During his weekly Monday night radio show in Tempe, a fan asked head coach Dennis Green, assuming the Cards had a better running game in 2005, "Would Josh still be your man?"

"I think right now," Green responded Monday night, "Josh is going to be our quarterback."

The comment was much like the ones Green made before this season, when he looked at McCown as the future -- before McCown struggled at times, and before Green benched him for three games.

"I think [Josh] got a lot better," Green said. "I think he will continue to get better. He has a tremendous competitive edge.

"We need a lot of things, though," Green added. "You don't just have one quarterback. ... We will look at the context of the whole season."

However, Green emphasized during his Monday morning press conference he doesn't want to treat this week's finale against the Bucs as a showcase for 2005, even with the playoffs a dead dream.

"You know what, to me, this is about this year," Green said. "I never have looked at next year. I think there's plenty of time for next year. Six wins is a lot better than five; it's all relative. So we'll come into the last game of this season and try to give the guys who play a chance to win."

Searching for motivation after officially having the postseason snuffed out is the team's goal for its last game.

"[The finale] is more frustrating than last year," McCown said. "Just a week ago we were in the playoff picture. But you know, I've said all along, out of honor and respect to the league you have to play hard no matter what the circumstances."

One of the circumstances will be that McCown will likely be playing behind yet another version of his offensive line. Green said left tackle Leonard Davis, who needs left knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus, "probably won't be able to play this week" and Davis himself admitted he'd prefer to get the knee fixed soon as bad as it felt against Seattle.

According to the Sports Xchange, McCown was limping after the game with an apparent injury to his right leg. It's not expected to cause him to miss any time.

Also according to the Xchange, fellow quarterback John Navarre still isn't throwing well after suffering a fractured finger against Detroit three weeks ago. It's doubtful Navarre will be active Sunday against Tampa Bay. ...

Other notes of interest. ...

As Tribune staff writer Scott Bordow framed it Monday, "Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald have played tag this season. One week, Boldin's it. The next week, it's Fitzgerald. ..."

Rarely have the wideouts put up big numbers in the same game. Since Boldin returned from a knee injury on Oct. 31, only once in eight games did they both have at least 50 yards receiving.

In Sunday's loss, however, they were both it. Boldin had seven receptions for 107 yards and one touchdown -- his first of the year -- while Fitzgerald caught four passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns.

So what took so long?

Boldin's knee injury set the offense back. Teams were able to swing their coverage to Fitzgerald's side because they didn't have Boldin to worry about.

Then, three weeks after Boldin came back, Green benched McCown, delaying the growing process that must occur between a young quarterback and his receivers.

Finally, there's been a season-long question of whether Fitzgerald and Boldin are too much alike: big, physical receivers who lack game-breaking speed.

On Sunday, though, McCown made it work. He went to Boldin early -- the second-year pro had five catches for 79 yards at halftime -- then found Fitzgerald for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. ...

According to Pro Football Weekly, Nate Poole was unable to return to the lineup after hurting his left knee in the second half of Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. The reserve receiver will be evaluated over the next couple of days to determine his status. ...

And finally. ...

In an article published last Friday, ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli advised readers to look for Minnesota tailback Michael Bennett to use the final game as an audition for his former coach.

Green drafted Bennett in the first round while in Minnesota, knows him well, and could possibly figure out a way to resurrect the speedster's career.

With his Falcons unable to affect their standing as the NFC's No. 2 seed last week, Mora decided Vick and tight end Alge Crumpler wouldn't play at New Orleans.

Running back T.J. Duckett, a 254-pounder who's hard to stop in short-yardage situations, missed his second straight game, but Mora expects all three men to be on the field when the team returns to practice Wednesday.

Atlanta visits Seattle on Sunday, after which point the Falcons won't play again until the divisional round of the playoffs Jan. 15-16.

"Absolutely, as I stand here today, it's my firm belief that he'll play," Mora said Monday of Vick. "Something would have to transpire with his shoulder that I don't foresee right now for him to stay off the field. Same with Alge, same with T.J. I expect all those guys to be on the field Wednesday and rolling."

Losing 26-13 to the Saints hardly came as a surprise.

Rookie quarterback Matt Schaub, making his first career start, threw a pair of interceptions, fumbled once and was sacked for a safety in the first quarter.

Though he considered Schaub's performance above-average, Mora needs Vick back in the lineup when the Falcons plays Seattle. Facing the playoff-bound Seahawks should give Mora and his staff a good read on the state of their team entering next week's bye.

Offensive coaches will focus on re-establishing the run. Without Vick, who leads the NFL with 7.6 yards per carry, and Duckett, who has rushed for eight touchdowns and a 4.8 average, Atlanta ran for just 93 yards and failed to reach 100 for the first time this season.

What's worse, the Falcons allowed New Orleans, which has the league's worst rushing defense, to stop the league's best rushing attack. Without Vick's speed, Duckett's power and Crumpler's blocking presence, the Saints only had to focus on stopping Warrick Dunn, who ran 18 times for just 52 yards.

"If you want to be a great team, a championship team, you go out there and win regardless of the circumstances," Dunn said. "We have to expect to win no matter the situation. ..."

Meanwhile, as Atlanta Journal-Constitution staffer Matt Winkeljohn noted Monday, Schaub threw behind and over receivers occasionally, and some teammates offered only modest help.

The Falcons dropped at least five passes, some difficult. Wide receiver Dez White and tight end Dwayne Blakely had chances early to help. They didn't. Later, wide receiver Peerless Price dropped a potential touchdown pass.

"Some things early in the game really bothered me," Mora said. "When you've got a young quarterback, the ball's not always going to be on the nose. You've got to make a tough catch to get him going a little bit, and we had the chance to do that.

"Those are things that matter with a young player. Everyone wants to know about Schaubie. How'd Schaubie do? How'd Schaubie play?" Mora said. "When you're playing your first game as an NFL quarterback, it's not about what you did. It's about your supporting cast."

Sunday's 20-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers marked the Ravens' fourth defeat in five games, pushing them to the brink of elimination heading into their regular-season finale.

In addition to beating the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the Ravens need the Buffalo Bills to lose to Pittsburgh, the Denver Broncos to lose to the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars to either lose to or tie the Oakland Raiders to clinch the AFC's final playoff spot. A win by either Buffalo, Denver or Jacksonville would end the Ravens' season.

The Ravens' second-half free-fall has magnified the deficiencies of an offense that has essentially bottomed out. Their floundering attack ranks 31st in the 32-team NFL, which would be the worst finish in the franchise's nine-season history.

In their past four losses, the Ravens have scored three offensive touchdowns on 44 possessions. The Ravens' 22 offensive touchdowns this season are third-worst in the league, ahead of only the Washington Redskins and Chicago Bears.

When asked about Cavanaugh's status in the past, Billick had always defended him by either accepting responsibility for the offense's struggles or explaining how a run-oriented team doesn't produce gaudy statistics. Monday, he chose not to comment specifically on Cavanaugh's situation or the troubles of the offense.

"These are all legitimate questions," Billick said. "They're just not going to be addressed now because we have a lot of work left to do. We have a prime opportunity to find our way into our primary objective of getting to the playoffs. For us to focus on any other issue, it is not fair to this team.

"You have to stay focused on the task at hand, which is beating Miami. Those questions will be answered at the appropriate time. This is not the appropriate time."

In five previous seasons under Billick and Cavanaugh, the Ravens' offense has finished in the bottom half of the NFL four times. The Ravens have never ended a season ranked higher than 14th.

What has doomed the offense this season has been its inability to run the ball as consistently as in recent years.

Running back Jamal Lewis gained only 26 yards on 14 carries, the seventh time in 11 starts this season he has failed to average more than 4 yards an attempt. The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year criticized the play-calling after the game, saying the team should have run more between the tackles.

"There was some room," Lewis said. "It's just that it wasn't where we were going.

"We're a downhill team. Our offensive line fights and strives off of blowing guys off the ball. I think that is where the tempo should have been set -- downhill plays running straight at them. [Steelers linebackers] James Farrior and [Larry] Foote, we gave them a day off because we never did attack them.

"The things we were doing they were already hip to as far as stretch plays [runs to the outside] and things like that."

Lewis has 839 rushing yards and looks destined to be held under 1,000 for this first time in his career (he missed the 2001 season with a knee injury). Lewis, who missed four games and most of another because of suspension and injury, has three 100-yard games this year -- down from 12 last year. ...

Meanwhile, as Sun beat writer Brent Jones suggested Tuesday: "The often-criticized career of Ravens receiver Travis Taylor bottomed out Sunday. ..."

While Taylor has been ripped for not living up to his status as a first-round pick when he is on the field, the fifth-year player never got a chance to get that far against the Pittsburgh Steelers as he watched the game from the sidelines as a healthy inactive.

It was the first time an uninjured Taylor was not on the 45-man roster for a game, and it could spell the end of his time with the Ravens, one in which he never lived up to the dynamic play he showcased at Florida.

Randy Hymes started in place of Taylor, who will be a free agent at the end of the season.

"We've talked many times about going from 53 to 45 and how that pains me getting the right people up," Billick said. "Randy Hymes has worked his butt off and did nothing not to be part of the 45 before. It's just because of injuries, because of depth, the profile we're in."

Hymes responded with a four-catch, 55-yard showing, leading the Ravens in both categories. Hymes was the leading receiver through most of the first half of the season but was inactive the two previous games.

Billick felt compelled to get Hymes, who has had success against the Steelers (two big catches for 76 yards in 2002), back on the field.

"Randy had a great couple of weeks of practice," Billick said. "He has had a lot of energy. This last week in particular, his legs were fresh. We needed that fresh set of legs going into the Pittsburgh game, and I think you saw the outcome from it. It was great to have him up."

As for Taylor, chances are he will still lead the team in receiving yards at the end of the season even if he is not active for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Dolphins. That number rests at 421 yards, which would be his lowest output since his rookie season.

"Travis did nothing to not be up on the 45," Billick said. "Now clearly, Travis is not 100 percent healthy. No one really is. But he hasn't really been healthy all year long. In this case, Randy's fresh legs, what Randy brings in terms of some of the plays he can make just seemed like a better fit for us than dealing with some of the things Travis is dealing with. So we chose to put him up."

Other notes of interest. ...

According to the Sports Xchange, Todd Heap aggravated his sprained right ankle last week in practice and will try to work through it this week. He is questionable to play Sunday and is walking around the locker room with a limp.

Darnell Dinkins could have a larger role if Heap is still limited. Dinkins has surpassed Terry Jones as the team's second option at tight end. ...

And finally. ...

Lewis is not expected to practice this week but should be available for 20 carries Sunday against Miami. He has 34 carries the past two weeks with the same workout regimen.

"Once he said that, there was no looking back," Mularkey said. "He was going to be the guy."

Showing few signs of the knee injury he'd suffered the week before against the Bengals, he ran for 102 yards on just 15 carries. He scored two touchdowns. As usual, he got stronger as the game went along. During one stunning stretch of the third quarter, he had runs of 10, 20, 8, 14 and 9 yards.

Questionable?

As Buffalo News columnist Jerry Sullivan put it: "The only question is whether the Bills will ever stop scoring. They have won six straight games in their amazing late-season run. They've scored 228 points in that stretch, the most any Bills team has scored in a six-game span and only 15 fewer than they scored all last season. ..."

Meanwhile, as Rochester Democrat & Chronicle staffer Sal Maiorana noted Tuesday, the Bills operated in the no-huddle offense more against San Francisco than they have since Jim Kelly was taking snaps from Kent Hull and handing off to Thurman Thomas or throwing to Andre Reed, James Lofton, Don Beebe and Keith McKeller.

This time it was Drew Bledsoe in the pilot's chair, throwing to Eric Moulds and Lee Evans and handing off to McGahee.

"It has been a kind of spark for us in a number of games," said Bledsoe, who looked comfortable running the hurry-up as he completed 21 of 32 passes for 172 yards with one touchdown, no interceptions and only one sack, which came when he scrambled out of the pocket and was dropped one yard behind the line of scrimmage.

"Coming into this game I felt we were going to use it more extensively. I felt like we had good matchups outside with our receivers," he said.

Bledsoe said the young 49ers were the perfect opponents to hone the no-huddle with because their young, injury-depleted defense was going to have to take a few chances in hopes of disrupting the flow of the Buffalo attack.

Obviously, as 41 points and 441 yards would attest, the 49ers failed.

"We felt like they were going to try and blitz us quite a bit," Bledsoe said. "(The no-huddle) kind of limits some of their blitz packages. It's something I'm very comfortable with and something that I really enjoy. It's a weapon we can use."

"We did a nice job in the no-huddle," Mularkey said. "It was very crisp, and we have to keep playing that way. The players are comfortable with it, and they're in shape for it. You have to be in very good condition to be able to do that, especially to the extent we did it (Sunday)."

Maiorana went on to point out it's funny that Mularkey should mention conditioning, because two of the remaining links between the Kelly no-huddle era and today's Bills are defensive assistant coach Chuck Lester and strength and conditioning coach Rusty Jones.

Jones, as usual, has the Bills in shape; they're on a roll, and the no-huddle could become an integral part of their offense this week in the showdown with Pittsburgh -- and perhaps beyond. ...

Other notes of interest. ...

Moulds went over 1,000 yards for the fourth time in his nine-year career Sunday, gaining 81 yards on eight receptions. Proving he's as reliable as a warm pair of gloves in the winter, he extended his team-record streak of consecutive games with a catch to 109.

"It's tough every year to go out there and play knowing that teams are going to come out and try to stop you," said Moulds, who has 1,006 yards on 84 catches this season. "But Andre Reed told me a long time ago that the best players in this league are the most consistent players. I've taken that to heart and try to make plays year in and year out.

"And if I can create opportunities for other guys by drawing the double teams, that's what I'm going to do. It's nice to see [Evans] take advantage of those opportunities."

And that rookie is certainly doing that.

Evans has a touchdown catch in five consecutive games, a rookie record for the Bills. His nine TDs have smashed the previous rookie mark of seven set by Elbert Dubenion way back in 1960, the first year of the franchise.

"It means a lot to me," Evans said. "I think it's a big compliment to me and my teammates. It's been a long season and to progress each week and make plays, to gain confidence from my teammates and the coaches, (I'm proud). I just want to continue to make plays and help the team win, that's the bottom line, but the record is big. ..."

As noted by the Sports Xchange, rookie Shaud Williams continues to emerge as a solid relief worker when McGahee needs a rest. He gained 93 yards on 17 carries against the 49ers, including runs of 22 yards to convert a key third down and 27 yards for a touchdown.

"Anytime a free agent comes in and contributes it's a great deal," said Williams, who has 65 carries for 165 yards and two TDs the past three games. "I'm just exited to be part of this turnaround we've got going right now. I'm taking it all in and using it as a great learning experience."

Delhomme's numbers were stunningly good: 19 completions in 24 attempts, four of them for touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 143.4, his career high. It continued a trend; he has played dramatically better over his team's past nine games than in its first six.

Those first half-dozen ended with his passer rating at 67.1. In the eight before Sunday, his rating was 97.8.

"He just continues to progress with each and every game," said head coach John Fox.

Fullback Brad Hoover added, "He's been doing it consistently, and today he came out and played well again."

Olson went on to remind readers that Delhomme's superb Sunday matinee performance came against one of the league's best defenses.

"I felt good out there today," he said. "But when you're having great protection and your guys are really catching the ball, your confidence is really going. I felt good in our plan. ... It did feel good out there today. ..."

Meanwhile, as Gaston Gazette sports writer Steve Reed noted Monday, Muhsin Muhammad continues to re-write the Panthers' record book, establishing new franchise records on Sunday for receiving yards and touchdowns in a season.

Muhammad caught two more touchdown passes in the first half against Tampa Bay, including an incredible one-handed, sideline toe-tapping grab in the first quarter.

Muhammad now has 14 touchdowns on the season, eclipsing the previous record of 12 shared by tight end Wesley Walls and wide receiver Patrick Jeffers.

Muhammad needed 54 yards to break his own single-season mark for receiving yards in a season. He did that on the second-to-last play of the first half on a 26-yard reception from Jake Delhomme.

"I had no idea I was that close to those records," Muhammad said. "After you get done with the season and look back at it you say, ‘Man I accomplished a lot of things.' And I think I can say that.

"We still have another game to play and hopefully more than that. I don't want to start looking back and glancing over my shoulder too soon."

Muhammad finished 115 receiving yards, giving him his seventh 100-yard game of the season which also stands as a franchise record.

"I think I'm getting better and better," Muhammad said. "I feel healthy and blessed. I'm seeing the ball well, running good routes and making plays and that is what the game is all about. ..."

Other notes of interest. ...

Although he failed to find the end zone for the first time in nearly a month, Nick Goings rushed for a career-high 127 yards on 33 carries in Sunday's win. The veteran running back, who now has five 100-yard games under his belt this season, also hauled in four passes for 39 yards. ...

The Panthers again lined up Julius Peppers at receiver, but didn't throw to him on Sunday. "We will have to get him one," promised offensive coordinator Dan Henning. ...

John Kasay's streak of 35 straight extra points without a miss came to end on Sunday when he sent one off the right upright in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game.

Kasay's last miss came Nov. 30, 2003, against the Philadelphia Eagles.

And finally. ...

According to the Sports Xchange, Keary Colbert has a sprained ankle but is likely to play Sunday against the Saints.

Ricky Proehl took a blow to the head but does not have a concussion and is likely to play Sunday against the Saints. With both Colbert and Proehl out, the Panthers were forced to use Karl Hankton at receiver some on Sunday.

"The former Michigan star knew before kickoff that he was not going to play against the Lions and did not come onto the field for warmups with the rest of the running backs.

"He waited to jog onto Ford Field with the linemen and warmed up like a guy who expected to spend the day standing. ..."

"They're rebuilding, and I'm not part of that equation," said Thomas, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. "I know that, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Eyeing the future, the Bears made the decision to sit Thomas and use Adrian Peterson as the No. 2 running back behind Thomas Jones. The demotion came a week after Thomas gained 21 yards on six carries against Houston.

True to Sunday's game plan, Peterson played two series and carried twice for 4 yards. Peterson's first series came in the third quarter after Jones had fumbled, but offensive coordinator Terry Shea called that a coincidence.

"It wasn't what Thomas did or didn't do," Shea said. "We wanted to play Adrian in the game."

For what it's worth, Jones ran well in the fourth quarter. As noted by the Sports Xchange, after being held to 59 yards on his first 15 carries -- 2.9 yards a pop -- he ran for 50 yards on his next seven carries -- 7.1 yards per carry. Jones ran for 109 yards in the game. ...

Also according to Haugh, the more head coach Lovie Smith talks about Chad Hutchinson, the more it sounds like the Bears' No. 2 quarterback for the 2005 season already is on the roster.

"Every time I'm asked this question, I say the same thing: I like Chad Hutchinson an awful lot," Smith said Monday. "I think he's a good football player and a competitor, start to finish."

Bringing back Hutchinson to back up Rex Grossman, or perhaps to challenge Grossman in training camp, would be a popular decision internally given the money it would save. Instead of pursuing a veteran free-agent quarterback such as Matt Hasselbeck or Mike McMahon, the Bears might be able to focus on bigger priorities at left tackle or a game-breaking player at a skill position.

For that reason, members of the organization had hoped Hutchinson would play capably in his five-game audition. Smith thinks Sunday's game against the Lions showed more progress.

Hutchinson completed 20 of 35 passes for only 114 yards but did not throw an interception. Smith especially likes the way Hutchinson leads and says his charisma helps overcome other shortcomings.

"It won't be perfect with any quarterback, [and] there will be some passes you want to have back, but I like him leading our team," Smith said. "[Sunday] was a step for him. [Down] 16-0, he led us back. I know there was a defensive touchdown, but the offense started moving at the end and put us in a position to win."

Other notes of interest. ...

According to Associated Press national writer Nancy Armour, no matter how many times Smith watches the replay -- and he's watched it a lot -- he's still convinced Bernard Berrian had a touchdown.

Officials wiped out Berrian's 43-yard, game-tying TD reception with 1:26 left Sunday, calling it an incomplete pass even though replays showed it was a good catch. The Bears went on to lose 19-13, their fifth loss in six games.

"I saw, and with my great vision that I have, two feet in with possession as he went down," Smith said Monday. "That's what I think I saw. That's what I think a lot of Bears fans saw. I still say the same thing."

The Bears called NFL officials on Monday to question the call, but it did little good.

Replays showed Berrian had both feet in-bounds and possession of the ball before he fell out-of-bounds. But after a long review of the play, referee Terry McAulay said it was incomplete because the ball was moving when Berrian hit the ground.

"The NFL office is saying he didn't have control when he landed out-of-bounds," Smith said. "Just because you have two feet in-bounds doesn't mean it's a catch if you land out-of-bounds without control. That's what they say the ruling was based on. Of course I still see it differently, and we'll move on from there. ..."

As noted by the Tribune, receiver David Terrell added two more offensive pass-interference penalties to his big pile of yellow flags this season. He caught two passes for 10 yards. ...

Hutchinson's favorite receiver might be fullback Jason McKie. He has caught Hutchinson's last two TD passes as he continues to fill in capably for injured starter Bryan Johnson. "I just wanted to come in and not let the production slip," said McKie, another undrafted player developed by the Bears. …

For what it's worth, Smith officially pronounced Johnson Sunday's finale.

Sidelined for the last two games by a sprained knee ligament, the second-year quarterback is doing all the therapy and strengthening exercises allowed to get ready for the season finale.

He's determined to play Sunday in Philadelphia, even though the game holds little meaning for either team.

"It doesn't matter to me," Palmer said. "It's a game. I want to play regardless whether it's the first game, the last game, a playoff game." It matters to Palmer because he's finding it a lot tougher to stand and watch this time around.

The 2003 Heisman Trophy winner and first overall draft pick didn't take a snap last season when Jon Kitna led the Bengals to an 8-8 finish. Palmer was elevated in the offseason and was growing beyond the first-year mistakes when he got hurt.

He threw seven touchdown passes in consecutive wins over Cleveland and Baltimore that kept the Bengals in the running for a wild card berth. He then sprained a ligament on the outside of his left knee in a loss to New England, and Kitna struggled the next week in a 33-17 loss to Buffalo that eliminated them.

At 7-8, the Bengals have clinched a 14th consecutive season without a winning record.

The Eagles have already clinched home-field advantage in the NFC, and rested a lot of their stars in a 20-7 loss to St. Louis on Monday night. The Bengals are likely to see another mix-and-match lineup, which disappoints Palmer.

After facing some of the NFL's top defenses this season, he'd like to go against another one on its home field.

"It would have been nice if they needed this game and left their starters in the whole game," Palmer said. "You know it's going to be cold, it's the last game of the year, it's going to be a crazy environment. Their fans will be going nuts because they're getting ready for the playoffs. So it's a game you want to play in."

Head coach Marvin Lewis said Palmer will start if his knee is better. Palmer hopes to practice on Thursday and see how the knee reacts.

Palmer was the No. 3 quarterback for the loss to Buffalo and last Sunday's 23-22 victory over the New York Giants capped by Kitna's last-minute touchdown pass. Unlike last season, when Palmer stood on the sideline and patiently learned, he's been antsy while watching the last two games.

"It was harder just because I knew I could be in there and I could be successful," Palmer said. "Last year, I was watching Jon play and knowing I wouldn't be able to make the plays he was making, and see the reads and change the protections at the line and all that stuff. Now that I can do that and I know this offense and this game, it's a lot tougher watching."

The difference between the two has come into focus the last two weeks.

The Bengals have a more wide-open offense with Palmer, who can throw long with his strong arm. Kitna depends more upon short tosses to the tight ends and receivers. Their numbers are comparable -- both have as many touchdowns as interceptions, and Palmer's 77.3 passer rating isn't that much better than Kitna's 71.5 rating.

Palmer's statistics are weighted by his early season mistakes, Kitna's by his one year of rust. Against the Giants, Kitna was 20-of-32 for 186 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

"It wasn't spectacular," Palmer said. "You're not going to look at the numbers and say, 'Wow, he tore them up.' But he did what was needed to get the win."

Kitna also underscored one of the other major differences when he jubilantly tackled receiver Chad Johnson after the game-winning catch. Palmer would never do that.

Kitna said recently that he's trying to emulate Palmer's "water-off-a-duck's-back demeanor."

"I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve a little bit more than he does," Kitna said. "I think that's kind of helped him. I think that if I could probably be a little more even-keel, that would help me a little bit."

Other notes of interest. ...

As Dayton Daily News staffer Chick Ludwig framed it Monday, "T.J. Houshmandzadeh wasn't asking for the ball. He was begging for it. ..."

Houshmandzadeh's 19-yard reception on fourth-and-10 from the New York Giants' 24-yard line kept Cincinnati's final drive alive and led to Kitna's game-winning, 4-yard touchdown pass to Johnson.

"To be honest, it wasn't a very good route," Houshmandzadeh said. "Kitna just threw the ball up and I had to go make a play. We ran that play twice in a row. I was looking for him to throw it to me. I knew he would because he always tells me, in situations like that, he's going to throw me the ball, and he did."

Ludwig went on to note that Houshmandzadeh, who has 67 catches for 907 yards and three TDs this season, often thinks about his future. He becomes an unrestricted free agent in February.

"I'd be lying if I told you I didn't," he said. "But I don't worry about it. They know I want to be here. It's just a matter of them wanting me to be here. We'll see. I'll practice this week, play against Philly and wherever the chips fall, they fall."

For what it's worth, Johnson leads the AFC in receiving yards with 1,207. That's 10 yards ahead of Tennessee's Drew Bennett. ...

And finally. ...

Already ruled out for the rest of the season, Chris Perry will undergo surgery to repair a hernia, according to Lewis and the youngster was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. The rookie running back, who was the 26th overall pick in this year's draft, was expected to serve as Rudi Johnson's primary backup this season, but was limited to just two games by abdominal, groin and hamstring problems.

Only one game remains in the 2004 season, and interim coach Terry Robiskie might not be around for 2005, but if he is retained as a head coach or offensive assistant, he made it clear during a 10-7 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday night he is willing to put all his faith in Suggs.

Suggs carried the ball 38 times. No Browns back ever carried more in one game. Jim Brown held the team record for carries in a game until Sunday night. He carried 37 times in game against the Chicago Cardinals on Oct. 4, 1959. That was so long ago the Cardinals have since moved to St. Louis and Phoenix.

Suggs fumbled three times -- twice if the fumble charged against him on the Dolphins' 2 was a bad call, as Robiskie contends -- but he was never taken out of the game, not even to be rested for one play.

Green dressed but did not have one carry. Rookie Adimchinobe Echemandu was inactive.

So what does that say to Green, who was benched for one fumble against the Patriots?

"I would hope that it says to William that Lee Suggs is playing pretty good," Robiskie said in his Monday press conference. "That doesn't mean we don't like William. William Green is part of the Cleveland Browns. He is part of what we're doing and what we're trying to get done.

"To say he didn't have a carry is not a knock on him. Frisman Jackson didn't have a catch yesterday. Josh Harris didn't have a snap yesterday."

But of course, as Schudel correctly pointed out, there are differences. Jackson is the third wide receiver behind Dennis Northcutt and Antonio Bryant, plus Robiskie's penchant for running Sunday meant there were few passes to throw. Harris was on the Ravens' practice squad until the Browns signed him Dec. 13.

Luke McCown threw only 16 passes against the Dolphins. That was a combination of Robiskie's faith in Suggs and lack of faith in McCown.

Asked directly whether McCown has proven he can be the quarterback next year, Robiskie would not endorse him. McCown is 0-4 as a starter, just as Robiskie is 0-4 as the interim coach.

"That's hard to say today, especially after such an emotional (loss) last night," Robiskie said. "As I stand on the sideline on Sundays, I would probably say, `No, he's not.'"

"When I come in on Monday and watch the tape and see some situations where we could've given him some help and didn't, it'd be hard to say. To step up and say he's ready, I couldn't say that today."

In fact, Robiskie made it clear that he would be playing Kelly Holcomb right now if he didn't have three cracked ribs.

Asked if McCown would start the season finale in Houston, Robiskie said: "It all depends on Kelly's health. If he's 100 percent healthy, we'll have a good discussion about it."

Robiskie also was asked why he did not put rookie Josh Harris in the game after McCown's two interceptions.

"I'm sure Browns fans all over the world would like to see Josh go in at that point in time, but to take a guy like Josh who's been here for two weeks and expect him to know the offense, that would be tough," Robiskie said.

"Besides, we were never out of the game until they made that last kick. ..."

Speaking of kicks. ... After making 17 straight to start the season, Phil Dawson has now missed five of his last seven field-goal attempts. Against the Dolphins, Dawson missed a 43-yarder that would have given Cleveland a 10-7 third-quarter lead when the ball clanked off the right upright.

After the game, Dawson angrily threw his helmet in the locker room.

"I'm trying to weigh my words right now," a frustrated Dawson said. "The difference between success and failure when you play my position is so small."

And finally. ...

According to the Sports Xchange, tight end Aaron Shea was inactive because of ankle and knee sprains. His status for Sunday is unknown.

According to Dallas Morning News staffer Matt Mosley, head coach Bill Parcells will wait until Wednesday to announce this week's starting quarterback. In what has become a recurring theme, Parcells said he didn't know whether he would go with Vinny Testaverde or one of his young backups.

"We'll think it over," Parcells said. "I'll let you know Wednesday what I'll do exactly in terms of who'll be one, two, three."

Asked if that meant third-stringer Drew Henson was back in the mix, Parcells quipped, "I wouldn't make that the story for today. I don't think that would be wise."

Parcells said he had a different "mindset" heading into the Washington game regarding playing Tony Romo. But Testaverde once again went the distance in Sunday's 13-10 victory.

Parcells said he is weighing several factors in deciding which quarterback to play.

"I've looked at three films on the Giants this morning," Parcells said. "I'll look at the other two and their last game against us."

He said the Giants' aggressive corners and the possibility of inclement weather will also weigh in his decision.

"I'm not trying to create any drama here," Parcells said. "I'm really not."

In a couple of related notes. ...

After suggesting last week that Patrick Crayton would play a greater role in the offense, the rookie receiver caught the winning touchdown pass on Sunday against the Redskins.

That catch made Crayton the 64th receiver to whom Testaverde has thrown a touchdown in his 18-year NFL career -- an NFL record.

On a less positive note. ... Testaverde entered forgettable franchise quarterback history. He suffered his 20th interception this season when Shawn Springs stepped in front of Keyshawn Johnson in the end zone in the third quarter.

Since 1980, Testaverde, Quincy Carter and Danny White have had 20 or more interceptions. White was intercepted 25 times in 1980 and 23 times in 1983. Carter was intercepted 21 times last season.

Testaverde has been intercepted 20 or more times four times in his 18-year career. ...

For what it's worth, Johnson extended his streak of games with a catch to 134.

Also of interest. ...

Eddie George was active for the first time in three weeks. Parcells said Sunday's game was the way he had planned to use his backs and George all season.

After entering in the second quarter, George had three carries for 6 yards. It was his first carry since Thanksgiving Day against Chicago.

Julius Jones had 22 carries for 57 yards and Richie Anderson had two rushes for 12 yards. ReShard Lee was inactive.

Meanwhile, the team will be without Anderson for the season finale Sunday. Dallas put Anderson on injured reserve with a pinched nerve in his neck.

Parcells has shied away from talking about the off-season, but on Monday, he admitted the team needed another running back to complement Jones.

"I don't think there's any question we're going to have to get another runner at some point," he said. "You'd like to have a little bit bigger one. But if I had to pick one, I'd pick an elusive back."

And finally. ...

Jason Witten had stitches on the bridge of his nose and was expected to have X-rays to see if it was broken, however, the injury shouldn't keep him off the field this weekend.

Against the Titans, the fifth-year pro was able to find quite a few holes. He rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.

"I wanted to get my legs back," Droughns said.

It would appear he did just that. ... As the the Nashville Tennessean suggested, Droughns truly looked faster than he has in recent weeks -- and felt the same way.

"Yeah, I definitely did. I felt good again," he said. "I just felt really refreshed."

Droughns seemed to lose a half-step from all the punishment he had been taking as Denver's lead back from Oct. 10 to Nov. 28. He had begun sharing carries with rookie Tatum Bell after that, partly in an effort to rejuvenate him. It also was an acknowledgment of Bell's development.

Against the Titans, Droughns had 24 touches with three touchdowns. He had a catch and run covering 23 yards. He and Bell combined for 34 carries and 134 yards. The two alternated series.

"It's like you and your brother in competition," Droughns said. "It's like, 'I'm going to break one and be better than you.' And that makes it fun when you're running the ball because when you're looking at the other guy doing good, then you want to do good, too. It kind of trickles down and snowballs among the two running backs. ..."

Meanwhile, the team's depth at running back continues to dwindle with the loss of Garrison Hearst for the season because of a broken bone in his left hand.

Hearst was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.

Denver already has three running backs on injured reserve. Fullback Kyle Johnson (sprained left ankle) also didn't play, meaning Droughns, Bell and Cecil Sapp were the only players available in the backfield after Hearst was injured. Denver has Santonio Beard on its practice squad and signed Jonathan Reese, last with the Jets, to their regular roster Tuesday.

Also of interest. ...

Ashley Lelie surpassed the 1,000-yard plateau for the first time in his three seasons Saturday. Yet it took him 51 catches to get there -- a 19.9 average that led the NFL entering Sunday's games among wideouts with at least 17 receptions.

"He's definitely a guy that can go down the field in the clutch and make plays," teammate Rod Smith said. "And he's only going to get better, the more he works on going inside and putting that into his game." As Rocky Mountain News staff writer Lee Rasizer pointed out, Smith (1,068) and Lelie (1,014) are the first Broncos teammates with at least 1,000 receiving yards since Ed McCaffrey and Smith did it three consecutive seasons from 1998-2000.

Lelie was one of eight receivers to catch at least one pass against the Titans.

That included 45- and 34-yard receptions, giving him 24 catches of 20 or more yards this season. He had only 28 20-yard-plus catches his first two years combined.

Smith challenged Lelie at the end of last season by telling him his second season didn't match his rookie one.

"He worked his butt off this off-season," Smith said.

Added Lelie: "I've got so much more to grow, and to get 1,000 yards this early in my career without even reaching my potential yet, it feels good knowing what I can do and how I can get better. ..."

Jeb Putzier had a four-catch, 60-yard game against Tennessee, but the Sports Xchange suggests the emerging tight end needs to develop into more of a weapon inside the red zone, because the Broncos have had trouble scoring inside the 20-yard line all season. ...

Jason Elam's 35-yard field-goal attempt that hooked wide left in the second quarter was his first miss from fewer than 40 yards in 19 attempts, dating to Nov. 16, 2003, at San Diego. ...

And finally. ...

The Broncos have scored touchdowns on only 22 of 47 trips (46.8 percent) inside the red zone.

But when head coach Steve Mariucci was asked about the drops -- including at least three by Roy Williams, two by Stephen Alexander and one by Az-Zahir Hakim -- his immediate response Monday was to focus on Joey Harrington.

"We can help that situation with a heck of a lot more work, obviously, by throwing the ball more accurately," Mariucci said.

He also commented on improved pass protection for Harrington and improved routes by the receivers, but -- when pressed on the issue -- the coach's focus was clearly on Harrington.

"What I'm saying is if a ball is down here, on a catch, that's a tougher catch than if it's right here," Mariucci said, demonstrating the difficulty of catching a ball thrown low as opposed to a throw that was on target at chest or shoulder level.

"The location of the throw figures into the equation. Yes, we'd like to catch the ball more; yes, we'd like to throw more accurately. How do we throw the ball more accurately? It's not just the two that are playing catch, it's everything around them."

In frequent cases during the season, Harrington's throws have been off-target, forcing receivers to extend or dive or leaving them in positions where they are vulnerable to hits from defensive players. If a receiver misses a throw under those circumstances, it is not considered a drop.

But the six drops Sunday -- some feel there were seven or eight -- were balls that were catchable, balls that hit receivers in the hands or the chest or could be caught in stride with major yardage to be gained.

Although Harrington said he had no quarrel with Mariucci's comments, Williams said the receivers -- himself included -- had to accept their share of the blame for the dropped balls.

"I don't know what he's saying," Williams said, referring to Mariucci's comments. "It's my job to catch the football, my job to come off the line when I'm supposed to.

"But the best thing about it is I've got another week to showcase what I can do. I want everybody to stay tuned for next week. There ain't going to be no more of that mess."

Williams admitted that two dropped passes showed "a little lack of concentration, I guess you could say" -- but said the third was a result of losing the ball in the bright sun shining through the atrium at Ford Field.

"It's fixable," he said. "I can catch the ball, I can catch the ball anywhere it's at. A receiver's not going to catch every single ball. He hopes and dreams he can catch every single ball, but the great ones drop them, you know. It's going to happen.

"I know what kind of football player I am, what kind of hands I have and the ability I have to catch the football. It's not tough, it's just a little pigskin. I'm not going to make it a big deal. I've dropped the ball before, I've never dropped two in a game. That's the first time; that's my last time."

Harrington, however, said Mariucci's demands for perfection were in line with the quarterback job description.

"That's the job of being a quarterback," Harrington said. "I expect more of myself than Coach does. Everything that Coach says, I feel myself two or three times over.

"This is the job of a quarterback -- to be perfect every time he goes out there. I know that's what both Coach and I expect."

Sylvester went on to note that some observers close to the team view Mariucci's comments as an ongoing indication that the coach is not entirely sold on his quarterback's ability and his long-term possibilities of directing the team to the playoffs and beyond.

Harrington said he was not offended if he were not considered "Mariucci's guy" at this stage of his career.

"Because if he thinks this is as good as I can be, then we've got different problems," Harrington said. "I know there is more I can and need to do for this football team, so I don't think of it as 'I haven't won him over.'

"I just think both he and I think I can play better and need to play better for this team to get on the track that we want to be, because so much of an offense feeds off a quarterback. I think both of us just want me to play better. ..."

Other notes of interest. ...

As Detroit News staffer Ted Kulfan noted Monday, Kevin Jones joined a pretty exclusive club last Sunday. By rushing for 123 yards, Jones joined Billy Sims and Barry Sanders as the only Lions rookies to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.

Jones reached the magical number -- he has 1,061 yards -- with a 6-yard carry in the second quarter.

It was the fourth time in the last six games Jones has rushed for more than 100 yards. Jones leads all rookie running backs in the league.

"I always felt I could be in the NFL, but you don't always know if it'll happen," said Jones, who kept the ball after he gained his 1,000th yard and will put the ball in his trophy case at home.

"It's great to see Kevin run like that," Harrington said. "Today is a great example of what a solid running back can do. We didn't play well on offense in the second half, yet we were able to ride Kevin and do enough to win in the second half."

Jones was upset about fumbling twice (he recovered both), something Mariucci also mentioned.

"Our running game is making progress," Mariucci said. "I am proud of the fact that Kevin has his 1,000 yards, but he needs to hang on to the ball a little bit better. He knows that."

Jones is excited about next season, and the potential it holds.

He figures an off-season filled with learning and training will make him even more effective. "I'm smarter now than I was back then (at the start of the season)," Jones said. "I just have to be patient and learn what I have to do. I know I'll be better next year. I just want to have a great off-season and prepare for next year.

"Things are slowing down for me. I'm just trying to get better each week while preparing well in practice. I still have to get better in blitz pickup. I missed a couple of those. I didn't have a complete game like I wanted to. I just have to get better and do better each week."

One last note here. ...

According to the Sporting News, Tai Streets injured his knee in Sunday's game against the Bears. His status for this week's game against the Titans remains uncertain at this point.

The team's outstanding tandem came up with big catch after big catch in the fourth quarter of Friday's 34-31 victory at the Metrodome -- a near repeat of the Packers' Nov. 14 win over the Vikings at Lambeau Field.

With much of the Vikings' attention focused on Walker, who last week was named to his first NFC Pro Bowl team, Driver ripped apart Minnesota's feeble defense, which came in ranked 27th against the pass.

Never was Driver more effective than on the final two drives of the game -- when he caught a game-tying touchdown pass on fourth-and-3 and had two critical catches on the final drive to set up Ryan Longwell's game-winning 29-yard field goal.

It was all part of a huge day for Driver (11 catches for 162 yards, one touchdown), Walker (five catches for 90 yards, one touchdown) and Favre, whose only miscue in a 365-yard passing day was a fourth-quarter interception that Vikings linebacker Chris Claiborne returned 15 yards for a touchdown.

On the final two drives alone, Driver and Walker combined for eight catches for 114 yards.

"If you look at the throws we made, from our standpoint it was more our receivers making plays," Favre said.

"Those two guys right there -- and not just today -- have had a phenomenal year."

With Robert Ferguson watching from home after sustaining head and neck injuries last Sunday when he was clotheslined by Jacksonville Jaguars safety Donovin Darius, the Packers needed big things from Driver and Walker.

The receiving duo delivered in a big way, and in the process became the most prolific single-season pair of wideouts in team history.

Walker (1,300) and Driver (1,160) have combined for 2,460 receiving yards this year, which surpassed the previous record of 2,253 yards set in 1997 by Robert Brooks and Antonio Freeman. ...

Meanwhile, head coach Mike Sherman said he's optimistic Ferguson will make a full recovery, but because of the severity of the injury, isn't going to do anything to try to rush Ferguson back until he's 100 percent healthy.

"It's really a process of him coming in here. How do you feel? Is your feeling coming back? It could just happen like that, or it could be a slow process," Sherman said. "It depends on how quickly the brain recovers from that hit. It really is all concussive related, if I understand it correctly. ..."

Ahman Green briefly left Friday's game against the Vikings after suffering a blow to the head in the second quarter, but was able to return after halftime.

Nonetheless, Sherman said he's going to be careful with Green during the final week of the regular season. As outlined by the coach, Green fractured his ribs in the Nov. 21 win over the Houston Texans. The star running back sat out the Nov. 29 game against the St. Louis Rams, but has played since.

"He got hurt earlier in the season and has been playing with those fractured, broken ribs," Sherman said. "I don't know if any running back at this point of the season is ever completely healthy. But certainly with the fractured ribs that he's been playing with, those are slow to heal and are always there. I would not say he's 100 percent, but his legs seem to be in pretty good shape."

Because of Green's bumps and bruises, the Packers are more likely to continue giving him help carrying the offensive load. Expect Najeh Davenport and Tony Fisher to remain a part of the team's running and screen games, respectively.

"I've done everything I can do," Davis said. "If they don't know me by now. ... I can't show anything more."

Duarte went on to note that Davis made a strong case to remain the Texans' back of the future Sunday, rushing for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown in a 21-0 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Alltel Stadium.

The Texans may not be heading to the playoffs, but Davis picked up a nice consolation prize with his second straight 1,000-yard season to begin his career.

It may not be his preseason goal of 2,000, but it's a long way from his four fumbles and ankle injury during the first month of the season, when some doubt was cast about whether he was the Texans' long-term answer in the backfield.

"It feels good at the end (of the season)," Davis said. "At the beginning, I had a goal of 2,000 yards. That was my goal. I never guaranteed it. I think I kind of pushed myself too hard."

During the second half of the season, Davis has averaged 102.4 yards per game and has scored at least one touchdown in a team-record eight straight games. He averaged 51.4 yards and scored five touchdowns during the first half of the season.

"I think it says something about Domanick," head coach Dom Capers said. "Early in the year he struggled with his fumble problems. He really worked hard and got those taken care of. He went through a stretch where a lot of people questioned, 'Is this the Domanick we saw last year?' He's battled back over the last five or six weeks. It's a great example of how every player has to handle adversity, but if you handle it the right way you come out the right way."

With 1,077 yards, Davis already has surpassed the 1,031 he had as a rookie last season. Davis didn't look like he was on track to reach the milestone again this season after managing only 360 yards during his first seven games. But since Nov. 14, Davis has rushed for 717 yards, including all three of his 100-yard games.

Davis penetrated a Jaguars defense that entered Sunday's game ranked ninth against the run (100.8 yards) in the NFL this season. His rushing total was the most by one player against the Jaguars since Chicago's Anthony Thomas had 160 in the 2001 season finale.

Davis' previous career high was 129 yards, set last season against the New York Jets and tied Nov. 28 against Tennessee. He also caught five passes for 39 yards.

Davis will have another shot to add to his total in the season finale against Cleveland, which ranks next-to-last in run defense, allowing 147.3 yards per game.

Entering the offseason, the Texans could opt to explore the free-agent market or use a draft pick for another running back. Whatever happens, Davis said he has shown he can be a consistent, every-down back in the NFL with his second-half performance.

"If that's not good enough, I'm fine with it," Davis said. "If they feel they have to get somebody else, I'm fine with it. I'm always going to come out and do what they need me to do and do it the best I can.

"This is me. That's it."

Meanwhile, as the Sports Xchange asked on Tuesday, "who needs to pass with Davis in the backfield?"

David Carr wasn't asked to do much more than manage the game, but he still completed 70 percent of his passes with one touchdown and two interceptions.

In his first game since being named to the Pro Bowl, Andre Johnson had four receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Manning hit Brandon Stokley on a 21-yard post pattern with 56 seconds to play to break the record, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. Edgerrin James' run for the two-point conversion then tied the score at 31.

Per Manning's request, the game was not stopped, and Manning strode calmly off the field before being mobbed by teammates on the sideline. A few minutes later, Manning led the Colts on a drive in overtime that led to Mike Vanderjagt's field goal and a 34-31 win for Indianapolis.

Manning entered the game with 47 touchdown passes, needing two to pass the player he grew up idolizing as a young quarterback in Louisiana.

He tied the mark with a 3-yard shovel pass to James Mungro in the third quarter, then hit Stokley to break the mark in dramatic fashion.

Manning finally got the record, but more importantly for him, the victory gave the Colts the edge over the Chargers for the third seed in the AFC playoffs.

Marino threw 48 while guiding the Miami Dolphins to the Super Bowl in 1984, and now Manning is hoping to follow a similar path. The record stood for two decades, and was at one time thought of as untouchable, football's answer to the home run record.

"I held that record for 20 years, and I know in years to come you're going to be really proud of it," Marino said in a post-game interview with Manning -- who called the former Dolphins quarterback "my hero." Marino now is a commentator for CBS' NFL Today show.

Marino threw 44 touchdowns in 1986, and the closest any player got to his record after that was 41 by Kurt Warner with the St. Louis Rams in 1999.

Many thought it would take a near flawless season to pass Marino, and Manning has delivered just such a performance. He entered the game with a 123.9 quarterback rating, far superior to Steve Young's season record of 112.8.

Meanwhile, Colts fans not only got to see Manning tie the touchdown record -- they also got a little bonus Sunday.

When Harrison caught a 29-yard pass in the third quarter, the Colts became the first team since the 1995 Atlanta Falcons with three 1,000-yard receivers.

Reggie Wayne entered the game with a career-high 1,059 yards and Stokley joined the club late in the first half with a 30-yard reception. That gave him 1,007 yards. His previous career high was 357 yards in 2002 with the Baltimore Ravens.

Harrison needed 31 yards against the Chargers for his sixth straight 1,000-yard season and got it on his first catch of the second half -- a reception that helped set up Manning's record-tying touchdown to Mungro.

The Colts are the fourth team to achieve the feat, joining the '95 Falcons, the 1989 Washington Redskins and 1980 San Diego Chargers. ...

Also of interest this week. ...

According to Indianapolis Star News staff writer Phil Richards, head coach Tony Dungy didn't offer his game plan for discussion Monday, but he was clear about his objective.

"We're going out there to win," said Dungy, whose Colts close the regular season Sunday at Denver. "I would like to win No. 13. We'd like to go (into the playoffs) with a nine-game winning streak. There are a lot of things that we want to do in terms of keeping that momentum and continuing to be sharp."

Dungy didn't say his starters would play into the fourth quarter, but he made it apparent that the game will not be a two-series shakedown for his No. 1 units.

It's Manning's preference to play against the Broncos.

"I'd like to keep our momentum going, so I'd like to go up to Denver and play and try to stay hot and try to get a win," he said during a halftime interview on ABC's "Monday Night Football" game between St. Louis and Philadelphia. Manning recalled the 1999 season when the Colts, 13-2 and with a first-round bye wrapped up, took an 11-game winning streak to Buffalo. They lost 31-6, then fell to Tennessee 19-16 two weeks later in the playoffs.

"I think our momentum sort of died up there in Buffalo," Manning said. "I would like to keep this winning streak (of eight) alive."

What matters to Dungy is whether they play their wild-card playoff game with the No. 6 seed on Jan. 8 or 9. The NFL will announce pairings and schedules after qualifiers are determined by this weekend's games.

"From our past history, the last couple of years, I think it depends on when the Jets are going to be able to play," he said. "I would say if we end up playing the Jets, I'm pretty sure we'll play on Sunday."

The Colts' first-round possibilities include the New York Jets, currently fifth, followed by Denver, Buffalo, Jacksonville and Baltimore. ...

Also according to Richards, one starter who will have something meaningful on the line Sunday is James. With 1,550 yards, he trails Shaun Alexander, the NFL's rushing leader, by 66 yards. James leads the league in yards from scrimmage with 2,033.

Only three players have more than his three 2,000-yard seasons. Walter Payton, Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk had four. Priest Holmes has three. ...

And finally. ...

According to the Sports Xchange, Marcus Pollard's availability for this week's game at Denver remains up in the air.

Pollard did not play against San Diego due to a sprained right ankle.

For what it's worth, Pollard recently told Pro Football Weekly that he plans to take the same, unselfish approach he and Indianapolis have had in their tight-knit locker room to the negotiating table in March.

Pollard's cap figure doubles, and with Dallas Clark proving capable of replacing Pollard, the Colts may opt to go young.

Del Rio said on Monday that he expects Taylor to be back in the lineup for Sunday's regular-season finale at Oakland after the veteran running back sat out a 21-0 loss to Houston with a sprained knee ligament.

"We anticipate having all our guys [against the Raiders], including Fred," Del Rio said one day after Taylor's absence contributed to just the second shutout loss in franchise history.

The Jaguars mustered a team-record low 126 total yards without Taylor, but Del Rio refused to blame his leading rusher's absence for the offensive woes.

"Certainly, we'd like to have Fred anytime we can, but I can't legitimately look at you and say, 'Gee, not having Fred was too much to overcome,'" Del Rio said.

He did not say who would start if Taylor can't play against Oakland. Rookie Greg Jones started at halfback last Sunday but had just two carries in the second half as the Jaguars went with Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala and LaBrandon Toefield instead.

"Obviously, anytime you don't have a player the caliber of Fred Taylor, it's going to have an impact," receiver Jimmy Smith said. "Not having him in there did affect the offense."

Taylor suffered the injury in the second half of last week's upset victory at Green Bay and did not practice all week after an MRI exam revealed an aggravation of two previous MCL injuries.

The Jaguars held out hope until Sunday morning that Taylor would play. Del Rio said the team waited until after Taylor struggled through a workout just hours before kickoff before scratching him from the lineup.

The shuffling to the game plan caused by not having Taylor proved too much for the Jaguars to overcome, Smith said.

"Anytime you don't have a player that you count on and have to change your game plan because of that, it's going to be a problem," said Smith, who had just two catches for 17 yards. "You have to move the ball without him, but we didn't that today."

Del Rio praised the performance of Taylor's replacements, pointing to their per-carry average. The Jaguars had 95 yards on 20 carries overall, including 76 yards on 16 rushes by Taylor's replacements, although none of the three had a run longer than 12 yards.

Toefield, who was last in the three-back rotation and ran three times for 13 yards, said the trio fared well under the circumstances.

"It's tough to get into a rhythm when you're rotating in and out," Toefield said. "We don't really have any scatbacks who can go in hot already, so that's a problem."

Taylor's absence also was problematic for Byron Leftwich, who posted a 20.5 passer rating without the threat of Taylor's rushing ability to keep the Houston defense honest.

"Anytime you don't have a guy like Fred Taylor in there, you miss him," Leftwich said.

The Jaguars might have to miss Taylor for longer than just one week, too.

In a semi-related note, Times-Union beat man Vito Stellino suggested Tuesday, just in case there was any doubt it, Del Rio proved once again on Sunday that he believes in sticking by his quarterback.

The coach was unwilling to pull Leftwich before the four-minute mark against the Texans, even though he said Leftwich was affected by a concussion he suffered in the first quarter.

Del Rio didn't second-guess himself for leaving Leftwich in for almost 56 minutes despite Leftwich's ineffectiveness because he didn't want to indicate he had any lack of confidence in his second-year quarterback.

"I think upon evaluating what we did, the decision I had to make, I think it was clearly the best decision for us. This is our quarterback. He was given the clearance to play. He's a guy who has shown the ability to lead us back, lead us to victory. He's our guy. I think to not give him that opportunity would show a lack of confidence in him," Del Rio said.

The Jaguars announced that Leftwich underwent a neuropsychological test on a computer on Monday to judge his reactions and the doctors said he passed. Del Rio said he hopes to Leftwich will play on Sunday in Oakland, but will update his condition on Wednesday.

When Del Rio was asked if Leftwich will play if Buffalo beats Pittsburgh to eliminate the Jaguars from the playoff race before the kickoff of the Oakland game, he said, "I would say we anticipate whoever is healthy is going to play. So I wouldn't rule out anybody playing. We want to go out there and win the game."

The significance of the event wasn't lost on Gonzalez, who could afford to celebrate in the wake of Kansas City's win over Oakland.

"Kellen Winslow -- there's the best tight end ever," said Gonzalez, who now has 6,761 career yards in eight seasons to Winslow's 6,741 compiled during nine. "You've got to feel good about that."

Gonzalez, who finished the game with 11 catches for 124 yards, scored two first-half TDs to run his career total to 54. In doing so he moved ahead of former Raider Dave Casper for the fourth-highest total by a tight end in NFL history.

Gonzalez also went over the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the season for the second time in his career. Only four other tight ends -- Winslow, Shannon Sharpe, Todd Christensen and Ozzie Newsome -- had multiple 1,000-yard seasons.

"The first time I did it (in 2000), I was still relatively new to the league and maybe people didn't know how to deal with me yet," Gonzalez said. "To do it a second time is a lot more satisfying because it's getting a lot harder to get open now."

Gonzalez also had the 15th 100-yard game of his career, which ties him with Christensen and Mike Ditka for the fourth-most century games among tight ends.

Also according to Dean, offensive team records continued to fall for the Chiefs as they ran up 433 yards and 31 points.

The Chiefs set team records for single-season first downs and single-season yardage. Kansas City's old record for first downs was 348. The team now has 372 with a game remaining to play. Kansas City's offensive yardage total is now 6,252, some 250 yards more than the team record set in 2002, an 8-8 season.

Their 26 passing first downs against Oakland also set a team record.

As noted by the Sports Xchange, Eddie Kennison, in going 6-79 against the Raiders, cracked the 1,000-yard barrier for the first time in his eight-year NFL career. Kennison's string of three games with touchdowns ended. It began with an 8-149 day against the Raiders on Dec. 5 in Oakland.

Rookie Samie Parker continues to impress when finally given a chance in these last two weeks of his rookie season. He went 3-35 against the Raiders with a couple of tough tiptoe grabs along the sideline and according to Kansas City Star beat man Adam Teicher, Parker and Chris Horn suddenly find themselves playing key roles.

In the four December games, Kennison was the Chiefs' leading wide receiver with 23 catches. He was followed by Parker with six. Horn and Dante Hall each had five, Morton three.

The Chiefs weren't definitive Monday whether Morton would play in Sunday's final regular-season game at San Diego. His return would affect Parker's playing time.

Regardless, Parker figures to challenge for time on the field next season as a starter in Morton's spot or as a third receiver.

"He'll be better than what he is this year," Vermeil said. "A rookie with the right frame of mind and the right offseason, when he finishes strong his rookie year, if he has the right attitude, he always starts out ahead of where he finished up. Training camp is so much more meaningful to you then. Now you're growing in fundamentals and not just wondering what you're supposed to be doing. He'll make a big jump and be competitive next year."

And finally. ... The Chiefs placed veteran defensive end Vonnie Holliday on injured reserve last week and promoted rookie wide receiver Richard Smith from the practice squad last Friday.

Smith appeared in Kansas City's first three games this season before being waived on Sept. 27 and placed on the practice squad two days later. Chiefs president Carl Peterson said Friday that Smith has signed a three-year deal with the club.

Smith suited up and played against Oakland, but didn't catch a pass.

In an article published Monday, Associated Press sports writer Steven Wine suggested that by salvaging a little success from the Miami Dolphins' sorry season, Jim Bates is giving Nick Saban something to work with.

Going into Miami's final game before Saban takes over, Bates is 3-3 as interim coach. He can finish with a winning record by beating Baltimore on Sunday, even though the best the Dolphins can do is 5-11, their worst year since 1969.

But that would be a big improvement on the team's 1-8 start before Dave Wannstedt resigned. Miami is on a winning streak for the first time this season, beating Cleveland 10-7 Sunday night after upsetting Super Bowl champion New England a week ago.

"I hope I've had an impact," Bates said Monday.

Players say he has, and they lobbied last week for his return as head coach. Owner Wayne Huizenga instead hired LSU's Saban, who accepted the job Saturday.

But despite such distractions and Bates' lame-duck status, he led his team to a sloppy, last-minute victory over the Browns.

"It was an ugly win," he said. "But an ugly win is a win."

The late-season surge has cost Saban any shot at the No. 1 pick in the draft next April. But it has also shown there may be the foundation for a quick turnaround by a long-proud franchise enduring its first losing season in 16 years.

According to Wine, the improved play of A.J. Feeley suggests he may be Miami's quarterback of the future. He has overcome a tendency to commit critical turnovers, throwing no interceptions in the past two games. And in both victories, he directed the winning drive in the final two minutes.

"We're getting better every week from when Jim took over," Feeley said. "The offense has been living up to their end of the bargain."

The offensive line, the biggest weakness the past two years, has provided better protection and bigger holes for the running backs in recent games. And the defense has held together despite a rash of injuries, with several youngsters contributing.

Most impressive is that the Dolphins keep playing hard, despite circumstances that would prompt many teams to fold.

"We have seven days left in the season," Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Taylor said. "You won't see any quit in us until Jan. 3."

That's the day after the final game, when Saban is expected in South Florida for an introductory news conference. Big changes are in store, with substantial turnover expected on the roster and coaching staff. Saban will assume full authority over the football operation, meaning much-maligned general manager Rick Spielman is likely to depart or be demoted.

The future is uncertain even for employees on the support staff, from medical personnel to the publicity department. That will make for an emotional week as the Dolphins prepare to conclude their dismal season.

"Every year you know when you go into the last game that this will be the last time the team will be together," Bates said. "This year will be more emotional than ever, because it involves everybody associated with the Dolphins."

One holdover may be Bates, a candidate for his former job of defensive coordinator. He and Saban were on the Cleveland Browns' staff together in 1991-93 and remain friends.

"I have not talked to Nick, but I know he's with me, and I'm with him," Bates said. "We're good enough friends. We will talk."

Regardless of whether Bates returns as an assistant, he said he's grateful for his two months as interim coach -- and for the way the players responded. His only other head coaching stints were in 1985 in the USFL, and in 1969-71 at a high school in Tennessee.

"To have the players' support is as rewarding as anything I can have," he said. "You can get all the kudos and everything from the outside, but when you get it from within, that's the most satisfying thing. When I leave this position, that will be something that I will always carry with me as long as I live. This has been a very rewarding time."

Other notes of interest. ...

Feeley left for one play in the third quarter after a hard hit. Sage Rosenfels entered and had his lone pass knocked down at the line of scrimmage.

Bates said he would like to see Rosenfels play in the season finale, but that will happen only if Feeley is injured. "We'd love to get Sage in there and let the man get a good look," Bates said. "But we won't sacrifice the game. Not that Sage can't go in there and do a bang-up job for us."

According to the Sports Xchange, Marty Booker's status for Sunday's season-finale at Baltimore is in question because of an ankle injury suffered in a 10-7 victory over Cleveland. Booker caught four passes for 31 yards against the Browns.

Derrius Thompson will start if Booker can't play. Thompson now has a career-high four touchdown catches this season after scoring in last Sunday's win over Cleveland.

Owner Red McCombs gave Tice the news in a phone call Monday. The Vikings have lost six of their last nine games, but at 8-7 still have a shot at the playoffs.

"Although our expectation of winning the division was not met, we feel that the program Mike Tice has guided gives us the talent base to have to success today and in the future," McCombs said in a statement. "Our expectations are high for the upcoming playoffs and for next year."

Tice has posted a 23-25 record since replacing Dennis Green before the final game of the 2001 season. He would have become a free agent Jan. 31 if the club failed to exercise the option by Saturday -- the day before Minnesota's regular season finale at Washington.

"I think it will be good for the players, because they won't have to hear (about the contract) all week," Tice said. ...

Meanwhile, as St. Paul Pioneer Press staffer Jesse Menden noted this week, ask any defensive coordinator about the game plan before his team faces the Vikings, and he probably will say the same thing -- stop Randy Moss.

But it wasn't Moss who lit up the Packers' defense.

Nate Burleson took advantage of poor tackling by the Green Bay secondary and made two huge plays on the way to 110 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Most of Burleson's yards came after his catches.

In the second quarter, he caught a quick pass on a hook route from Daunte Culpepper and cut to the outside. Rookie cornerback Ahmad Carroll missed Burleson, who turned upfield and saw Moss' purple No. 84 jersey.

"He has been telling me all year, 'If you catch a ball and you see me, come toward me,'" Burleson said. "He had a great block, and I just turned up the sideline."

Moss' block allowed Burleson to turn the corner and get past Packers cornerback Al Harris for a 68-yard touchdown that put the Vikings ahead 14-7. The play was the longest by Burleson this year and added to his team-leading total in reception yards, which is now at 957.

Burleson made a similar reception in the first quarter, when he made two defenders miss and streaked downfield for a 42-yard gain. He received help on that run after the catch as well. Marcus Robinson laid out safety Michael Hawthorne, allowing Burleson to turn the corner.

Burleson provided the big-strike capability the Vikings had missed in recent weeks, although not on long passes.

"We have guys on the team that can make plays, the running backs, the receivers, and [Culpepper] is doing a great job throwing the ball," he said.

The Vikings had three passing plays of more than 30 yards, the two by Burleson and a 38-yard gain on a screen pass to Michael Bennett for a touchdown.

Menden went on to explain how the Packers played a cover-two defense for much of the game, especially in the second half, to prevent the Vikings from throwing downfield. They also had cover specialist Harris on Moss the whole game, eliminating the big play and holding him to two receptions for 30 yards.

The attention to Moss was merited. He has seven 100-yard receiving games in the 13 he has played against Green Bay.

The Packers' defensive strategy allowed underneath passes and covered Burleson with a rookie, which the Vikings took advantage of. The Vikings might have to use that same game plan against Washington if they want to get into the playoffs.

"We would be cowards to pack it in right now and turn our heads on what could be," Burleson said. "We have a lot of football left."

And finally. ...

Tice told the Pioneer Press that Onterrio Smith probably would be active for Sunday's game against the Redskins. Smith was inactive for last Saturday's game against the Packers because of an elbow injury and the flu.

"We have a lot of guys who are banged up," Belichick said Monday morning, just hours after his team had completed a hard commute by bus back to Foxboro after its 23-7 win over the Jets. "We've had a long stretch of tough games playing week after week. I think some of our players are getting worn down.

"I think they showed a lot of toughness and courage and resiliency [in New York] to push through and play as competitively as they did, but I know there's a lot of guys out there who are a whole lot less than 100 percent."

Meanwhile, as Boston Herald staff writer Rich Thompson noted Monday, Corey Dillon won his battle against Curtis Martin while removing the Jets tailback from the Patriots record book.

Dillon rushed for 89 yards on 29 carries yesterday to set the franchise's single-season rushing record in the Pats' 23-7 win that clinched a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs.

Dillon has 1,519 yards, eclipsing Martin's standard of 1,487 established in 1995. While Dillon was moving the chains and chewing up the clock in the second half, Martin was held to a season-low 33 yards on 13 carries.

Dillon could push his mark even higher with another big effort in Sunday's finale against the lowly 49ers -- if Belichick lets him play long enough. If Dillon maintains his current pace, he will finish a stellar campaign with 1,636 yards on 348 carries. ...

Also of interest. ...

Deion Branch caught seven passes for 82 yards and a touchdown and David Givens caught two balls for 64 yards. Givens' 35-yard reception on a post-corner route in the second quarter set up Tom Brady's 16-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Graham. Givens had been phased out of Charlie Weis' offense, much to his displeasure. But after last Sunday, Weis will likely go to Givens this week against San Francisco and throughout the Pats' playoff run. Givens declined comment after the game, but Brady spoke glowingly about the resurgent receiver.

"We were anticipating that type of play, where David can get behind the cornerback," Brady said of the former Notre Dame star. "He was behind (the corner) just enough and made a great catch."

Weis' game plan took advantage of the Jets' greatest asset: speed. Repeatedly, Brady hit Branch and Givens on wide receiver screens and post-corner routes after the Jets' defense bit on Brady's play action fakes. ...

Graham had five touchdowns in the first four games of the season but was shut out of the end zone over the next nine games. But as the Sports Xchange noted on Tuesday, he has found his golden touch again with a touchdown in each of the last two games.

He now has a career-high seven touchdowns, the most by a Patriots tight end since Christian Fauria had seven in 2002. Ben Coates had eight in 1997.

Trailing 6-5 and facing a fourth-and-goal from inside the Falcons' 1-yard line in the second quarter, Haslett motioned his field-goal unit onto the field, much to the dismay of the sellout crowd and Saints wide receiver Joe Horn, among others.

As fans implored the Saints to go for six, Haslett called timeout to ponder his next move. After discussing it with offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy and special teams coach Al Everest, Haslett waved the offense back into the game.

When play resumed, quarterback Aaron Brooks followed center LeCharles Bentley into the end zone for a 12-6 lead with 3:25 remaining before halftime.

"We wanted the lead," Haslett said following the Saints' crucial 26-13 victory against the NFC South champions. "The players thought they could make it, the coaches wanted to do it. I was the only one who didn't want to do it. The fans wanted to go for it, so I was outnumbered."

Brooks' fourth rushing touchdown of the season seemed to ignite the team and gave the Saints a lead they never relinquished.

Brooks' 1-yard sneak followed three unsuccessful attempts by running back Deuce McAllister to punch it in from the Falcons' 7, 4 and finally the 1.

"As an offense, we felt like we could get the touchdown rather than a field goal, and [Haslett] had a gut feeling," McAllister said. "He trusted the players. As a player, that's all you can ask for is to have a coach trust you.

"I was disappointed, because I had three opportunities myself before that. That was the biggest disappointment. But at the same time, for him to have the trust in you as a team and as an offense, to be able to still get the ball in, speaks volumes in his confidence and trust in us."

Brooks said the sneak was designed to go at defensive tackle Rod Coleman, who apparently has a tendency to play high in short-yardage situations.

"[Horn] did all the convincing," Brooks said. "But that's [Haslett's] decision, and he has to make it alone. But Joe was very emotional and played a big factor in influencing [Haslett]. The play was huge for us. ..."

Other notes of interest. ...

McAllister, a fourth-year pro, became the third Saints' running back to accumulate 4,000 career rushing yards when he ran for a season-high 128 yards on 29 carries against the Falcons.

The only other Saints backs to reach that plateau are George Rogers, who gained 4,267 yards from 1981-84, and Dalton Hilliard, who scooted for 4,164 yards from 1986-93. ...

Brooks tossed a 39-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to Donte Stallworth, Brooks' 20th scoring pass this season, to give the Saints a 19-6 advantage over the Falcons.

As noted by the Sports Xchange, Brooks has thrown at least 20 TDs in each of the four seasons since he won the starting quarterback job from Jeff Blake back in 2001. No other Saints quarterback had thrown 20 touchdown passes in more than two straight seasons. ...

Place-kicker John Carney scored his 100th point of the season when he kicked an extra point in the third quarter against the Falcons.

It's the ninth time in Carney's career, including all four seasons since joining the Saints, that he has scored at least 100 points. Carney, 40, is a 15-year NFL veteran who ranks ninth on the NFL's all-time scoring list. ...

And finally. ... Stallworth sustained a hip pointer in the second quarter against the Falcons and went to the locker room for treatment. He returned and finished the game but will be day-to-day for practice this week.

Mara didn't want to discuss his thoughts on Monday, but head coach Tom Coughlin offered some insight into the eight-game losing streak that has caused the Giants miss the playoffs for the second straight year.

While injuries and costly penalties have played some part in this season's free fall, the area that irks Coughlin is players failing to come through with the game on the line.

"Now finding a way to win is obviously a chore," said Coughlin who has found winning this season as elusive as former coach Jim Fassel did last year, when the team lost its final eight games in posting a 4-12 record.

"I mean it is not coming easily," Coughlin added. "It's not a natural flowing thing for us now. Even in games in which we are knocking on the door and have a chance to win, we have made it into a difficult process. It's a mental thing we have to fight our way through."

Still, Coughlin said there have been positives this season. Eli Manning, the No. 1 pick in the draft, has made strides despite failing to win a game. Tiki Barber is on the verge of a setting a single-season rushing record.

"The negative is the record, the fact you have the eight losses in a row," Coughlin said. "That's the negative. We all know that. We all wish we could do something about that and I take full responsibility for that. It hasn't been turned around that way. Who would have known at 4-1 or 5-2 this would have been the result."

Mara refused to compare the skid at the end of this season to last year, which led to the firing of Fassel and the hiring of Coughlin. He also didn't seem to care that some players are upset with Coughlin's no-nonsense style of coaching.

"I think this present team has played very well and very hard, considering what we have," the 88-year-old Mara said. "I am not making any alibis."

Coughlin refused to discuss a report that players are fed up with his style and can't wait to leave the team.

On Sunday, a story published in the New York Post quoted several unidentified players as saying the team "hates" Coughlin, "won't play for him" because of his attitude and accused him of calling the players "losers."

But as the Sports Xchange suggested on Tuesday: "Most players on losing teams hate their coach, most substitute the word 'won't' for 'can't' as in 'can't play for him,' and with a 5-10 record and eight straight defeats, what word applies more readily than losers?"

The Xchange went on to remind readers that Coughlin had a similar reputation in Jacksonville, yet he had the Jaguars in the AFC championship game twice. They have not returned to that lofty height since he was fired.

Manning feels the players have not quit and that they are heading into the season finale against Dallas on Sunday night looking to end the season on a good note.

"Nothing is ever easy when you are losing," Manning said. "When you are winning you believe in what the coaches are saying. You believe it is going to work. ..."

Barber gained 109 yards in 22 carries and surpassed his previous season high of 1,387. He has 1,423 yards and needs 94 yards in the final game to break the team record of 1,516, set by Joe Morris in 1986. ...

Steve Christie last went 5-for-5 on field-goal attempts on Dec. 30, 2001, his first year with the San Diego Chargers in a game against the Seattle Seahawks.

"And we lost that game, too," he said.

Christie had his finest day with the Giants, hitting field goals of 31, 36, 44, 41 and 28 yards in the Giants 23-22 loss to the Bengals. But the 15-year veteran knows it's not always a good thing when a kicker is getting so many chances.

"The difference is, if you get into the end zone just once, the game is ours," he said.

It was a difficult day for the Giants special teams. They allowed 61 return yards on three punts, including a 42-yarder late in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning touchdown. The kickoff coverage, allowing six returns for 132 yards, wasn't much better.

But Christie, who has struggled at times during his first season with the Giants, was a bright spot under tough kicking conditions. His 41-yard attempt in the fourth quarter barely cleared the cross bar.

"When it's cold, the ball is really hard. It's harder to kick. It's like hitting a brick," he said. "But having played in Buffalo, it's not like it's new. You sort of know what to expect."

And finally. ...

Also according to the Xchange, Jeremy Shockey caught six passes for 64 yards but more important were the two he dropped, both when he was in the open and had acres of greensward in front of him.

Jordan, who had only two of the Jets' season-low 18 rushing attempts, reiterated his opinion that the running game is not being emphasized enough against top-notch defenses.

"I've said it plenty of times before," Jordan said. "Our offense goes where the run game takes it."

Berger noted that Jordan has done his homework.

In the Jets' 10 wins, they've averaged 35 rushing attempts for 170.5 yards. In their five losses -- all against teams with top 10 defenses -- they've averaged 27.6 rushing attempts for 100.6 yards. The discrepancy could have something to do with the score determining whether the Jets run or pass, but Jordan's point is well-taken.

"We already know what the problem is," Jordan said. "It's just a matter of solving it. We don't play well against good teams. Why don't we play well against good teams? I have my own personal feelings about that, but I'm going to keep that to myself.

"I'll tell you this much," Jordan said. "Whatever we're doing, whatever we've done all year against the good teams, we need to do the opposite when we play them next time. Not to overlook St. Louis, but we have to beat St. Louis to get to the playoffs. Coming into the playoffs right now, we don't look like a team that belongs there."

Jordan's views were apparently shared by several players, who according to Berger, walked right on the line of criticizing the play selection, which was 16-12 in favor of the passing game in the first half and wound up being woefully out of balance -- in part because the Jets fell behind.

Chad Pennington dropped back to pass 39 times (including three sacks), and the Jets' 18 rushing attempts were their lowest by far this season. Only the 27 rushing attempts against the Patriots in October was close.

When the Jets did run the ball, they didn't go far. Curtis Martin rushed 13 times for 33 yards; Jordan had two carries for 6 yards, and the Jets averaged 2.6 yards per rush.

"We definitely could have run the ball better," said Martin, who had his lowest rushing total since Week 2 against Miami last year (32) but now has a career-best and franchise-record 1,544 yards with a game to play. "That would have helped the passing game."

It was the fourth consecutive time that Martin has been held below 100 yards by the Patriots, and the Jets are 0-4.

Asked why the running game never got going, guard Pete Kendall pursed his lips in frustration and said curtly, "I don't want to get into that right now."

With safety Rodney Harrison playing off the line of scrimmage, the Jets might have squandered opportunities to run against seven-man fronts. Asked why that didn't happen, Kendall said, "I don't know."

Santana Moss (two catches) did not criticize the game plan but said, "If I was the guy that ran the whole offense or who can be accountable for the whole offense, I'd blame it on me."

Clearly, moving the ball and scoring 37 points against Seattle and doing that against New England are two different matters. ...

According to New York Post staffer Mark Cannizzaro, last Sunday's 2004 home finale probably was Wayne Chrebet's last walk through the Giants Stadium tunnel as a Jet.

Entering this week's regular-season finale, he has 563 receptions, 64 shy of the Jets' all-time record, held by Don Maynard. Privately, that's a milestone that Chrebet has craved, and it looks all but certain he'll fall short.

It's likely Chrebet will not be in the Jets' plans next season. He'll count far too much on the salary cap for a player who, at best, will be a No. 4 receiver. The Jets are in a get-younger-and-faster mode and Jerricho Cotchery is ready to step into Chrebet's role as the No. 3.

Such an effort passes as major news for a Raiders team ranked last in the league in rushing yards per game this season. It had first-year head coach Norv Turner pondering the difference a reliable running game would have made for his 5-10 team.

"If you are going to be a complete offense, you are going to do better in the running game, third downs, time of possession, those types of things," Turner said Monday at his weekly news conference.

The Raiders have been anything but balanced offensively this season. They have 279 called running plays out of 870 offensive plays, or 32.1 percent. That percentage was 36.1 against the Chiefs, but the 100 yards were about one-third more than the Raiders' season average, and the 4.5 average per carry well above the 3.8 season figure.

Oakland achieved its rushing success Saturday without lead back Tyrone Wheatley. Four other backs rushed at least two times. None had more than 38 yards.

Turner singled out the running game as a point of emphasis during the offseason, just as it was before last season.

Figuring out which backs are worth keeping likely will be the first order of business in the offseason. Then, Turner and the others involved in the decision-making process need to determine whether Wheatley, Amos Zereoue, Justin Fargas, Zack Crockett or J.R. Redmond is capable of being the workhorse-type back Turner covets.

Zereoue and Redmond will be unrestricted free agents after this season. Wheatley and Fargas have missed significant playing time this season after sustaining injuries. Wheatley was placed on injured reserve last weekend.

"We have some guys who will have a chance," Turner said of determining his lead back next season. "We're going to create competition there."

Perhaps the Raiders won't be so quick to pass on one of the top-flight backs available this offseason. That crop could include Buffalo's Travis Henry, Kansas City's Derrick Blaylock, the New York Jets' LaMont Jordan, Seattle's Shaun Alexander and Indianapolis' Edgerrin James.

Last season, Oakland missed out on Duce Staley and Corey Dillon, among others.

Zereoue leads Oakland in rushing at 420 yards. He needs 71 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday or else he will replace Wayne Crow as the back with the lowest figure as the Raiders season leader. Crow's 490 yards have stood as the low-water mark since 1961.

"We are going to continue and strive and work for more balance," Turner said. "We got some of that the other day. We got some of that balance we've been talking about."

Turner said a healthy Courtney Anderson at tight end and an improved defense would put the Raiders in a better position to run more often.

The Raiders are last in time of possession and in the bottom half of the league in third-down conversions, things that work against running the ball. Also, only the 49ers have allowed more points than the Raiders. That has meant the Raiders have needed to use their passing attack as a means of rallying from sizable deficits in a short period of time. ...

Other notes of interest. ...

When Kerry Collins struggled in October, a popular chant at Network Associates Coliseum was: "Tui, Tui, Tui."

Marques Tuiasosopo never stepped onto the field during that stretch, Collins got better and now it appears the next snap the backup quarterback takes will be in an exhibition game next season.

Asked if Tuiasosopo, who has thrown only 49 passes in four NFL seasons, will get some playing time in the season finale Sunday against Jacksonville, Turner said: "I don't think so. Kerry is playing good. He's healthy. He feels good.

"We want to go play, and play the way we've been playing and have our guys excited about playing. We truly want to win the football game, and, obviously, Kerry, having played and playing the way he is, gives us that chance. ..."

And finally. ... Jerry Porter needs 37 yards receiving Sunday to reach the 1,000-yard plateau for the first time in his five-year career. ... Teyo Johnson had his second consecutive three-catch game and his 52 yards gained were a career high.

"That's probably not what the suits at ABC Sports were hoping for when they scheduled this Monday Night Football matchup back in the spring, but one week after losing their star wide receiver and securing home-field advantage for the NFC playoffs, the Eagles decided to play the rest of this regular season safe.

"Safe, unfortunately for the advertisers paying huge sums of money to peddle their products on the telecast, also meant mundane, not to mention early exits for quarterback Donovan McNabb and most of the Eagles' other starters. ..."

"We treated it as a regular-season game," McNabb said.

So. ... What was to be learned from all this?

As Brookover suggested, only that McNabb had better not get hurt.

McNabb played only one series. His two backups -- Koy Detmer and Jeff Blake -- combined for five completions and 46 yards. The Eagles managed just 92 yards of offense after McNabb's exit, and 52 of those came on their final possession, when the Rams were in a prevent defense.

Reid obviously decided that it was far more important to keep his team healthy for the postseason rather than to risk injuries to any other valuable contributors in pursuit of a victory.

Even though the Eagles don't have Owens anymore, the coach doesn't appear eager to see their first-team offense try to operate without him for an extended period before the start of the playoffs.

"I am confident in the offense right now," Reid had said during the practice week. "I mean, Donovan has been working with these guys since training camp. It's not that he hasn't thrown to these guys or we don't know what they are going to do. I am not worried about that right now. I am going to mix in some of the younger guys and give them an opportunity."

Reid, who likes to run the football about as much as he would like to run a marathon, decided that while McNabb was still behind center, his favorite play would be handing the ball off to Dorsey Levens, who started in place of Westbrook.

It worked well, too.

Levens carried seven times for 26 yards on the Eagles' opening drive. But his biggest play came on third and 9 play from the Rams' 29. McNabb hit Levens with a screen pass, and the running back went 23 yards for a first down to the 6.

Two plays later, McNabb hit Freddie Mitchell over the middle for a game-tying touchdown.

It was Mitchell's first touchdown of the season, but the often animated receiver did not break into a flamboyant celebration. Instead, he tucked the ball under his arm and quietly jogged to the sideline.

That marked the end of the night for McNabb, who completed all three of his passes for 36 yards and a touchdown, giving him a 156.2 passer rating.

After that drive, the Eagles' starting offensive players and the Eagles' offense disappeared.

Detmer played the second and third quarters, but he completed just one of his six passes for 5 yards and the Eagles managed just 22 yards of offense in that stretch.

And while they were able to protect their starters, the Eagles still had to deal with an injury when rookie running back Thomas Tapeh was carted off the field with dislocated hip in the final minute of the game.

Tapeh was placed on injured reserve Wednesday and running back Eric McCoo was signed from the practice squad to take his roster spot. Wide receiver Carlos Perez was added to the practice squad.

A fifth-round draft pick, Tapeh had 42 yards rushing in seven games. He also caught two passes. McCoo led NFL Europe with 669 yards rushing and 1,037 total yards this past spring while playing for the World Bowl champion Berlin Thunder.

However, sources told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Roethlisberger was extremely doubtful for the game.

The game is meaningless for the Steelers, who have clinched home-field advantage for the playoffs in the AFC. The Bills are fighting for a wild-card playoff berth.

"The last thing you can do when you go into any football game is to diminish the importance of it," Cowher said. "Certainly you're going to keep the big picture in mind, but we're going to prepare this week as we always have, to go up there and win this football game."

The Steelers are riding a franchise-record 13-game win streak, while the Bills are riding a six-game win streak that has put them in position to earn a playoff berth after an 0-4 start. The Bills need to beat the Steelers and have either the New York Jets or Denver Broncos lose in order to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

Cowher said his plans for the game would not change even if another playoff berth were not dependent on the outcome.

"This is not about what we owe anybody. It's what we owe ourselves. This is how you play the game," he said. "We've got to play the game the way we know how to play the game. Those aren't things you can turn on and off, and if you think you can turn it on and off you're going to be mistaken and be led down a road that's going to be very disappointing."

Roethlisberger was hurt Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens when he was driven into the turf by Terrell Suggs during a third-quarter touchdown pass to Jerame Tuman. Roethlisberger returned for three plays on the next series before leaving the field for good.

Roethlisberger was taken to the hospital as a precaution and an MRI revealed he suffered bruised cartilage in his ribs. Although Roethlisberger is listed as questionable, Cowher said adding a quarterback to the roster is "a distinct possibility."

Tommy Maddox would start if Roethlisberger can't go. ...

Listed as doubtful for Sunday's game is Jerome Bettis, with a sprained ankle. Fellow running back Duce Staley (hamstring) is questionable.

Cowher hopes Staley can start at running back and allow Bettis to rest, even though Bettis is only 59 yards shy of what would be his ninth 1,000-yard season.

"I'm not looking at records or looking to appease any of that," Cowher said. "We've got to do what's in the best interests of this football team as we prepare our quest for what everybody wants, and that's a championship. I don't think you can deviate from that just to serve the individual purposes of players. ..."

Meanwhile, as Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staffer Jim Rodenbush noted Monday, receiver Plaxico Burress had missed most of the past five games due to a hamstring injury, so he was bound to be a little rusty Sunday.

Unfortunately for him, by the time he was ready to go full speed, the Steelers didn't need him.

Burress caught three passes for 97 yards, including his team-leading fifth touchdown of the season against the Ravens.

"It felt good to be out there," Burress said. "It's been a little frustrating. It was just a good feeling to get back out there with the guys and make some plays and contribute."

Burress had been out of action since leaving early in the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 21. He made his return felt with his first catch, a 36-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger that gave the Steelers a 7-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.

His second catch was almost as long, a 35-yard reception that came midway through the second quarter with the Steelers leading 10-7. Burress' grab brought the Steelers to the Baltimore 40-yard line, but the drive stalled at the Ravens' 32.

Wide receiver Antwaan Randle El said Burress' big-play ability had a huge effect on the game.

"They had to honor the deep ball," he said. "With Plax being in there, they've seen him do it time and time again. He can get up the field and make the big-time play, just like he did today."

For Burress, the first half was about testing his hamstring.

"Especially during the first quarter, I was just trying to get a gauge of where I was when it came to game speed," he said. "I just wanted to go out and get my feet wet. Once I got going and got hit a couple of times, I was like, 'OK, I remember what this feels like.' It was kind of like riding a bike."

By the second half, Burress felt like he had returned to normal. Unfortunately, the Steelers only attempted five passes after halftime due to a combination of the team's dominate running game (183 yards for the game) and the injury to Roethlisberger.

"After halftime, that's when I really started to loosen up," Burress said. "But we were running the football. I was ready to run, but they didn't need me to go out and catch passes."

Burress' final catch of the game came just before the end of the third quarter, a 26-yard pass from Roethlisberger shortly before the rookie QB left the game.

In all, Burress said he was happy with his play yesterday, which helped the Steelers improve to 14-1 and wrap up home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

"I'm just at a lost for words on how I went out there and played well today, even though I had been out for a month," he said.

"Now, the Rams just have to hope rookie Steven Jackson, a young, fast, physical alternative to the aging Marshall Faulk, can stay on the field. ..."

Jackson ran for a career-best 148 yards before bruising his right knee in the fourth quarter of Monday's 20-7 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, a game that kept his team's playoff hopes alive. He can get through holes that close before Faulk gets to them.

Jackson, who was healthy but didn't play in last week's loss to the Cardinals, averaged 6.2 yards per carry against the Eagles. Philadelphia went with reserves much of the game, having already clinched home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Still, he was every bit as effective on the game's first drive when the Eagles starters were in the game, rushing six times for 46 yards.

"He's terrific," head coach Mike Martz said. "He looks like a great runner to me." Jackson's play helped the Rams ease quarterback Marc Bulger back into the mix after he had missed two games with a bruised right shoulder. St. Louis rushed for a season-best 209 yards on 44 carries, with Faulk contributing 54 yards.

While Bulger was out, instead of taking the burden off backup Chris Chandler by emphasizing ball control, the Rams went the other way and totaled 88 yards rushing on 31 attempts in a pair of losses.

Since the move to St. Louis in 1995, the Rams are 39-0 when they have a 100-yard rusher. That includes four games this year.

"I don't call the plays, so I don't know," Bulger said. "But when you're getting 6, 7, 8 yards a play, why change?"

Against the Eagles, the Rams' opening 10-play drive was all running. The 11th play was a run, too, before Bulger completed a 12-yard pass to Torry Holt near the end of the first quarter to break the streak.

"You keep completing them, you keep throwing them; you keep moving the chains running, you keep handing it off," Martz said. "It wasn't that hard to do."

Jackson said after the game that he should be ready for the season finale against the Jets on Sunday, but he missed a game two weeks ago with a similar injury. He underwent an MRI exam on Tuesday, results of which weren't immediately revealed.

Martz said Jackson "probably" would be ready for the finale. But he said it was prudent to see how Jackson feels on Thursday when the team resumes practicing.

"This stuff changes over the course of a few days," Martz said. "So I think it's better for everybody if we just wait."

On the season, Jackson has 644 yards rushing and a 5.2-yard average, compared with 759 yards and a 4.0-yard average for Faulk. Last week, Martz said Jackson didn't play because he wasn't up to speed on blitz pickup and he also said he was unaware that Jackson hadn't gotten into the game.

Martz has been heavily criticized for not using Jackson, the first running back taken in the draft, against the Cardinals.

It certainly gave Jackson incentive against the Eagles. His day included a 5-yard touchdown run and a 43-yard jaunt.

"It was a statement game," Jackson said. "I haven't had a chance to be out there in two weeks so I wanted to come out there and make a big statement.

"That first carry I kind of got out of the gates, so I was on a roll. You kind of want to stay with the hot guy."

For the record. ... Pro Football Weekly reported Wednesday morning that an MRI has revealed that Jackson has a soft tissue bruise in the knee. The is not considered serious, and both Jackson and Martz believe he will be available for Sunday's matchup with the New York Jets.

The Chargers entertain the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend. Like a preseason game, it means absolutely nothing. Win or lose, the Chargers retain the AFC's No. 4 seed for the playoffs.

So why not rest the regulars, avoid an untimely injury, and start thinking about their first-round foe of either the Bills, Jets or Broncos?

"The way I look at it, I don't want to take any time off," Drew Brees said Monday. "I want to play the whole game."

Paris went on to note that head coach Marty Schottenheimer isn't tipping his hand on which starters will play how long. He did say rookie quarterback Philip Rivers might see action.

Brees understands the reasoning, especially the older players kicking back instead of kicking the Chiefs' backside for the second time this year.

"For us younger guys, it's like, 'Hey, lets just play, it's fun,' " he said. "But for some guys, it may be more important for them to have a week off or some time off in order to prepare them for the playoffs."

Running back LaDainian Tomlinson, a four-year pro, doesn't qualify as an aging veteran. But why risk him aggravating his bothersome groin? Or turning an ankle? Or tweaking a knee?

"I think I will play most of the game because we got to continue to have that rhythm going into the playoffs," Tomlinson said. "I'm not injured or anything, so I don't think I should sit. But the way Marty is, he likes to have us fresh and he babies us a little bit."

Added Schottenheimer: "I don't think you can go into a game like this and say you're not going to play these guys because they might get hurt. You know, they might get hurt any other number of ways. So I think you have to make sure you are getting yourself ready to play and win. And when you win, it makes it easier to win the next one."

That will probably come on Jan. 8. And it will be the second game of what Brees is predicting will be a five-contest winning streak that end in Jacksonville, Fla., with the Super Bowl title tucked away.

"Our expectations are we are going to win the rest of our games, and we know we can," he said. "We have the ability to do it. It doesn't matter who we play or where."

But the streaking Chiefs, eager to finish 8-8, might not get the Chargers' best shot. Not for the full 60 minutes anyway.

"Now if we have players that may not be 100 percent healthy and if there is any concern they will be put at risk by playing, I don't think you would play them," Schottenheimer said.

But. ...

"It's important for us to all understand is we only play 16 of these in the regular season," Schottenheimer said, "and we got an opportunity to go 12-4. ..."

Other notes of interest. ...

Tomlinson ran 16 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter Sunday, making it 12 straight games with a rushing TD to break the NFL's single-season record.

Tomlinson had run for just 57 yards before finding a hole and darting up the middle untouched for a score on the first play of the fourth quarter.

The previous single-season NFL record was 11 straight games. Dallas' Emmitt Smith set the mark in 1995 and Kansas City's Priest Holmes tied it in 2002. The overall NFL record is 13, shared by John Riggins and George Rogers, who both did it while playing with the Washington Redskins. Riggins did it in 1982-83 and Rogers in 1985-86. ...

Antonio Gates caught his 13th touchdown of the season Sunday, breaking the NFL's single-season record for a tight end.

Last week in Cleveland, he tied the mark, set in 1961 by Chicago's Mike Ditka.

Since Ditka's record-setting season, three other players had tied the record -- Jerry Smith of Washington in 1967, Todd Christensen of Oakland in 1983 and Wesley Walls of Carolina in 1999.

And finally. ...

Schottenheimer said he expects receiver Keenan McCardell (hamstring) to ease into practice, but he won't rush him into action on Sunday. ... As the Sports Xchange noted Tuesday, Eric Parker is getting more looks with McCardell ailing.

Parker had seven catches for a touchdown and 103 yards on Sunday.

"He's very athletic," head coach Dennis Erickson said of Pickett. "He can get out of trouble. He has a strong arm. He just hasn't played that much. As he learns the game, I believe he has a chance to play in this league."

The rookie quarterback made his NFL debut in the third quarter because of a finger injury to Dorsey.

In six series, Pickett endured two interceptions, two sacks and a fumble, which ought to sound familiar to those who remember the Tim Rattay Era and Dorsey Era of earlier this season.

But Pickett also looked good at times, demonstrating solid arm strength and decent scrambling ability. He just missed on a long connection with fellow rookie Rashaun Woods as the ball sailed just out of his reach.

"If I'd just trusted the throw and given it a little more air, it could have been a touchdown," Pickett said of the pass from his own 13-yard line.

Pickett completed 4 of 10 passes for 55 yards, with two interceptions. ...

Meanwhile, Woods was on the field for 31 plays against the Bills. Although he had only one catch for 17 yards, the rookie receiver was praised by Erickson for his overall play.

"He was open a couple of times. I thought he played well," Erickson said, noting that only two passes were thrown in Woods' direction. "I thought he ran his routes well and I thought he did a good job of blocking on the perimeter when he had the opportunity."

Most of Woods' reps Sunday came in place of Brandon Lloyd, who missed most of the second half with a toe injury. Woods first came in for the 49ers' third offensive series, and even though he wasn't thrown the ball on the three-and-out possession, he was wide open on a crossing route 20 yards down field on third-and-six from the 49ers 27.

"It's tough. It was really open," said Woods, refusing to blame Dorsey for not spotting him. "It was tough to see the ball go the other way. I looked around and said, 'This is probably the most open I'll be in my career.'"

Woods has only four receptions for 84 yards this season.

"I've learned a lot, and at the same time it's still frustrating because I feel I can go out and make plays with the best of them," the former Oklahoma State star said.

Erickson said of Woods: "You'd like to see him have success. Rashaun made a catch and played quite a bit. We just didn't throw it that much."

Even though Lloyd is expected to be listed questionable for Sunday's season finale, Erickson said he doesn't expect him to play. That could open the door for Woods to make his first NFL start, or No. 3 receiver Curtis Conway might get the call. ...

As noted by the Sporting News, Kevan Barlow rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown in his first start in what seemed like ages. Barlow again is expected to start, as he gets one more chance to give the 49ers their money's worth after signing a big contract in the offseason and not living up to expectations. ...

One last note here. ...

Rattay underwent successful surgery on his right (throwing) forearm Tuesday, according to a team spokesman. The surgery was to release pressure in Rattay's forearm and allow muscles to expand properly. Erickson said Monday that Rattay should be able to throw by May mini-camps.

Hasselbeck did not play in the Seahawks' playoff-clinching win over the Cardinals because of an injury to his throwing elbow.

"My hope is he'll be healthy enough to play in this week's game," head coach Mike Holmgren said.

The Cardinals game was the second Hasselbeck missed because of injury this season. He returned the week after the Seahawks beat the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 21 and completed 19 of 38 passes for 185 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Seahawks were thumped 38-9 by the Buffalo Bills.

Holmgren said he would like Hasselbeck to practice when the team resumes workouts Wednesday and that he won't rest a healthy Hasselbeck even if the Seahawks are already locked into their playoff position.

"If he can play, he's going to play," Holmgren said. "I'm not going to rest him for another week if he can play. I'm saying that right now, and then we'll see. We don't have to make that decision until (later)."

For what it's worth, the Seahawks don't play until late afternoon Sunday, so they will know the result of the Rams-Jets game by kickoff. As the Sporting News suggested this week, if the Rams lose, Seattle will win the division and have little motivation to overwork Hasselbeck's sore elbow. ...

Also of interest. ...

As Tacoma News-Tribune staff writer Darrin Beene suggested Monday, "Take the Seattle Seahawks record book and throw it away. It needs to be rewritten after Sunday, thanks to Shaun Alexander and Darrell Jackson. ..."

Alexander scored touchdowns on runs of 1, 17 and 23 yards to break a team record he held for most scores in a season with 19, which is also tops in the NFL this season. And he broke Chris Warren's single-season team record of 1,545 yards rushing (set in 1994) with his 154-yard effort in the Seahawks' 24-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at Qwest Field.

With one game to play, Alexander has 1,616 yards rushing, most in the league. That's nice, he said, but putting points on the board is what he takes pride in.

"For me, that's what the game is all about," Alexander said. "Everybody knows that since I was a little kid, that the best part of football – and the only reason that people play – is to score all of the touchdowns."

Few have done it as well as Alexander. In 79 career games, he's scored 65 touchdowns.

Jackson didn't make it into the end zone against the Cardinals, but what he did accomplish was just as impressive. He broke the team record for most receptions in a season, eclipsing Brian Blades' 81 catches with an 8-yard reception just before halftime. He then became the fastest Seahawk to reach 5,000 yards receiving with a 53-yard gain in the third quarter. Jackson did it in his 76th game, bettering the mark held by Hall of Famer Steve Largent, who needed 78 games to reach that plateau.

"It means a lot," Jackson said. "Just to be mentioned with him is a great thing."

Jackson finished with six receptions for 101 yards, which gives him 84 catches to go with a career-best 1,181 yards on the season. Largent holds the record for most receiving yards in a season (1,287, set in 1985), but Jackson break that one, too, if he gains 107 yards in the season finale against Atlanta. ...

As noted by the Sports Xchange, Koren Robinson went without a catch in his first game back from a four-game NFL suspension.

"We only completed 10 passes," Holmgren explained. "It was not a big throwing day for us. What Koren did is he played hard and he blocked well. Now, the receivers, I like them to block, but they are here to catch passes and catch touchdowns."

According to Pro Football Weekly, with up-and-coming tight end Ryan Hannam starting to make his presence felt more, the odds have gotten stronger that free-agent-to-be Itula Mili will be moving on after this season. ...

And finally. ...

Fullback Mack Strong expects to play Sunday despite a thigh injury.

Brian Griese woke up sore Monday. Very sore. In addition to the usual bumps and bruises, he has a right hip strain that may force the Bucs to start Simms in their season finale Sunday at Arizona.

"We'll have to see what the significance of the injury is," head coach Jon Gruden said. "But obviously, if [Brian] is hurt and he can't play, then Chris would be the guy we would go to."

Gruden almost went to Simms in the waning moments of Sunday's loss to the Panthers at Raymond James Stadium. He had Simms warming up but decided it was not the "appropriate" time to put him in.

Gruden doesn't believe Sunday's finale is the appropriate time to put Simms in, either. Though he said he's eager to see Simms play, Gruden believes Griese has earned the right to finish the season.

"He's third in the NFC in passing [with a 97.5 passer rating] and he's done it, in my opinion, with a wide range of characters," Gruden said. "He played with just about every combination feasible and he's done some great things."

There's no denying that. Since replacing an injured Simms a quarter into the Oct. 10 game against New Orleans, Griese has completed 69.3 percent of his passes and thrown 20 touchdowns.

But Griese also has done some very costly things. On Sunday, for example, he turned the ball over three times -- once on a fumble and twice on interceptions. All three of the turnovers led to Panthers touchdowns.

The interceptions also brought to 11 the number Griese has thrown in the last seven games -- three were returned for touchdowns. Gruden admits he is a little concerned by those numbers.

"A lot of [Griese's] decision making has been outstanding," Gruden said. "[But] there are seven or eight of his 12 interceptions that [were] preventable and we're going to work hard to do that."

What Griese needs to get better at, according to Gruden, is giving up on certain plays and either throwing the ball away or to a receiver other than the primary one.

"He might be trying to get a little bit too much out of plays as opposed to taking a more conservative route," Gruden said. "That is correctable and that's something that has to be corrected."

Stay tuned. ... I'll have more on Griese's status as the week progresses. ...

Meanwhile, St. Petersburg Times staffer Roger Mills advised readers on Tuesday that Gruden cited Carolina's persistent blitzes as one explanation for the third-worst rushing performance in team history Sunday.

The Bucs managed 46 yards on 13 attempts. Had they not conceded and given Michael Pittman three, clock-killing carries for 16 yards at the end, the Bucs would have matched their team record-low 30-yard output in Week 1 at Washington. It was the ninth time this season the Bucs had fewer than 25 attempts and 100 yards rushing.

"We would like to run more," Gruden said. "Also, if the team we're playing is going to be committed to blitzing, we're going to be smart about that. We felt good going in. I think [Griese] hit nine out of his first 10 throws, and the one that was incomplete was intercepted and he was hit while throwing. There are certain ways to attack a blitzing team. You either stand there and get hit and run the ball into eight- and nine-man fronts, or you attack differently."

The Bucs' rushing offense is ranked 29th in the league at 95.1 yards per game. Gruden said the running backs are not solely to blame.

"We need to all get better," he said. "But it's an all-encompassing matter. It's tight ends, it's double teams, it's fullbacks, it's backs, it's wide receivers blocking, it's an all-encompassing approach from our offensive football team. It's a mind-set. It's going out there in your third and 1s and making them, physically making it happen. We have to continue to work hard to get better at that."

Coming into this season, the team's worst rushing performance was 44 yards against Washington in 2000.

Other notes of interest. ...

Michael Clayton became the most prolific rookie pass catcher in Bucs history Sunday. With one game left, Clayton has 78 receptions for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns, all Tampa Bay rookie records.

Scoring receptions of 22 and 6 yards against the Panthers gave Clayton the only record he did not yet hold, Kevin House's mark of five touchdowns in 1980.

And as Times beat writer Joanne Korth noted Monday, Clayton's season has been successful not only by Bucs standards, but by league standards. He is fifth on the all-time rookie receptions list, 23 behind record-holder Anquan Boldin, who caught 101 for the Cardinals in 2003. Clayton is on pace for 83, which would tie him for third all time.

A few final items. ...

Joey Galloway caught a season-high nine passes for 98 yards and a touchdown against Panthers; Joe Jurevicius had a season-high six catches for 66 yards.

Head coach Jeff Fisher said in a statement that the surgery went on the veteran quarterback went as expected.

"As an organization and medical staff, we feel confident that this procedure will stabilize his sternum and eliminate the symptoms he experienced this season," Fisher said.

The surgery involved taking a piece of bone from McNair's right hip and inserting it into an area of cartilage that exists in the sternum.

Doctors said they believe the insertion of bone will promote bone growth to replace the cartilage.

McNair is expected to be out at least six weeks before being allowed to lift weights as part of a strengthening and conditioning program.

He originally injured the area in 2000. He bruised his sternum Sept. 26 this season and spent two nights in the hospital.

He has aggravated the injury twice since then, causing him to miss most of the season as the Titans wrap up their worst season since 1994. ...

Meanwhile, as Nashville Tennessean staff writer Paul Kuharsky put it: "They were the helium in the Titans' sinking balloon and the heroes to fantasy football team owners around the nation.

"But the magic act quarterback Billy Volek and receiver Drew Bennett had been performing ended with a thud Saturday night. ..."

The Titans held the ball for only 20 minutes and 36 seconds in a 37-16 loss to Denver and according to Kuharsky, "Whatever wand the duo had been waving was broken into pieces, shattered by a defense that did its share to keep playoff hopes alive in the Mountain time zone. ..."

"I feel bad for the boys, I wanted to go out there and sling it all the way around and let Drew catch the balls," said running back Antowain Smith, who gained 56 of his 59 rushing yards before halftime. "But it didn't work out like that for us."

When Volek threw for more than 400 yards in each of Tennessee's last two games, he became just the fourth quarterback in league history to do so in consecutive weekends.

Denver allowed him to complete just eight passes in 20 attempts for 111 yards. He didn't throw a touchdown pass, was intercepted twice and sacked five times. His passer rating was 19.0 when he was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter with two injured knees. X-rays of his left knee, the more swollen of the two, were negative.

"We just couldn't get anything going, we couldn't get into a rhythm," Volek said. "We really could never get into the flow of the game."

"The running game is a quarterback's best friend. When Antowain was running the ball like that and had some big holes, he was doing a lot of good things. After that the cookie crumbled. We couldn't do anything after that."

Bennett's 517 receiving yards in the last three games were the most in the league over a three-week span in 10 years, and his eight touchdown catches in three weeks tied a record held by Jerry Rice.

Denver blanketed him with Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey, who did the yeoman's work in holding Bennett to two catches for 24 yards, both before halftime.

"It was a frustrating night," Bennett said. "That's what you play for, though. To have everybody like 'Oh, you've been playing great, keep it up.' You never want it to end. No matter when it ends or how it ends, it's frustrating."

The Titans managed only 10 first downs. They were 1-for-12 on third- and fourth-down attempts. They finished with 153 total net yards, 28 in the second half. Their average gain per offensive play (3.3 yards) was less than half of Denver's 6.9.

"It is a different defense than we faced the last three weeks," Fisher said. "We had a good game plan going in. We knew it would be tough. ...

"When you have 11 third down attempts with that time of possession, it means you're not making any plays on early downs."

Also of interest. ...

No. 3 quarterback Doug Johnson got his first action of the season after Volek went down. Johnson was 4-of-7 for 26 yards and was sacked.

"It was a little chilly out there, but it was a lot better than being on the sideline freezing to death," Johnson said.

For the record, Volek could be limited early in the week with a left knee contusion. But he's expected to start his eighth game of the year in the Titans' season finale.

It's also worth noting that Shad Meier started in place of Erron Kinney, who was active but available on an emergency basis for a second straight week. Don't be surprised if that's the case again this week. ...

And finally. ...

Punter and kickoff man Craig Hentrich was called on for a long-range field goal attempt on the final play of the first half last Saturday, and came through with a career-long 50-yarder that closed the score to 24-16.

It was Hentrich's first field goal since the season opener last year when he was forced into duty after Joe Nedney suffered a knee injury.

Hentrich's previous career long was 49 yards. He's hit two from that distance — one as a member of the Green Bay Packers against Jacksonville in 1995, and another in the Titans-Raiders game that kicked off last season.

Kickers usually position themselves for field goal attempts 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

But with the Titans at the Denver 31, holder Bennett placed the ball down 9 yards back, giving Hentrich a little extra space to get a long kick that came out low over the defensive line.

And he isn't the only Redskin who will miss Sunday's season finale against Minnesota. Linebacker LaVar Arrington and reserve corner Ade Jimoh are done for the year because of respective knee and ankle ailments.

Portis, who was hurt in the third quarter of the Redskins' 13-10 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday, finished with 1,315 yards, 117 shy of Stephen Davis' team record. Redskins director of sports medicine Bubba Tyer said Portis won't need surgery but likely would have missed several games if the season weren't ending.

"It's real painful," Portis said.

For the record, Portis and Arrington were placed on injured reserve Wednesday. Ladell Betts will move into the starting lineup with Portis no longer in the mix. ...

Also of interest. ...

As Washington Times staff writer David Elfin suggested on Monday, "everything was going Patrick Ramsey's way. ..."

Ramsey, coming off three straight solid performances, last week was named the Washington Redskins' starting quarterback for next season.

He began Sunday's game against the Cowboys by connecting on his first seven passes and driving the Redskins deep into Dallas territory.

Then things began to go wrong.

On third-and-2 from the 11, Ramsey threw a pass that bounced off the hands of tight end Brian Kozlowski at the goal line, and right into the arms of Cowboys safety Lynn Scott.

After that latest red-zone failure, Washington's offense gained just 47 yards over the next two and a half quarters of a 13-10 loss.

As Elfin suggested, Ramsey's uneven performance was particularly disappointing considering his recent efforts.

Ramsey threw for four touchdowns and just one interception and completed 70 percent of his passes for 619 yards in victories over the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers and a close loss to the powerhouse Philadelphia Eagles.

Ramsey's numbers Sunday -- 19 of 29 for 158 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions -- added up to a lousy 62.1 passer rating.

And Ramsey was an awful 4-for-12 for 30 yards with two interceptions between Kozlowski's mistake and the start of the fourth quarter, when he went 7-for-7 on an 80-yard drive that produced a touchdown.

"It's an understatement to say this is a tough way to lose," Ramsey said. "We weren't able to move the ball at the level we had in the last few games. We scored 10 points. That's not enough."

Especially against a Cowboys defense that had allowed the third-most points in the NFC.

"It wasn't just Patrick," said head coach Joe Gibbs. "It was all of us. We tried to do smart things. We made plays and put together a couple of good drives, but it was hard for us to consistently do something.

"A play here and a play there would stop a drive. We had an excellent first drive. At times, we had problems moving the ball, but a good defense will cause you to do that."

But Elfin added, even when the Redskins moved the ball, it was in bite-size pieces instead of chunks.

Until Ramsey found reserve receiver Taylor Jacobs open for 27 yards more than 51 minutes into the game, he hadn't completed a pass for more than 11 yards.

Gibbs and Ramsey each said the Redskins tried to take shots downfield but were victimized by sacks, tipped balls and generally good defense by the Cowboys.

However, Washington's 5.45 yards per-attempt yesterday matched its league-low season average.

Ramsey is no longer the gunslinger he was under former coach Steve Spurrier, but he and Gibbs' offense are still taking small steps.

As Elfin summed up, last Sunday "they took a couple of steps backward."