“What do you do? It’s not the Jetsons, I can’t jump up and just fly. What the heck am I supposed to do?”

— Patriots LB Adalius Thomas on being stuck in snow-related traffic, which caused him to be late to a team meeting Wednesday and subsequently sent home for his tardiness.

Story lines

1. As consistently terrifying as the Ravens defense has been, the team as a whole has been frighteningly inconsistent » The last two seasons that the Ravens have made the playoffs, the following year they’ve missed out. And after losing six of their last nine, they’re on the verge of doing it again — despite having reached the conference title game last year. Only after winning the 2000 Super Bowl did they turn around and make the postseason a second straight time. At least the schedule shakes out this year — all four games in Baltimore’s home stretch are against teams with losing records, starting with Detroit’s visit this weekend. But the Ravens — who should’ve pounced on the AFC North with Pittsburgh faltering — still need teams like Denver, Jacksonville and Miami to falter, because catching division-leading Cincinnati is likely out of the question. — Craig Stouffer

2. Steelers out, Patriots next? » After Mike Tomlin announced that the Steelers would “unleash hell” in December, they lost to Oakland and Thursday at Cleveland, extending their losing streak to five games. With a loss next Sunday to visiting Green Bay, Pittsburgh (6-7) would become the first defending Super Bowl or NFL (1920-66) champion to lose six straight. The Patriots have taken a similar nose-dive since coach Bill Belichick made a questionable call on fourth down in a 35-34 loss to the Colts. New England, 6-2 before that game, is 7-5 and its lead in the AFC East has shrunk to one game over the Jets and Dolphins. This week Belichick sent four players home after they arrived late to practice in a snowstorm. New England plays Carolina on Sunday. — Kevin Dunleavy

3. The AFC playoff picture » The playoff teams should clear up a bit following Sunday as there are a lot of inter-conference games and division leaders playing some tough contests. Perhaps in the spotlight is Miami at Jacksonville. The Jags (7-5) have no way to win the AFC South (led by the undefeated Colts), but have a tough end of the season. A win against the Dolphins (6-6) would give Jacksonville 8 wins and a good shot at a wild card while sending Miami under .500 with the Patriots (7-5) hosting a weakened Panthers team. The Ravens (6-6) face a miserable Lions team (2-10) and could find themselves in the playoff picture if the Broncos (8-4) can’t end the Colts’ (12-0) undefeated streak and the Chargers (9-3) can’t get it done on the road against the Cowboys. — Leon Saffelle

Upset special

Bengals over the Vikings

Don’t underestimate the importance of this win for Cincinnati. The Bengals have all but wrapped up the AFC North thanks to the Steelers’ loss to Cleveland on Thursday. But they are still in the mix for a playoff bye, too. Cincinnati has defended the run well all season (81.8 yards-per-game) — tops in the NFL. That will need to continue against Adrian Peterson and the Vikings. They can also take advantage of a Minnesota secondary that isn’t at full strength. The Vikings struggled to contain Larry Fitzgerald (8 receptions, 143 yards, TD) and Anquan Boldin (7 receptions, 98 yards, 2 TDs) on the road at Arizona last week. Dealing with Chad Ochocinco won’t be any easier. — Brian McNally

Fantasy watch


Five to start

1. QB Kurt Warner » He has at least two touchdowns and a 120 QB rating in his last four games as Arizona’s offense is starting to hit its stride.

2. RB Jamaal Charles » The Chiefs back has a touchdown in three of the last four games and is facing a Bills’ defense that allows 172.1 rushing yards per game.

3. RB Joseph Addai » Although the Colts back has not gained over 100 yards in any game this season, he has scored nine touchdowns, including two last week.

4. WR Derrick Mason » The best way to bounce back from a two-catch, 13-yard performance is to play the worst pass defense in the NFL — the Lions.

5. WR Robert Meachum » The Saints often mix up who they go to on offense, but Meachum has a touchdown catch in five straight games.

Five to sit

1. QB Jay Cutler » The most intercepted quarterback in the league faces one of the most opportunistic defenses — the Packers. Not a good combination for the Bears.

2. RB Marion Barber » The Cowboys back hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 8 against the Seahawks. Dallas has too much of a loaded backfield to rely on Barber.

3. RB LeSean McCoy » Replacing injured Brian Westbrook last week he had 2 yards on just 6 carries and faces a tough Giants rush defense on Sunday.

4. WR Roy Williams » Don’t get excited over his two-touchdown performance against the Giants. Miles Austin and Jason Witten are still the top two targets in Dallas.

5. WR Antonio Bryant » After 116 yards against the Panthers, the Bucs’ top receiver will get acquainted with Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis.

— Jeffrey Tomik

Game to watch

Giants at Eagles, 8:20 p.m., NBC

New York trails Philadelphia and Dallas by one game in the NFC East and already has lost to the Eagles this season. Giants quarterback Eli Manning has struggled vs. the Eagles lately, having thrown two touchdowns and four interceptions in the last three games. Corner Asante Samuel has picked him off in each of those games. It’ll be interesting to see what Giants running back Brandon Jacobs does; he’s averaged 85.2 yards rushing in his last five games vs. Philly but only 35 yards a game in the past three weeks. For the Eagles, receiver DeSean Jackson returns after a one-week absence because of a concussion. — John Keim

Examiner Power Rankings

— James Irwin