Player to watch
Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans
The key to winning is a good ground game, right? Not in Tennessee where Johnson’s stats should equal more than two wins. Johnson leads the NFL with 959 yards; no one else is within 120. More impressively, Johnson averages a staggering 6.7 yards per carry and is trying to become the fifth back since 1954 to finish a season averaging at least 6.0 yards. The others are Hall of Famers Joe Perry, Jim Brown, O.J. Simpson and Barry Sanders. Brown has 12 runs of 20 yards or more – no other back has more than eight such runs. Here’s the best part: He’ll face the NFL’s worst run defense Sunday when the Titans play Buffalo. The Bills allow 5.1 yards per carry and 173.6 yards per game. — John Keim
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Story lines
1. Despite a 2-3 start, San Diego (5-3) is closing in on Denver (6-2) in the AFC West » You’re not actually saying that the Broncos are in trouble on a weekend when they’re facing the hapless Redskins, are you? Well, maybe not, but the battle for the top spot in this division will be a heated one, as the Chargers have found their mojo with a trio of victories since allowing Eddie Royal to return both a punt and a kick for touchdowns in the Broncos’ Week 6 win at Qualcomm Stadium. Denver, though, has been shocked back into reality with two bad losses to good teams (Baltimore, Pittsburgh). The kicker here is that NFC East will play a large role in determining how things shake out. San Diego has Philadelphia in town this weekend, still has to visit Dallas and hosts Washington in its regular-season finale while Denver has the New York Giants on Thanksgiving and another 1 p.m. kickoff at the Eagles on Dec. 27. – Craig Stouffer
2. Two-and-done, again? » In Oakland, as in Washington, there seems to be a two-year limit on coaches this decade not named Joe Gibbs. Owner Al Davis and the Raiders are reportedly assisting the NFL in its investigation of head coach Tom Cable and accusations of his assault on an assistant coach and past domestic violence. Davis is doing this out of the moral high ground, right? Nope. In a move that brings to mind Lane Kiffin, he wants to be able fire the second-year coach with cause — i.e. no money owed — at the end of the season. At least if these allegations bear fruit it looks better than Kiffins’ midseason ouster. However, one thing we can say about Redskins owner Dan Snyder, his coaches get paid. — Leon Saffelle
Upset special
Packers over the Cowboys
Dallas (6-2) is in first place in the NFL East and a favorite on the road in Green Bay (4-4), which has lost two games in a row and has an offensive line that could charitably be described as a work-in-progress. That’s not a good thing against the Cowboys’ defensive line. But the Packers are also fighting to stay in the playoff race so expect a little extra juice in this one. Green Bay rarely gives up the ball (eight turnovers) and is adept at forcing turnovers on defense (18). They’ll have to win that battle to beat a team that is just better in the trenches on both sides of the ball. — Brian McNally
Game to watch
Patriots at Colts
Not sure if you’ve heard, but, yes, the Patriots and the Colts have a little rivalry and they’re playing once again this weekend. Sorta been kept under the radar, unless you count the 10,000 stories and TV pieces. Still, this game usually impacts the season. This is the eighth time Pats quarterback Tom Brady and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning have met; Brady has won five times. And the winner of this regular-season game has gone on to win the AFC Championship four times since 2003. Injuries will be an issue Sunday night. Indy is minus three starters in the secondary while the Pats could be without their starting left tackle (Matt Light), which is good news for Colts end Dwight Freeney. — John Keim
Examiner Power Rankings
— James Irwin
| No. | Team (Record) | Comment | Pvs. |
| 1 | Saints (8-0) | Should be 10-0 when Pats come to town Nov. 30 | 1 |
| 2 | Colts (8-0) | Banged up defense has allowed NFL-low 13.5 ppg | 2 |
| 3 | Vikings (7-1) | Can sew up NFC North in next three weeks | 3 |
| 4 | Patriots (6-2) | Rivalry of the decade resumes Sunday night in Indy | 5 |
| 5 | Steelers (6-2) | Walked into Denver and dominated the second half | 6 |
| 6 | Bengals (6-2) | Time to admit it: These are not your father’s Bungles | 14 |
| 7 | Broncos (6-2) | We get the feeling they are a hair below the elite | 4 |
| 8 | Cowboys (6-2) | Who had them winning NFC East at halfway point? | 9 |
| 9 | Falcons (5-3) | Michael Turner is back in a big way | 13 |
| 10 | Eagles (5-3) | We knew they’d tank once we jumped on the bandwagon | 7 |
| 11 | Chargers (5-3) | Suddenly within a game of the AFC West lead | 15 |
| 12 | Cardinals (5-3) | A perfect 4-0 on the road this season | 19 |
| 13 | Ravens (4-4) | Birds face uphill battle in top-heavy AFC North | 8 |
| 14 | Packers (4-4) | Fading fast … | 11 |
| 15 | Giants (5-4) | Fading faster … | 10 |
| 16 | Bears (4-5) | Fading fastest … | 12 |
| 17 | Jets (4-4) | Can’t overlook Jags this week before second crack at Pats | 16 |
| 18 | Texans (5-4) | Oh Kris Brown, how could you? | 17 |
| 19 | Dolphins (3-5) | Fins are — for lack of a better term — floundering | 18 |
| 20 | Panthers (3-5) | Plenty of talent. Too many turnovers | 20 |
| 21 | Titans (2-6) | Is Vince Young resurrecting his career? | 23 |
| 22 | Bills (3-5) | Conceivably could lose next four (Titans, Jags, Fins, Jets) | 22 |
| 23 | Seahawks (3-5) | Last chance to get into the race Sunday at Cards | 24 |
| 24 | 49ers (4-5) | In must-win game, the Niners turn to Gore | 21 |
| 25 | Jaguars (4-4) | Possibly the most confusing team ever | 26 |
| 26 | Raiders (2-6) | Cable, Russell should star in their own soap opera | 25 |
| 27 | Lions (1-7) | Win over Skins is their ticket out of the bottom five | 27 |
| 28 | Redskins (2-6) | The circus officially has come to Ashburn | 28 |
| 29 | Buccaneers (1-7) | Creamsicle uniforms are back in style! | 31 |
| 30 | Rams (1-7) | Playing the Saints after a bye week? That’s just unfair | 30 |
| 31 | Chiefs (1-7) | Up next: At Oakland in “Toilet Bowl Special II” | 29 |
| 32 | Browns (1-7) | Quinn to start. And the wheel goes round and round … | 32 |
