NFL 2002 Week 16 Nobody Yet from AFC Playoff Bound
3 NFC Teams Vie for 2 Spots

NFL 2002 Week 16

NFL FACTOID: MERRY NOEL TO NAEOLE

He seems appropriately named. The only NFL player to be born on Christmas Day is Jacksonville Jaguars guard CHRIS NAEOLE. Chris (last named pronounced nay-OH-lee) turns 28 (1974) on Christmas.

Will this thing ever get solved?

Maybe this week. Maybe not.

With two weeks to go in the season, the NFL’s American Football Conference is as competitive as it has been in 15 years, with not one team yet qualifying for the playoffs. That scenario has not occurred since 1987.

In fact, throw in the National Conference, which last week could have wrapped up all six playoff spots but now has been inflected with a bit of “AFC-itis” with a sudden scramble for its two Wild Card spots, and there are 21 teams still in Super Bowl contention. That total with two weeks to go is one behind the record of 1994 since the 16-game schedule was instituted in 1978.

But it’s the AFC that is just plain out of control.

Maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise. Only six times since 1978 (1979, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1987 and 2002) has a conference not had any teams qualify for the playoffs with two weeks to go. All six times, it’s been the AFC.

And, believe it or not, there is the outside possibility that the AFC could go into the final week of the season without a team qualified for the playoffs  

 “We’re still alive!” yelled Baltimore linebacker PETER BOULWARE after the Ravens topped Houston last Sunday.

Hey, Peter, in your conference, almost everybody -- 14 out of 16 teams -- is alive.

One of them -- the Miami Dolphins -- will start the week off early on Saturday, one of their favorite days (see chart at end of release). With a win or a tie against Minnesota, the Dolphins can cross off the first part of their playoff scenario for the week.

The game is one of three Saturday holiday specials in the NFL this weekend, all on national television.

At 1:30 PM ET on CBS, the Dolphins visit the Minnesota Vikings. At 5:00 PM ET on FOX, the San Francisco 49ers play at the Arizona Cardinals.

And on Saturday night on ESPN at 8:30 PM ET, the Philadelphia Eagles visit the division-rival Dallas Cowboys.

Saturday starts it all up. Are you ready for some -- mind-bending -- tiebreakers?

·         AFC EAST:  Miami Dolphins (9-5) can clinch their second division title in the past three years with:

The Dolphins capture a playoff spot with:

New England (8-6), Buffalo (7-7) and the New York Jets (7-7) are still in playoff contention.

·         AFC NORTH:  Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5) can win their second division title in as many years with:

            Baltimore (7-7) and Cleveland (7-7) are still in playoff contention. Cincinnati has been eliminated.

·         AFC SOUTH:  Here is where things get really tricky. The Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans are tied (9-5) for the division lead.

The Titans can clinch their second division title in the past three years with:

They can earn homefield advantage throughout the playoffs with:

The Titans can clinch a playoff berth with:

The Colts can take their third playoff berth in the past four years with:

            Jacksonville (6-8) is still in playoff contention. Houston has been eliminated.

·         AFC WEST:  Oakland Raiders (9-5) can clinch their third division title in a row with:

            The Raiders can earn a first-round bye with:

            The Raiders can capture a playoff berth with:

Denver (8-6), San Diego (8-6) and Kansas City (7-7) are still in playoff contention.

And in the NFC, things were going along smoothly until Week 15. Then Atlanta lost in overtime to Seattle on a SHAUN ALEXANDER 27-yard breakaway New Orleans was topped on a DAUNTE CULPEPPER two-point conversion by Minnesota and the team -- the New York Giants -- that had to lose for Atlanta and New Orleans to make the playoffs defeated Dallas and now sits at 8-6 with a shot at the postseason.

“Right when you think you’re out and everybody is saying you’re out, you keep believing, and things can work out,” says Giants linebacker MIKE BARROW.

How things can work out this week in the NFC:

·         NFC EAST:  Philadelphia Eagles (11-3) have captured their second consecutive division title and can help themselves to homefield advantage throughout the playoffs Saturday night with:

            The Eagles clinch a first-round bye with:

New York Giants (8-6) are still in playoff contention, but cannot earn a berth this week. Dallas and Washington have been eliminated.

·         NFC NORTH:  Green Bay Packers (11-3) have won their first division title since 1997, the year they went to Super Bowl XXXII. Chicago, Detroit and Minnesota have been eliminated from playoff contention.

·         NFC SOUTH:  The three top teams can make playoff moves this week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-3) have earned a playoff spot for the fourth consecutive season (and tied a 1999 team record for wins) and can win their first division title since 1999 with:

The Buccaneers can earn a first-round bye with:

New Orleans Saints (9-5) can capture a playoff berth with:

Atlanta Falcons (8-5) will enter the playoffs for the first time since their Super Bowl XXXIII year in 1998 with:

Carolina has been eliminated from playoff contention.

·         NFC WEST:  San Francisco 49ers (9-5) have won their first division title since 1997. Arizona, St. Louis and Seattle have been eliminated from playoff contention.

SATURDAY SUCCESS

(Top Five Saturday Records Since 1970; Minimum five games)

WEEK 16
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21
MIAMI DOLPHINS (9-5) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (4-10)

SERIES

	DOLPHINS	VIKINGS
LEADER	4-3
STREAKS		Past 2
COACHES VS. OPP.	Wannstedt: 4-10	Tice: 0-0
LAST WEEK	W 23-17 vs. Raiders	W 32-31 at Saints
LAST GAME	9/10/00: Dolphins 7 at Vikings 13. Minnesota QB Daunte Culpepper passes for 355 yards & 1 TD. Culpepper connects with WR Randy Moss for the winning 15-yard TD reception.
LAST GAME AT SITE	9/10/00
TV	CBS (12:30 PM CT): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, Bonnie Bernstein (Field reporter). CBS Radio: Joel Meyers, Bob Trumpy, John Dockery (Field reporter)

STATS

PASSING	Fiedler: 153-246-1,737-11-8-84.7	Culpepper: 292-491-3,297 (3C)-16-20-73.5
RUSHING	Williams: 337-1601(2L)-4.8-14 (T2L)	Bennett: 218-1,160 (3C)-5.3-4
RECEIVING	Chambers: 50-666-13.3-2	Moss: 93 (2C)-1,128-12.1-7
OFFENSE	342.4	383.9 (1C)
TAKE/GIVE	-3	-18
DEFENSE	282.6 (2L)	367.4
SACKS	Taylor: 17.0	Johnstone: 7.0
INTs	Surtain: 6	Biekert : 4
PUNTING	Royals: 40.8	Richardson: 39.9
KICKING	Mare: 103 (37/38 PAT; 22/28 FG)	Anderson: 74 (29/30 PAT; 15/19 FG)

NOTES

DOLPHINS:  Club vying for 3rd consecutive playoff berth under head coach DAVE WANNSTEDT QB JAY FIEDLER is NFL’s winningest active starting QB (29-11, .725) among QBs with 20 career starts ...WR CHRIS CHAMBERS currently stands 4th in team history for most receptions (98) in first 2 years w/ club.   WR CRIS CARTER returns to Minnesota where he played from 1990-2001. Holds several Vikings records, including career receptions (1,004) & TDs (110) .RB RICKY WILLIAMS has 790 rush yards in past 5 games (5 100s, 2 200s). With 14 rush TDs, needs 2 more to surpass club’s season record (KARIM ABDUL-JABBAR, 15, 1997) With 3.0 sacks last week, DE JASON TAYLOR tied single-game career high & now has at least 1.0 sack in franchise-record 7 consecutive games. CB PATRICK SURTAIN tied for 1st in NFL with 6 INTs VIKINGS:  QB DAUNTE CULPEPPER needs 203 yards passing to become third QB in franchise history with 2 3,500-yard seasons (TOMMY KRAMER, WARREN MOON). Has career-high 508 yards rushing, second in NFL among QBs. His game-winning 2-point conversion last week was first successful 2-pointer with club trailing by 1 in final 2:00 since rule was instituted in 1994. Passed for 355 yards in only start vs. Miami RB MICHAEL BENNETT has 7 100-yard rushing games & needs 1 to tie ROBERT SMITH for single-season club record. Needs 40 yards to become third player in franchise history with 1,200 in single-season. RB MOE WILLIAMS has 10 rushing TDs & needs 3 to tie single-season club record (CHUCK FOREMAN, TERRY ALLEN) WR Moss has catch in 78 consecutive games & needs catch vs. Dolphins to pass AHMAD RASHAD for fourth-longest streak in club history DEs LORENZO BROMELL & KENNY MIXON spent 1998-01 with Dolphins.
                                               

                                         SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (9-5) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (5-9)

SERIES

	49ERS	CARDINALS
LEADER	13-9
STREAKS	Past 4
COACHES VS. OPP.	Mariucci: 3-0	McGinnis: 0-1
LAST WEEK	L 20-14 vs. Packers	L 30-28 at Rams
LAST GAME	10/27/02: Cardinals 28 at 49ers 38. San Francisco WR Terrell Owens catches 2 TDs & has 8 receptions for 132 yards. QB Jeff Garcia throws for 252 yards with 4 TDs & 0 INTs.
LAST GAME AT SITE	9/27/99: 49ers 24, Cardinals 10. San Francisco RB Lawrence Phillips seals the victory with a 68-yard TD run.
TV	FOX (3:00 PM MT): Sam Rosen, Bill Maas. CBS Radio: Dave Sims, Warren Moon, Rick Walker (Field reporter)

STATS

PASSING	Garcia: 303-486-3,072-20-9-86.4	Plummer: 255-477-2,731-15-19-64.4
RUSHING	Hearst: 185-867-4.7-7	Shipp: 152-709-4.7-6
RECEIVING	Owens: 100 (1C)-1,300 (1C)-13.0-13 (1L)	F. Jones (TE): 40-313-7.8-1
OFFENSE	358.1	298.0
TAKE/GIVE	+10 (T3C)	-8
DEFENSE	336.5	372.3
SACKS	Carter: 9.0	Vanden Bosch: 3.5
INTs	Parrish: 5 (T3C)	Wilson: 4
PUNTING	LaFleur: 37.4	Player: 44.1 (2C)
KICKING	Chandler: 25 (10/10 PAT; 5/7 FG)	Gramatica: 71 (26/26 PAT; 15/20 FG)

NOTES

49ERS:  Club has 29-17 (.630) Dec record in past 10 seasons. Team tied for NFL-low with 13 turnovers in 2002 (KC, Jax) QB JEFF GARCIA seeks sixth consecutive win as starter vs. NFC West opponents (4-0 in 2002) & has 109.1 passer rating (82 of 133, 1,095 yards, 11 TD, 2 INT) in past 5 vs. division. Has not thrown INT in 67 career pass attempts vs. Cards. Leads NFL with 115.2 third down passer rating, including 13 TDs & 0 INTs Club 14-1 all-time when RB GARRISON HEARST rushes for 100 yards. Needs 133 yards for fifth 1,000-yard rushing season. Drafted No. 3 overall by Ariz in 1993 & spent 1993-95 with club, posting first 1,000-yard rushing season (1,070, 1995). WR TERRELL OWENS has 7 TDs in past 5 games. Seeks sixth 100-yard receiving game in past 9 & second consecutive 100 vs. Cards (8 catches, 132 TDs, 2 TDs in last meeting) DE ANDRE CARTER needs 1.0 sacks for first-career 10-sack season S RONNIE HEARD had career-high 3 INTs in last game vs. Ariz CARDINALS:  QB JAKE PLUMMER has 15-11 (.600) record when completing at least 60.0 pct. of passes. Has rushed for 263 yards, sixth-best in NFL among QBs, & career-best 6.1 yards per carry. Had career-long 80-yard TD pass & posted season-high 103.6 passer rating last week vs. Rams RB MARCEL SHIPP has career-high 709 yards rushing. His 4.7 yards-per-carry avg. is tied for sixth in NFL (Hearst, MARSHALL FAULK) (min. 150 carries). Rushed for 96 yards & 2 TDs & added career-long 80-yard TD catch last week Rookie fifth-round WR JASON MC ADDLEY averaging 15.6 yards per reception (20 for 312) TE FREDDIE JONES has 40 receptions & needs 10 for fourth career 50-catch season. S ADRIAN WILSON needs 1 INT for first 5-INT season .K BILL GRAMATICA needs 5 FGs for first career 20-FG season.

SATURDAY NIGHT
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (11-3) AT DALLAS COWBOYS (5-9)

SERIES

	EAGLES	COWBOYS
LEADER		48-35
STREAKS	Past 5
COACHES VS. OPP.	Reid: 6-1	Campo: 0-5
LAST WEEK	W 34-21 vs. Redskins	L 37-7 at Giants
LAST GAME	9/22/02: Cowboys 13 at Eagles 44. Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb throws for 287 yards & 3 TDs.
LAST GAME AT SITE	11/18/02:  Eagles 36, Cowboys 3. Philadelphia LB Jeremiah Trotter & CB William Hampton each return an INT for a TD. Eagles K David Akers kicks 5 FGs.
TV	ESPN (7:30 PM CT): Mike Patrick, Joe Theisman, Paul Maguire, Suzy Colber (Field reporter). CBS Radio: Tony Roberts, Jim Mora, Alan Pinkett (Field reporter). ESPN Deportes: Eduardo Varela, Fuad Reveiz, Luz Ramos (Field reporter)

STATS

PASSING	Feeley: 54-96-608-5-2-84.0	Hutchinson: 100-203-1,238-6-6-66.1
RUSHING	Staley: 233-945-4.1-4	Smith: 228-932-4.1-5
RECEIVING	Pinkston: 56-743-13.3-6	Galloway: 61-908-14.9-6
OFFENSE	359.7 (2C)	288.8
TAKE/GIVE	+10 (T3C)	-4
DEFENSE	296.2 (2C)	325.4
SACKS	H. Douglas: 11.5 (3C)	Ellis: 7.5
INTs	Taylor: 5 (T3C)	Ross (R): 5 (T3C)
PUNTING	L. Johnson (2001): 39.3	Filopovic (R): 39.9
KICKING	Akers: 123 (1L) (39/39 PAT; 28/31 FG)	Cundiff (R): 56 (23/23 PAT; 11/18 FG)

NOTES

EAGLES:  Clinched second consecutive NFC East title Have 29-4 (.879) mark under ANDY REID when scoring at least 20 points. Have won 12 consecutive conference games, longest current streak in NFL. Team has 4-0 record vs. NFC East & needs 2 wins for first perfect season vs. divisional foes since merger Club has 10-3 mark all-time when RB DUCE STALEY rushes for 100 yards. Needs 55 yards for third-career 1,000-yard season. RB DORSEY LEVENS had career-high 190 yards vs. Cowboys on 11/23/97 (with GB) WR ANTONIO FREEMAN had first 100-yard game (118 yards, 6 catches, 1 TD) with Eagles vs. Dal in last meeting KR-PR BRIAN MITCHELL ranks second in NFL history with 21,912 combined net yards (JERRY RICE, 22,202), passing  WALTER PAYTON (21,803) last week Defense has allowed 228 points, second-fewest in NFL (TB,179) & has 48.0 sacks, most in NFL COWBOYS:  Rookie QB CHAD HUTCHINSON has 0 INT in 4 of 7 career starts RB EMMITT SMITH needs 68 yards rushing for his NFL record 12th consecutive 1,000-yard season. Has 76 career 100-yard rushing games & needs 100 yards to tie WALTER PAYTON (77) for most all-time. Has 12 career 100s vs. Eagles, tied for most vs. any club (Wash). Has rushed for 2,427 yards vs. Phil, most vs. any team WR JOEY GALLOWAY averages 42 yards per TD catch in 2002. Needs 92 yards for fourth career 1,000-yard receiving season. Rookie WR ANTONIO BRYANT leads NFL rookie WRs with 529 yards receiving KR REGGIE SWINTON had club record 213 KR yards in last meeting, including 100-yard KR TD CB DEREK ROSS could become first rookie to lead club outright in INTs since EVERSON WALLS (11) in 1981.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22
DETROIT LIONS (3-11) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (8-5-1)

SERIES

	LIONS	FALCONS
LEADER	21-7
STREAKS	3 of past 4
COACHES VS. OPP.	Mornhinweg: 0-0	Reeves: 5-4
LAST WEEK	L 23-20 vs. Buccaneers	L 30-24 (OT) vs. Seahawks
LAST GAME	11/12/00: Falcons 10 at Lions 13. Detroit head coach Gary Moeller wins his NFL debut as Jason Hanson kicks 2 FGs in the 4th quarter.
LAST GAME AT SITE	11/5/95: Falcons 34, Lions 22. Atlanta QB Jeff George completes 31 of 40 for 362 yards. Detroit QB Scott Mitchell throws for 321. WR Herman Moore had 176 receiving yards.
TV	FOX (1:00 PM ET): Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston

STATS

PASSING	McMahon: 32-70-432-2-3-57.6	Vick: 194-343-2,359-13-6-83.2
RUSHING	Stewart: 208-962-4.6-4	Dunn: 180-728-4.0-6
RECEIVING	Stewart (RB): 42-311-7.4-1	Finneran: 50-707-14.1-4
OFFENSE	276.9	333.6
TAKE/GIVE	-5	+10 (T3C)
DEFENSE	366.7	343.4
SACKS	Edwards: 5.5	Kerney: 9.5
INTs	Claiborne: 3	Carpenter: 4
PUNTING	Jett: 42.5	Mohr: 42.1
KICKING	Hanson: 93 (27/27 PAT; 22/26 FG)	Feely : 110 (38/39 PAT; 24/31 FG)

NOTES

LIONS:  Second-year QB MIKE MC MAHON had TD passing & rushing last week. Makes first start since Week 2 & sixth NFL start. Is first Rutgers QB ever selected in NFL Draft (Round 5, 2001) RB JAMES STEWART needs 38 yards rushing for second career 1,000-yard season. Has 13 career 100-yard rushing games & his team has 9-4 record. Lions have 8-3 (.727) record when he has more than 20 carries. Needs 8 catches for first career 50-catch season. RB AVEION CASON had career-high 62 yards rushing last week vs. TB, avg. 6.2 yards per carry Rookie return specialist EDDIE DRUMMOND ranks third in NFL with 26.6 KR avg TE MIKHAEL RICKS leads NFL TEs with 13.3 yards per catch avg (min. 25 catches) Offense has surrendered 17 sacks, fewest in NFL, after allowing NFL-high 66 in 2001 DE ROBERT PORCHER seeks fifth consecutive game with sack vs. Falcons, including third-consecutive multiple-sack game. Has 7.5 sacks in past 4 vs. Atl K JASON HANSON needs 7 points for seventh 100-point season FALCONS:  QB MICHAEL VICK needs 141 passing yards, 2 TD passes for first career 2,500-yard, 15 TD pass season. Leads NFL QBs with 697 yards rushing & 8 rushing TDs Rookie RB T.J. DUCKETT (No. 18) leads NFC & ranks third among NFL rookies with 507 yards rushing. RB WARRICK DUNN had first career 100-yard rushing game (130) vs. Lions on 9/7/97 (with Bucs). Club is 8-1-1 when FB BOB CHRISTIAN has at least one carry WR BRIAN FINNERAN has 50 receptions, 36 for first downs. Seeks third 100-yard receiving game in past 5 TE ALGE CRUMPLER has career highs with 34 catches, 421 yards, 5 TDs CB RAY BUCHANAN has 29 INTs with Falcons & needs 1 to tie SCOTT CASE in third in club history P CHRIS MOHR leads NFL in holding opponents to 101 PR yards K JAY FEELY leads NFC & ranks third in NFL with 14 touchbacks on KOs.

CHICAGO BEARS (4-10) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (5-9)

SERIES

	BEARS	PANTHERS
LEADER	1-0
STREAKS	1-0
COACHES VS. OPP.	Jauron: 0-0	Fox: 0-0
LAST WEEK	W 20-13 vs. Jets	L 30-14 at Steelers
LAST GAME	10/8/95: Panthers 27 at Bears 31. Chicago’s Robert Green’s 1-yard TD run with 38 seconds remaining lifts the Bears. Rookie RB Rashaan Salaam runs for 105 yards.
LAST GAME AT SITE	--
TV	FOX (1:00 PM ET): Pat Summerall, Brian Baldinger

STATS

PASSING	Chandler: 96-153-910-3-4-74.8	Peete: 186-316-2,248-13-12-78.7
RUSHING	L. Johnson: 79-279-3.5-1	Brown: 79-305-3.9-2
RECEIVING	Booker: 88 (3C)-1,144 (2C)-13.0-6	Muhammad: 51-706-13.8-2
OFFENSE	285.1	268.1
TAKE/GIVE	-1	-9
DEFENSE	362.9	301.1 (3C)
SACKS	Colvin: 10.5	Rucker: 8.0
INTs	M. Brown: 3	Minter: 4
PUNTING	Maynard: 41.5	Sauerbrun: 46.4 (1L)
KICKING	Edinger: 93 (27/27 PAT; 22/27 FG)	Graham: 50 (17/17 PAT; 11/16 FG)

NOTES

BEARS:  Offense has scored TDs on 13 of past 19 redzone trips & ranks third in NFC with 57.9 redzone TD pct. (38 trips, 22 TDs) QB CHRIS CHANDLER seeks fifth consecutive win vs. Panthers. Had 7-3 record vs. Car as Falcons’ starter. Completed 81.5 pct. (22 of 27) vs. Jets last week RB LEON JOHNSON rushed for season-high 56 yards (1 TD) last week. WR MARTY BOOKER bidding for first Pro Bowl appearance. Leads NFL with 20 catches of 20+ yards. Has led club in receiving yards in 13 of past 17. Needs 56 yards receiving to become fourth player in club history with 1,200 yards in season WR DEZ WHITE has career highs 47 catches, 554 yards in 2002. WR MARCUS ROBINSON averaging 30.7 yards per TD catch (3 TDs) in 2002 Club tied for second in NFL with 17 fumble takeaways & has at least 1 takeaway in 32 consecutive games LB ROSEVELT COLVIN has 10.5 sacks & needs 0.5 for career-high K PAUL EDINGER needs 7 points for second consecutive 100-point season PANTHERS:  QB RODNEY PEETE seeks career-high fourth 300-yard passing game of season. Had career-best 4 TD passes & first career 300-yard passing game (316) vs. Bears on 12/16/90 (with Lions). Needs 1 TD pass & 79 passing yards for career highs (13, 2,326). RB DEE BROWN has career-high 305 yards rushing & averages 3.9 yards per carry WR MUHSIN MUHAMMAD seeks club-record 19th 100-yard receiving game & has posted fifth consecutive 50-catch season. WR-PR STEVE SMITH needs 3 catches for first-career 50-catch season & leads NFC & ties for NFL lead with 2 PR-TDs TE WESLEY WALLS has 53 career TD catches & needs 1 to tie SHANNON SHAPE for second-most in NFL history among TEs (JERRY SMITH, 60) Club has 44 sacks, second-most in NFL (Phil, 48), including 34 by defensive line DE MICHEAL RUCKER has 22.5 career sacks, & needs 1.5 to pass LAMAR LATHON in second in club history (KEVIN GREENE, 41.5) DT BRENTSON BUCKNER has 5.0 sacks in 10 games this season & needs 1.5 for career-high.  DT KRIS JENKINS has career-high 7.0 sacks & is tied for third among NFL DTs (ROD COLEMAN, 10.0).

                                        NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (9-5) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (1-13)

SERIES

	SAINTS	BENGALS
LEADER	5-4
STREAKS	5 of past 7
COACHES VS. OPP.	Haslett: 0-0	LeBeau: 0-0
LAST WEEK	L 32-31 vs. Vikings	L 29-15 vs. Jaguars
LAST GAME	9/15/96: Saints 15 at Bengals 30. Cincinnati RB Ki-Jana Carter rushes for 1st NFL TD from 31 yards out to lead Bengals past Saints.
LAST GAME AT SITE	9/15/96
TV	FOX (1:00 PM ET):  Curt Menefee, Tim Ryan

STATS

PASSING	Brooks: 255-459-3,224-26 (1L)-13-84.7	Kitna: 255-398-2747-15-12-84.2
RUSHING	McAllister: 282-1,245 (1C)-4.4-13 (T1C)	Dillon: 283-1132-4.0-7
RECEIVING	Horn: 78-1,205 (2C)-15.4-7	C. Johnson: 59-996-16.9-5
OFFENSE	339.4	319.0
TAKE/GIVE	+6	-13
DEFENSE	364.3	337.9
SACKS	Howard: 7.5	J. Smith, Williams: 5.0
INTs	Bellamy, Knight, Thomas: 3	Hawkins, Kaesviharn: 2
PUNTING	Gowin: 42.0	Harris: 41.2
KICKING	Carney: 117 (3C) (36/36 PAT; 27/30 FG)	Rackers: 70 (28/29 PAT; 14/17 FG)

NOTES

SAINTS:  Offense second in NFC & fifth in NFL with 58.5 redzone TD pct. (53 trips, 31 TDs) QB AARON BROOKS tied for second in NFL with TRENT GREEN with TD pass every 5.7 attempts (MARC BULGER, 6.6). Has rating of 100.0 in 12 starts & Saints are 9-3 in those games. Needs 1 TD pass for single-season club record (26, JIM EVERETT, Brooks). Needs 276 passing yards to join Everett as only QBs in club history with 2 3,500-yard passing seasons. QB JAKE DELHOMME has 113.8 rating in relief of Brooks RB DEUCE MC ALLISTER has 7 100-yard rushing games, second-most 100-yard games in single-season in club history (GEORGE ROGERS, 9). Needs 1 rushing TD for single-season club record (13, DALTON HILLIARD & Rogers). Has 1,245 yards & needs 55 yards to become third player in club history with 1,300 (Rogers, RUEBEN MAYES) WR JOE HORN has 24 TD catches with club & needs 2 to pass QUINN EARLY (25) in fourth place. Has 3,810 receiving yards with Saints & needs 40 yards to pass HOBY BRENNER (3,849) in third in club history. WR DONTE’ STALLWORTH leads NFL rookies with 7 TD catches DE DARREN HOWARD has 7.0 sacks in past 9 games BENGALS:  Five of club’s past 9 losses have been determined by one-possession scores (8 points-or-less). Offense has scored 20-or-more points in 7 of past 8 games In 1 career game vs. Saints (9/17/00 with Seattle), QB JON KITNA completed 22 of 29 passes (75.9 pct.) for 193 yards with 1 TD vs. 1 INT for 90.2 passer rating. Kitna has passed for 250+ yards in past 7 games; longest such streak of career RB COREY DILLON is one of 4 players in league annals to post 1,000 rush yards in first 6 seasons. Dillon has career-high 40 receptions & is 1 of 4 Bengals with 40+ catches: WR CHAD JOHNSON (59), WR RON DUGANS (45), WR PETER WARRICK (43). WR Johnson has 4 100-yard receiving games; club’s season record is 5, done by 3 Bengals. Needs 4 more rec. yards for 1st-career 1,000-yard season. Team has scored 118 points in past 5 Dec.-Jan. games (23.6) S COREY HALL recorded 2.0 sacks last week vs. Jax. Pass defense ranks No. 5 in AFC (204.3 yards/game).

                                             BUFFALO BILLS (7-7) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (11-3)

SERIES

	BILLS	PACKERS
LEADER	6-2
STREAKS	4 of past 5
COACHES VS. OPP.	Williams: 0-0	Sherman: 0-1
LAST WEEK	W 20-13 vs. Chargers	W 20-14 at 49ers
LAST GAME	9/10/00: Packers 18 at Bills 27. Buffalo QB Rob Johnson passes for 3 TDs as the Bills send the Packers to first 0-2 start since 1992. WR Eric Moulds catches 7 passes for 103 yards.
LAST GAME AT SITE	12/20/97: Packers 31, Bills 21. Green Bay QB Brett Favre throws 2 first half TDs as the Packers win 13 games for the 2nd consecutive season.
TV	CBS (12:00 PM CT): Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, Beasley Reece (Field reporter)

STATS

PASSING	Bledsoe: 334-543-3,949 (2L)-23 (T3C)-13-87.8	Favre: 310-485-3,372 (2C)-25 (2C)-13-90.3 (3C)
RUSHING	Henry: 275-1,312-4.8-13	Green: 246-1,057-4.3-7
RECEIVING	Moulds: 86-1,167-13.6-9	Driver: 64-1,002-15.7-8 (T2C)
OFFENSE	363.0	358.2
TAKE/GIVE	-8	+14 (2C)
DEFENSE	330.9	318.8
SACKS	Schobel: 7.5	Gbaja-Biamila: 11.0
INTs	Clements: 4	Sharper: 6 (T1L)
PUNTING	Moorman: 42.8	Bidwell: 41.8
KICKING	Hollis: 106 (37/37 PAT: 23/30 FG)	Longwell: 119 (2L) (41/41 PAT; 26/32 FG)

NOTES

MEETING OF Super Bowl XXXI starting QBs BILLS:  Have AFC’s No. 2 pass offense & No. 3 pass defense. Club leads AFC for greatest win improvement (+4) vs. 2001 QB DREW BLEDSOE set club record for most pass yards in season last week (3,949), surpassing HOF QB JIM KELLY (3,844 in 1991). Second in NFL in 300-yard passing games (7) RB TRAVIS HENRY has rushed for 564 yards in past 5 games (3 100s) with 4 TDs & is AFC’s 4th-leading rusher (1,312). Had game-winning 26-yard TD run last week vs. SD with :52 left in 4th quarter. Tied for 2nd in team history with most rush TDs (13) in season (COOKIE GILCHRIST, 1962) WR ERIC MOULDS (86 receptions) is 9 catches from surpassing own team record for most in season (94 in 2000). Both Moulds & WR PEERLESS PRICE are 2 TD catches from club record (BILLY BROOKS, 11, 1995) LB LONDON FLETCHER leads team with 180 tackles & has led club in tackling in 12 of 14 games PACKERS:  Have won 53 consecutive home games when leading by 10 points or more, tied for most in NFL history (Pitt, 1989-00) QB BRETT FAVRE has 34-10 (.773) record as starter in Dec. Has 171 consecutive starts, most ever by QB & longest current streak for any player. Needs 5 TD pass for seventh 30-TD year. Has passed for 7 TDs, 1 INT in 3 career games vs. Bills RB AHMAN GREEN has 13 100-yard rushing games with GB & club is 13-0 in those games. Needs 100 yards to pass JOHN BROCKINGTON for second-most 100-yard games in club history (JIM TAYLOR, 26). GB is 16-2 (.889), (6-1 in 2002), when Green has 25-or-more touches WR DONALD DRIVER seeks third 100-yard game in past 7. Avgs 17.2 yards per catch in past 2 vs. AFC.   TE BUBBA FRANKS leads NFC TEs with 6 TD catches. Has 51 catches & needs 6 to pass PAUL COFFMAN (56) for most in single-season by GB TE Defense leads NFL with 39 takeaways DE KABEER GBAJA-BIAMILA has 8.0 sacks in past 8 Rookie S MARQUES ANDERSON has 2 INT-TDs & needs 1 to tie NFL rookie record (LEM BARNEY, RONNIE LOTT).

                                            NEW YORK GIANTS (8-6) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (9-5)

SERIES

	GIANTS	COLTS
LEADER		6-5
STREAKS		5 of past 7
COACHES VS. OPP.	Fassel: 0-1	Dungy: 2-1
LAST WEEK	W 37-7 vs. Cowboys	W 28-23 at Browns
LAST GAME	11/14/99: Colts 27 at Giants 19. Indianapolis WR Marvin Harrison has 6 receptions for 109 yards & 2 TDs to lead Colts to 5th win in row.
LAST GAME AT SITE	11/5/90: Giants 24, Colts 7. New York RB Ottis Anderson rushes for 2 TDs as Giants beat Colts to remain undefeated at 8-0.
TV	FOX (1:00 PM ET): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth

STATS

PASSING	Collins: 287-481-3,451 (1C)-14-13-80.1	Manning: 342-517-3,689 (3L)-23 (T3C)-17-88.1
RUSHING	Barber: 254-1,124-4.4-9	James: 252-890-3.5-2
RECEIVING	Toomer: 70-1,082-15.5-5	Harrison: 127 (1L)-1566 (1L)-12.3-10 (3L)
OFFENSE	349.7	353.2
TAKE/GIVE	+2	-6
DEFENSE	310.7	298.1 (3C)
SACKS	Strahan: 11.0	Freeney (R): 10.0 (T2C)
INTs	Peterson, Sehorn: 2	Peterson: 3
PUNTING	M. Allen (R): 37.0	H. Smith: 40.7
KICKING	Bryant (R): 96 (24/25 PAT; 24/29 FG)	Vanderjagt: 88 (31/31 PAT; 19/27 FG)

NOTES

GIANTS:  Club has 17-5 (.773) December record under head coach JIM FASSEL QB KERRY COLLINS completing career-high 59.7 pct. of passes. Needs 49 yards passing for third consecutive 3,500-yard passing season RB TIKI  BARBER seeks first Pro Bowl selection & needs 76 yards to join JOE MORRIS as only players in club history to rush for 1,200 yards in single-season. Seeks fourth 100-yard rushing game in past 8 & fourth in past 6 vs. AFC opponents. Averages 103.7 rushing yards, 5.2 yards per carry vs. AFC foes in 2002. Leads NFC with 1,643 yards from scrimmage & 75 first downs (56 rushing, 19 receiving) WR AMANI TOOMER has 4 100-yard games & needs 100 yards vs. Colts to tie single-season career high TE JEREMY SHOCKEY leads NFL rookies with 57 receptions & 680 yards receiving Defense ranks third in NFL vs. pass (187.6) DE MICHAEL STRAHAN seeks third multiple-sack game in past 6. Has 7.0 sacks in past 7 overall & 5.0 sacks in past 4 games vs. AFC COLTS:  Club has won 5 of past 6 Head coach TONY DUNGY needs 1 win for 4th career double-digit victory total. Dungy would be 3rd coach in Colts history to win 10 or more games in 1st season w/ team (DON MC CAFFERTY, 1970; TED MARCHIBRODA, 1975) QB PEYTON MANNING surpassed 20,000 career passing yards in 78th career game last week, 2nd-fastest in NFL history (DAN MARINO, 74). Needs 311 pass yards to be 1st QB in NFL history to pass for 4,000 yards in 4 consecutive seasons If RB EDGERRIN JAMES rushes for 190 yards & Manning passes for 311, club will have 4,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher & 1,000-yard receiver (WR MARVIN HARRSION) for 4th consecutive season -- no other team in history has done this in two consecutive seasons Manning-Harrison duo has connected for 57 TDs in past 5 years, need 3 more to set record for most in 5-year span (STEVE YOUNG-JERRY RICE, SF, 59, 1991-95) Rookie DE DWIGHT FREENEY (No. 11) leads NFL rookies in sacks (10.0), tied for 2nd-most in AFC Outscoring foes in 4th qtr. 126-55.

                                          TENNESSEE TITANS (9-5) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (6-8)

SERIES

	TITANS	JAGUARS
LEADER	8-7
STREAKS	6 of past 8
COACHES VS. OPP.	Fisher: 8-7	Coughlin: 7-7
LAST WEEK	W 24-7 vs. Patriots	W 29-15 at Bengals
LAST GAME	10/13/02: Jaguars 14 at Titans 23. Tennessee RB Eddie George rushes for 113 yards & 2 TDs to lead Titans past Jaguars.
LAST GAME AT SITE	9/23/01: Jaguars 13, Titans 6. Jacksonville RB Stacey Mack runs 22 yards for game’s lone TD as Jaguars defeat Titans.
TV	CBS (1:00 PM ET): Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots

STATS

PASSING	McNair: 269-425-2,988-21-14-86.9	Brunell: 233-393-2,674-17-6-87.9
RUSHING	George: 266-873-3.3-9	Taylor: 269-1,224-4.6-7
RECEIVING	Mason: 67-870-13.0-4	J. Smith: 74-978-13.2-6
OFFENSE	333.2	312.2
TAKE/GIVE	+1	+13 (3L)
DEFENSE	334.6	340.4
SACKS	Carter: 7.0	Henderson, Stroud: 6.5
INTs	Schulters: 6 (T1L)	McCree: 6 (T1L)
PUNTING	Hentrich: 42.3	Hanson: 44.7 (2L)
KICKING	Nedney: 94 (28/28 PAT; 22/26 FG)	Seder: 35 (11/11 PAT; 8/12 FG)

NOTES

TITANS:  Team controls own destiny to earn 2nd division title in past 3 seasons under head coach JEFF FISHER In 10 career starts vs. Jags, QB STEVE MC NAIR has completed 185 of 298 attempts (62.1 pct) for 2,331 yards & 14 TDs vs. 7 INTs for 92.3 passer rating. McNair’s 14 TD passes vs. Jacksonville is his 2nd-most vs. any opponent In 12 games vs. Jax, RB EDDIE GEORGE has rushed for 1,016 yards on 266 carries & has scored 6 rushing TDs. On season, George has 297 carries with only 1 fumble. RB ROBERT HOLCOMBE recorded 2nd-most career rush yards with 85 on 10 attempts (8.5 avg.) last week on MNF vs. NE In 3 December games, WR DERRICK MASON has 24 catches for 279 yards (11.6 avg.) & 1 TD Offensive line is tied for NFL-low 17 sacks allowed Defense has allowed just 7 rushing TDs in 14 games. Defense yielded 176 total yards vs. Patriots last week & permitted NE only 2 of 11 successful 3rd down conversion attempts ..Kickoff coverage unit positions opponents with NFL’s poorest avg. drive start (24.1) w/ AFC-high 16 drive starts inside 20-yard line JAGUARS:  Club owns NFL’s 7th-best home record since 1996 (38-18, .690) Among AFC starting QBs with at least 20 wins, QB MARK BRUNELL owns AFC’s 4th best winning percentage (63-50, .558) Among NFL RB duos with at least 100 yards apiece, Jacksonville RBs FRED TAYLOR (1,153) & STACEY MACK (342) account for No. 2 rushing tandem (1,495). Club’s rush offense is No. 3 in AFC & No. 6 in NFL in yards per attempt (4.6 avg.) WR JIMMY SMITH needs 22 yards for 7th consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season. WR Smith & QB Brunnell have connected for 2nd-most TDs among active QB-WR duos (43) Rookie DT JOHN HENDERSON (No. 9) leads rookie interior linemen with 6.0 sacks. Since 1999, defense leads AFC in sacks with 175. Team has at least 1.0 sack in 37 consecutive games, 2nd-longest active streak in league PR BOBBY SHAW stands 4th among AFC punt return leaders with 13.0 avg. & 1 TD. Kickoff coverage unit ranks No. 3 in NFL (19.4 yards/return).

                                       SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (8-6) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (7-7)

SERIES

	CHARGERS	CHIEFS
LEADER		44-39-1
STREAKS		4 of past 6
COACHES VS. OPP.	Schottenheimer: 3-1	Vermeil: 2-2
LAST WEEK	L 20-13 at Bills	L 31-24 at Broncos
LAST GAME	10/13/02: Chiefs 34 at Chargers 35. San Diego QB Drew Brees throws game-winning 2-yard TD pass to rookie WR Reche Caldwell with 14 seconds remaining.
LAST GAME AT SITE	12/23/01: Chiefs 20, Chargers 17. Kansas City RB Tony Richardson rushes for game-winning 1-yard TD with 48 seconds remaining.
TV	CBS (1:00 PM ET): Gus Johnson, Brent Jones

STATS

PASSING	Brees: 267-437-2,710-12-15-73.7	Green: 249-402-3,216-23 (T3C)-11-94.7 (3C)
RUSHING	Tomlinson: 331-1,485 (3L)-4.5-14 (T2L)	Holmes: 313-1,615 (1L)-5.2-21 (1L)
RECEIVING	Tomlinson (RB): 67-445-6.6-1	Holmes (RB): 70-672-9.6-3
OFFENSE	322.3	389.1 (2L)
TAKE/GIVE	+1	+16 (1L)
DEFENSE	361.9	393.6
SACKS	Johnson: 5.5	Hicks: 8.5
INTs	Edwards: 5	Wesley: 6 (T1L)
PUNTING	Bennett: 40.7	Stryzinski: 38.6
KICKING	Christie: 71 (32/33 PAT; 13/21 FG)	M. Andersen: 117 (1C) (51/51 PAT; 22/26 FG)

NOTES

LAST FOUR MEETINGS between clubs have been decided by total of 10 points CHARGERS:  Head coach MARTY SCHOTTENHEIMER was head coach of Chiefs from 1989-98. Had 101-58-1 (.634) record with KC & led team to 7 playoff appearances. Chargers attempting to reach first 9-win season since 1995 (most recent playoff berth). In last meeting vs. KC, QB DREW BREES completed 28 of 41 passes (68.3 pct.) for 319 yards with 2 TDs vs. 2 INTs for 87.3 passer rating RB LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON is NFL’s third-leading rusher (1,485). In 3 career games vs. Chiefs, Tomlinson has 254 rushing yards on 60 carries (4.2 avg.) with 3 TDs. Also has 14 catches for 109 yards WR TIM DWIGHT tied season-high 5 receptions last week vs. Buffalo for 81 yards (16.2 avg.). Dwight has 7 of his 8 receptions of 20+ yards on road. Offense is AFC’s 3rd best inside redzone, scoring 27 TDs in 42 possessions (64.3 pct.) LB DONNIE EDWARDS, former Chief (1996-2001), leads all NFL linebackers in INTs with 5 CHIEFS:  Club has scored 443 points & are 6 points from breaking franchise record of 448, set in 1966 (Super Bowl I team) QB TRENT GREEN spent 1993 on Chargers’ roster, but did not play. In career vs. SD, Green is 3-1 (2-0 w/ KC, 1-0 w/ Wash). Has 6 300-yard games this season. Has thrown 7 TDs vs. 1 INT in past 6 games. His 23 TD passes are most by KC QB since BILL KENNEY posted 24 in 1983 RB PRIEST HOLMES, with 161 rush yards last week in Denver, has 1,615 rush yards & has broken team record he set last season (1,555). Recorded 9th 100-yard game of season last week, setting KC record, surpassing CHRISTIAN OKOYE (8 in 1989) WR DANTE HALL last week recorded 1st 100-yard receiving game of career (143). Hall ranks 3rd among AFC punt return leaders with 13.7 avg. TE TONY GONZALEZ (53 catches) now has 5 50-catch seasons, tying Chiefs record (KIMBLE ANDERS).  G WILL SHIELDS has played in 157 consecutive games for Chiefs -- longest streak in team history DE ERIC HICKS is tied for 4th in AFC with 8.5 sacks.

                                         HOUSTON TEXANS (4-10) AT WASHINGTON REDSKINS (5-9)

SERIES

	TEXANS	REDSKINS
LEADER	--	--
STREAKS	--	--
COACHES VS. OPP.	Capers: 0-3	Spurrier: 0-0
LAST WEEK	L 23-19 vs. Ravens	L 34-21 at Eagles
LAST GAME	--
LAST GAME AT SITE	--
TV	CBS (1:00 PM ET): Don Criqui, Steve Tasker

STATS

PASSING	Carr (R): 200-373-2266-9-13-65.6	Ramsey (R): 86-165-1,140-7-6-73.3
RUSHING	Wells (R): 169-495-2.9-3	Watson: 79-366-4.6-0
RECEIVING	Miller: 45-541-12.0-3	Gardner: 62-894-14.4-8 (T2C)
OFFENSE	227.3	311.0
TAKE/GIVE	-4	-16
DEFENSE	322.6	316.8
SACKS	Posey: 8.0	Arrington: 10.0
INTs	Glenn: 5	Smoot: 4
PUNTING	Stanley: 40.8	Jarrett: 45.9
KICKING	K. Brown: 64 (19/19 PAT; 15/20 FG)	Cortez: 89 (29/29 PAT; 20/27 FG)

NOTES

MEETING FEATURES head coaches in 1st season with their clubs TEXANS:  Club is 2-1 (.667) vs. NFC East Rookie QB DAVID CARR (No. 1) has 2,266 passing yards & is on pace to pass for 2,589 yards, which would be 2nd-most yards by QB of 1st-year expansion team (KERRY COLLINS, Car., 2,717). Has thrown 4 TDs in 3 games vs. NFC East WR COREY BRADFORD has catch in 20 of past 22. Four-year TE BILLY MILLER had career-high 8 catches last week vs. Baltimore. Miller has at least 3 receptions in 10 consecutive games PR AVION BLACK recorded 76-yard PR-TD last Sunday for 1st PR-TD in franchise history LBs KAILEE WONG, JAY FOREMAN & JAMIE SHARPER have started all 14 games. In past 2 games, Sharper has 25 tackles & 2.0 sacks.   LB JEFF POSEY leads team with 8.0 sacks, tied for 7th in AFC & tied for 2nd among AFC LBs. CB AARON GLENN leads club with 5 INTs; 7 players in NFL share lead with 6 INTs. Defense ranks No. 3 in AFC in denying 3rd down conversion attempts, allowing only 72 of 203 (35.3 pct.) Punt coverage unit ranks No. 2 in AFC & No. 5 in NFL, allowing 5.8 yards per return REDSKINS:  Offense leads NFC & ranks fourth in NFL with 59.5 redzone TD pct. (37 trips, 22 TDs) while defense ranks fourth in NFL, holding opponents to 39.2 redzone TD pct. (51 trips, 20 TDs) Rookie QB PATRICK RAMSEY had career-high 3 TDs, 110.8 passer rating last week vs. Eagles First-year RB KENNY WATSON or rookie second-round draft pick LADELL BETTS will start in place of STEPHEN DAVIS (shoulder). Watson averaging 81 yards, 4.4 yards per carry in 2 starts this season. Betts rushed for season-high 49 yards last week.  WR ROD GARDNER needs 106 yards for first career 1,000-yard receiving season KR Betts ranks second among NFL rookies (EDDIE DRUMMOND), with 26.6 KR avg DE BRUCE SMITH has 192.0 career sacks (6.0 in 2002) & needs 6.5 to pass REGGIE WHITE (198) in first all-time LB LA VAR ARRINGTON ranks second in NFL among LBs with 10.0 sacks (ROSEVELT COLVIN, 10.5) CB DARRELL GREEN needs INT to increase his NFL-record of consecutive seasons with INT to 20. Was high school football & track star at Jones HS in Houston P CRAIG JARRETT had career-long 74-yard punt last week.

                                               ST. LOUIS RAMS (6-8) AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (5-9)

SERIES

	RAMS	SEAHAWKS
LEADER	6-2
STREAKS	Past 2
COACHES VS. OPP.	Martz: 2-0	Holmgren: 5-3
LAST WEEK	W 30-28 vs. Cardinals	W 30-24 (OT) at Falcons
LAST GAME	10/20/02: Seahawks 20 at Rams 37. St. Louis running back Marshall Faulk rushes for 183 & scores 4 TDs. QB Marc Bulger throws for 265 yards & 1 TD.
LAST GAME AT SITE	9/10/00: Rams 37, Seahawks 34. St. Louis QB Kurt Warner passes for 386 yards, including 41-yard pass to WR Torry Holt to set up K Jeff Wilkins’s winning FG with 23 seconds left.
TV	FOX (1:05 PM PT): Kenny Albert, Tim Green

STATS

PASSING	Bulger: 137-213-1,815-14-6-101.4 (1L)	Hasselbeck: 211-334-2,323-12-8-85.7
RUSHING	Faulk: 192-897-4.7-8	Alexander: 254-1,029-4.1-13 (T1C)
RECEIVING	Holt: 76-1,133-14.9-3	Robinson: 65-1,043-16.0-4
OFFENSE	358.9 (3C)	345.4
TAKE/GIVE	-15	+2
DEFENSE	307.4	369.1
SACKS	Little: 10.0	Bernard: 4.0
INTs	Herring: 3	Lucas, Tongue: 3
PUNTING	Berger: 41.6	Feagles: 42.2
KICKING	J. Wilkins: 83 (32/32 PAT; 17/23 PAT)	Lindell: 88 (31/31 PAT; 19/24 FG)

NOTES

RAMS:  Club has 24-5 (.828) record in division games since 1999 QB MARC BULGER has posted passer rating of at least 100.0 in 3 of 6 starts. Seeks seventh consecutive win as starter & aims to become fourth QB (since 1970) to win first 7 career starts (DEITER BROCK, DAUNTE CULPEPPER, MIKE TOMCZAK) RB MARSHALL FAULK needs 103 yards rushing for his sixth consecutive & eighth 1,000-yard season overall. Would tie ERIC DICKERSON’s club record with 4 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Has 16,276 career yards from scrimmage & needs 18 yards to pass TONY DORSETT (16,293) in seventh all-time. Had 235 yards from scrimmage (183 rushing, 52 receiving) in last meeting vs. Seahawks WR ISAAC BRUCE seeks third 100-yard receiving game in past 7 overall. WR TORRY HOLT has 17 career 100-yard receiving games, fourth-most in club history, after posting 141 yards (7 catches, 1 TD) last week. Has 291 career receptions and needs 9 for 300 S KIM HERRING (3) needs 1 INT for career high SEAHAWKS:  Head coach MIKE HOLMGREN has 32-4 (.889) career mark when his club has 100-yard rusher QB MATT HASSELBECK seeks third 300-yard passing game in past 5. Ranks fourth in NFC with 63.2 (211 of 334) completion pct RB SHAUN ALEXANDER has 8 career 100-yard rushing games & club is 7-1 in those contests. Needs 171 yards rushing to become third player in club history with consecutive 1,200-yard rushing seasons (CHRIS WARREN, RICKY WATTERS). Has 13 rushing TDs in 2002 & needs 3 for club record (Warren, 15) WR KOREN ROBINSON seeks fifth 100-yard receiving game of season. Needs 157 yards to become second player in club history to post 1,200-yards receiving (STEVE LARGENT). Had 166 yards, including career-long 83-yard reception & 79-yard TD catch in last meeting.   WR BOBBY ENGRAM has 42 catches, 37 for first downs DT JOHN RANDLE has 129.0 career sacks & needs 3.5 to tie LAWRENCE TAYLOR & LESLIE O’NEAL in sixth on NFL’s all-time list.

                                         CLEVELAND BROWNS (7-7) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (7-7)

SERIES

	BROWNS	RAVENS
LEADER		5-2
STREAKS	Won 2 of past 3
COACHES VS. OPP.	Davis: 2-1	Billick: 5-2
LAST WEEK	L 28-23 vs. Colts	W 23-19 at Houston
LAST GAME	11/18/01: Browns 27 at Ravens 17. Cleveland completes season sweep of Baltimore as Browns defense records 4 interceptions and 2 sacks.
LAST GAME AT SITE	11/18/01
TV	CBS (4:15 PM ET): Bill Macatee, Craig James, Jerry Glanville

STATS

PASSING	Couch: 244-401-2,565-17-16-76.9	Blake: 130-241-1,605-10-8-74.8
RUSHING	Green: 196-653-3.3-4	J. Lewis: 273-1141-4.2-6
RECEIVING	K. Johnson: 59-627-10.6-3	Heap (TE): 54-629-11.6-5
OFFENSE	318.1	281.6
TAKE/GIVE	-1	+1
DEFENSE	338.7	339.0
SACKS	Word: 7.0	Boulware: 5.0
INTs	Little: 4	Reed: 5
PUNTING	Gardocki: 42.0	Zastudil: 42.1
KICKING	Dawson: 92 (29/30 PAT; 21/27 FG)	Stover: 82 (28/28 PAT; 18/22 FG)

NOTES

CLUBS TIED for 2nd-place in AFC North, Pittsburgh leads by 1.5 games BROWNS:  Club vying for first 8-win season since 1994 (most recent playoff berth). Team is 5-2 on road; franchise high in road wins is 6 since joining NFL in 1950 (done 3 times) Against AFC’s No. 1 pass defense last week (Indy), QB TIM COUCH completed 21 of 35 passes for 287 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 105.3 passer rating In past 5, rookie RB WILLIAM GREEN (No. 16) gained 6th-best 5-game rush total by Brown since 1970 (492 yards) with 3 rushing TDs. When team trails by 7 or less, Green has 4.1 rush avg. w/ 2 TDs & 10 rushing 1st downs Four of past 7 receptions by WR QUINCY MORGAN have gained 40+ yards (46, 60-TD, 50-TD, 78-TD). Morgan leads club with 7 TD catches. In past 8 December games, WR KEVIN JOHNSON has 40 catches with 4 TDs. Only club in NFL with 3 players w/ 5+ TD catches In last meeting (Week 5), LB EARL HOLMES tied for team lead in tackles (7) & forced fumble. Inside redzone, defense is NFL’s best, allowing 17 TDs in 48 possessions (35.4 pct.) Kickoff coverage ranks No. 7 in NFL, allowing 21.7 yards per return ...RAVENS:  Team seeking playoff berth for 3rd consecutive year Head coach BRIAN BILLICK is 5-2 (.714) against Cleveland QB JEFF BLAKE has won 4 of past 6 as starter. Blake vs. AFC North (3 games) has completed 55 of 93 passes (59.1 pct.) with 4 TDs vs. 3 INTs RB JAMAL LEWIS has had 2 of 3 career-best rushing games vs. Cleveland with 187 yards (10/6/02) & 170 yards (11/26/00). In 3 career starts vs. Browns, Lewis has 443 rush yards  (147.7 per game) In past 3 games, WR TRAVIS TAYLOR has 13 catches for 238 yards & 2 TDs with 3 rushes for 39 yards.   TE TODD HEAP leads AFC TEs with 54 catches. Heap has 4 of his 5 TDs in 7 home games. Heap tied for 2nd-most 20+ yard catches by TE in NFL with 9 In six games vs. Cleveland QB Couch, defense has limited him to 88 of 162 passing (54.3 pct.) for 892 yards, 4 TDs & 10 INTs for 52.8 passer rating. Defense is No. 3 in NFL in opponents yds/carry (3.7). Rookie S ED REED (No. 24) leads team with 5 INTs, tied for 6th-most in AFC Punt return unit is No. 6 in NFL (12.6, 1 TD).

                                              DENVER BRONCOS (8-6) AT OAKLAND RAIDERS (9-5)

SERIES

	BRONCOS	RAIDERS
LEADER		51-31-2
STREAKS	12 of past 15
COACHES VS. OPP.	Shanahan: 12-3	Callahan: 1-0
LAST WEEK	W 31-24 vs. Chiefs	L 23-17 at Dolphins
LAST GAME	11/11/02: Raiders 34 at Broncos 10. Oakland QB Rich Gannon completes 34 of 38 passes, including NFL-record 21 in row, for 352 yards & Raiders WR Jerry Rice has 2 TDs.
LAST GAME AT SITE	11/5/01: Raiders 38, Broncos 28. Oakland QB Rich Gannon passes for 3 TDs & Raiders RB Zack Crockett rushes for 2 as Oakland extends winning streak to 7 games.
TV	CBS (1:15 PM PT): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian (Field reporter)

STATS

PASSING	Griese: 284-421-3,166-15-13-88.6	Gannon: 393-577-4,409 (1L)-24-10-97.3 (3L)
RUSHING	Portis: 237-1,228-5.2-12	Garner: 146-766-5.2-6
RECEIVING	Smith: 79-901-11.4-4	Rice: 87 (T3C)-1,165 (3C)-13.4-7
OFFENSE	379.7 (3C)	397.2 (1L)
TAKE/GIVE	-6	+11 (3C)
DEFENSE	306.9	319.9
SACKS	Pryce: 8.5	R. Coleman: 10.0 (T2C)
INTs	O’Neal: 5	R. Woodson: 6 (T1L)
PUNTING	Knorr: 40.2	Lechler: 42.9 (2C)
KICKING	Elam: 103 (37/38 PAT; 22/32 FG)	Janikowski: 118 (3L) (43/43 PAT; 25/32 FG)

NOTES

BRONCOS:  Club is 1 of 4 NFL teams to rank in top-10 in offense (No. 4) & defense (No. 7);  Pittsburgh is only other AFC team (No. 5 & No. 3, respectively). Denver has won 8 of past 10 in series & 12 of past 15 Head coach MIKE SHANAHAN is 12-3 (.800) in career vs. Raiders & is 5-2 (.714) vs. Raiders on road QB BRIAN GRIESE has 4-2 (.667) career record as starter vs. Raiders. Griese has 86.3 passer rating in past 2 meetings, completing 53 of 73 passes (72.6 pct.) for 435 yards with 1 TD & 1 INTs .Last week vs. KC, rookie RB CLINTON PORTIS (No. 51) tied franchise record with 4 TDs in game (3 rushing) & set team rookie record for most 100-yard rush games in season (7). With 1,228 rush yards, Portis ranks 5th in AFC & 6th in NFL In past 8 games vs. Oakland, WR ROD SMITH has 59 receptions (7.4 per game). In past 3 vs. Oakland, Smith has 31 catches for 214 yards & 3 TDs Defense’s 3 starting LBs are its top 3 tacklers: AL WILSON (164), IAN GOLD (135) & JOHN MOBLEY (120) RAIDERS:  Club is currently AFC’s No. 1 seed & possesses  NFL’s No. 1 offense (397.2 yards/game). Head coach BILL CALLAHAN is 1 of 2 coaches in 1st year w/ club in head coach capacity to lead division after Week 14 (JON GRUDEN, TB). Raiders tied for AFC’s best conference record (7-3, .700) QB RICH GANNON set NFL record in last game vs. Denver, completing 21 consecutive passes in a single game (Week 10). In past 3 vs. Broncos, Gannon has completed 94 of 120 passes (78.3 pct.) for 907 yards & 8 TDs vs. 2 INTs for 113.4 passer rating RB CHARLIE GARNER ranks 4th in AFC with 1,616 scrimmage yards (850 receiving). RB ZACK CROCKETT is 8 of 9 (88.9 pct.) in converting 3rd & 1 rushes WR JERRY PORTER leads club in TD receptions (9). Rookie TE DOUG JOLLEY (No. 55) has at least 3 catches in 6 consecutive games One of 6 NFL teams with TDs via KR & PR DT ROD COLEMAN leads NFL interior linemen in sacks (10.0) & is tied for 2nd-most in AFC.  S ROD WOODSON tied for NFL INT lead (6).  

                                                                         SUNDAY NIGHT
                                       NEW YORK JETS (7-7) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (8-5XX)

SERIES

	JETS	PATRIOTS
LEADER	46-37-1
STREAKS	4 of past 6
COACHES VS. OPP.	Edwards: 1-2	Belichick: 3-4
LAST WEEK	L 20-13 at Bears	At Titans
LAST GAME	9/15/02: Patriots 44 at Jets 7. New England outgains New York 432-200 in total yards as Patriots QB Tom Brady throws 2 TDs & New England’s defense scores twice.
LAST GAME AT SITE	9/23/01: Jets 10, Patriots 3. New York RB Curtis Martin rushes for 106 yards & game lone’s TD to lift Jets past former club.
TV	ESPN (8:30 PM ET): Mike Patrick, Joe Theisman, Paul Maguire, Suzy Colber (Field reporter). CBS Radio: Joel Meyers, Bob Trumpy, John Riggins (Field reporter). ESPN Deportes: Eduardo Varela, Fuad Reveiz, Luz Ramos (Field reporter)

STATS

PASSING	Pennington: 235-342-2,639-15-6-98.8 (2L)	Brady: 315-491-3,276-26 (T1L)-11-91.7
RUSHING	Martin: 217-905-4.2-6	A. Smith: 213-850-4.0-5
RECEIVING	Coles: 78-1,093-14.0-4	Brown: 79-742-9.4-2
OFFENSE	307.4	335.5
TAKE/GIVE	+1	+10
DEFENSE	351.8	327.7
SACKS	J. Abraham: 8.5	Seymour: 5.5
INTs	D. Abraham: 3	Law: 4
PUNTING	Turk: 41.7	Walter: 38.2
KICKING	Hall: 89 (26/28 PAT; 21/28 FG)	Vinatieri: 98 (32/32 PAT; 22/25 FG)

NOTES

IN ALL-TIME 84-GAME SERIES, teams separated by only 2 TDs (Patriots 223, Jets 221) JETS:  In past 5 games, QB CHAD PENNINGTON has thrown 9 TDs vs. 2 INTs. In 3 career December games, Pennington has completed 63 of 97 passes for 716 yards (7.38 per attempt) with 4 TDs vs. 1 INT for 96.4 passer rating RB CURTIS MARTIN has rushed for 838 yards in 9 career games vs. former team NE (93.1 yards per game). Has 5 100-yard games in those 9 & Jets are 5-0 in those games. Has rushed for 4 TDs in past 4 against Pats. Needs 95 rush yards to become 2nd player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 in first 8 seasons (BARRY SANDERS) In past 5 games, WR WAYNE CHREBET has 18 receptions with 4 TDs.  WR LAVERANUES COLES has at least 5 catches in 11 consecutive games. DE JOHN ABRAHAM has 5.0 sacks vs. NE in 5 career games. Club has surrendered 14 points or less in 6 of past 7 games. PATRIOTS:  Team has won 5 of past 6 December games. Since 1993, Patriots are 13-4 when weather is 36 degrees or colder at kickoff QB TOM BRADY is 2-0 as starter vs. Jets & has completed 45 of 63 passes (71.4 pct.) for 482 yards with 2 TDs & 1 INT for 97.5 passer rating. Tied for NFL lead in TD passes (26) RB KEVIN FAULK is one of 2 NFL players to have TDs via rush, reception & kick return (DENNIS NORTHCUTT, Cle.). RB ANTOWAIN SMITH averages 4.4 yards per carry at home (411 yards on 94 attempts) versus 3.8 on road WR TROY BROWN has 31 catches in past 5 vs. NYJ. Last week, Brown became 1st NE player with 3 80-catch seasons (2000-02) Defense has held Jets to 473 pass yards in past 3 (157.7 avg.). Club has 12 INTs in past 8 weeks.

                                                                          MONDAY NIGHT
                                 PITTSBURGH STEELERS (8-5-1) AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (11-3)

SERIES

	STEELERS	BUCCANEERS
LEADER	5-1
STREAKS	5-1
COACHES VS. OPP.	Cowher: 1-1	Gruden: 0-1
LAST WEEK	W 30-14 vs. Panthers	W 23-20 at Lions
LAST GAME	10/21/01: Steelers 17 at Buccaneers 10. Pittsburgh RB Jerome Bettis throws a 32-yard TD pass & runs in a 46-yard TD. He finishes with 118 yards rushing.
LAST GAME AT SITE	10/21/01
TV	ABC (9:00 PM ET): Al Michaels, John Madden, Melissa Stark (Field reporter). CBS Radio: Marv Albert, Boomer Esiason, Bonnie Bernstein (Field reporter)

STATS

PASSING	Maddox: 197-324-2,406-17-14-83.2	B. Johnson: 281-451-3,049-22 (3C)-6-92.9 (2C)
RUSHING	Bettis: 161-600-3.7-9	Pittman: 179-608-3.4-1
RECEIVING	Ward: 101(2L)-1,205 (3L)-11.9-11 (2L)	K. Johnson: 63-915-14.5-4
OFFENSE	376.7	318.1
TAKE/GIVE	-4	+15 (1C)
DEFENSE	295.4 (3L)	249.9 (1L)
SACKS	Porter, B. Alexander: 8.0	Rice: 14.5 (1C)
INTs	Porter: 4	Kelly: 6 (T1L)
PUNTING	Miller: 41.2	Tupa: 43.1 (3C)
KICKING	Peterson: 61 (25/26 PAT; 12/21 FG)	Gramatica: 112 (31/31 PAT; 27/34 FG)

NOTES

STEELERS:  Club controls own destiny for AFC North title. On road against NFC teams on Monday Night, Steelers are 4-2 & are 8-3-1 in past 12 vs. NFC. In 6 games vs. TB (5 wins), Steelers have allowed 81 points (13.5 per game). Club vying for 7th division title and 8th playoff berth in head coach BILL COWHER’s 11-year tenure QB TOMMY MADDOX has completed at least 50 pct. of his passes in all 10 games played in 2002. Since return from injury 2 games ago, Maddox has completed 50 of 90 passes (55.6 pct.) for 534 yards (267.0 per game) In past 5 vs. NFC with at least 1 carry, RB JEROME BETTIS has rushed for 485 (97.0 yards per game) yards with a TD in all 5 games In 2 MNF games this season, WR HINES WARD has 13 catches for 166 yards & 3 TDs Team tied for most takeaways in AFC (29) LB JOEY PORTER leads club in sacks (8.0) & tied for team-high with 4 INTs (S BRENT ALEXANDER) In past 3 games, defense has allowed 404 total scrimmage yards (134.7 per game) BUCCANEERS:  QB BRAD JOHNSON is 51-28 (.646) as starter, including 19-10 (.656) with TB. Has 15 TDs, 1 INT in past 6 games RB MIKE ALSTOTT has 346 career points & with TD becomes fourth Buc to top 350. RB AARON STECKER, former NFL Europe standout, avgs 6.5 yards per carry. Had season-long 67-yard KR last week WR KEYSHAWN JOHNSON had 10 receptions (159 yards) in last meeting. Needs 85 yards for second-consecutive 1,000-yard season Club has allowed NFL-low 179 points. Defense holds opponents to 35.5 redzone TD pct. (31 trips,11 TDs), best in NFC & second in NFL, & leads league with 27 INTs DT WARREN SAPP ranks second among NFL DTs with 7.5 sacks. DE SIMEON RICE has 14.0 sacks in past 10 games. Had 2.0 sacks in last meeting. Needs 2.5 sacks for career high (16.5) LB DERRICK BROOKS needs TD to tie NFL record for most TDs on turnovers in season (5, KEN HOUSTON, 1971).

 

 

SPORTS

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NFL 2002 Week 16 Nobody Yet from AFC Playoff Bound
3 NFC Teams Vie for 2 Spots