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Reacting to Reggie Bush comments, Saints coach Sean Payton says ‘there are a lot of games left’ before thinking about going undefeated.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky



Good news on Andre Johnson. The Texans’ star receiver, who suffered a lung contusion Sunday, practiced Thursday and looks on schedule to play in Buffalo.

Johnson

“I’m still not in any pain,” he said, according to the team’s Web site. “I feel good; I feel fine. My breathing’s fine when I’m out there running. Hopefully, there’s s nothing bad when they look at the scan today.”



“[I'm] very encouraged,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “He took probably pretty close to almost all the reps he normally takes and didn’t seem to have any problems. We’ll see how he feels.”



The Texans face another crossroads game Sunday with a chance to get to 5-3 for the first time in franchise history.



They should be good enough to beat the Bills on the road even without Johnson, but would certainly prefer not to find out.



Tight end Owen Daniels has become a top-flight option in the passing game and running back Steve Slaton has been mixed in more, Kevin Walter is an often-underrated No. 2 receiver and Jacoby Jones has big-play potential.



And the defense has been playing better.



Texans’ side note: Rookie linebacker Brian Cushing has heard the forecast for Buffalo and is excited about it. Here’s the tweet from @briancushing56:

“I heard it might snow this Sunday in Buffalo and I’m pumped. I grew up playing in snow and a bunch of my family will be their from Jersey!”

One of the most loyal Dawg Pounders is done barking about the sad state of his beloved Cleveland Browns. It’s time to bite.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

Stafford

Johnson

As Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com notes, Detroit had quarterback Matthew Stafford (knee) and receiver Calvin Johnson (knee) on the practice field together Thursday for the first time in more than two weeks. Johnson’s participation apparently was on a very limited basis, but Kowalski reports both players have a decent chance to play Sunday against St. Louis.



That got me wondering how the Lions have done with and without their two most important offensive players. I realize we’re only six games into the year, but it’s at least worth taking at a look at and monitoring through the season. Below are three different breakdowns: When both players have been on the field, when Johnson alone played, and when neither played.

Week 6, of course, was a 26-0 shutout at Green Bay. That “neither” category is one the Lions don’t want to visit many more times.



“You start with a guy like Calvin, he obviously changes the game,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. “He changes not only our offense, but he changes the way defenses play. So I think that’s obviously a big factor. I think the strides that Matt had made early in the season, he needs to be able to pick that back up again. The one thing that’s going to happen [is] they’ll play when they’re ready — not to get out there before they’re ready. That will be the evaluation.”

Fantasy Fix: NBCSports.com’s Gregg Rosenthal says to take quarterback Donovan McNabb over Eli Manning in the Giants-Eagles showdown in the NFC East. (NBC Sports)

Fantasy Fix: Gregg Rosenthal says take Donovan McNabb over Eli Manning in Giants-Eagles crucial NFC East showdown. (NBC Sports)

	Mark J. Rebilas/US Presswire
	Ray Lewis and the Ravens are 3-3 and looking to break a three-game losing streak against the undefeated Broncos this Sunday.

Posted by ESPN.com’s James Walker



It’s trick-or-treat time for the Baltimore Ravens.



Their first six games have seen a little bit of everything. Baltimore was considered by many pundits to be the best team in the NFL after its 3-0 start. But currently the Ravens are on a three-game losing streak and have rapidly fallen to the middle of the pack.



The Ravens clearly have the talent to play with anyone. But their streaky nature has many wondering if Baltimore is that dominant team of September or the struggling team of October.



“We’re both,” Ravens center and six-time Pro Bowler Matt Birk said. “That’s who we are. We’re 3-3, that’s a fact. Another fact is there is more season ahead of us than there is behind us. And I think one thing is, all good teams get better as the season goes on.”



With midseason approaching, Sunday’s game against the undefeated Denver Broncos (6-0) will say a lot about where the 2009 Ravens are heading.



A victory over one of the NFL’s elite would instantly put the Ravens back in contention. But a loss would extend Baltimore’s losing streak to four games, and although not impossible, teams that lose four in a row during a season struggle mightily to get into the playoffs.



“There’s a little more urgency to it because we’re all aware that we need to get a win,” Ravens tight end Todd Heap said this week. “That’s our main focus this week, is going in and getting one win. That’s our only goal.”

This has to feel like deja vu for the Ravens.



Baltimore was 3-3 at the same point in 2008, the first season under coach John Harbaugh. But things clicked for the Ravens as they won eight of their final 10 games to earn the final wild-card spot in the AFC. Entering the postseason as a hot team, Baltimore won two playoff games before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC title game.



With a stacked roster and a much-improved offense, there is reason to believe the Ravens can get hot again. But there are some differences between last year’s run and this season.



For starters, the AFC North is a three-team race this year. The Ravens took advantage of the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns last season by sweeping those four games. This year the Bengals (5-2) are tied for first place with Pittsburgh (5-2), neither team has shown signs of slowing down. Cincinnati already has a win over the Ravens in Baltimore, and the two teams will meet again Nov. 8 in Paul Brown Stadium.



Secondly, Baltimore’s defense has seen a major drop-off in the first six games. The Ravens, who finished No. 2 in total defense in 2008, are currently ranked No. 19. Baltimore’s pass defense has been particularly porous and is ranked No. 23 in the NFL.



But Baltimore had two weeks to correct its issues during the bye. The three losses to the Bengals, New England Patriots (5-2) and Minnesota Vikings (6-1) have been very close, in which a blown coverage, dropped pass or missed kick could have made the difference.



“Most of our games have come down to the end,” Birk said. “Some of them we finished and some of them we haven’t. Good teams finish.”



This is not a homecoming type of game for the Ravens, because the Broncos will be a very tough opponent. Denver also is coming off a bye week and has played as well as any team through the first six weeks. The Broncos’ defense is allowing a league-low 11 points per game.



Baltimore will try to do what teams like the Patriots, Bengals and Dallas Cowboys (4-2) could not. The Broncos defeated all of those teams and showed the mental and physical toughness under first-year coach Josh McDaniels that’s made them an early Super Bowl contender, setting the table for this huge matchup in Baltimore.



“It doesn’t get any better for football,” Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said of this statement game. “There are a couple teams left undefeated. I’m OK with not being undefeated, because I want to do some other things. Those guys are in a great position right now. All we have to do is just go play football. The bottom line is the Broncos are playing very sound football right now. They have a reason to be undefeated.”

	AP Photo/Bill Kostroun
	The Giants are still grousing over Donovan McNabb jokingly grabbing one of the phones to the Giants’ coaches’ box during last season’s divisional playoffs.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Matt Mosley



The memory is etched in the minds of every Giants defender. But just for good measure, they kept a picture of the moment hanging in their locker room this past offseason.



The Eagles had taken control of last January’s divisional playoff game when quarterback Donovan McNabb decided to have a little fun at the expense of the Giants. Following an 8-yard run in the fourth quarter, McNabb stepped out of bounds and then grabbed one of the phones to the Giants’ coaches’ box.



Even stoic Eagles coach Andy Reid had a laugh about the incident following the game, but the Giants failed to see the humor. In a part of the locker room that is off limits to reporters, a large color photo of McNabb’s impromptu phone call has served as a reminder of that bitter feeling from the playoffs. But with Sunday’s division game against the Giants looming in Philly, McNabb isn’t serving up apologies. In fact, he’s still laughing about his sideline act.



“Verizon wasn’t working,” McNabb said. “There was nothing over there.”



Honestly, it’s not like the Giants should need extra motivation for Sunday’s game. After a 5-0 start, they’ve dropped consecutive games to the Saints and Cardinals. Three weeks ago, a lot of us thought they were one of the best teams in the league. Now they’re in a fight to stay atop what’s looking like an overrated NFC East. The Giants haven’t had a three-game losing streak since their infamous second-half collapse in ’06. That team was 6-2 at the midway point before dropping four consecutive games. The ’06 season ended with a 23-20 playoff loss to the Eagles — and coach Tom Coughlin’s job was in jeopardy.



Because of their Super Bowl title in ’07 and division title in ’08, the Giants get the benefit of the doubt after losses. But a three-game losing streak would bring scrutiny that hasn’t been felt since that ’06 season. Quarterback Eli Manning might be a made man in the Meadowlands based on his Super Bowl MVP, but he’s played like a chump the past two games. He needs to be a lot sharper Sunday for the Giants to have a chance to win. All the pre-snap gyrations have become a little much, so maybe he should simply focus on beating the play clock.



The good thing for the Giants is that their rivalry with the Eagles is a separate entity from games against non-division teams. Because of the Giants’ proximity to the Eagles in the Northeast, I think the Giants will be able to put some of the distractions (injuries) aside and focus on winning a game. This is supposed to be one of the best bounce-back teams in the league, but they certainly didn’t respond last Sunday night against the Cardinals. Perhaps the sight of Mr. Telephone Man will be enough to get the Giants going. McNabb has been awful against the blitz — 4-of-19 for 40 yards, according to ESPN Stats & Information — and I think Giants defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan will bring the heat Sunday.



“It sits pretty heavy on us,” Giants linebacker Danny Clark said of McNabb’s prank call.



But I’m with McNabb on this one. These are two teams trying to establish some sort of identity. The last thing that anyone needs to be thinking about is a phone call that was placed last January.



“No, I don’t have any regrets for doing it,” McNabb told Giants beat writers on a conference call Wednesday. “But in this game, do you really need any psychological motivation? I don’t think so. This is a game you dream about playing and you love competing — no matter who you play. We’ve played each other for years and I don’t think you need any type of motivation to play this game. If you need any little thing that happened during a game last year or years before, then really you’re not truly focused on week in and week out trying to be the best at what you do.”



And it’s not like the Eagles are the same team that beat the Giants twice in a one-month span last season. They’ve had to rotate several offensive linemen because of injuries, and they feature a middle linebacker who was playing for the Rams two weeks ago. Oh, and there’s a pretty good chance star running back Brian Westbrook will miss the game with a concussion.



The Giants based at least one expensive offseason move (LB Michael Boley) on the fact that Westbrook exposed their lack of speed at linebacker last season. With Boley and Westbrook both expected to miss Sunday’s game, it will be up to Eagles rookie running back LeSean McCoy to try and expose the Giants’ linebackers. He’s shown flashes this season, but he’s not as dangerous as Westbrook at this point.



This is a huge game for two teams that appear to have some serious flaws. And the Giants are hoping McNabb won’t be able to answer the call this time around.