Michael Ventre

New England at Miami: Nick Saban’s charges are coming off a crushing loss to the Falcons and now have to endure the Patriots. Does Greenpeace  know that the schedule-maker abuses dolphins?

Minnesota at N.Y. Giants: Brad Johnson filled in for injured Daunte Culpepper and beat the Lions last week. But Eli Manning is no Joey Harrington, much to the relief of Giants fans.

Baltimore at Jacksonville: The Ravens have yet to win on the road this season while the Jags are 3-1 at home. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” was cheerier than Baltimore’s season.

Houston at Indianapolis: The Texans are another team that hasn’t won on the road this year. For this game, the state has quietly suspended its “Don’t Mess With Texas” campaign.

Arizona at Detroit: Joey Harrington played a halfway decent game last week in a loss at Minnesota. And as we all know, halfway decent is probably enough to beat the Cardinals.

San Francisco at Chicago: Da Bears are 3-1 at home, have one of the league’s best defenses and have a rookie QB who isn’t making big mistakes. The Niners can’t say any of that.

Kansas City at Buffalo: There is some question whether the Bills should start Kelly Holcomb at QB or give the job back to J.P. Losman. Boy, there’s sure going to be some bar fights over that one.

Denver at Oakland: The Broncos had a bye last week, so they’ve had two weeks to prepare for this road trip. This will give them time to hire more security and accumulate more ammunition.

Slide show   NFL week 9's best Top images from Sunday's action.

N.Y. Jets at Carolina: Brooks Bollinger and Vinny Testaverde likely will share QB time against the Panthers. The question remains: Which one will go to the hospital first?

Washington at Tampa Bay: The Bucs are 3-1 at home, although the loss came last week against Carolina. In the NFL, anything can happen on a given Sunday, except the Bucs losing to the Redskins for their second straight loss at home.

Slide show   The Week in Sports Pictures A kayaker flips out, a racehorse eyes the Triple Crown and more. more photos

St. Louis at Seattle: Head coach Mike Martz is still sidelined with an infection near his heart, but the good news is the Rams had a bye last week, so that gives him an extra week to come up with plays to call in that won’t be used.

Green Bay at Atlanta: Terrell Owens said he thinks the Eagles would do better if Brett Favre were playing quarterback. But what if Michael Vick outplays him here? Stay tuned for more fireworks in Philly as T.O. picks another QB over Donovan McNabb.

Cleveland at Pittsburgh: This used to be one of the fiercest rivalries in pro football. But now it’s just kind of sad. By the third quarter, Pittsburgh fans will be using Terrible Towels to revive Cleveland players.

MONDAY, NOV. 14
Dallas at Philadelphia: This is an interesting competition between two wide receivers — Keyshawn Johnson and Terrell Owens — who are adept at wearing out welcomes. But T.O. should win that battle if he remains suspended.