6. Chargers, Giants move in different directions
More than five years ago, quarterback Eli Manning famously spurned the Chargers, forcing a trade to the Giants for Philip Rivers and draft picks that became Shawne Merriman and kicker Nate Kaeding.

Initially, it appeared that San Diego got the better of the deal, with three Pro Bowlers in the fold, and Manning consistently displaying inconsistency.

But then the Giants and Eli engineered a playoff run for the ages. After Manning slipped a Super Bowl champion T-shirt over his shoulder pads -- an image only slightly less awkward than the moment in which he held (without holding his nose) a Chargers jersey with his name on it -- the pendulum swung back to the Giants, and it has remained there.

This year, however, the Giants and Chargers have nearly equal records and, for now, very different vibes. New York has lost three in a row and is struggling to get back on track. San Diego was written off after losing to the Broncos last month, but after two straight wins and Denver's first loss of the season, the door is cracked open in the AFC West. A bit.

So Sunday's game between the two teams will provide another chapter in the ongoing discussion regarding which one got the better of the trade. A win by the Chargers could go a long way toward nudging the momentum their way, especially since it would greatly enhance San Diego's chances of making it to the playoffs while hurting the Giants' considerably.

7. Texans ready for their close-up?
The Texans have broken out of their lose-one-win-one routine with three straight wins.

And now they are at 5-3, heading to Indianapolis for a chance to go three games over 500.

For the very first time in franchise history.

That's right, in eight seasons, the Texans never have had three more wins than losses.

To make that happen, they'll have to cause the Colts to lose their first game of the year. And the Texans will have to do it on Indy's turf.

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It won't be easy. But if it happens, the Texans will land in the middle of everyone's radar screen as a legitimate contender in the AFC.

8. Niners need to stop the bleeding
Fairly quietly, the San Francisco 49ers are imploding. Three straight losses have converted a 3-1 record into 3-4, putting the September favorites to win the NFC West a game behind the Cardinals.

And so now the Niners face a Titans team with a one-game winning streak and a nothing-to-lose mentality.

Despite the losses, the 49ers remain hopeful, with coach Mike Singletary essentially guaranteeing a playoff berth. Few teams with a losing record display such optimism.

Then again, it's easy to be optimistic in the NFC West.

9. Ryan Clark's desire to play is no surprise
Plenty of former football players feeling the long-term consequences of a collection of concussions will say that if they knew then what they know now they never would have played football.

Here's the best evidence that football players will play football, regardless of the potential long-term consequences: Ryan Clark.

The last time Clark played in the mile-high altitude of Denver, a sickle-cell trait in his blood activated, and attacked. He lost his spleen, his gall bladder, and nearly his life.

And so as the Steelers prepare to return to Colorado for the first time since that night in 2007, Clark sounded until very recently like a man who fully intended to play there again.

Why? Because he's a football player. And football players (drum roll, please) play football. It becomes a part of their identity, and they accepted the risk the first time they put on a helmet.

Given the grave danger (Nathan Jessup wants to know if there's another kind) willingly encountered by soldiers in our all-volunteer army, the notion of football players taking short-term or long-term health risks isn't necessarily noble or reckless. Instead, it's the simple reality of the sport, and of the men who choose to play it.

10. Back to the Bay of Pigs
In the late 1970s and most of the 1980s, the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers had two dates each year, in what the late Pete Axthelm dubbed "The Bay of Pigs."

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And piggish it was, given that both franchises were awful for long stretches of the first 15 years of their coexistence in old NFC Central.

Now that Tampa is in the NFC South and Green Bay plays in the reconstituted black-and-blue division, the two teams play each other less frequently.

This year, the Bucs are breaking out their original uniforms for the game. Given that this edition of the franchise is arguably the worst since the original Tampa team that lost 26 games to commence its existence, the "throwbacks" make their return just as fans are getting ready to "throwup."

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