Football » “Inside the NFL” • Wednesday, 9 p.m., Showtime Sports
One of the best shows about the NFL, featuring a solid cast of regulars. Washington’s own James Brown is the host and he is joined by Cris Collinsworth, Phil Simms and Warren Sapp serving as analysts.

NHL » Capitals at Thrashers • Thursday, 7 p.m., CSN (HD)
The Caps make their first trip this season to face the vastly improved Thrashers. Washington will be looking to overcome some of their early season issues as they look to notch their first division win of the season. — Jim Williams

BOLD PREDICTIONS

1. Three NFL unbeatens will lose » There are five unbeaten teams in the NFL. After this week only two will remain. Because it has a bye, Indianapolis (5-0) will stay unbeaten. And because the New York Giants (5-0) play at New Orleans (4-0), an unbeaten team will remain there. But the others, Minnesota (5-0) and Denver (5-0), will fall this week. The Vikings have a difficult test against visiting Baltimore (3-2). The Ravens have lost their last two, but to quality teams in New England (3-2) and Cincinnati (4-1). There’s nothing wrong with Baltimore. The Ravens are No. 6 in the NFL in rushing and No. 4 against the run. In addition, Ravens QB Joe Flacco is having an outstanding sophomore season. Make no mistake, Denver is for real. The Broncos rank No. 5 in rushing and No. 6 against the run. But Monday night at San Diego (2-2), Denver will find itself in a buzz saw against the adrenaline-fueled Chargers. — Kevin Dunleavy

2. Eric Wedge will be the Nationals’ next manager » Ever watch that show “Wife Swap”? Me neither. But I’m told it involves two family matriarchs switching families for a fixed period of time. With Manny Acta interviewing for the head job in Cleveland, maybe the Nats should try their own version of wife swap and hire Indians skipper Eric Wedge. Think about it, Wedge, 41, has experience with young teams. His 2005 and 2007 Indians overachieved. His 2006 and 2008 teams underachieved. And his 2009 squad completely imploded. But how much of it was Wedge and how much of it was the fire sale in Cleveland? Any manager that loses Cy Young Award winners in consecutive seasons (CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee) is going to lose. Then there’s Travis Hafner, who slugged 42 homers in 2006 and then apparently forgot how to play baseball. Is that on Wedge? No way. Meanwhile, the young Nats might learn a thing or two from a guy who managed a team to an ALCS. Hey, it certainly couldn’t hurt to ask. — James Irwin

3. An unexpected Heisman Trophy winner » This was the most hyped Heisman Trophy race entering the season with two former winners and last year’s runner-up returning. But Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford missed three games and the Sooners already have two losses, so there will be no back-to-back winner this year. Florida’s Tim Tebow has set his standards too high to win after his stats have fallen substantially from the past two seasons. Tebow may be the best college football player ever, but he won’t win his second Heisman Trophy. Texas’ Colt McCoy’s numbers have also fallen. His TD-to-INT ratio (10-6) is pedestrian and the Longhorns’ leading rusher last year only has 58 yards this season. So the race for the Heisman Trophy is wide open. — Jeffrey Tomik

PLAYER TO WATCH
Alex Rodriguez • Yankees • 3B
And now it comes to A-Rod. Normally at this time we’d be talking about how he’s struggling come October. Well this year he’s had the best postseason series of his career — .455, 2 HR, 6 RBI. Can he repeat that? All signs are pointing toward the corner being turned for the All-Star slugger. In the past, A-Rod has been the big story and a major part of the spotlight was on him. With all the big offseason signings — Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett — catching some of the limelight, A-Rod might have had a chance to slip just enough into the background to get comfortable. However, the Angels pitching staff will likely be more difficult to handle than the Twins. — Leon Saffelle

FIVE UP & FIVE DOWN


UP

1. Cincinnati Bearcats » A win over unbeaten South Florida on Thursday night has catapulted the Bearcats into BCS Championship talks.

2. Manning family » Peyton and Eli have the two highest quarterback ratings in the NFL and their teams have yet to lose a game.

3. Miles Austin » Not the most predictable receiver to own the Dallas Cowboys’ franchise record for the most receiving yards in a game.

4. Nicklas Lidstrom » The Red Wings star became the first European defenseman and eighth overall to reach 1,000 points.

5. Oprah Winfrey » Only Oprah could be the peacemaker between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield with each fighter showing admiration toward the other.


DOWN
1. Ray Lewis » Fined by the NFL a total of $25,000 for two separate incidents during the Ravens loss to the Bengals, including his hit on Chad Ochocinco.

2. Antawn Jamison » Injuries have already started. The Wizards forward will miss the rest of the preseason with a right shoulder injury.

3. Terrell Owens » Made the face of the Buffalo Bills franchise, not good when you only have 202 yards receiving and the team is 1-4.

4. Larry Brown » The Bobcats coach was fined $35,000 for verbally abusing officials and not leaving the court and another $25,000 for criticizing the refs.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs » Entered the weekend without a win and with only one point. They have been outscored 28-13 in six games.

— Jeffrey Tomik