Around the NFL....

NFC Sunday's game at the Meadowlands between the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks will be all about receivers, both coming and going. Coming off the sideline will be Seattle's veteran starters Deion Branch and Bobby Engram, who will be making their 2008 debuts four games into the season. Going to the sideline is New York's lead receiver, Plaxico Burress, who caught the winning touchdown pass last February in the Super Bowl. He failed to show up for practice Sept. 22, so the Giants suspended him for two weeks. The Giants had a bye Sept. 29, so this will be the only game Burress misses. Branch was sidelined in September with a knee injury, Engram with a shoulder injury.

"Engram and Branch are two leaders on our football team," Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck said. "They are great guys, great teammates and really good players. Having them back is definitely a boost for just the confidence and swagger that we've had at times on offense." Steve Smith will step in for Burress.

The Chicago Bears aren't taking the winless Detroit Lions lightly. The Lions are coming off their bye and host the Bears on Sunday. "They beat us twice last year and their backs are up against the wall a little bit," Bears quarterback Kyle Orton said. "We'll see their best effort." It's also the first game of the post-Matt Millen era in Detroit.

Brian Griese won an NFL passing championship with the Denver Broncos in 2000. But that was three teams and eight years ago. He returns to Denver on Sunday as starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "I think it will be a lot of fun for our team to go on the road and play in a hostile environment," Griese said. "It will be a lot of fun for me personally to go back and compete in that environment." Both the Broncos and the Bucs are 3-1.

Brian Westbrook is a Pro Bowl running back for the Philadelphia Eagles. His younger brother Byron is a reserve defensive back with the Washington Redskins. Last season Washington used Byron as the scout team running back to mimic his brother when the Redskins were preparing to play the Eagles. Brian isn't sure how efficient that is. "He's not as good as me," Brian said.

The New Orleans Saints used a first-round pick on Tennessee wide receiver Robert Meachem in 2007 but didn't get a single snap out of him as a rookie. He was a 16-game inactive, and his absence from the lineup continued through the first game of the 2008 season. But Meachem got his chance to suit up when Marques Colston suffered a thumb injury in the opener. Meachem has caught five passes with two touchdowns in three games. The quality tops the quantity, though. He has grabs of 74, 52 and 47 yards in his five receptions. "He has gained some confidence," Saints coach Sean Payton said, "and what you've also seen is Drew (Brees) gaining some confidence (in him) and locating the ball in coverage away from the defender to let him go up and make a play."

AFC Peyton Manning didn't take a snap in the preseason because of a knee injury, so he was four exhibition games behind in his preparation for the season. It showed in September. He struggled through his first three games, and so did the Colts. Manning had more interceptions (four) than touchdowns (three) and was sacked five times as the Colts lost two of their first three games. Indianapolis drew an early bye this season, on the fourth weekend, and it gave Manning time to catch up. "It helped him getting his timing with everyone on offense, making up for time we missed in training camp," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. The Colts return to the field on Sunday in Houston.

The New England Patriots aren't putting up the eye-popping passing numbers this season - not with Tom Brady on the sideline and Matt Cassel on the field. Brady won three Super Bowls. Cassel has made three career starts. Cassel is still finding his way in the NFL. "He has to believe in himself," Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss said. "I think it will trickle down to the whole offense. We've seen Matt progress in these last couple of weeks quicker than we expected him to. With the 10 guys that we put around him, we have to make it happen. Not everything is on him or his shoulders."

The Jacksonville Jaguars spent the first seven years of their existence in the AFC Central Division with Pittsburgh. But realignment in 2002 moved the Steelers to the North and the Jaguars to the South. The two teams have still played each other every year this decade except 2003. The two teams square off on Sunday night for the third time in their last eight games. "They're familiar with us and we're familiar with them," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. The Jaguars appear more familiar with the Steelers, though. Jacksonville has won the last four meetings.

The Tennessee Titans take their perfect record to Baltimore on Sunday to play the Ravens. Kerry Collins will be the starting quarterback for the Titans - his first start against the Ravens since the 2001 Super Bowl, when he was with the New York Giants. "A lot of time has gone by and a lot of football has been played since then," Collins said. "I certainly still have vivid memories of that game, most of which were not so good. But my hat's off to them. They were a good team and a great defense." And not bad this year, either. The 2-1 Ravens lead the NFL in defense.

The Buffalo Bills also take a perfect record on the road, to Arizona. The Bills are nicked at cornerback with Terrence McGee hobbled by a knee injury. This is the wrong week to be light at corner. The Cardinals rank fourth in the NFL in passing with almost 300 yards per game. Kurt Warner comes in off a 472-yard passing game against the Jets. The Bills will look for first-round draft pick Leodis McKelvin and Ashton Youboty to pick up the slack. "Everybody knows about their receiving corps," Bills coach Dick Jauron said. "It will be a big challenge for both of those guys if Terrence can't go."

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