Time: 11 a.m., Colts by 7 1/2
Last meeting: Colts won 34-31 (OT) at Indianapolis on Dec. 26, 2004
Who knew: Game features matchup of AFC’s top two teams in red-zone efficiency. Chargers have had 45 possessions inside the 20 and have scored 33 TDs, a league-best 73.3 percent. The Colts, meanwhile, are three notches down at 32 for 51, 62.7 percent. That trails only San Diego, Seattle (68 percent) and Carolina (64.3).
Spotlight on: Peyton Manning
He may not win the award, but does anybody out there really believe Archie’s kid isn’t the MVP of the league? Here’s what you need to know when breaking down the Colts: They’re 78 of 151 on third down, a staggering 51.7 percent conversion rate. That’s almost 10 percent better than last season, when they converted 42.7. Much of that number is attributable to Manning, who is tied for the league lead with 27 TD passes and leads the league with a 108.2 passer rating.
Oh, and did we mention he’s particularly effective versus the Chargers? He’s 3-0 versus the Bolts and has thrown for 404 and 383 yards in his past two games against them.
Etc. Colts fans finally exhaled this morning after Manning stumbled while dropping back last week and came up grabbing his ankle. … A W today and Colts move one step closer to immortality. They would join ’72 Dolphins as the only NFL teams to start a season 14-0. Dolphins, of course, finished 14-0 before running the table in the playoffs. … Chargers fighting for playoff lives. A loss today and their final two games will be televised on The History Channel. … Talk about a brutal schedule. Bolts face Colts today, then head to K.C. before finishing season versus Broncos. … Drew Brees quietly having another big year for Chahguhs. Sixty-seven more passing yards and he ties last season’s total of 3,159. … Remember in Week 1 when Chargers TE Antonio Gates was suspended? He still leads AFC with 76 catches. … From the life-isn’t-fair dept.: Colts’ D second in the league in scoring defense at 13.8 points per.
Prediction: Colts 34, Chargers 29
Couch potato heaven
Pittsburgh at Minnesota
Time: 11 a.m., Steelers by 3
Last meeting: Steelers won 21-16 at Pittsburgh on Dec. 2, 2001
Vikings have their, ahem, ship headed in the right direction, having won six straight. … Who knew? Among active NFL QBs with 100 starts, Minnie’s Brad Johnson ranks third – behind Brett Favre, Peyton Manning – with a .610 W pct. … Stillers have won six of past seven vs. NFC North. … Did you know? Vikings TE Jermaine Wiggins needs three catches for back-to-back 60-catch seasons. … Vikings’ Darren Sharper has eight INTs, tied for second in the league with Champ Bailey.
Prediction: Steelers 27, Vikings 25
Atlanta at Chicago
Time: 6:30 p.m., Bears by 3
Last meeting: Bears won 14-13 at Atlanta on Sept. 15, 2002
Atlanta QB Michael Vick expected to play despite bruised ribs. … Falcons first in NFL in rushing, 26th in passing. … Bears CB Nathan Vasher has 12 INTs in 29 career games. … Bears, who won five games last season, are 6-1 at home. … ChiTown WR Muhsin Muhammad seeking third straight 100-yard game vs. Dirty Birds. … Falcons rookie WR Roddy White becoming a go-to guy for Vick. He’s averaging 16.6 per grab. … Bears have allowed fewer than 10 points in seven of 13 games.
Prediction: Bears 16, Falcons 15
Worth the electricity
Cincinnati at Detroit
Time: 2:05 p.m., Bengals by 7 1/2
Last meeting: Bengals won 31-27 at Detroit on Oct. 28, 2001
Just wondering: Who gets league MVP award, QB who could lead Colts to perfect season, or the one who carried deadbeat Bengals to double-digit Ws? Making choice even tougher is this: Carson Palmer and Peyton Manning tied for league lead with 27 TD passes. … Cincy a staggering plus-24 in turnovers. Now for the surprising part: Lions, for all their problems, are plus-3. … What, you didn’t think Bengals WR Chad Johnson had the stats to go with that mouth of his? Think again. Dude has 73 catches, second in AFC, for conference-leading 1,161 yards. … Lions at 4-9 playing the string again. Three more losses and maybe GM Matt Millen will get another contract extension.
Prediction: Bengals 31, Lions 22
Seattle at Tennessee
Time: 11 a.m., Seahawks by 7
Last meeting: Seahawks won 20-18 at Seattle on Nov. 29, 1998
Tin Men coach Jeff Fisher 0-4 career vs. Seahawks. Nice mustache, though. … With W, Seahawks would clinch first-round bye and tie franchise record for most dubyas in a season. … Seahawks coming off back-to-back 40-point games. … Seattle TB Shaun Alexander has 23 TDs, four from tying Priest Holmes’ NFL record. … Titans DE Kyle Vanden Bosch tied for second in league with 12 1/2 sacks. … Seattle D gittin ‘er done, too. Seahawks haven’t allowed a TD in past two. … Just wondering: When is a Nashville star going to write a country song about an ex-wife, a pickup truck and the Titans’ season?
Prediction: Seahawks 34, Titans 13
Dallas at Washington
Time: 2:15 p.m., Redskins by 3
Last meeting: Redskins won 14-13 at Dallas on Sept. 19
Remember last meeting between these two? Cowboys led 13-0 in fourth quarter before two late TD passes by Mark Brunell shocked Big D crowd, Monday night TV audience. … ‘Skins need W for first series sweep of Cahboas since ’95. … Washington WR Santana Moss, who caught both TD passes in first meeting vs. teams, second in the biz with 1,167 receiving yards. … Dallas’ Drew Bledsoe second in NFC with 20 TD passes. Not bad for a guy who couldn’t win a race with a fire hydrant.
Prediction: Cowboys 17, Redskins 16
San Francisco at Jacksonville
Time: 11 a.m., Jaguars by 15 1/2
Last meeting: Jaguars won 41-3 at Jacksonville on Sept. 12, 1999
Niners rookie QB Alex Smith, the first pick in ’05 draft, still looking for first NFL TD toss. He’s 48-of-96 for no TDs, nine INTs. … Smith and USC tailback Reggie Bush, the likely No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, played in same backfield at Helix High in San Diego. … Niners’ lone bright spot is DT Bryant Young, who has 8.0 sacks. Two more and he would notch his first double-digit season since ’99. … Jags haven’t missed injured Byron Leftwich much, if at all. With David Garrard at the controls, they’ve outscored opponents 32-9 in second half of past two games. … Jags plus-8 in turnovers, 49ers minus-11.
Prediction: Jaguars 24, 49ers 0
Beats cleaning the garage
Philadelphia at St. Louis
Time: 11 a.m., Rams by 3 1/2
Last meeting: Rams won 20-7 at St. Louis on Dec. 27, 2004
Harvard man Ryan Fitzpatrick playing like Charles Whatshisname from “M*A*S*H.” … Who knew, back in September, that Fitzpatrick and Mike McMahon would be starting QBs for this one? Or that Terrell Owens would be sitting in Atlanta without a team to call his own? … Rams an ugly minus-15 in turnovers, putting them minus-39 since start of last season. Yyyyouch! … At least Rams put up pretty stats. To wit: WR Torry Holt caught 10 balls last week, giving him 602 for his career. He and Colts’ Marvin Harrison are the only players in NFL history to surpass 600 mark in first seven seasons.
Prediction: Eagles 19, Rams 13
Carolina at New Orleans
Time: 11 a.m., Panthers by 9
Last meeting: Saints won 23-20 at Carolina on Sept. 11
Game will be played at Baton Rouge, La. Assuming, of course, Saints decide to play. … N’Awlins QB Aaron Brooks ripped NFL commish Paul Tagliabue the other day, blaming him for, among other things, Brooks’ 17 INTs. So what happens after Brooks’ diatribe? He’s benched for this one in favor of Todd Bouman. … Panthers QB Jake Delhomme returns to native Louisiana. … Delhomme’s favorite target, Steve Smith, leads league in catches (87), receiving yardage (1,329) and TD catches (10). So you’re assuming he’s an MVP candidate, right? Don’t count on it. A WR has never won the award. …
Prediction: Panthers 36, Saints 30
Get a life, Bubba
Arizona at Houston
Time: 11 a.m., Cardinals by 1
Last meeting: First game between teams
Just wondering: Does the winner of this one get a BCS bowl berth? … First meeting between the teams. If only it could be the last. … Cardinals 32nd in the league in rushing, Texans 31st in passing. … Can David Carr throw the ball? Yeah, but not if he’s lying on his back. Carr has been sacked 61 times, 49 more than Peyton Manning. … How deceiving are NFL stats? Cards lead the loop in passing yardage at 277 per, but many come in fourth quarter after issue has been decided. … Both teams minus-8 in turnovers. … Will Texans grab USC’s Reggie Bush with the first pick in the draft? Domanick Davis has 976 rushing yards, averaging 4.2 yards per.
Prediction: Texans 17, Cardinals 13
New York Jets at Miami
Time: 11 a.m., Dolphins by 8 1/2
Last meeting: Jets won 17-7 at the Meadowlands on Sept. 18
Oh, for the good old days, Jets fans. Like the last time these two met, when Chad Pennington threw two TD passes. … If you’ve got Jets rookie TB Cedric Houston on your fantasy team, you need to get out more, Bubba. Dude made his first Not For Long start last week, carrying 28 times for whopping 78 yards. … And now for a sentence you don’t hear every day in the 21st century: Dolphins looking to extend their W streak to four. … Miami WR Chris Chambers by the numbers: 68 catches, 958 yards, eight TDs. … Who knew? Gus Frerotte on pace for 3,000-plus passing yards for Dawfins. … Jets have Dolphins’ numero, having won 12 of past 15 vs. Fish.
Prediction: Dolphins 38, Jets 20
Cleveland at Oakland
Time: 2:05 p.m., Raiders by 3
Last meeting: Browns won 13-7 at Cleveland on Oct. 12, 2003
Raiders coach Norv Turner turning back to Kerry Collins as team’s startin’ QB. Marques Tuiasosopo started last week, but went for six sacks, four turnovers. … Browns minus-6 in turnovers, Raiders minus-4. … Rookie QB Charlie Frye starts again for Browns. He has run or passed for two TDs in first two starts. … Raiduhs DE Derrick Burgess leads NFL with 13.0 sacks. … Browns’ Reuben Droughns’ last trip to Oakland was last season with Broncos, when he carried 38 times for 178 yards.
Prediction: Browns 22, Raiders 20
Green Bay at Baltimore
Time: 7 p.m. Monday, Ravens by 3 1/2
Last meeting: Packers won 31-23 at Green Bay on Oct. 14, 2001
Memo to the powers that be at ABC: Couldn’t you show “It’s a Wonderful Life” instead of this clunker? … Brett Favre has thrown 22 INTs, five more than last season. … Ravens, meanwhile, have scored one offensive TD in past two games. … Pack minus-15 in turnovers, Ravens minus-14. … Jamal Lewis, who missed last week’s latest loss, could return for Ravens. Not that it matters, of course. … Pack rookie TB Samkon Gado has scored seven TDs in seven games. At that rate, he’d score, like, a whole bunch over the course of an entire season. … Don’t ask how, but Kyle Boller is 11-4 career in home games.
Prediction: Packers 20, Ravens 16
