Here's a look at the top storylines and big matchups from around the nation as we near kickoff on another Sunday of NFL football.
Here's a look at the top storylines and big matchups from around the nation as we near kickoff on another Sunday of NFL football:
The Big Buzz: Contenders collide
Denver quarterback Peyton Manning and the Broncos will tangle with the Ravens on Sunday. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
If you're hungry for the playoffs to begin, then this week's slate of games should provide a taste of the postseason atmosphere you so crave.
Sunday's schedule offers a six-pack of top-notch matchups with playoff implications: Giants at Falcons, Packers at Bears, Broncos at Ravens, Colts at Texans, 49ers at Patriots, and Steelers at Cowboys.
ESPN.com's John Clayton calls it "the defining week of the 2012 NFL season":
At no time in NFL history have six games this late in the season featured winning teams going against winning teams. The previous latest time it happened was in Week 14 of 2003. Ratings this week should be huge, and they deserve to be.
With four of those contests set for early afternoon starts, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com declares, "Rejoice, this is the week of the monster 1 p.m. kickoff!":
So let's bask in this week, because it doesn't get much better than this with the opening slate of games.
Four teams - the Texans, Patriots, Broncos and Falcons - have locked up playoff berths, leaving eight more postseason spots up for grabs. But as SI.com points out, even with so many contending team meeting head-to-head on Sunday, the playoff picture could remain hazy for at least another week:
Amazingly, we might still be on a four-down, eight-to-go scenario coming out of Week 15 too, if the Texans, Broncos, Patriots, Steelers, Bengals and Bears all win.
With the rebuilt Colts having at a legitimate shot to beat out the Texans for the AFC South title and the Jets(!) somehow still alive for a playoff spot, the folks over at Sports on Earth warn that there could yet be some twists and turns before the postseason field is finalized:
The playoffs may nearly be set, but there are spooky signals that some shakeups are still in store.
The roller coaster ride to the finish begins today with the magnificent half-dozen. Watch Peter Schrager of Fox Sports break down several of those six big matchups:
Headlines
• Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III will miss Sunday's game against the Browns with a sprained right knee. (via Cleveland.com)
• NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell revealed that the league will consider expanding the playoffs to include as many as 16 teams. (via NFL.com)
• All penalties and suspensions for players implicated in the Saints bounty scandal have been vacated after former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue ruled Tuesday that current Commissioner Roger Goodell's punishment was too severe. (via NOLA.com)
• The struggling Ravens fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, promoting Jim Caldwell to take his place. (Via ProFootballTalk.com)
• Giants rookie running back David Wilson, known for his backflipping touchdown celebrations, announced that he will shelve the tradition due to injury risk. (via NJ.com)
• NFL spokesman Greg Aiello denied reports that the league has begun talks with suspended Saints coach Sean Payton regarding his reinstatement. (via NOLA.com)
• Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant will delay surgery and attempt to play out the remainder of the season with a broken index finger. (via USAToday.com)
• Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski practiced with the team Friday for the first time since breaking his forearm almost four weeks ago. (via Masslive.com)
• Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow, who has been sidelined with a rib injury, will be activated for Monday night's game against the Titans, according to coach Rex Ryan. (via NJ.com)
Who they're picking
• SI.com senior columnist Peter King likes the Texans to top the Colts, the Falcons to rise to the challenge against the Giants, the Browns to pick up a win over the RGIII-less Redskins, and the Titans to edge the Jets on Monday Night Football.
• Only one member of USA Today's panel of writers takes the Browns to upset the Redskins, and only two of eight staffers like the Ravens to get past the Broncos. Likewise, the 49ers aren't given much chance to beat the high-powered Patriots, with just a single panelist predicting a San Francisco victory.
• A majority of ESPN panelists give the nod to the Packers over the Bears, the Saints over the Buccaneers, the Broncos over the Ravens, and the Patriots over the 49ers.
• CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco expects the Texans to put away the Colts, the Saints to handle the Buccaneers, the Lions to cruise past the Cardinals, and the Patriots to outclass the 49ers.
• The folks over at the Yahoo! Sports' Shutdown Corner blog pick the Colts to upset the Texans and keep their division title hopes alive.
What they're saying
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) was targeted by an ESPN analyst this week. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
• ESPN analyst Rob Parker questioned the "blackness" of Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III during a televised segment on Thursday, wondering aloud of RGIII is a "cornball brother" (the network later suspended him for his remarks): (via AL.com)
"We all know he has a white fiancée, there was all this talk about he's a Republican, which, there's no information at all. I'm just trying to dig deeper into why he has an issue, " Parker said. Because we did find out with Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods was like 'I've got black skin but don't call me black.' So people got a little to wondering about Tiger Woods early on about him."
• Andy Reid's tenure as head coach of the Eagles appears destined to end after this dismal season in Philadelphia, but that shouldn't tarnish Reid's legacy, writes Grantland's Bill Barnwell:
It may take another chance with another team for people to realize just how valuable Reid is as a head coach. And it may take an inferior new head coach in Philadelphia for Eagles fans to realize how lucky they were to have Andy Reid all these years.
• Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune writes that the bitterness in New Orleans arising from Roger Goodell's handling of the Saints bounty scandal "has ensured this will be the ugliest, most awkward and uncomfortable Super Bowl ever": (via NOLA.com)
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has become Public Enemy No. 1 in the city. He makes former FEMA director Michael Brown seems like a Crescent City hero by comparison.
I can't think of another person so universally despised in the city.
• Detrioit offensive coordinator Scott Linehan says that Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has what it takes to become one of the all-time greats: (via MLive.com)
"I don't know where Peyton (Manning) was after four years, but I think Matt's definitely on track to be one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this position," Linehan said when asked to compare Stafford's ability to read a defense to Manning.
Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent runs through drills before an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins Monday, Sept. 26, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP File Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
• Columnist Ron Chimelis of The Republican writes that the NFL is helpless to prevent tragedies such as last week's allegedly alcohol-related car accident, which left Cowboys linebacker Jerry Brown dead and teammate Josh Brent charged with intoxication manslaughter:
Ultimately, we are all accountable for our own decisions. That goes for the “regular guy” and for you and me, and however this tragic case is resolved, it goes for Josh Brent, too.
• Asked if University of Alabama coach Nick Saban would be a good fit in Philadelphia if the Eagles fire Andy Reid after the season, former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski ripped Saban for a lack of character: (via BigLeadSports.com)
"I’m not a Saban guy, because I don’t like liars, and I think he lied. I think he lied to the Miami Dolphins, and to the fans of Miami, and he left. And it’s pretty simple, I think integrity is very important, if you don’t have integrity, I don’t know how you can be successful. Yeah, I know he’s great at Alabama, and he’ll probably win another national championship, but I just don’t like people that don’t have integrity, so it’s pretty easy for me to say I don’t want Nick Saban in town."
Just a guess, but it sounds like Jaws plans to root for Notre Dame in the BCS Championship Game.