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Bears (3-2) at Falcons (3-2) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, FOX: Head coach Mike   Smith, combined with the arrival of Michael Turner and Matt Ryan, have quickly turned the hapless Falcons into a long shot playoff contender in the NFC South. Chicago’s Kyle Orton is doing his best anti-Grossman, playing with composure and avoiding big gaffes. Both teams are coming off wins, including Atlanta pulling out a (27-24) victory at Lambeau. Line: CHI (-2.5), Weather: Georgia Dome, Atlanta GA. Indoors.

Ravens (2-2) at Colts (2-2) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, CBS: Considering it took 21 points in the final six minutes for Indy to edge out Houston, the Colts season might wind up a little rocky. The Ravens defense looks the part of a contender and their physically imposing style is something that the Colts don’t seem to want a part of. Peyton Manning has defeated the Ray Lewis-led Ravens five straight times, but it always comes at a price. Take out the 44-20 beat down by the Colts last year and the Ravens have held Indianapolis to fewer than 25 points in every meeting since 2002. Line: IND (-4.5), Weather: Lucas Oil Field, Indianapolis IN. Roof expected to be open. Partly cloudy, 81-degrees.

Lions (0-4) at Vikings (2-3) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, FOX: Gus Frerotte withstood constant shots from the Saints pass rush on Monday night, and was the face of a gutsy Vikings win. The post-Matt Millen era in Detroit had the explosiveness of a July 4th hand-held sparkler. After a 34-7 dud against Chicago, the most prominent question to head coach Rod Marinelli was, “Have you considered quitting?” Marinelli promptly reacted with disgust and claimed reporters were insulting him personally.  Well, of course they are. Your team’s front office is so ridiculous it makes the “resignation” of Elgin Baylor seem prompt. Line: MIN (-13), Weather:Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis MN. Indoors.

Bengals (0-5) at Jets (2-2) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, CBS: Listen carefully. Hear those soft whispers about Marvin Lewis being on the outs. Oh wait, that was in 2007. The voice is now loud and clear and the 0-5 Bengals look like they’ve cowered to it. Carson Palmer limited his throws in practice to rest his injured right elbow, while Brett Favre’s putting dead animals in teammates’ lockers. The Jets didn’t play last week, but Favre entered the bye with a six TD game. Cincinnati’s defense has seven defensive starters with three years or less experience, so the rested Jets may thrive once again. Line: NYJ (-6), Weather: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford NJ. Mostly sunny, 73-degrees.

Panthers (4-1) at Buccaneers (3-2) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, FOX: Nobody figured the NFC South would be a four-team race, which makes this divisional match-up even more important. Brian Griese, who injured his elbow against Denver, will be a game-time decision for Bucs coach Jon Gruden. Carolina’s defense has not allowed a touchdown in the last nine quarters. Still, Julius Peppers said, “I only see us getting better from here.” Line: TB (-1.5), Weather: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa FL. Isolated thunder storms, 30% chance of rain, 85-degrees.

Rams (0-4) at Redskins (4-1) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, FOX: If you’re in one of those eliminator pools, this might be one of the best picks you’ll see in the coming weeks. While the Rams are coming off a bye week in which they fired coach Scott Linehan, it’s tough to say his interim replacement, Jim Haslett, will fair any better. Haslett was in charge of a Rams defense that’s allowed 411.8 yards and 36.8 points per game. The ‘Skins, on the other hand, have ripped through two straight NFC East road games and are playing as well as anyone. It’s easy to finger Clinton Portis’ 514 yards (4.5 per carry) as the catalyst, but Jason Campbell also has taken charge of a suddenly potent offense leading the ‘Skins to back-to-back road wins in the stout NFC East. Line: WSH (-13.5), Weather: FedEx Field, Washington D.C. Mostly sunny, 74-degrees.

Dolphins (2-2) at Texans (0-4) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, CBS: The Dolphins have won two straight games against New England and San Diego, but more importantly they’ve seen a shift in attitude within the organization. “We have arrived,” said receiver Greg Camarillo, the team’s leader in yards (214) and receptions (17).   That might be a little overzealous, but for a team coming off a one-win season, they’ll take it. For Houston, Matt Schaub is expected to play after a virus kept him out last weel. Keep an eye on rookie running back Steve Slaton. He’s scored three touchdowns (two last week) and gaining 5 yards per rush. Line: HOU (-3), Weather: Reliant Stadium, Houston TX. Partly cloudy, 69% humidity, 86-degrees.

Jaguars (2-3) at Broncos (4-1) — Sunday, 1:05 p.m. PST, CBS: Jacksonville is very close to falling out of contention in the AFC South. A loss this week would drop the Jags to 3.5 games behind idle Tennessee, with the Colts likely sandwiched in between. Their offense has often been putrid (for example: 38 rushing yards last week). But Denver’s defense can’t stop the run, so something needs to give. Michael Pittman is likely to start in place of injured Selvin Young. Denver’s offense is also missing tight end Tony Scheffler and could be without rookie WR Eddie Royal. Line: DEN (-3.5), Weather: Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver CO. Partly cloudy, 10 MPH wind, 56-degrees.

Cowboys (4-1) at Cardinals (3-2) — Sunday, 1:15 p.m. PST, FOX: Let’s hope the Glendale, AZ doesn’t have a Minx Gentleman’s Club because it seems like the Pacman party is just beginning for the Cowboys. The questions are beginning to… wait for it… rain in Dallas, who struggled to put away win-less Cincinnati last week after spotting themselves a 17-0 lead. The Cardinals and Cowboys are the top two scoring teams in the NFC, but according to Scouts Inc., a shootout is not imminent. The Cardinals will likely try to spread out the Cowboys defense and pound them with Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower.  Line: DAL (-5), Weather: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale AZ. Sunny, 80-degrees.

Eagles (2-3) at 49ers (2-3) — Sunday, 1:15 p.m. PST, FOX: There’s a big difference between being 2-3 and being 2-3 in the NFC West. The Niners sit one game back of first place Arizona, while Philly is in last staring up at three teams with two losses between them. SF running back Frank Gore is a beast, but the focus may be on QB Donovan McNabb and how fares against a San Francisco defense that’s allowed two  straight 30-point games.  Backfield weapon Brian Westbrook will miss the game with broken ribs, so expect Philly receiver Desean Jackson to continue earning looks from McNabb downfield. Line: PHI (-5), Weather: Candlestick Park, San Francisco CA. Sunny, 13 MPH wind, 72-degrees.

Packers (2-3) at Seahawks (1-3) — Sunday, 1:15 p.m. PST, FOX: After four consecutive NFC West titles, the Seahawks were bound to decline. But head coach Mike Holmgren, in his final season, may want to sail west across Lake Washington and save himself the trouble. On Wednesday, quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck and Seneca Wallace did not practice, leaving Charlie Frye as the only healthy QB on the roster.   Of course, it may not matter who throws them the ball, since tight end John Carlson is leading the team with 168 receiving yards. Still, it’s not like the Packers are basking in the glow of success. Aaron Rodgers has played through a strained right shoulder, and the team has lost two consecutive games, including last week at home versus Atlanta. The defense, once believed to be the team’s biggest strength, has been the main culprit with 363.2 ypg allowed, nearly 50 per game more than last year. Line: SEA (-2.5), Weather:Qwest Field, Seattle WA. Partly cloudy, 58-degrees.

Giants (4-0) at Browns (1-3) — Monday, 5:30 p.m. PST, ESPN: Monday Night Football has been a five week, primetime collection of the odd, eccentric and awesome. But this week’s iteration may provide us with another adjective: Awful. The Giants defense is 3rd in the league in yards per game allowed and 1st in scoring defense; the Browns are relegated to the middle of the pack. The Giants are 1st in offense; the Browns, the worst. At 210 yards per game, Snoop Dogg’s Pop Warner team may fair as well. What to watch? Maybe Plaxico Burress making his return from a team-imposed one game suspension.  Otherwise, the Dodgers on Fox.  Line: NYG (-9), Weather: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland OH. Partly cloudy, 8 MPH wind, 58-degrees.

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