Week 13 Review: AFC picture becoming muddled

• Bad sign for AFC teams: The Patriots ran for 225 yards on 50 carries, showing their running game is getting primed for the playoffs. Corey Dillon had 100 yards rushing while Kevin Faulk ran for 87. Tom Brady added 157 yards through the air.

• The Giants have come back down to Earth with a resounding thud. Rookie Eli Manning is 0-3 since taking over as the starter and the Giants have gone from a playoff contender to an under-.500 team. It isn't all Manning's fault. This is what we expected from the Giants. Maybe they overachieved in a big way in the early part of the season. It sure looks that way. Manning was bad against the Redskins, completing 12 of 25 for 113 yards. He has looked like a rookie. Recap: Redskins 31, Giants 7

• So Clinton Portis does still play for the Redskins. After carrying just six times against Steelers last week, Portis gained 148 yards on 31 carries against the Giants, running for one touchdown and scoring another on a shovel pass. It's no coincidence the Redskins scored more points (31) than in their previous three games combined, and they hit 30 for the first time since the second week of last season. You know, back when the Old Ball Coach was still running things. Why the Redskins haven't featured Portis more this year is a mystery to many. Portis wore red socks against the Giants, so expect the league's uniform police to send him a letter notifying him of a fine.

• This is how good Peyton Manning is playing this season: He threw for 425 yards and three touchdowns against the Titans, and somebody in the Philly press box said he wasn't playing that well. How many other quarterbacks would take those numbers for two games? Recap: Colts 51, Titans 24

• The Chargers beat the Broncos and now own a commanding lead in the AFC West. But they did it despite one of the worst decisions in a long time. Faced with a third-and-7 at their own 34 at the two-minute warning, the Chargers tried to throw for the first down. Quarterback Drew Brees was sacked, the ball came loose, and luckily for the Chargers they recovered. Why is this a bad call? Denver had no timeouts. Run the ball, take it down to 1:20 or so and then punt it. Make them drive 40 or so yards with no timeouts to get into field-goal range. Why risk it by throwing? I'm all for being aggressive, especially if the opponent had timeouts, but they didn't. Recap: Chargers 20, Broncos 17

• Give San Diego credit for playing good defense. They forced Jake Plummer into throwing four interceptions and held Reuben Droughns to 38 yards on 14 carries, his lowest output as a starter. The biggest play came when Plummer made a terrible decision to try and throw a fade on first down from the San Diego 7 with the Chargers leading by three with 3:39 left. Drayton Florence popped the ball into the air and Jerry Wilson picked it off. That was an awful decision by Plummer. The player of the game for the Chargers was linebacker Donnie Edwards who had 20 tackles -- yes, 20.

• See what happens when Larry Johnson takes his diaper off? Johnson showed well against the Raiders, playing in place of Derrick Blaylock, who was playing in place of Priest Holmes. Johnson was on the trading block over a month ago, but the word was he was too soft. He wasn't against Oakland. Recap: Chiefs 34, Raiders 27

• I liked the Titans' strategy of trying three onsides kicks in the first quarter of their loss to the Colts. Coach Jeff Fisher realized his defense would have trouble stopping Peyton Manning, so he did something drastic. That takes guts, and Fisher had nothing to lose by trying. Eventually that stopped when the Titans stopped scoring, but it was a nice idea, particularly without Steve McNair. The Colts became the third team in league history to score 40 or more points in four consecutive games.

• Do the Rams need any more proof that Steven Jackson should be the starter at running back after they defeated the 49ers? Jackson, playing for injured Marshall Faulk, ran for 119 yards on 26 carries. Coach Mike Martz has been reluctant to go to Jackson because of his loyalty to Faulk, but it's now clear to all that Jackson is the better runner. When Faulk returns, he should be on the bench -- no matter what he has done in the past. Recap: Rams 16, 49ers 6

• The Panthers deserve nothing but high praise for the way they've stuck together as a team. They are now 5-7 and alive in the NFC playoff race. With a soft schedule the rest of the way, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them in the postseason. Coach John Fox kept his team together, and for that he is to be saluted. Quarterback Jake Delhomme has been impressive in the past month, too. Is he a star player? No, but I do like the way he fights and his team responds to him. He's better than I thought. Recap: Panthers 32, Saints 21

• While we're lauding NFC coaches, let's hear it for Jon Gruden. He has done a magnificent job of keeping Tampa Bay in the playoff race after a horrid start. Say what you want about the guy, but he can flat-out coach. You don't think he loved beating the Falcons and former Tampa Bay GM Rich McKay on Sunday, do you? Those two never liked each other.

• The Raiders lost to the Chiefs, but Kerry Collins continues to play well at quarterback. He was 27-of-41 for 343 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He seems to be working to a nice comfort level with his receivers.

• NFL Sundays just aren't the same without Ricky Williams, are they? Now it looks like he won't be back. The guy likes herbs too much, if you know what I mean, and won't give it up to come back and play next year. And you all thought Ricky Weirdo was too harsh a name?

Player of the week: Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was on fire against the Packers, throwing for 464 yards and five touchdowns. He has really come on as a passer this season.

Flop of the week: We'll go with the Vikings. There's no excuse for losing to Chad Hutchinson in the middle of a playoff race. That loss is damaging in a big way.

Disappointment of the week: Didn't you think the Packers would go into Philadelphia and at least show up? That was terrible. Did they really win six games in a row?