Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
APThe AFC East’s big match sees the 6-4 Dolphins, who barely beat Oakland, taking on the 6-4 Patriots, who will be looking to stay in contact with the division-leading Jets. Neither team can afford to lose.
The Colts won again, beating Houston and improving to 6-4. Now they travel to San Diego to take on the Chargers, who lost on a last-second field goal in the snow and mud in Pittsburgh. The Chargers are 4-6 and beyond desperation. They cannot lose another game. The Colts are in pretty much the same situation. It should be classic.
In tying the 1-8 Bengals, the Eagles, who were supposed to be an NFC East contender, dropped to 5-4-1 and last place. Philly is also 0-3 in the conference and can’t afford another loss.
Unfortunately for them, they take their dysfunctional offense down I-95 to Baltimore, where the 6-4 Ravens are almost as desperate for a win as the Eagles are. Both teams are far more talented on defense than on offense. If you thought the Steelers’ 11-10 victory over the Chargers was ugly, just wait until this one ends.
Finally, if you can squeeze one more game into your schedule, keep an eye on the battle of the 5-5 Packers and 5-5 Saints. The Saints are fighting for survival in the NFC South. Thanks to their victory over the Bears, the Packers are tied with Chicago and the Vikings for the NFC North lead. The Vikings will be taking on 4-6 Jacksonville while Chicago is at the 2-8 Rams.
The Quest for Imperfection
The Lions kept their fears of a winless season alive with a hard-fought loss to the Panthers on the road.
Detroit actually head a 13-7 lead before collapsing and giving up 21 second-quarter points. The Lions have showed improvement with Daunte Culpepper at the controls, and they show no signs of quitting. And losing every game is as hard to do as winning every one.
The Lions have six games left to win one. Week 12 will probably not be the week, not with the 7-3 Buccaneers coming to town. Nor Week 13, when Detroit plays host to Tennessee on Thanksgiving.
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Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
 | Video: Football from NBC Sports |
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Fantasy impact |
Week 17 standouts | Click here for more |
| Passing | Comp. | Att. | Yards | TDs |
| 1. D. Brees, Saints | 30 | 49 | 386 | 4 |
| 2. M. Schaub, Texans | 27 | 36 | 328 | 2 |
| 3. J. Cutler, Broncos | 33 | 49 | 316 | 1 |
| Rushing | Att. | Yds. | Avg. | TDs |
| 1. M. Turner, Falcons | 25 | 208 | 8.3 | 1 |
| 2. D. Williams, Panthers | 25 | 178 | 7.1 | 0 |
| 3. M. Bush, Raiders | 27 | 177 | 6.6 | 2 |
| Receiving | No. | Yds. | Avg. | TDs |
| 1. A. Johnson, Texans | 10 | 148 | 14.8 | 2 |
| 2. S. Smith, Panthers | 5 | 134 | 26.8 | 0 |
| 3. L. Fitzgerald, Cardinals | 5 | 130 | 26.0 | 2 |
 | Special feature |
 | NBCSports.com |
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo's performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.
