AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
	Drew Brees and the Saints will look to exploit Atlanta’s struggling secondary.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas



On paper, it might be the biggest mismatch of the NFL season.



New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees and his army of receivers, which just might be the deepest stable in the league, vs. Atlanta’s much-maligned secondary.



You could say this one is Goliath going against David again. But that one doesn’t quite fit because David also had a bit of a pass rush to compensate for his lack of size.

Related Coverage • Jaws: Falcons must slow Saints’ run game • Saints: Will they go undefeated? • Film Room notes: Pressure on this Falcon • Monday Night HQ

The Falcons simply don’t have a lot going for them in the secondary right now, and that could end up costing them any shot at the NFC South title. At 4-2, they’re already on the verge of playing only for a wild-card spot as they head into the Superdome to play the undefeated Saints on “Monday Night Football.”



The Saints have Brees, Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey and a whole bunch of other guys who can catch the ball all over the field. They’ve also got the tape of last week’s Atlanta loss to Dallas — a game in which the shortcomings of the Falcons’ secondary were exposed repeatedly.



“They got hit in a couple of pressures when they weren’t able to get to the quarterback so they had receivers with a lot of time to work downfield and the Cowboys did a good job of taking advantage of some of those,’’ Brees said.



That’s just Brees being politically correct, as he always is. But, you have to figure that Brees and coach Sean Payton have spent the week watching the Atlanta-Dallas film and getting more than a little excited about the possibilities. If Tony Romo and Miles Austin can batter the Atlanta secondary, Brees, Colston and company could absolutely shred it.



The Falcons don’t have anything close to a shutdown corner, and two of their top three cornerbacks wouldn’t be among top three cornerbacks on any other team. Although Atlanta coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff have done a great job since taking over a franchise in total disarray, cornerback might be the one spot they’re not better off than they were when they took charge in 2008.

	Tim Heitman/US Presswire
	Dallas’ Miles Austin torched the Falcons for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

Part of it is bad luck. The Falcons lost veteran cornerback Brian Williams to a season-ending injury. But part of it is that the Falcons largely have ignored this position. That’s been showing up recently and it could be completely exploited by the Saints. If that happens, Dimitroff and Smith have no one to blame but themselves.



They didn’t have a strong stable of cornerbacks last year, but they were able to hide that. They had an entire offseason to get better and they didn’t. They let Domonique Foxworth go in free agency and decided to stick with Chris Houston, Chevis Jackson and Brent Grimes — and that’s a little scary.



Houston’s the best of the bunch, but he’s a decent No. 2 cornerback being asked to be a shutdown guy. Grimes is athletic, but woefully undersized. Jackson showed some big promise as a rookie, but hasn’t been able to cover anyone this year.



The problems became apparent in the preseason and training camp and that’s why the Falcons went out and signed Williams and traded for Tye Hill at the last minute. Williams was decent before his injury, but Hill hasn’t shown anything to convince the coaching staff to let him on the field.



The Falcons also have rookie Christopher Owens and there are hopes that he could be an impact player down the road. Don’t be surprised if Owens gets some playing time against the Saints because his size might allow him to match up better than Grimes against the New Orleans receivers, but Owens isn’t going to fix all of the problems in one game.



If there is any hope for the Atlanta cornerbacks to at least slow down Brees and the passing game, they’ll have to have help — lots of it — and there haven’t been many signs that anyone is ready to come to the rescue.



The Falcons were able to hide their deficiencies in coverage last year mainly by putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. That came almost entirely from veteran pass-rush specialist John Abraham, but he’s been relatively quiet this season.



At times in the Dallas game, Abraham was seen dropping into pass coverage, which makes about as much sense as putting Brees in the Wildcat formation. You have to let your best players do what they do best and the Falcons need to let Abraham focus solely on getting to Brees. They also need some help from their other starting defensive end, Kroy Biermann, who started the season fast, but has cooled off recently.



Smith and defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder tried to give the pass rush some help against Dallas by blitzing frequently, but that didn’t really work out. The blitzers seldom got close to Romo and he was able to find the weak spots in the secondary.



“You live by the pressure and you die by the pressure,’’ Brees said. “You might make a few plays when you pressure, but you’re leaving yourself open to giving up some big plays. That’s the pros and cons on a pressure defense.’’



Those are the pros and cons facing Smith and VanGorder. They have to generate a pass rush to keep their cornerbacks from being stuck in coverage too long. But Brees and the Saints are pretty good at handling pressure. Brees gets rid of the ball quickly and doesn’t take many sacks.



“I figure, with these guys, they’ve shown to pressure a lot at times and do some things that they haven’t done in the past,’’ Brees said.



Maybe that’s the key for the Falcons. Maybe they need to do something they haven’t done in the past — like have their cornerbacks actually cover some receivers.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Tim Graham



Indianapolis Star reporter Phil Richards wrote a piece this week about the spike in roughing the passer calls thanks to the so-called Tom Brady rule.



There has been a lot of whining from defensive players and pundits. They’ve mocked the rule as one step closer to two-hand touch.



After Brady theatrically gestured to an official, who threw the flag on Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs for roughing, Brady’s old teammate, Rodney Harrison, jokingly told Brady to take his skirt off and play like a man.



Richards noted there have been 38 roughing the passer calls so far this year, a pace that projects a 36.2 percent increase over last year’s total.



The NFL doesn’t differentiate a “Brady rule” penalty from any other roughing the passer call. So it’s difficult to tell which flags were thrown specifically for the new rule, which protects quarterbacks from defender’s lunging helmet — or shoulder-first at a quarterback’s legs (defenders are allowed to use their arms and wrap in that area).



AFC East players have been responsible for six of the 38 calls.



The Patriots lead the way, and are third in the NFL, with three roughing the passer penalties. Nose tackle Vince Wilfork and linebacker Adalius Thomas were called for it on opening night on Buffalo Bills quarterback Trent Edwards. Ty Warren was charged in Week 5 on Denver Broncos thrower Kyle Orton.

Buffalo has been whistled twice: linebacker Kawika Mitchell in Week 2 and defensive lineman Spencer Johnson last Sunday.



Miami Dolphins defensive end Kendall Langford has his team’s only roughing call. His came in Week 4.



The New York Jets have not been called for roughing the passer, which is noteworthy given how often they blitz.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Matt Mosley



Defensive ends Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora get a lot of attention, but the mainstay of the Giants’ defensive line since ‘06 has been defensive tackle Barry Cofield. He was taken in the fourth round out of Northwestern in ‘06 and he immediately became a starter. In his four years with the club, he’s started all but one game. On Friday, the Beast had an opportunity to spend about 15 minutes on the phone with Cofield.



Barry, you guys aren’t used to two-game losing streaks. What’s this feel like?



Cofield: There are certain expectations around here and we don’t handle losing too well. It’s not a normal thing to be dealing with, and on top of that, we’re going to Philly. I know you’ve written about last season’s phone incident [with Donovan McNabb] and it’s not like that’s the most respectable thing a guy can do. But it’s not like we need that for motivation. We’re always going to want to kill Donovan McNabb — even if he’s the nicest guy in the world.

	Larry French/Getty Images
	Barry Cofield is looking forward to Sunday’s matchup with the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Because of your close proximity to the Eagles, does this rivalry mean even more to you?



Cofield: I think [the defensive line] puts the Cowboys and the Eagles in the same category. I’ve played against the Eagles eight times in three years, so I’m pretty familiar with them. We know each other’s schemes really well so you can just go out and play.



The Eagles have added some weapons to their offense. Do you see Andy Reid doing anything different than in the past?



Cofield: Andy Reid’s still the braintrust. We’ll see a lot of different formations and it’s a team that has a lot of gadgets. But you’re right, they have some new faces. They’re exceptionally fast and they’ve also made a lot of changes up front. Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas were nasty guys. They were the cornerstones of that offense. Runyan was a mauler and some people thought he was dirty. Now they have a smaller guy in [Winston] Justice and converted tight end in Jason Peters on the left side.



How important will it be to get Chris Canty and Michael Boley back on the field?



Cofield: We look really forward to getting those guys back, but I really don’t know when it will happen. [Tom] Coughlin doesn’t tell us because he probably doesn’t want me to leak it to guys like you.



Have you spent a lot of time preparing for the Eagles’ Wildcat formation?



Cofield: They ran it with [Brian] Westbrook last year, so we’ve seen some of it before. We’ve gone back and studies some of the plays they ran in the preseason. If they don’t use [the Wildcat] this week, they’re not saving it for anyone else. This is the game you’d want to do it all.



What’s the most important thing in mind when facing a quarterback like Donovan McNabb?



Cofield: With McNabb, you have to get him to the ground. You pretty much have to treat him like a running back and it’s important to wrap up his legs and drag him to the ground. If you don’t, he’s strong enough to shake tackles.



Have you guys gone back and looked at that ‘07 game where Winston Justice had so much trouble against Umenyiora?



Cofield: Definitely. Our position coach Mike Waufle had breakdowns that go all the way back to ‘04. They have a new wrinkle here and there, but they still have their bread and butter. We don’t focus so much on entire games. We look back at a lot of plays. But to get back to Justice, he’s definitely come into his own since that ‘07 game.



What do you make of the Eagles’ fans?



Cofield: They are some of the rudest fans that you’ll meet. But they’re almost some of the most passionate. We’ve had our team bus egged, we’ve been flipped off and we’ve seen some bare [rears]. It’s a different kind of atmosphere, that’s for sure.



Mosley: I know you think the Beast spends too much time praising Tuck, so I’m glad you were able to join us for a few minutes.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Tim Graham



Even with all of the information and quotes I tried to cram into Wednesday’s magnum opus on Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd, some material didn’t make the cut. I had to stop writing at some point.



And as much as I’d love to run this post on Thanksgiving, I will settle for Halloween to deliver some leftover Byrd.



For example, you might be surprised to read that Byrd, who is known as a prolific interceptor, never has returned one for a touchdown.

Byrd

“I know Jairus wants to get into the end zone,” said Byrd’s father, Gill, a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback for the San Diego Chargers.



Jairus Byrd almost certainly would have broken Oregon’s record for career interceptions had he not entered the draft a year early. He finished with 17, one behind George Shaw, who set the Ducks standard in the 1950s.



But Jairus Byrd didn’t return any for a score, and hasn’t been able to bring back and of his five so far with the Bills.



“I know that’s what all defensive players should focus on, scoring,” Gill Byrd said. “That’s why you see when he gets the ball he’s headed upfield. You have to have it in your mind, ‘When I get the ball, I’m going to score, or put the offense in position to where they’ll have a short field to work with.’”



Jairus Byrd came close to scoring in the first quarter of Sunday’s victory over the Carolina Panthers. He intercepted a Jake Delhomme pass and brought it back 37 yards to the 7-yard line.



“I definitely would love that when the day comes that I get my first touchdown,” Jairus Byrd said. “Every time you get it you want to score. I’m just focused on getting the ball in the offense’s hands, but that’s what I want to do.



“I know that eventually will come one day. Hopefully, I’m blessed with more and can keep trying.”



For the record, Gill Byrd took two interceptions all the way back in his career. They came in the same season, and one went 99 yards.



“It wasn’t like I was a touchdown artist,” Gill Byrd said. “Hopefully, some of the Aeneas Williams will rub off on him.”



Williams was a close friend of Gill Byrd who has mentored Jairus since high school. Williams, an eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams, scored 13 touchdowns.



I asked Williams what it takes to be a successful ball hawk, and he was adamant it comes down to following through on the practice field.



“Defensive backs aren’t always cognizant of making plays,” Williams explained. “Yes, there’s an element of the ball bouncing, but it also has to do with guys being around the ball because they’re comfortable when the ball’s in the air.



“It’s a mentality they develop on a daily basis. You would think pros do this all the time, but I’m a living witness. I saw very few guys actually practice like that, catch balls and hawk the ball in practice. It was an uncommon occurrence.



“Guys would say, ‘I don’t want to get hurt,’ or ‘I’ll get that in a game.’ They think all of a sudden in a game they can turn it on. The great ones practice that on a daily basis.”

Every week, the Fantasy Aces will provide players, that they feel will surprise the fantasy world by having unexpected success in the upcoming week.  An Ace, King, Queen and Jack - players who, in our opinion, are currently ranked outside the Top 10 but have the opportunity to produce as Top 10 players or close to it at their respective positions.  The final selection will be The Wild Card – one player that has the opportunity to far exceed expectations based on a cozy match-up or prior production.  Anybody can tell you to Always Start Your Studs but sometimes making the right decision for your #3 WR, flex position, questionable Quarterback or Tight End can be the difference in winning or losing.  Getting off to a strong start really takes the pressure off as you move forward.  Best of luck to all of you in Week 8!

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Posted by ESPN.com’s Mike Sando



Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle drew a $7,500 fine for the big hit he put on Giants tight end Kevin Boss in Week 7.



The fine was for unnecessarily striking a defenseless receiver.



Rolle’s teammate, Levi Brown, drew a $5,000 fine for a chop block.



Boss took no offense for the hit, saying only that he wished there would have been a penalty called because the team needed the 15 yards.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South



Posted by ESPN.com’s Mike Sando



Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 8:

	Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
	The Cardinals could be preoccupied with DeAngelo Williams, who has rushed for 241 yards in his last two games.

The 49ers’ season starts anew. That’s how it feels on offense, anyway. Alex Smith, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis will start a game together for the first time. Having to face the Colts on the road lowers expectations, but this should still be an exciting time for the 49ers. Set aside potential ramifications within the division. The 49ers are not a championship team or even a playoff team, most likely. They have issues on the offensive line and those will not suddenly resolve themselves. But if Smith commands the offense reasonably well and Crabtree builds upon a promising NFL debut, this game against the Colts can still qualify as progress, at least in my view.



The Cardinals’ offense is due. The 2008 Cardinals owned third quarters, scoring at least 10 points in the quarter eight times during the regular season (compared to 10 times in all other quarters combined). The 2009 team hadn’t scored more than seven points in any third quarter this season before lighting up the Giants for 14 in Week 7. A sign of things to come? The Panthers have allowed 24 third-quarter points over their last three games, seven more than they have allowed in the first halves of those games. Arizona’s offense hasn’t hit its stride to this point. And while the Panthers’ defense remains relatively strong, Carolina is allowing 4.4 yards per carry overall. This game provides the Cardinals with an opportunity to hit an opponent while it’s down.



Putting the clamps on DeAngelo Williams. The Cardinals have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in their last 12 games, including playoffs, but the Panthers’ Williams has rushed for 241 yards in his last two games. The Cardinals are allowing a league-low 67.5 yards rushing per game this season and a league-low 3.02 yards per rushing attempt. Arizona has stopped opposing runners for losses on 18.7 percent of all running plays, the highest percentage in the league. Williams carried 12 times for 61 yards against Arizona in the playoffs last season. That included a 31-yard run. The running game fizzled once Arizona pulled ahead. With Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme struggling and nearly losing his job, Carolina will presumably feed the ball to Williams.



The Rams finally have a chance. Their spirit finally seemed to break during the fourth quarter of their 42-6 home defeat to the Colts. There was no way the Rams were going to win that game, and everyone knew it — including the Rams. The odds improve significantly against the Lions. This could be the Rams’ big chance and I would expect them to make a strong run at victory in this matchup. Anyone watching this game — and someone certainly will, right? — should watch the Rams’ body language early in the game. The way Steven Jackson ran while the Rams trailed the 49ers by 35 points should be the way he runs from the beginning in this one. The Lions have already ended their historic losing streak. The Rams’ turn comes Sunday or it might not come for a while. The Saints await on the other side of a bye.



Seahawks need to coach ‘em up. The Seahawks’ mostly young coaching staff had an extra week to prepare for the Cowboys. Seattle needs the additional prep time to show on the field. Purely from a talent standpoint, the Seahawks have little business beating the Cowboys in Dallas. Seattle enters this game with three starters boasting Pro Bowl experience (cornerback Marcus Trufant is not yet starting). The Cowboys counter with 12. And with Damion McIntosh starting at left tackle for the Seahawks, Cowboys pass-rusher DeMarcus Ware should pad his sack totals. I’m not sure whether enough scheming can be done to overcome that apparent mismatch, but it’s time for Seattle to get creative.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South



Posted by ESPN.com’s Matt Mosley



Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 8:

	Rich Gabrielson/Icon SMI
	Jay Ratliff could be key to the success of the Cowboys’ pass rush on Sunday.

Eli Manning has to do a better job managing this offense on Sunday. I thought he was really bad against the Cardinals — and I’m not simply talking about the interceptions. He’s at his best when the Giants are controlling the tempo of the game. With all that pre-snap mess he was involved with, the Giants weren’t able to find any rhythm. Manning’s been really good on the deep ball this season, but I’m not sure there will be a lot of opportunities against the Eagles. The Giants need to commit to the running game early and keep Donovan McNabb off the field. When they throw the ball, I think tight end Kevin Boss could be a really good option. There’s a good chance that rookie safety Macho Harris will be out for the Eagles and new middle linebacker Will Witherspoon’s still trying to get up to speed after joining the Eagles before the Redskins game. I think offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride will try to get Boss in a mismatch situation.



Everyone talks about DeMarcus Ware but the Seahawks need to watch out for nose tackle Jay Ratliff. In the little bit that I’ve seen from the Seahawks, I don’t like the way center Chris Spencer responds to power up the middle. He’s getting pushed around too much, and I think he’ll need help against Ratliff. If Ratliff controls the line of scrimmage and beyond, look for things to open up for Ware and Anthony Spencer in the pass rush. Matt Hasselbeck’s still a good quarterback but pressure up the middle will cause him to make mistakes. I don’t like this matchup for the Seahawks at all.



This is a game when the Cowboys can unleash their two tight end formation. The talented Martellus Bennett finally showed signs of being a threat last week against the Falcons. The Seahawks struggle at safety with Deon Grant and I’ve never been a huge fan of Jordan Babineaux’s work back there. If Bennett gets matched up with one of those players or linebacker David Hawthorne, I like his chances. Look for either Jason Witten or Bennett to have a big game. I could see them combining for nine or 10 catches easy. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett needs to unleash one or both of them in the red zone in this game.



I sense that either Justin Tuck or Osi Umenyiora is about to have a huge game. I know that Winston Justice has been decent at right tackle for the Eagles, but this matchup brings back nightmares. At least he won’t see his old nemesis Umenyiora quite as much in this game. Tuck will line up across from Justice a lot of the time — when he’s not moving inside. Tuck and Umenyiora have taken these two losses personally, and they want to get as many hits on McNabb as possible. It wouldn’t shock me at all if they combine for four or five sacks and a forced fumble in this one. I just don’t like the Eagles’ situation at left and right tackle right now. Jason Peters hasn’t really settled into a good rhythm on the left side. And if he’s not ready to go Sunday, Umenyiora will make him pay.



Believe me, McNabb’s watched a lot of film of what the Saints did to the Giants. The Eagles’ receivers might not be as good as the Saints’ at winning jump balls but they have plenty of speed. If the Eagles’ line is able to give McNabb enough time, you’ll see either DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin running free at some point. The Eagles will find safety C.C. Brown on the field and try to throw right at him. Brown certainly can’t hold up against Jackson and Maclin, but the real problem will be tight end Brent Celek. I think Andy Reid is starting to realize that he may have a Pro Bowl tight end on his hands. Celek is deceptively fast and he’s doing a nice job of running after the catch. We may be watching a star in the making.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South



Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert



Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 8:

	AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid
	Jared Allen had 4.5 of Minnesota’s 8 sacks in this season’s first Packers-Vikings matchup.

After the teams’ Oct. 5 matchup, there was a general impression that Green Bay erred by using too many standard pressure packages and not enough blitzes against Minnesota. Quarterback Brett Favre wasn’t sacked and produced a season-high 135.3 passer rating in the game, leading everyone to assume the Packers will elevate their blitz totals Sunday at Lambeau Field. But when you look closely at that first game, you get a better picture of why the Packers limited their extra pressure. Favre completed all nine of his attempts on plays when the Packers brought five or more pass-rushers, according to video analysis by ESPN Stats & Information. He completed 15 of 23 passes against four or fewer pass-rushers. So while the Packers must find a way to get more pressure on Favre, they’ll have to be wary that he gashed them when they did blitz in the first game.



The Packers likely will have turned over 40 percent of their offensive line for this game. It’s looking like rookie T.J. Lang will fill in at left tackle and veteran Scott Wells will continue playing center for Jason Spitz (back). Veteran right tackle Mark Tauscher could also get some playing time. Will that be enough to stem the tide of a Vikings pass rush that sacked Aaron Rodgers eight times in the teams’ first matchup? I’m not sure it will be enough. The Packers will also have to address a scheme that too often left Jared Allen in a single matchup. Based on the way Allen played against them last time (4.5 sacks), the Packers need to double-team and/or chip him way more often. In the end, the Packers have to make another defensive lineman beat them.



The Bears are hoping to get healthy in a number of areas against Cleveland, including their red zone defense. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Bears have allowed 11 touchdowns on 13 red zone drives over the past three games — the worst mark in the NFL over that span. It’s one of the most tangible byproducts of the larger disorganization and scheme problems the Bears have encountered over that period. Luckily for them, however, the Browns have the NFL’s worst touchdown percentage in the red zone this season, having scored four in 15 red zone drives. You never want to risk the outcome of a regular-season game, but Sunday will be as good of a time as any for the Bears to try some alternatives to what they’ve been using in the red zone.



Two weeks ago, we suggested Chicago’s offseason attempts to improve its passing defense would be tested at Atlanta. Case closed: The Bears were unable to sack Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan and have now gone consecutive games without a sack after accumulating 14 in their first four games. Suffice it to say, they better get some traction Sunday. Cleveland quarterbacks have been sacked 18 times this season, tied for the eighth-most in the NFL. If defensive end Adewale Ogunleye is going to continue his contract push, he’ll need to make some noise against Browns right tackle John St. Clair, his former teammate in Chicago.



Is this the week for Detroit tailback Kevin Smith to break through? It’s not a coincidence that Smith’s sole 100-yard game this season came in the Lions’ only victory. But when you put aside that 101-yard effort against Washington, however, you find Smith has averaged 41.4 yards in the Lions’ other five games. St. Louis enters this contest with the NFL’s 27th-ranked rushing defense, having allowed an average of 135.9 yards per game. Meanwhile, no NFL team has given up more than the 11 rushing touchdowns allowed by the Rams’ defense. If Smith can get untracked Sunday, it’s easy to imagine the Lions picking up their second victory of the season.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South



Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky



Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 8:

	Jason Miller/US Presswire
	It is important for Titans quarterback Vince Young to start the game well.

Vince Young is going to tell us a lot with his body language: I’ve documented his poor history against the Jaguars, but matchup-wise he could have done worse. Jacksonville struggles to get heat on the passer. He should have time to be decisive. Surely the Titans will give him a simple game plan to work with, but how he starts is going to be a big deal. If he has a bad series or two, is he slumped and looking defeated or does he have bounce in his step as he takes the offense back onto the field? I think we’ll have a lot of signs to interpret.



The 49ers will have a shock factor: They will have worked all week on stuff they are sure is going to work, and Peyton Manning will undo a piece of it with some sort of ridiculous completion. As that unfolds, a team unfamiliar with playing the Colts is likely to start wondering just what it has gotten itself into. If the 49ers fall behind, watch Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis attack Alex Smith. Things could get ugly. Smith used to drop the ball a lot. Mathis and Freeney do a great job of knocking it free.



The flags will be flapping in Buffalo: Wind is always an issue at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Houston’s win at Green Bay last year was a benchmark moment. Now comes another weather challenge on the road in a game that could really boost the Texans into the pool of AFC teams considered playoff contenders. Can the Texans find the recipe where they show a commitment to the run but still find big chunks of yardage with their precision passing? It could be a good week for a bigger pass rush — defensive line coach Bill Kollar joined the Texans from the Bills and likely has some special insight they can put to use.



A contest of corner depth: Vincent Fuller returns for the Titans who probably get Cortland Finnegan back too, but they will be without Nick Harper. That means Jason McCourty is likely in the mix. The Jaguars are without Rashean Mathis (finger) which probably means Tyron Brackenridge or Scott Starks is in the lineup. Which substitute corner can hold up the best? Can coordinators Dirk Koetter and Mike Heimerdinger dial up stuff for David Garrard and Young, respectively, to take advantage?



Sanders vs. Gore: Pound Frank Gore and try to build from there. That’s the one game plan you’d think the 49ers will try to stick with. The Colts seem more susceptible up the middle than around the edges, but Bob Sanders is likely to be sharper in his second game back from a knee injury. Look for a couple top notch collisions between a back averaging 5.3 yards a carry and a safety looking to re-establish himself as a bruising run defender.