* Reason to care: The surprising Dolphins can keep themselves in the playoff hunt.

Baltimore at N.Y. Giants, 11 a.m.

* Reason to care: A pair of likely playoff teams squaring off? Nah, better not broadcast that anywhere in Salt Lake.

Houston at Indianapolis, 11 a.m.

* Reason to care: The Colts seem to be on a roll once more as they make a run for a wild-card spot.

Detroit at Carolina, 11 a.m.

* Reason to care: If you are fascinated by car crashes or other tragedies, be sure to catch a Lions game.

New Orleans at K.C., 11 a.m.

* Reason to care: This could be the least meaningful game of the day, in playoff terms.

Philly at Cincinnati, 11 a.m.

* Reason to care: The Bengals won't rise from the dead to earn a playoff berth, but the Eagles could use a win, with Dallas and Washington pounding on each other.

Minnesota at Tampa Bay, 11 a.m.

* Reason to care: The Vikings are amid their usual midseason run for relevance. This could, theoretically, be two NFC playoff teams.

Arizona at Seattle, 2 p.m.

* Reason to care: The West is so bad, the Cardinals can practically clinch the division with a win.

Tenn. at Jacksonville, 2:15 p.m.

* Reason to care: The Titans are perfect, so perhaps it's time to begin the can-they-do-it watch.St. Louis at San Francisco, 2 p.m.

* Reason to care: Can we take back what we said about the Kansas City game? Maybe you're related to somebody on one of the teams.

SUNDAY

Broncos at Falcons, 11 a.m., Ch. 2

Bears at Packers, 11 a.m., Ch. 13

Chargers at Steelers, 2:15 p.m., Ch. 2

Cowboys at Redskins, 6:15 p.m., Ch. 5

MONDAY

Browns at Bills, 6:30 p.m., ESPN

Denver

at Atlanta

11 a.m., Ch. 2

* Reason to watch: The Broncos are a division leader, but a tenuous one. The Falcons are 6-3 and face a dogfight to make the playoffs. Denver needs a win to re-establish itself atop the AFC West. Both teams have something to play for as, suddenly, the playoffs don't seem so far away.

* Reason not to watch: With Denver's up-and-down results, this game could go the wrong direction quickly.

* The line: Atlanta by 6 1/2

* The pick: Atlanta. Level of certainty: 5. There is a team every year that everybody picks against all year, despite the fact it keeps winning. We want to be early adopters.

Chicago at Green Bay

11 a.m., Ch. 13

* Reason to watch: The NFC North is turning into a barroom brawl, with three teams clustered near the top. A win by the Bears would put the Packers in a deep hole, two games back with six to play. Will the Packers get their act together in time to save the season?

* Reason not to watch: We're not exactly talking high-quality Football here.

* The line: Green Bay by 3 1/2 .

* The pick: Green Bay. Level of certainty: 5. The Bears' loss to Tennessee last week shook our faith.

San Diego at Pittsburgh

2:15 p.m., Ch. 2

* Reason to watch: The Chargers are threatening to get their act together and make a run at the AFC West top spot. And LaDainian Tomlinson is still fun to watch. The Steelers seem something of a lock to at least get a playoff spot, but a win would go a long way toward securing one. Plus, Pittsburgh's defense is entertaining.

* Reason not to watch: San Diego has taken entire weeks off this year. If you catch an off week, it's not exactly scintillating.

* The line: Pittsburgh by 5.

* The pick: Pittsburgh. Level of certainty: 8. Bettors seem to be coming back around on San Diego. We're not there yet.

Dallas at Washington

6:15 p.m., Ch. 5, 1320 AM

* Reason to watch: Every game in the NFC East matters a lot for playoff implications, and this one is a rivalry anyway. With the Giants running away with the division, these teams are fighting for a wild card berth. Will Tony Romo's return be enough of a spark for the sputtering Cowboys?

* Reason not to watch: You've never much cared for games where players are emotional and play like they care. Hurrah for bowling!

* The line: Dallas by 1 1/2 .

* The pick: Washington. Level of certainty: 8. We can't pick all the favorites. People will talk.

EAST W L T Pct PF PA Home Div

N.Y. Jets 7 3 0 .700 289 221 4-1-0 3-1-0

New England 6 4 0 .600 219 194 4-2-0 2-2-0

Miami 5 4 0 .556 192 182 3-2-0 2-1-0

Buffalo 5 4 0 .556 192 189 3-1-0 0-3-0

SOUTH W L T Pct PF PA Home Div

Tennessee 9 0 0 1.000 220 117 5-0-0 3-0-0

Indianapolis 5 4 0 .556 191 197 2-2-0 1-2-0

Jacksonville 4 5 0 .444 198 186 1-3-0 2-1-0

Houston 3 6 0 .333 209 254 3-2-0 0-3-0

NORTH W L T Pct PF PA Home Div

Pittsburgh 6 3 0 .667 198 140 2-2-0 3-0-0

Baltimore 6 3 0 .667 212 150 3-1-0 3-1-0

Cleveland 3 6 0 .333 172 194 1-4-0 1-3-0

Cincinnati 1 8 0 .111 125 236 1-3-0 0-3-0

WEST W L T Pct PF PA Home Div

Denver 5 4 0 .556 224 251 3-2-0 2-1-0

San Diego 4 5 0 .444 244 218 3-1-0 2-1-0

Oakland 2 7 0 .222 113 218 1-4-0 1-2-0

Kansas City 1 8 0 .111 145 243 1-3-0 1-2-0

EAST W L T Pct PF PA Home Div

N.Y. Giants 8 1 0 .889 262 160 5-0-0 6-0-0

Washington 6 3 0 .667 171 168 3-2-0 5-2-0

Dallas 5 4 0 .556 216 219 3-1-0 3-4-0

Philadelphia 5 4 0 .556 251 180 3-2-0 4-4-0

SOUTH W L T Pct PF PA Home Div

Carolina 7 2 0 .778 191 133 5-0-0 2-1-0

Tampa Bay 6 3 0 .667 200 147 4-0-0 2-1-0

Atlanta 6 3 0 .667 211 174 4-0-0 1-2-0

New Orleans 4 5 0 .444 236 229 4-1-0 1-2-0

NORTH W L T Pct PF PA Home Div

Chicago 5 4 0 .556 237 194 3-2-0 3-0-0

Minnesota 5 4 0 .556 210 215 4-1-0 2-2-0

Green Bay 4 5 0 .444 237 206 2-2-0 2-1-0

Detroit 0 9 0 .000 151 277 0-4-0 0-4-0

WEST W L T Pct PF PA Home Div

Arizona 6 3 0 .667 263 208 4-0-0 3-0-0

Seattle 2 7 0 .222 170 231 1-3-0 2-1-0

San Francisco 2 7 0 .222 195 259 1-4-0 1-3-0

St. Louis 2 7 0 .222 128 282 1-3-0 0-2-0