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 three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
Move over, Hollywood and NFL types, golf's two real A-listers take center stage Sunday at Pebble Beach, both in need of a win.
The United States swept favored Switzerland out of the Davis Cup on Saturday when Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan beat Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Luis Suarez's refusal to shake hands with Patrice Evra overshadowed Manchester United's 2-1 win over rival Liverpool that lifted the defending champions to first place in the Premier League on Saturday.
Marlies Schild of Austria won her sixth World Cup slalom of the season Saturday after overall leader Lindsey Vonn and defending champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch crashed out in the opening run on the windy Pyrenees course.
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.
Getty ImagesThe matchup
Drew Magary - Author of "Men With Balls", Co-founder of Kissing Suzy Kolber: The last time these two teams met up, the Bears brutalized the Vikings defense with their tight ends. Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen combined for 133 yards and TD. Not only were they open all game long, they given enough room by the Vikings defense to hold a family picnic had they desired. Since stud linebacker EJ Henderson went out at the beginning of the year, the Vikings have failed time and time again to defend tight ends running up the seams. So the Viking linebackers have to bump Clark and Olsen at the line of scrimmage. Violently. If they were to also drag them down and staple them to the turf on every play, I would not object.
Tiki Barber, NBC Sports: This is a big game because we know the wild card isn't going to come out of this division, so we know the frontrunner will be the winner. The team that loses could be on the outside looking in so there's a lot at stake.
Jerome Bettis, NBC Sports: Chicago's defense has been terrible, because you can't count playing St. Louis, and surprisingly Minnesota's offense hasn't played that well. So you don't know what to make of this matchup.
Keys to the game
Drew Magary - Author of "Men With Balls", Co-founder of Kissing Suzy Kolber: The Vikings are not a difficult team to figure out. When they're able to get to the quarterback, they win. When they fail to get pressure, they lose. Badly. So if the d-line can continue crashing the pocket as they've done in two of the past three games, things bode well.
But if they can't get to Orton The Neckbeard, then the whole house of cards falls apart. Gus Frerotte, despite being an upgrade over Tarvaris Jackson, will still throw the kind of back-breaking picks that make you want to eat your own face. And the special teams coverage is without question the NFL's worst. Paul Ferarro is so incompetent at his job, I'm shocked he doesn't work in the Bush administration. When they get sacks and turnovers, then the pressure eases on Frerotte, running lanes open up for Peterson, and Antoine Winfield has free reigns to blow up people real good.
So keep an eye on Jared Allen and company. As they go, so do the Vikings' division hopes.
Cris Collinsworth, NBC Sports: This is about Matt Forte and Kyle Orton, especially Orton because he's been inconsistent. If they play well, Minnesota is in trouble.
Barber: Gus Frerrote is the X-factor in my opinion.
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 |
 |
Thrilling action in San Diego Nov. 23: A final-second game-winning Indy field goal capped an exciting fourth quarter between the Colts and Chargers. The FNIA crew recaps the action and discusses an interesting late timeout call. |
| Video |
 |
Sprint Roundtable: Week 12 Nov. 23: The Football Night in America crew takes a close look at the ever-worsening situation in Philadelphia and discusses Donovan McNabb's future with the team. |
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Doron Lamb hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to put No. 1 Kentucky ahead to stay, and the Wildcats took a big step toward a Southeastern Conference regular-season title by beating Vanderbilt 69-63 Saturday night for their 17th straight win.
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.