PREVIEW \ Today's games

CLEVELAND at OAKLAND
Time: 4:05 p.m.TV/radio: (27) (19) WKBN-AM (570), WNCD-FM (93.3)Key matchup: Cleveland pass defense vs. Oakland QB Kerry Collins. Marques Tuiasosopo's chance to prove himself lasted just one week. Collins is back to the starting role. Collins has completed 245 of 446 passes for 3,118 yards and 16 touchdowns, but has been sacked 32 times for 194 yards. His lack of mobility was one of the big reasons coach Norv Turner switched to the more athletic Tuiasosopo. It didn't matter, as Tuiasosopo was sacked six times and lost two fumbles in a 26-10 loss to the Jets. Cleveland and tricky winds held Carson Palmer to 13-of-27 for 93 yards and a costly interception. It was only the second time all season he had a passer rating below 100.
PITTSBURGH at MINNESOTA
Time: 1 p.m.TV/radio: (2) WBBG-FM (106.1)Key matchup: Pittsburgh vs. loud crowd. The Steelers will have two of their loudest practices all season this week. After not adjusting well to the noisy acoustics of the RCA Dome in Indianapolis two weeks ago, Cowher wants to make sure his players are prepared for the Metrodome. The Vikings have won six in a row to climb back into the NFC North race. In what most Steelers players and coaches agree was the loudest atmosphere they can remember for a game, the offensive line drew five false start penalties when it couldn't hear the snap count during the 26-7 loss to the unbeaten Colts on Nov. 28. With the offense out of rhythm the entire game, the Steelers were outgained 366-197.
CINCINNATI at DETROIT
Time: 4:05 p.m.Key matchup: Cincinnati RB Rudi Johnson vs. Detroit run defense. The Bengals rode Johnson to victory last week. Johnson, overshadowed during Carson Palmer's emergence as one of the league's best passers, carried 30 times for 169 yards, both season highs. Thrown off by the tricky winds of Paul Brown Stadium, Palmer had by far his worst game of the season, going 13-of-27 for 93 yards. Though this week's game is indoors, Johnson (1,235 yards) should get plenty of action; the Lions have the third-worst (126.1) defense in the NFC against the run. Last week, Green Bay's Samkon Gado ran for a rookie franchise record 171 yards on 29 carries against Detroit.
SAN FRANCISCO at JACKSONVILLE
Time: 1 p.m.TV: (17/62)Key matchup: San Francisco QB Alex Smith vs. the NFL ball. The No. 1 draft pick is having trouble holding onto the NFL pigskin, as evidenced by his three fumbles in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. In his four NFL starts, Smith has fumbled nine times, losing three. He also has thrown nine interceptions, but still doesn't have a touchdown pass. Smith's hands are medium-sized, not abnormally small. He better get a grip after the 49ers' 113-yard performance against the Seahawks, the franchise's worst since Bill Walsh took over in 1979. It was also the seventh time this season the 49ers have failed to reach 200 total yards.
NEW YORK JETS at MIAMI
Time: 1 p.m.Key matchup: New York RB Cedric Houston vs. Miami run defense. The rookie running back gets the nod again after starting for Curtis Martin last week. It was the Jets' first game since 1998 without Martin, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday. Martin watched Houston run for 74 yards on 28 carries and a 2-yard score. The Dolphins allowed the Chargers to run 88 plays and hold onto the ball for almost 40 minutes. They did hold LaDainian Tomlinson to just 75 yards rushing and no touchdowns.
ARIZONA at HOUSTON
Time: 1 p.m.Key matchup: Arizona passing attack vs. Houston's pass defense. Kurt Warner has piloted a prolific passing attack with his two of the best young receivers in the NFL, Anquan Boldin (1,106 yards) and Larry Fitzgerald (1,151 yards). The Cardinals' offense ranks first in NFL, averaging 277.4 yards passing per game. Houston's defense (365.5 yards per game) is last in the AFC and allows 218.5 yards per game in the air.
SEATTLE at TENNESSEE
Time: 1 p.m.Key matchup: Seattle defense vs. Tennessee offense. The Titans have not scored offensive touchdown in nine straight quarters. Being shut out by the Indianapolis Colts two weeks ago wasn't that much of a surprise. But Houston kept the Titans out of the end zone offensively, a first for Titans this season. It won't get any easier with a visit from Seattle, which has won its last two games by a combined 83-3.
SAN DIEGO at INDIANAPOLIS
Time: 1 p.m.Key matchup: Indianapolis vs. history. The Colts (13-0) lead the league in scoring and have allowed the NFL's second-fewest points. Only four NFL teams have gone 13-0, and a win today over San Diego would make the Colts the second team in league history to be 14-0. The Miami Dolphins did that in 1972. The other teams who came this close were the 1934 Chicago Bears and the 1998 Denver Broncos. They went 13-0 before both lost to the New York Giants, the '34 team in the NFL championship game. The Chargers lost a 23-21 shocker to Miami at home. To make it back to the playoffs, the Chargers need to win their last three games and get help from other teams.
PHILADELPHIA at ST. LOUIS
Time: 1 p.m.Key matchup: Philadelphia pass defense vs. St. Louis QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Rams are sticking with the rookie despite his five-interception game last week. Fitzpatrick will keep the job as long as Marc Bulger is sidelined with a shoulder injury. Bulger may miss rest of the season. In his first two career starts, Fitzpatrick has no touchdown passes. The high points have been a pair of touchdown scrambles. Coming off a 42-0 home loss to Seattle, the Eagles played their best all-around game in weeks against the Giants. The Eagles' defense came up with three interceptions of Eli Manning in the fourth quarter and overtime.
CAROLINA vs. NEW ORLEANSat Baton Rouge, La.
Time: 1 p.m.Key matchup: Carolina QB Jake Delhomme vs. New Orleans pass defense. Carolina's offense stalled for the first time in weeks against Tampa Bay. The Bucs used stingy defense to hold Carolina to 276 yards. Delhomme's passing was spotty as the Panthers tried to establish the run. The Saints have the NFL's fifth-best defense against the pass (180.0). It's the club's lowest average since permitting 177.1 in 1996.
DALLAS at WASHINGTON
Time: 4:15 p.m.TV: (17/62)Key matchup: Dallas WR Terry Glenn vs. Washington's cornerbacks. Glenn has 54 catches for 979 yards, just 21 short of his third 1,000-yard receiving season. The previous two were with New England. His seven total touchdowns (six receiving, one rushing) are a career high, and Glenn leads the NFC with 18.1 yards per catch. The Redskins have only one healthy cornerback following Sunday's game. Shawn Springs has a strained lower back and strained groin, Carlos Rogers has his left arm in a sling from a badly bruised biceps, and Walt Harris sat out the Arizona game after straining a calf muscle in practice last week. Nickel back Ade Jimoh is the only cornerback left, although Dimitri Patterson could be promoted from the practice squad, if needed.
ATLANTA at CHICAGO
Time: 8:30 p.m.TV/radio: ESPN, WBBW-AM (1240)Key matchup: Atlanta running attack vs. Chicago run defense. Atlanta leads the NFL, averaging 173.2 yards rushing per game. Michael Vick leads NFL quarterbacks with 499 yards rushing. He will be nursing some sore ribs. Among running backs with 150-plus carries, Warrick Dunn (1,247 yards) ranks first with 5.2 yards per carry. The Bears surrendered a season-high 363 yards against the Steelers, including 190 yards rushing as the powerful Jerome Bettis ran through and over their defense that's rated No. 1 in the NFL.
Associated Press