NFL ROUNDUP NEWS AND NOTES

Bills: With three games left, the Buffalo fans are angry, with some attending games wearing paper bags on their heads. The players are bickering, and last week, owner Ralph Wilson suspended top receiver Eric Moulds for one game for conduct detrimental to the team after the veteran receiver had an apparent dispute with an assistant coach. The Bills (4-9) were routed by New England 35-7 Sunday, their sixth loss in seven games, mathematically eliminating them from playoff contention for the sixth straight season. That matches Buffalo's longest drought since the NFL merger in 1970. Speculation grows whether Wilson is considering firing team president Tom Donahoe, who's in his fifth season, as well as second-year coach Mike Mularkey. "My concern right now is our team, the coaches, the organization, the fans. It's not the appropriate time to talk about anything else," Donahoe said following the game. "It's a good group. We've just had a rough year and haven't had a lot of our things go our way. But we just have to keep fighting."
Bucs: Tampa Bay moved into a tie for first place in the NFC South with Sunday's 20-10 victory over the Panthers. But Gruden knows it will be a challenge to stay there over the next three games. The Bucs (9-4) have the same record as the Panthers, who had beaten Tampa Bay five consecutive times. "It's exciting. It certainly makes it more fun to come to work," said Gruden, whose team has missed the playoffs the past two years after winning the Super Bowl three seasons ago. "We will get what we deserve. I'm just happy we've had some success this year because there have been a lot of people that have paid a great price to get nine wins, and we will have to pay a great price to get one more win. I think our team respects that and understands that." The Bucs and Panthers both have games remaining against NFC South rivals Atlanta and New Orleans. Tampa Bay visits defending Super Bowl champion New England this week, and the Panthers will face Dallas in its other game down the stretch. Climbing back into first place was especially gratifying for the Bucs because it came at the expense of the Panthers, who dominated them 34-14 on Nov. 6 to finish a stretch in which Tampa Bay lost three of four games. The Bucs are 4-1 since, with the main difference being the play of quarterback Chris Simms and re-emergence of rookie running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, who was not much of a factor in the first meeting with Carolina because of a foot sprain.
Ravens: Despite his error-filled performance in a bitter loss to the Broncos, Kyle Boller still has a chance to be the Ravens' starting quarterback in 2006. For that to happen, Boller first must play well in the Ravens' last three games. His return as the starter will also depend heavily on whether coach Brian Billick is retained after a terribly disappointing season. Baltimore (4-9) put up a solid fight against one of the NFL's best teams Sunday, but three Boller miscues contributed heavily to a 12-10 defeat. The maligned quarterback threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, turnovers that ruined three promising drives and essentially sealed the Ravens' 10th straight road loss. "He went 23 of 39. If he were 21 of 37 and not thrown two of those passes, it would have been a [heck] of a day and a win," Billick said. "This is why I'm anxious to see the next three games. I learned and saw a lot in yesterday's game, both good and bad, not just about Kyle but about this whole football team."
Bears: The Bears think the loss in Pittsburgh that ended their eight-game winning streak was just one of those bad days against a good team. Their biggest concern was preventing such a poor performance from carrying over with the playoffs within reach. In fact, the Bears (9-4) can clinch at least a wild-card spot if they beat Atlanta at home and the Giants and Cowboys lose. New York plays Kansas City at home and Dallas is at Washington. For once it was the Bears' defense shouldering a big part of the blame after a shoddy-tackling exhibition against Jerome Bettis in a 21-9 loss. With games against Atlanta, Green Bay and Minnesota left -- all NFC opponents and the final two on the road -- the Bears must regroup, especially with the Vikings riding a six-game winning streak and just one game back in the NFC North. "I could care less about Minnesota. That's the honest truth. I could care less about what they do right now. I'm just worried about this team and the Atlanta Falcons," defensive end Adewale Ogunleye said.
Titans: Running back Travis Henry will miss at least one game with a sprained right ankle. Henry was hurt in the third quarter of Sunday's 13-10 victory over Houston and was able to walk off the field by himself. But coach Jeff Fisher said he will miss Sunday's game with Seattle. It's the same ankle in which Henry tore ligaments last season, causing him to miss five games.
Panthers: After watching his team blow first place in the NFC South and the inside track to a first-round playoff bye, coach John Fox had an opportunity to deviate from his usual pessimism. Known for dampening expectations when things are going well, Fox tried the opposite tack one day after a 20-10 home loss to Tampa Bay. "It's kind of like when I say you lose a game and you're the worst team on the planet. That's not reality, just like we weren't ordained after last week," when the Panthers thrashed Atlanta 24-6, Fox said. "You've got to show up every Sunday. You can't change yesterday. The only thing we can influence is the next week."
Dolphins: Coach Nick Saban is trying to teach the Dolphins how to handle success, with the next test this weekend. Riding their first three-game winning streak since 2003, the Dolphins will be favored -- a rare role recently -- when they play the woeful New York Jets. With a 23-21 upset Sunday at San Diego, the Dolphins (6-7) showed yet again that they play best as underdogs. They've beaten three playoff contenders in the Chargers, Denver and Carolina, but have also lost to Buffalo, Cleveland and the Jets, who are a combined 11-28. Miami has lost three in a row to the Jets, including a 17-7 defeat in the second game this season.
Associated Press
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