Dave’s Football Blog

Steelers RB Duce Staley has been cleared to play this Sunday against the Redskins. Jerome Bettis, who had three consecutive 100-yard games in Staley’s absence, will return to his short-yardage role.

That’s a good thing, too, because Bettis probably couldn’t finish the season doing what he’s been doing the last three weeks.

There is something highly unappealing about watching this Cowboys-Bears game on TV right now. The lack of offense, the horrid quarterback play, the ugly-as-sin throwback uniforms…

Sunday’s going to be better, right?

So declares the almighty AP:

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning set an NFL record by throwing at least four touchdown passes in a fifth straight game, getting four in the first half Thursday against the Lions.

Dan Marino had a four-game streak in 1984, when he also set a league mark with 48 TD passes in a season, another milestone Manning is chasing.

Eli’s older brother finished with 6 TD passes in the Colts’ 41-9 rout over the Lions in Detroit. He now needs 8 more TD passes to break Marino’s record.

The Indianapolis Colts are going to Detroit to face the Lions tomorrow as half of the NFL’s annual a Thanksgiving football feast.

So what are Colts’ tight end Marcus Pollard and safety Mike Doss doing wearing Ron Artest jerseys? Do we really want to fan those flames in a completely different league?

Tony Dungy should tell those two to have a seat and think about what they’re really saying by wearing those jerseys…

Baltimore Ravens RB Jamal Lewis will sit out this Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots in Foxboro because of a sprained right ankle.

This is a crucial injury for the Ravens and the Steelers. Baltimore is two games behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North but has kept pace with the Steelers with key wins for the last month or so. If Pittsburgh defeats Washington and New England beats Baltimore, the Ravens would find themelves three games behind the Steelers and in the middle of a dogfight with three other teams for two wild card spots.

The last thing you want is your top offensive weapon in street clothes for a game against arguably the best team in football — in their house. Kyle Boller needs to have the game of his life on Sunday if the Ravens are going to survive this.

Pittsburgh WR Plaxico Burress (hamstring), LB Kendrell Bell (groin) and defensive lineman Brett Keisel (hamstring) will all sit out this Sunday’s home game against the Washington Redskins.

Bell’s injury appears to be the most serious. He had surgery last month to repair a hernia in his groin, and if he requires surgery again, he may be done for the year. Larry Foote has been a solid replacement, but he’s not the impact player that Bell is. Offensive lines are going to focus more on James Farrior and/or Joey Porter now.

Antwaan Randle El will start in place of Burress on Sunday. Hines Ward saw a lot of double-teams in Cincinnati after Burress went down, so expect Ben Roethlisberger’s to pass more to his fullbacks and tight ends.

On a brighter note, RB Duce Staley will practice today for the first time since November 4. He could be ready for Sunday, though I still think Bettis will get one more start, especially since Verron “Mudder” Haynes is available, and Jacksonville will be a tougher opponent.

From this AP report:

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Duce Staley says he missed the last three games because of a bruised hamstring that was caused by a punch to the leg.

Doctors say Staley’s bruise is improving and he may be able to play soon.

You can smell that big grudge rematch coming, can’t you?

Pittsburgh WR Plaxico Burress pulled his left hamstring in the first half of yesterday’s Steelers-Bengals game. His status for next week is uncertain, but I suspect he may sit out a home game against the hapless Redskins.

Meanwhile, LB Kendrell Bell aggravated a groin injury and may be out a few weeks. The defense has played well in Bell’s absence, but it would be really nice to get him back in there.

Click here for other injuries from NFL Week 11.

Going into today’s games, Tony Dorsett was the 5th all-time leading rusher in NFL history…

5. Tony Dorsett, 12,739
6. Jerome Bettis, 12,734
7. Curtis Martin, 12,653

By the end of the day, Dorsett had fallen to 7th.

5. Jerome Bettis, 12,863
6. Curtis Martin, 12,740
7. Tony Dorsett, 12,739

Tough day for Tony Dorsett. What may be more interesting, though, is whether or not Martin will overtake Bettis before the season is over. I suspect Martin will do just that if Duce Staley recovers from his hamstring injury soon.

Click here for final game stats from NFL.com.

One of my old college buddies once famously told me that Shaun King was so bad a quarterback that he would find himself a new career in male prostitution. He used slightly different words to convey this thought, of course, but the point was obvious — Shaun King is not an NFL quarterback.

So why exactly did Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green think that replacing QB Josh McCown with King would provide anything resembling a spark to this offense?

That decision is going to be second-guessed for weeks in Arizona. The Cardinals were inexplicably just one game out of first place and in position to make a move toward the division title. As long as they keep Shaun King in the lineup, though, they will not even get a whiff of the postseason.

Not that they would anyway, given their defense’s inability to stop the Panthers. Nick Goings, who had 121 yards on 22 carries, busted out some big runs, including one 57-yard run for a TD in the first half. Jake Delhomme struggled with the hairline fracture on his thumb, but he still managed to throw two TD passes to Muhsin Muhammad. The Carolina defense, meanwhile, shut down Arizona’s running game and forced Shaun King to beat them — a highly sound strategy here.

When a 2-7 team with 5 injured running backs lights up your defense like that, you are not a playoff team.

Of course, if the Panthers, now 3-7, believe they have any shot at the playoffs this year, they will have to run the table, and at 9-7, they will need help. Five of their six remaining games are against NFC South opponents, starting next Sunday at home against Tampa Bay, now 4-6. Stranger things have happened, but I’m not holding my breath.