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CNNSI.com's Jon A. Dolezar breaks down this week's games.

Week Nine Previews
	Carolina (1-7)	1 p.m. EST Sunday
	St. Louis (6-1)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	67.9 -- Kurt Warner's league-leading completion percentage.
Key Matchup	Rams wide receivers Isaac Bruce (34 catches for 600 yards and two touchdowns) and Torry Holt (31 catches for 485 yards and three touchdowns) against Panthers cornerbacks Doug Evans (six interceptions) and Rashard Anderson (one interception).
Player to Watch	Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis: Returning from a knee injury, Faulk hopes to pick up where he left off with his average of 154 total yards per game.
	Green Bay (5-2)	1 p.m. EST Sunday
	Chicago (6-1)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	7 -- Consecutive victories at Soldier Field for the Packers, the longest active road winning streak of any series in the league.
Key Matchup	Packers running back Ahman Green (974 total yards and four touchdowns) against Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher (40 total tackles and two sacks).
Player to Watch	Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay: Facing his favorite opponent, as he has gone 8-1 in nine career starts at Soldier Field and has thrown 36 career touchdown passes against the Bears, his highest total against any team.
	Buffalo (1-6)	1 p.m. EST Sunday
	New England (4-4)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	4.7 -- Yards per carry allowed by the Bills, tied for second most in the league.
Key Matchup	Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (eighth in league with 90.0 quarterback rating) against Bills cornerbacks Antoine Winfield and Ken Irvin (combined two interceptions).
Player to Watch	Peerless Price, WR, Buffalo: Leads the NFL with 20.6 yards per catch and has two 100-yards games in the past four weeks.
	Cincinnati (4-3)	1 p.m. EST Sunday
	Jacksonville (2-5)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	99.5 -- Mark Brunell's quarterback rating in his past five games against the Bengals, in which the Jaguars are 4-1.
Key Matchup	Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna (22-18 as a starter despite mediocre 75.3 career quarterback rating) against Jaguars defensive tackles Seth Payne and Gary Walker (combined 8.5 sacks this season).
Player to Watch	Corey Dillon, RB, Cincinnati: Has rushed for 354 yards in the past three games and is now on pace for 1,428 yards and nine rushing touchdowns.
	Pittsburgh (5-2)	1 p.m. EST Sunday
	Cleveland (4-3)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	5.2 -- Career-high average yards per carry for Jerome Bettis, who has carried 135 times for 703 yards and three touchdowns, putting him on pace for 1,606 yards and six touchdowns.
Key Matchup	Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress (career-high 23 catches for 352 yards this season) against Browns cornerbacks Corey Fuller and Daylon McCutcheon (combined three interceptions this season).
Player to Watch	Courtney Brown, DE, Cleveland: The top pick from the 2000 draft has 7.5 sacks in 17 career games and had three sacks and a fumble return for a touchdown in his 2001 debut last week.
	Tampa Bay (3-4)	1 p.m. EST Sunday
	Detroit (0-7)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	26-20 -- Lions' winning percentage (.565 winning percentage) against the Buccaneers, including wins in 10 of the past 13.
Key Matchup	Buccaneers wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson (52 catches for 673 yards but no touchdowns this season) against Lions cornerbacks Terry Fair and Todd Lyght (16 combined interceptions in past three seasons).
Player to Watch	Robert Porcher, DE, Detroit: On pace for a career-high 16 sacks this season; has 10 sacks in his past nine games against the Buccaneers.
	Kansas City (2-6)	1 p.m. EST Sunday
	New York (5-3)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	1,515 -- Combined rushing yards this season for Curtis Martin (804) and Priest Holmes (711), the top two rushers in the league.
Key Matchup	Jets center Kevin Mawae against Chiefs defensive tackles John Browning and Derrick Ransom (combined seven stuffs this season).
Player to Watch	Tony Gonzalez, TE, Kansas City: Leads all NFL tight ends with 562 receiving yards and is averaging a career-high 14.4 yards per catch this season.
	Miami (5-2)	1 p.m. EST Sunday
	Indianapolis (4-3)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	11-6 -- Dolphins' all-time record at the RCA Dome.
Key Matchup	Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler (averaging 7.6 yards per attempt this season) against Colts defensive ends Brad Scioli and Chad Bratzke (combined 4.5 sacks).
Player to Watch	Marvin Harrison, WR, Indianapolis: On pace for 1,318 receiving yards this season after averaging 1,538 yards over the past two seasons.
	Dallas (2-5)	1 p.m. EST Sunday
	Atlanta (3-4)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	27-19 -- Cowboys' record in November (.587 winning percentage) since 1991.
Key Matchup	Falcons quarterback Chris Chandler (ranks sixth among starters with 91.5 quarterback rating) against Cowboys middle linebacker Dexter Coakley, who has returned an interception for a touchdown in each of the past two games.
Player to Watch	Ryan Leaf, QB, Dallas: Will become the sixth quarterback to start for the Cowboys in the past two seasons, joining Troy Aikman, Randall Cunningham, Anthony Wright, Quincy Carter and Clint Stoerner.
	San Diego (5-3)	4:05 p.m. EST Sunday
	Denver (4-4)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	67 -- Catches by Rod Smith this season, the most in NFL history after eight games, putting him on pace for 134 catches, which would shatter Herman Moore's record of 123 set in 1995.
Key Matchup	Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (181 carries for 651 yards and eight touchdowns this season) against Broncos middle linebacker Bill Romanowski (42 total tackles and three sacks).
Player to Watch	Deltha O'Neal, CB, Denver: Tied for the league lead with six interceptions, has 14 passes defensed this season and averages an NFL-best 15.2 yards per punt return.
	New Orleans (4-3)	4:15 p.m. EST Sunday
	San Francisco (5-2)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	43-18-2 -- 49ers' record against the Saints (.698 winning percentage), though New Orleans has won the past three.
Key Matchup	49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens (48 catches for 668 yards and eight touchdowns this season) against Saints cornerbacks Kevin Mathis and Fred Thomas (combined 11 passes defensed this season).
Player to Watch	Ricky Williams, RB, New Orleans: Has 846 total yards this season and gained 254 yards in two games against San Francisco last season.
	New York (4-4)	4:15 p.m. EST Sunday
	Arizona (2-5)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	21-11-1 -- Jim Fassel's record (.681 winning percentage) against the NFC East, including 6-2 against the Cardinals.
Key Matchup	Giants wide receiver Joe Jurevicius (32 catches for 480 yards and three touchdowns) against Cardinals free safety Kwamie Lassiter (four interceptions this season).
Player to Watch	Michael Strahan, DE, New York: On pace to shatter Mark Gastineau's sack record of 22, with 14 in the past six games, the most ever in such a span.
	Minnesota (3-4)	4:15 p.m. EST Sunday
	Philadelphia (4-3)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	10-2 -- Vikings' record after a bye week, the best in the NFL.
Key Matchup	Vikings wide receivers Randy Moss (32 catches for 443 yards and two touchdowns this season) and Cris Carter (30 catches for 429 yards and four touchdowns this season) against Eagles cornerbacks Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor (only one combined interception this season).
Player to Watch	James Thrash, WR, Philadelphia: Having a career year with 28 catches for 409 yards and five touchdowns, but only has six grabs for 89 yards in the past two weeks.
	Oakland (6-1)	8:30 p.m. EST Sunday
	Seattle (3-4)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	59.3 -- Raiders' red-zone touchdown percentage, second in the AFC.
Key Matchup	Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (59.1 quarterback rating, second lowest in the league) against Raiders cornerbacks Charles Woodson and Eric Allen (64 interceptions in 263 combined career games).
Player to Watch	Tim Brown, WR, Oakland: Aging better than a fine wine, Brown has 26 catches for 397 yards and two touchdowns in the past four games and has a career-best 12 touchdown catches against Seattle.
	Baltimore (5-3)	9 p.m. EST Monday
	Tennessee (3-4)	• Preview • Stats Matchup • Injury Report
Key Stat	18-3 -- Ravens' record under Brian Billick after Nov. 1, including the postseason.
Key Matchup	Titans running back Eddie George (averaging career-low 2.7 yards per carry) against Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis (64 total tackles, 6.5 stuffs).
Player to Watch	Michael McCrary, DE, Baltimore: Leads the Ravens with eight sacks and has 49.5 in his 4 1/2 seasons in Baltimore.

 

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