin continues to march up the NFL's all-time receiving charts. His 137 receiving yards Sunday against Washington allowed him to jump three guys and move into 20th place on the all-time list with 12,169. The 100-yard game was the 36th of his career; he now stands seventh on the NFL's all-time list in that category.

Bruce Ellington missed his second consecutive game Sunday because of a sprained ankle. He was replaced on punt returns by Perrish Cox and on kickoff returns by Hyde. ...

One last note here. ... Kaepernick is a man of few words on weekly conference calls, but he did have an opinion Tuesday on whether Jim Harbaugh would return as the team's head coach.

"I think he'll be back," Kaepernick said.

When asked what makes him think that, Kaepernick had a two-word answer: "His resume."

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert, Josh Johnson RB: Frank Gore, Carlos Hyde, Alfonso Smith FB: Bruce Miller WR: Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Brandon Lloyd, Steve Johnson, Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington TE: Vernon Davis, Vance McDonald, Derek Carrier PK: Phil Dawson =========================

=========================SEATTLE SEAHAWKSAccording to Associated Press sports writer Tim Booth reported, the first step

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for Seattle's return to the NFC West race had nothing to do with what happened on the field. The Seahawks had to clear their own in-house issues.

And like most conversations for the franchise, it started with Pete Carroll. But instead of leading the charge, Carroll simply broached what needed to be addressed and put the responsibility on his core group -- including Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Doug Baldwin and others -- to make sure the entire locker room understood the message.

For at least a week the message was embraced, capped by the Seahawks' 19-3 win over Arizona on Sunday. The question now is whether it can carry forward on a short week Thursday night against San Francisco.

"It was a topic I was on and generated some questions with some guys and we got together and just tried to bring the truth out of what was important," Carroll said Monday. "I was able to step back and let them pass the message on and they did a great job and we're just getting going. We've been trying to find our best play throughout the year. We've been working at it and this week it came clear and we made sense of it."

If Seattle (7-4) can pull off a win over the 49ers, it will be back in the discussion of elite teams in the NFC. But the talk in the locker room after Sunday's victory centered on the difficult conversations before the win over Arizona.

"It's hard to get to that point but once you open the floor up, then it's easy to talk about it," Baldwin said. "The feeling was pretty mutual throughout the locker room. There was something missing. There was a feeling that was missing and we're getting that feeling back."

The idea of a midseason refocus isn't unusual. The Seahawks had similar issues a season ago when they played poorly in victories over St. Louis and Tampa Bay. At that point, the conversations were more about fundamentals than the atmosphere in the locker room.

"This was different just in the direction of it, but the impact of it was basically the same," Carroll said.

Sunday's win included a defensive performance that was reminiscent of last season's dominant unit. The Seahawks allowed only 204 yards for their best total since St. Louis had just 158 in Week 17 of last season. It was the eighth

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regular-season game in the past two seasons where Seattle held its opponent under 10 points.

A significant factor was the return of middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, who missed five games with a toe injury. But that was only part of the positive showing. Strong safety Kam Chancellor had one of his best games of the year, and Seattle's pass rush flustered Arizona quarterback Drew Stanton.

"I'm here and I'm trying to make as much of an impact as I can," Wagner said.

Seattle was unable to get Marshawn Lynch going against the Cardinals, and he finished with 39 yards on 15 carries. Lynch has been dealing with soreness in his back throughout the season, but Carroll said he should be able to play Thursday despite not receiving the usual full week of rest.

"We'll take good care of him and he's really smart about how he handles it and so we'll expect that he'll be ready to go and I know he won't want to miss this thing and he'll be ready to play," Carroll said.

Other notes of interest. ... According to ESPN.com's Terry Blount, only 13 times in NFL history has a quarterback finished a game with a higher quarterback rating than Wilson had Sunday (121.6) while getting sacked seven or more times.

That tells you all you need to know. Even though he was under constant duress from the blitz-happy Cardinals, Wilson found a way to get it done, throwing and running the football.

Arizona blitzed 33 times in 58 plays, including 22 of 33 plays in the second half. But Wilson was 11-of-13 for 153 yards against the blitz, including eight first-down throws. He also was 5 of 6 for 70 yards when under duress, including the game's only touchdown -- a 20-yard catch-and-run to tight end Cooper Helfet in the third quarter.

Wilson was the game's leading rusher with 73 yards on 10 carries, which included a 40-yard run in the second quarter that would have been a 49-yard touchdown run if not for a questionable holding call on Seattle Seahawks receiver Jermaine Kearse at the 9-yard-line. On the injury front. ... Lynch has been dealing with a back injury. But that back injury won't keep the 49ers from having to deal with Lynch on Thursday night.

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Citing a source with knowledge of the situation, Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio reports that Lynch "without question" will play.

If Lynch can get through the short-week game, he'll have a chance to get some extra rest before the Seahawks head to Philly for a showdown with the 8-3 Eagles.

Helfet sprained his ankle late in the game and figures to be a game-time decision. He was the only player to suffer a significant injury against the Cardinals.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Russell Wilson, Tarvaris Jackson RB: Marshawn Lynch, Robert Turbin, Christine Michael FB: Robert Turbin WR: Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Paul Richardson, Ricardo Lockette, Kevin Norwood, Bryan Walters TE: Luke Willson, Tony Moeaki, Cooper Helfet, ReShaun Allen PK: Steven Hauschka =========================

=========================TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERSMike Evans ended one streak Sunday while extending another as the dynamic rookie receiver of the Buccaneers accounted for Tampa Bay's lone touchdown.

The first-round pick out of Texas A&M was targeted 11 times against the Bears, catching three passes for 47 yards. One of his grabs was a 19-yard TD reception from Josh McCown early in the second quarter as he split out left and easily got behind rookie CB Kyle Fuller for a 7-0 lead.

"Josh told me in the huddle to go get it," said Evans, who had boasted at least four receptions in each of his first nine NFL games. "I knocked (Fuller's) hand down, ran into the end zone and Josh threw a great ball."

Evans has scored six times in his past four games and his stretch of four consecutive games with at least one receiving TD matches a franchise record last accomplished by Mike Williams over the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

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Williams also holds the franchise single-season mark for most TD catches with 11 in 2010, so Evans could stand alone in that category with four scoring receptions in the final five weeks.

"I'm not surprised," Evans said when asked about the 5-foot-11 Fuller attempting to cover him without help, while giving up six inches. "He's a good corner. It was definitely a lost opportunity today. We were doing some great things on offense. They couldn't really stop us. We were doing what we wanted to do -- and then the elements took over. The ball was real wet and it was unfortunate."

Meanwhile, fullback Jorvorskie Lane will miss the rest of the season with a right leg injury.

Lane was placed on injured reserve Monday, a day after he was hurt early in the second quarter of Sunday's 21-13 loss at Chicago.

Lane will need surgery for the injury.

"I'm ready to get it done to get into the healing process," he said. "It's very disappointing, but it's part of this game."

Lane is the only fullback on the Bucs' depth chart. Head coach Lovie Smith said his injury, along with injuries to their tight ends, limited the Bucs' offensive options against Chicago.

"That hurt us yesterday," Smith said. "It's hard to have a true running attack that we envisioned coming into the game, but you need to be able to adjust.

"That's what forced us to become more of a passing (team). You have to go with the best opportunity to be successful offensively, and that's what we had to do."

The Bucs have struggled to run all season. They rank 31st in rushing attempts (239), 29th in yards rushing (84 per game) and 24th in yards per rush (3.9).

Smith said Monday that the retooling of the offensive line has been less than successful.

"I think that's safe to say," he said. "We haven't played as well on the offensive line as we had hoped. We thought we needed to retool it starting off and had a few injuries, but we hadn't played as well as we need too. Everything starts up

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front, and as we talk about what we're doing offensively, I'll always start off talking about our offensive line."

After hiring Smith as head coach, the Bucs released veteran offensive linemen Davin Joseph and Donald Penn and traded center Jeremy Zuttah for a draft pick. They signed tackle Anthony Collins and center Evan Dietrich-Smith as free agents and traded for guard Logan Mankins. TackleDemar Dotson is the only returning starter on the offensive line.

"You come into a game and you have a commitment to running the football a certain amount of times," Smith said. "Then you get into a game and you have to look at what's working for you. ... Whenever we have 22 carries or something like that, would we like to have those numbers up? Yes."

The Bucs are averaging 84 rushing yards per game, the fourth-worst in the NFL.

On Sunday, they alternated Doug Martin and Charles Sims with few results as Tampa Bay was held to 66 yards on 22 carries.

It seems likely the rotation will continued with Bobby Rainey also in the mix. The three-man rotation is going to make it very difficult for fantasy owners to rely on any of them. ... Other notes of interest. ... Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown's play in Sunday's loss to the Bears at Soldier Field was nothing to smile about. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble as the Bucs, who jumped out to a 10-0 halftime lead, fell apart in the third quarter.

A tough loss to Atlanta two weeks ago left McCown in tears. But things started to look up for McCown and the Bucs when they won in Washington last week and the quarterback played his best game of the season.

Early on, McCown made it look like he was ready for another strong performance. He hit Mike Evans with a 19-yard touchdown pass with 13:24 left in the second quarter. He also directed a drive that led to a field goal at the end of the first half.

But rain began coming down heavier in the second half and that's when things unraveled.

"Obviously, when you get into this weather, it's not optimal throwing conditions," said McCown, who completed 25 of 48 passes for 341 yards. "But you've got to kind of manage it the best you can."

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The weather isn't a legitimate excuse. McCown is a 13-year pro and he spent the last three seasons playing in Chicago. The irony is that McCown's performance in relief of an injured Jay Cutler last year was so efficient that it earned him a two-year, $10 million contract with the Bucs. But McCown was far from efficient against his former team.

McCown had said that he was pressing too much early in the season. Was he pressing again?

"You could probably say most of us were pressing at times and then when the momentum shifted there, we did press a little bit," coach Lovie Smith said.

"I didn't feel like I was pressing at all," McCown said. "I felt like we had a good game plan. We were doing things we wanted to do. When you are throwing it and it's wet, some of the things you wanted to do in the passing game makes it a little difficult."

McCown said coming back to Chicago didn't put any added pressure on him.

"There was a moment right before kickoff that it kind of finally hit me," McCown said. "But once the ball was kicked and we started playing, it was just a football game. It was a football game that we needed to win and that's all that mattered."

The Bucs didn't get the win. You can put some blame on a running game that gained only 66 yards. And you can put some blame on a defense that wasn't nearly as good in the second half as it was in the first.

But most of the blame for this one goes on McCown. He was responsible for three of the Bucs' four turnovers. ...

Tight end Brandon Myers told reporters his calf tightened up on him while running a route during a Week 12 loss to the Bears. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Myers is no longer in a walking boot, but his status remains uncertain for Sunday's game against the Bengals.

Rookie Austin Seferian-Jenkins told reporters his back felt "a lot better" on Tuesday. Seferian-Jenkins left against Chicago with a tight back. He has 21 catches for 221 yards and two touchdowns this season. He was on the practice field Wednesday.

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Despite the optimistic outlook, the Buccaneers announced several roster moves on Tuesday -- with a pair of tight ends Cameron Brate and D.J. Williams -- added to the active roster.

The additional tight ends could be used to help cover for the loss of Lane. ...

Tampa Bay also waived wide receiver Marcus Thigpen, tight end Ted Bolser and cornerback Quinton Pointer from the practice squad, per the team's official website (via CBSSports.com).

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Mike Glennon, Josh McCown, RB: Doug Martin, Charles Sims, Bobby Rainey, Mike James WR: Vincent Jackson, Mike Evans, Louis Murphy, Robert Herron, Russell Shephard, Trindon Holliday TE: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Brandon Myers, Luke Stocker, Cameron Brate, D.J. Williams PK: Patrick Murray =========================

=========================TENNESSEE TITANSAs ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky suggested, since even before he took over as the team's starting quarterback, common sense said the Titans needed a thorough look at Zach Mettenberger this season to determine their future course at the position.

He struggled while absorbing five sacks and completing just 51 percent of his passes in Sunday's 43-24 loss to the Eagles.

But he's still providing cause for the team to think it may have its guy. His 345 passing yards were a rookie record for the 54-year old franchise. While that verdict isn't in, let's throw open another area that needs thorough review the rest of the way:

The run game.

For Mettenberger or anyone else quarterbacking the Titans to have a chance at success, the Titans have to be able to run the ball with more consistency. This year has been another disaster in that department.

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Running well is far more a function of winning than winning is a function of running well. Many good running teams post many yards late, while leading.

Still, there are situations when a team can force the issue. And it helps it maintain a balance that serves as an aide to the quarterback and the passing game.

The Titans have no such help from the run game now.

They weren't doing enough to be balanced before he took over. In Mettenberger's four starts, they've run, on average, five fewer times a game.

We don't know if they've found the right quarterback. We have more evidence on the running backs in the committee and their blockers, and it is worse.

Kuharsky reminded readers the Titans had their choice of running backs in the draft when they chose to take one 54th overall in the second round. They tabbed Bishop Sankey, a hard-working back from Washington they sold as a do-everything guy.

In a game when the Titans gave up plays to two high-quality backs in LeSean McCoy (21 carries for 130 yards and a score) and Darren Sproles (six for 25 and a TD) the Titans showed they don't have anything close to comparable weaponry.

Sankey got the bulk of the work and didn't do anything to suggest he has the combination of vision, power and speed the Titans need to run effectively.

He had 10 carries for 37 yards and three catches for 15 yards. With the Titans behind 34-17 in the third quarter, Daimion Stafford pulled in an interception and the Titans were poised to do something from the Eagles' 41-yard line. Sankey took a handoff and fumbled it back on the very next play.

The blocking for Sankey, Shonn Greene and Dexter McCluster is a well-documented problem. The Titans spent a great deal of free-agent money and their last two first-round draft picks to rebuild a line that does very little to set and maintain a tone as run blockers or pass protectors.

The Titans have a habit of getting behind, and that makes something that is already difficult for them to do even harder.

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"How are you going to run the ball when you're down 17-0 at the start?" left tackle Taylor Lewan asked. "That's hard."

Part of the problem is mission statement and identity.

Head coach Ken Whisenhunt wants a team known for its versatility. That's an admirable end point when you're the Patriots and you can see a matchup that begs for six offensive linemen and a bruising run game and you have the personnel and gumption to make it work. A team under new leadership lacking people power doesn't have the luxury to be versatile until after it's good at something first.

But to give Mettenberger or anyone a chance to do that, there has to be counterbalance in the run. The Titans don't have it, and they don't even talk about being hell bent on getting it.

"We've just got to clean that stuff up," tight end Delanie Walker said, after telling me how he isn't a coach and just tries to execute what is asked. "I think it's lot of just missed assignment and not knowing, when we get different looks, who to block. We've got to really figure out what we really want to do here and who really wants to play and get to the bottom of that situation."

Sankey, Greene and McCluster all need to be under review down the stretch. Three of the offensive linemen already are, I believe. Left guard Andy Levitre and right tackle Michael Oher could have only six games left in their time with the Titans.

"Any offensive lineman wants to run the ball, that's what you take pride in, not that pass pro is any different," said right guard Chance Warmack, who also is maddeningly inconsistent. "Why not? Why wouldn't you want to run the ball as an offensive lineman?"

Kuharsky thinks they want to, but he added: "The linemen, the backs, the Titans, they've all done a lot of work showing us they can't. ..."

This week, they'll try to get the job done against Houston in their first AFC South rematch of the year. Tennessee lost 30-16 to the Texans in Nashville on Oct. 26. ...

Other notes of interest. ... The Titans got a huge game from Walker as he returned from the concussion he suffered Nov. 9 in Baltimore that kept him out of the Monday night game against Pittsburgh. Walker had 155 yards, a Titans

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season high, on just five catches, besting his 142 yards, on 10 catches, against Dallas on Sept. 15.

His 68-yard catch and run showed off his speed, and he did well stiff-arming linebacker Emmanuel Acho to gain more ground.

The Titans fully realize just how good Walker is on a team that has not fared well at all.

"You can always count on Delanie to be a bright spot, he's a heck of a player," center Brian Schwenke said. "He's kind of our, I don't know, little lifeboat. When we can't get a play we get the ball to him and know he'll make a play."

Mettenberger continues to offer some hope for the future. He finished 20 of 39 for 345 yards, which is a rookie franchise record and the highest yardage total by a rookie quarterback this season. But he was sacked five times for the second time in four starts, and while the rookie admitted he needs to get the ball out faster, the offensive line was terrible for much of the day.

Receiver Justin Hunter appeared to have mistimed his leaps on several occasions during Sunday's game against the Eagles, according to the Tennessean.

"It sure looked that way a couple of times," Whisenhunt said. "That happens sometimes. But that's all part of growing and learning. He's a young receiver."

As CBSSports.com noted, Hunter was targeted a team-high 10 times -- four more than his previous two games combined. He finished with four catches for 64 yards. One of his four grabs was a 40 yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.

And finally. ... Whisenhunt said Monday that Sankey did not suffer a concussion on Sunday. However, he's dealing with a stinger. Whisenhunt also revealed that McCluster is going through the league-mandated concussion protocol.

More on both men in coming days.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Zach Mettenberger, Jake Locker, Charlie Whitehurst RB: Bishop Sankey, Leon Washington, Shonn Greene, Dexter McCluster,

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Antonio Andrews FB: Jackie Battle WR: Kendall Wright, Justin Hunter, Nate Washington, Derek Hagan, Kris Durham TE: Delanie Walker, Chase Coffman, Richard Gordon, Brett Brackett PK: Ryan Succop =========================

=========================WASHINGTON REDSKINSThe Redskins are planning to start Colt McCoy over Robert Griffin III this Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, according to multiple reports that began circulating Tuesday night.

While Griffin is not a part of Washington's plan for Sunday's game, he still appears to be a significant part of the Redskins' long-term plan, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

But for now, the Redskins are hitting the reset button, though it might not last long, a source cautioned as Washington has high hopes for the coming offseason.

Schefter explained: "For the first time since it surrendered three first-round picks and one second-round pick for the right to draft Griffin, the Redskins will have their full allotment of picks in addition to room under the salary cap. That means behind owner Dan Snyder and general manager Bruce Allen, the team will be positioned to strike this offseason, spend big-time dollars and improve its roster.

"Also, Washington hired head coach Jay Gruden in large part for his stellar work with quarterbacks, and the team is convinced coaching, cash and patience can help turn Griffin back into the player who won the Heisman Trophy and Offensive Rookie of the Year in back-to-back seasons.

"But for now, it has been a battle. ..."

Griffin is coming off his most challenging NFL outing at San Francisco, where he was battered in the pocket and struggled when he did have time to throw during a 17-13 loss to the 49ers. That showing forced Washington to consider the change.

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On Monday, Gruden said he intended to start Griffin against the Colts, but never fully committed to it.

This move represents yet another turn for Griffin and the Redskins. As a rookie he threw for 3,200 yards and rushed for 815 as the Redskins won their first NFC East title since 1999.

But since then he's dealt with major knee surgery, a fractured relationship with his first coach, Mike Shanahan, and questions about his leadership. This year, under Gruden, the concerns have been about his on-field development. Griffin lost some time to develop when he dislocated his left ankle in Week 2, sidelining him for six games.

McCoy helped rally the Redskins to a 19-17 win over Tennessee on Oct. 20 and followed that a week later in his first start with a win at Dallas on Monday Night Football. In those two games McCoy completed a combined 36-of-42 passes for 427 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

But, with Griffin healthy, the Redskins returned him to the starting lineup against Minnesota. Griffin's numbers weren't bad: He threw for 251 yards and a touchdown in a 29-26 loss to the Vikings. But a week later against Tampa Bay, Griffin was off all game. His numbers weren't horrible as he completed 23-of-32 passes for 207 yards. But he missed open targets and threw two interceptions -- the first because he passed up an open receiver, according to the coaches, and the second because he stared down his target.

Worse, Griffin was sacked six times. The coaches viewed that in part as a function of his inability to develop as a pocket passer.

Following a conservative game plan after the terrible outing the week before, Griffin completed 11 of 19 passes for 106 yards and was sacked five times in Sunday's loss to the 49ers. He has been sacked 16 times in his last three games, more than Kirk Cousins and McCoy were sacked in their six starts combined.

Third downs continue to be a problem: The Redskins are 1 for 41 when it's third-and-10-or-more this season.

"We can't attribute it all to Robert," Gruden said. "He is the quarterback, though, so we'll have to look at every avenue and figure out where we can improve."

And now they have. ...

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As for Schefter's reporting that Griffin is still part of the team's future plans?

Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio wrote: "Sure he is. He's a significant part of the team's long-term plan because the long-term plan is to trade him for draft picks who will become part of the long-term plan. ..."

Florio went on to explain there's no way the bridge can be rebuilt again in 2015, not after former coach Mike Shanahan cast Griffin aside and now Gruden has done the same thing. Unless Gruden gets fired after one year (it's not as outlandish a proposition as it would seem), Griffin won't want to return to Washington next season, where at a minimum he'll have to win via open competition during the offseason, training camp, and preseason a job his head coach currently thinks he isn't suited for.

So look for Griffin to quietly begin clamoring to be traded or cut. Trading him makes the most sense, because if he's cut Florio believes it's likely he'll land in Philly with Chip Kelly, "with a strong incentive to do everything possible to make Washington look like it made a mistake with the guy on whom Washington made a mistake by giving up three first-round picks and a second-round pick."

Whatever the case, the immediate future has McCoy back in as the starter. ...

Other notes of interest. ... As ESPN.com's John Keim notes, running back Alfred Morris continues to have a good second half to the season. He's breaking tackles again at the second level -- or making defenders miss. Morris rushed 21 times for 125 yards. The third-year back has run very well the past three games. Morris is just running well -- and did so especially to the right side Sunday.

Tight end Jordan Reed didn't play at San Francisco is day-to-day with a hamstring injury suffered against the Bucs. Reed, who missed Weeks 2-5 with a hamstring injury, took part in individual drills on Wednesday. I'll be following up in coming days.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT QB: Colt McCoy, Robert Griffin, Kirk Cousins RB: Alfred Morris, Roy Helu, Silas Redd FB: Darrell Young WR: DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Andre Roberts, Aldrick Robinson, Ryan Grant, Santana Moss, Leonard Hankerson

· Web viewPatriots special teams captain Matthew Slater is reluctant to use that word. ......

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