Peek at the Week: Wild one in store in Detroit

Game of the week

N.Y. Giants at Detroit, 1 p.m. ET | Preview

The line: Giants by 2½

The injuries: New York linebacker Antonio Pierce missed two straight days of practice but insists he will play despite recurring "little headaches" stemming from a mild concussion suffered last weekend. Wide receiver Steve Smith (hamstring) was limited in practice.

Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna has a sore back and was limited in two days of practice, but he should play. The prognosis is not as good for defensive end Dewayne White, who probably will miss Sunday's game with an injured triceps. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson (sore back) also is hurting but should play.

Look for the hard-charging Osi Umenyiora to have a field day with Jon Kitna. (US Presswire)

The story: If you're looking for an NFC wild card, you've come to the right address. The Giants crippled their division hopes last weekend with a second loss to Dallas, ending their six-game run. The Lions are two games behind Green Bay, but if you look at their schedule, you understand why that's a lot farther than it seems.

Anyway, one of these clubs could be in deep kimchi after this one, and I'll lean toward Detroit. Not because I don't think Jon Kitna can shred the Giants secondary. He can. It's because I don't think Jon Kitna will have the time to shred their secondary. Look, the poor guy's a regular piñata, sacked a league-high 37 times, and now he's up against a club that dropped Donovan McNabb 12 times in one game.

Detroit might be able to slow down the Giants' pass rushers if it had a running game, but apparently you missed the results from Arizona. Uh-huh, minus-18 yards on eight attempts, with Kevin Jones hobbled afterward. Without the threat of a running game, Kitna is a sitting duck, and I like Osi Umenyiora's chances of padding his NFL-high sack total of nine. Heck, I like anyone's chances here. Kitna has been sacked four or more times in five of his nine starts, so the averages don't exactly work in his favor.

Nevertheless, there are a couple of things that are in his favor -- neither is in a three-point stance on the offensive line. First, he's unbeaten at home. Second, the Giants are vulnerable to the pass, as they demonstrated a week ago when Tony Romo tore them up for four touchdowns. If offensive coordinator Mike Martz somehow can find a way to buy Kitna time, he has big plays waiting to happen with Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson, Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald.

Oh, there's a third item I almost forgot. Under coach Tom Coughlin, the Giants are 8-17 the second half of the season and went 2-6 a year ago after charging to the same 6-2 record they had before disintegrating in front of Dallas. Maybe that's an omen.

Maybe this is, too. Giants quarterback Eli Manning has six career 300-yard games. All of six of them have been on the road.

Three games I'd like to see

San Diego at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. ET | Preview | Endzone

You want to know what's going on with San Diego's offense? You're about to find out. If there's a measuring stick for what's right or wrong with Philip Rivers & Co., it's this game -- or, more accurately, this opponent. Jacksonville is a tough defense to solve, particularly at home, where it surrenders an average of 16.5 points a game. Scratch the Jags' 29-7 loss to Indianapolis, and that figure drops to 12.

Maurice Jones-Drew should have some running room against San Diego. (Getty Images)

Anyway, I think you get the idea. The Jags don't rank highly in many categories, except points allowed -- and scoring is where San Diego has been flummoxed this year. In last week's win over Indianapolis, the Bolts offense produced 10 points. The same thing happened the week before with Minnesota. A year ago, no one could replicate the thunder and lightning of the Chargers offense, but those days are gone -- and they won't be forgotten if it short circuits again.

The key for San Diego is LaDainian Tomlinson. If he can peel off big runs, it will open things up for the embattled Rivers, who is languishing through a so-so season. L.T.'s chances are enhanced by the absence of Jacksonville defensive tackle Marcus Stroud, but the Jags did just fine without him a week ago against Tennessee.

This one just doesn't feel right for San Diego, which plays three of its next four on the road. Maybe it's because David Garrard is back for the Jags after missing three games. Garrard isn't exactly Tom Brady, but he's good enough to have no interceptions. Of course, he hasn't faced Antonio Cromartie, another A.J. Smith find who happens to lead the league with six pickoffs -- all in the past four games.

The Jags won't rely on Garrard as heavily as they will Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor, and either or both could be a nightmare for the Chargers. Remember, this is the team that surrendered more than 300 yards rushing in one half to Minnesota two weeks earlier. If the Jags can push the ball on the ground, they control the clock. And if they control the clock, the Chargers could be forced to lean more on Rivers than Tomlinson.

Not a good idea. Not here. Not now.

Something to consider: Jacksonville and Oakland are the only two teams with two running backs with 500 yards apiece. Jones-Drew has 536, and Taylor has 519.

Washington at Dallas, 4:15 p.m. ET | Preview

Once this was one of the NFL's most heated rivalries, but the temperature has gone down most of the past decade -- along with both of the franchises. Now Dallas is back, and it's back as the best team in the NFC, while the Redskins are fighting for a wild-card spot (isn't everyone outside of Dallas and Green Bay?). This is a much bigger game for struggling Washington than it is for Dallas, and if the Redskins need something to hang onto, they can try this: They have knocked off the Cowboys three of the past four.

Joe Gibbs has to figure something out before the Cowboys stomp his team, too. (Getty Images)

Of course, that lone defeat was a 27-10 dissection a year ago in Dallas. Coach Joe Gibbs had better do something to make sure there's no déjà vu all over again, because Washington is beginning to enter a downward spiral that could threaten its playoff chances.

I'm not just talking about losing two of its past three starts; I'm talking about how the Redskins succumbed -- namely, without a lot of help from their defense. New England shredded them for 52 points. Then the Jets put up 20, though the first touchdown was on a kickoff return. But Philadelphia erupted for 33 a week ago, with Brian Westbrook splitting the Washington defense for a 57-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter.

The problem with Washington's defense is Washington's offense. Basically, it's not very effective. Against Philadelphia, it had a chance to put the Eagles away but couldn't convert a key third-and-1. Against the Patriots, it did nothing. And against the Jets, it had to go to overtime to solve one of the league's worst ballclubs.

It's not Jason Campbell who's the problem; it's his wide receivers. Until last week, none had a touchdown catch. So Gibbs has come to the rescue by dialing up Clinton Portis, and the results speak for themselves: The past two games, he has carried 66 times for 333 yards.

Look for more of Portis left and Portis right, though the Cowboys are tough against the run. If they shut down Portis, it could be curtains for Washington. I just don't know how the Redskins check Tony Romo and his cadre of receivers, especially with enforcer Sean Taylor missing from the lineup.

"They are stomping on everyone," Gibbs said of the Cowboys. Careful, Joe. You might be next.

Something to consider: Four of the past six games between these two have been decided by no more than three points.

New England at Buffalo, 8:15 p.m. ET | Preview

Here's the good news, Buffalo: Somebody thinks your football team is good enough to be on national television. Here's the bad: It looks as if the Bills must play the league's best club without their top playmaker.

The Bills will be relying on a lot of help from Anthony Thomas; that's not good. (Getty Images)

Uh-oh.

If running back Marshawn Lynch sits this one out -- and it sure sounds as if he will -- I don't know how the Bills play with New England. Buffalo's defense has been rock solid all season, especially when you consider how many players it lost to injury, but it can't withstand the Patriots' blitzkrieg if its offense keeps having three-and-outs. Lynch not only produces 29 percent of the Bills offense; he leads the team with six touchdowns.

No one else has more than two.

Does that mean I don't trust Anthony Thomas and Fred Jackson to carry the load? You betcha. There's a reason they're sitting behind Lynch. Without the star rookie, the burden shifts to Thomas, wide receiver Lee Evans and quarterback J.P. Losman, and I can't see them doing to the Patriots what Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne and Joseph Addai could not -- namely, beat them.

I know Buffalo is 5-0 in Sunday night games. I understand the Bills are on a four-game roll. And I appreciate that they should have beaten Dallas. But these are not the Cowboys. This is a machine, and New England has won 13 of its past 14 against the Bills. Tell me why this should be different.

If Lynch were in the lineup, I might give the Bills a chance -- particularly if the weather doesn't cooperate. But I can't see how Buffalo's offense keeps up with a club that produces 39 points a game. If Dick Jauron has the answer, I want him back at Yale next May for an honorary doctorate.

Something to consider: The Bills have allowed the fewest points (10) off their giveaways. Of course, they're second in the AFC in fewest turnovers, too. Only New England, with nine, is better.

Crummy game of the week

St. Louis at San Francisco, 4:15 p.m. ET | Preview

The Rams lost their first eight. The 49ers have lost their past seven. Talk about a match made in Mudville.

One good thing for St. Louis? Bulger's regaining form. (Getty Images)

If you watched San Francisco flop against Seattle, you know your only Fantasy option is to play punter Andy Lee. If you watched St. Louis destroy the Saints, you know this could be Scott Linehan's get-out-of-jail card. Two weeks ago, people were talking about him on the firing line; now he has a chance to win his second game in two weeks.

So that's not a big deal. It is in St. Louis, where the Rams spent most of the season auditioning for guest roles on ER. I know the Rams still have problems on defense, but tell me who exactly is going to score for San Francisco. Hey, a week ago, the 49ers couldn't produce a first down in the first half until the last play, when they hit a pass that should have been ruled incomplete.

San Francisco's starting quarterback is hurt and ineffective. The wide receivers aren't doing anything. The star running back is unhappy. The play calling is so bad, the head coach seems to be joining critics. And now the quarterback and head coach are battling over communication skills. Somewhere, Steve Mariucci is happy he's out of this mess.

Something to consider: The Rams' Marc Bulger is coming off back-to-back 300-yard passing games, including a defeat of New Orleans, where he completed 81.1 percent of his attempts -- the best of his career.

Upset of the week

Oakland (+4½) over Minnesota | Preview

Daunte Culpepper makes his second return trip this year. (Getty Images)

If Daunte Culpepper played for seven clubs in addition to Minnesota and Miami, the Raiders might pull the improbable and produce a winning season. Oakland wheels the guy out every time an ex-team pops up on the schedule, and he turns back the clock. At least he did when he faced the Dolphins earlier this season, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for three.

I don't expect that to happen here, but I do expect Culpepper to exact revenge.

First, because he's motivated, playing in the Metrodome for the first time since the Vikings traded him to Miami.

Second, because Minnesota can't score. With Adrian Peterson sidelined, I don't know how anyone but Chris Kluwe does much of anything for the Vikes.

I know, the Raiders stink against the run, but do you really think Chester Taylor can do to these guys what Peterson would? Me neither. That's why I like Oakland here.

Something to consider: Five of the Raiders' seven losses have been by seven or fewer points.

Five guys I'd like to be

Tom Brady, QB, New England: Because he's 12-1 vs. Buffalo, with 25 touchdowns -- his most against any opponent.

Jamal Lewis returns to Baltimore, trying to lead the Browns to the season sweep. (Getty Images)

Jamal Lewis, RB, Cleveland: Because he makes his first return to Baltimore since the club let him go. Lewis scored in the Browns' 27-13 defeat of Baltimore earlier this year.

Kurt Warner, QB, Arizona: Because in his only career start against Cincinnati, he produced a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

Tony Dungy, coach, Indianapolis: Because he plays a crippled Kansas City Chiefs team with Brodie Croyle as its starter and because the team is 17-6 in November under his direction.

Steven Jackson, RB, St. Louis: Because in his past three games against the 49ers, he averages 137.3 yards.

Stat of the week

The Buffalo Bills are 7-3 at home against teams that are undefeated (minimum of four games).

Telling it like it is

"This is a huge game for us. We don't have time to sit back and sulk at all." -- Giants quarterback Eli Manning on facing Detroit.

Where we will be

Pete will be in Jacksonville to call the Chargers' second-half audibles.

I'll be in Baltimore driving the welcome wagon for ex-Ravens Derek Anderson and Jamal Lewis.