As coach Bill Cowher said, "They smothered us."
Denver (9-2) at Kansas City (7-4)
The Broncos' fourth straight victory came on Thanksgiving Day when third-string tailback Ron Dayne rushed for 98 yards against the Cowboys. Now, at best, Dayne will share time with Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell.
When the Chiefs beat the Patriots, Larry Johnson rushed for 119 yards, his fourth straight 100-yard game. The Broncos seem a sure bet for the playoffs.
The Chiefs face a tough road because they must play five winning teams: the Broncos, the Cowboys, the Giants, the Chargers and the Bengals.
Atlanta (7-4) at Carolina (8-3)
The Falcons, fighting to stay in the playoff chase, routed the Lions on Michael Vick's two touchdown passes to Alge Crumpler and Warrick Dunn's 116 yards rushing.
The Panthers slipped past the Bills, holding them to 216 yards and allowing only three field goals in three trips to the red zone.
Although the Falcons are 4-1 on the road, they play their three remaining away games against the Panthers, the Bears and the Buccaneers, all fellow playoff contenders. Home field could make the difference here.
Seattle (9-2) at Philadelphia (5-6)
The Seahawks have won seven in a row, and they beat the Giants in overtime although the Giants outplayed them offensively and defensively. The Seahawks lead the NFC West by four games and can clinch the division title by winning here. The Eagles had lost four straight until they hung on against the Packers.
Green Bay (2-9) at Chicago (8-3)
When the Packers lost to the Eagles, they were assured of their first losing season since Brett Favre became starting quarterback in 1992. The Bears beat the Buccaneers, running their winning streak to seven games, and their defense keeps getting better.
The doctor accused of writing illegal steroid prescriptions for three former Carolina Panthers advised the players how to take the drugs without failing league tests, The State reported on Friday.
A judge heard tape-recorded conversations on Thursday between Dr. James Shortt and the three players, in which Shortt details how he could help them avoid being detected for performance-enhancing drugs, the newspaper reported.
In a consultation with former Panthers punter Todd Sauerbrun, on June 24, 2003, Shortt said, "You came to me ... wanting some performance enhancement. We can do that -- legal performance enhancement -- because you're drug tested in your profession."
US District Judge Joe Anderson also heard a tape of a consultation with former tight end Wesley Walls on Feb. 18, 2003.
"Now here's the key," Shortt said. "You want to use a natural testosterone. You do not want to use testosterone or any kind of Depo [testosterone injection] because that's how they test you. They look for the Depo. ... I can triple your testosterone levels without blowing any whistles."
RSS