tice. "If Troy was out of the game, I was playing strong safety.

The Giants vs. the Steelers. Or sometimes referred to as the Maras against the Rooneys for their family business roots.They meet in a huge game Sunday in Pittsburgh that could clear some of the muddled playoff picture.New York (8-3) is among the hottest teams in football with six straight victories. Not that its helped the Giants move much closer to the Cowboys in the NFC East.But the Giants are in control of the NFC wild-card picture, even if their victories havent looked too pretty.We have everything right in front of us. We dont feel the need ... really inside of this locker room, we dont care about anyones opinion, running back Rashad Jennings says. Someone could put us best, someone could put us worst, it doesnt matter. We have to go out and find a way to win.The Steelers (6-5) are in a tighter spot, tied atop the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens, to whom they already have lost. When healthy, the Steelers have looked like a Super Bowl contender. But theyve also had some real duds.They will need to eliminate those stinkers and play solidly the rest of the way, Ben Roethlisberger says.Anytime you get to November, December, January football, you have to be at your best, you have to be hot, and we are playing one of the best football teams in the NFL, he says. They are coming to our place, it has a playoff feel and atmosphere, and it has to. I am sure that they feel the same way.You have to have that mentality at this time of the year because you really cant afford to lose any more games.The action began on a rare week with no division matchups, with Dallas 17-15 victory at Minnesota on Thursday night.Dez Bryant caught four passes for 84 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, helping Dallas improve to 11-1 with its 11th straight victory.Sam Bradford threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jerick McKinnon with 25 seconds to play, but the 2-point conversion failed for the Vikings (6-6). They played without coach Mike Zimmer after he had emergency eye surgery Wednesday night. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer directed the team.Off this week are Tennessee (6-6) and Cleveland (0-12).Kansas City (8-3) at Atlanta (7-4)Several emerging players are worth watching here as the Falcons try to stay alone atop the NFC South and the Chiefs pursue the Raiders in the AFC West.Chiefs rookie WR Tyreek Hill last week became the first player since Gale Sayers in 1965 to score on a kickoff return, a run and a catch in the same game.The Falcons, known for their powerful offense, are getting strong play from LB Vic Beasley Jr., second in the NFC with 9+ sacks, and safety Keanu Neal, who leads all rookies with 72 tackles and has four forced fumbles.Denver (7-4) at Jacksonville (2-9)Look for a low-scoring affair as the Jaguars try to snap a six-game slide. They have lost all four at home this season, placing coach Gus Bradleys job in serious jeopardy. But his specialty, defense, is coming on and the Jags rank sixth overall.We all know how good Denvers D can be, and heres a stunning stat: The Broncos have scored a league-high 93 points, or 35 percent of their season total, off turnovers. They have 20 takeaways; the Jaguars are a league-worst minus-15 in turnover margin.Denver has won 28 straight games when winning the turnover battle, the longest current streak in the NFL, and it leads the league in sacks (35) and quarterback hits (89).It might need all the defense it can muster with rookie Paxton Lynch starting for injured quarterback Trevor Siemian.Tampa Bay (6-5) at San Diego (5-6)Not only have the Bucs won three in a row, but they beat Kansas City and Seattle the past two weeks, holding them to a combined 22 points. Rookie DE Noah Spence comes off a superb month in which he had 11 tackles, 2+ sacks and two forced fumbles.San Diegos Antonio Gates was blanked in the win at Houston, not even targeted for the first time in 77 games. Hes three TD catches short of breaking Tony Gonzalezs NFL record of 111 for a tight end.Los Angeles (4-7) New England (9-2)The spiraling Rams, who have given up 63 points over the past 64:02 of game action, are the perfect victim for Tom Brady to get his 201st victory, which would be an NFL record for quarterbacks. Hes currently tied with Peyton Manning.Its probably the most important stat. ... Theres no surprise, Saints QB Drew Brees says of Brady. Listen, hes earned it. He will go down as certainly one of the best, if not the best, for that reason. The guys a winner. Hes a proven winner. ... Theres been a lot of players come through there while hes been there and its been a very consistent result, all the time. Im sure theres a lot of people in that building that deserve credit, but none more so than him.As the Patriots chase home-field advantage in the AFC for the playoffs -- they lead the AFC East by two games over Miami, who they have beaten -- Brady has been sensational since returning from his four-game Deflategate suspension. Brady has 2,201 passing yards, 18 TDs, one interception and a 116.7 passer rating.Miami (7-4) at Baltimore (6-5)Miami has won six in a row, and hasnt taken seven straight since 1985, Dan Marinos third season. Solidly in the playoff race, the Dolphins are getting solid contributions from Ryan Tannehill throwing the ball and Jay Ajayi running it despite a banged-up offensive line.Baltimores defense has been superb as the Ravens have taken three of their past four games. Ranking second overall and first against the run, the Ravens will be a tough test for Ajayi especially.If it comes down to the kicking game, Baltimore has the leagues only perfect placekicker. Justin Tucker is 27 for 27 on field goals and has made all his extra points.Buffalo (6-5) at Oakland (9-2)The Black Hole is truly that for the Bills. Buffalo is 0-8 in Oakland since 1966.But a victory not only would be the Bills 400th regular-season win, it would boost their playoff chances somewhat. Remember, they havent been in the postseason since the 1999 campaign.Oaklands sensational comeback win against Carolina after blowing a huge lead kept the Raiders atop the highly competitive AFC West. It also solidified QB Derek Carrs credentials -- and guts. He left after badly damaging his right pinkie, then returned with a glove on his throwing hand to lead the rally.Detroit (7-4) at New Orleans (5-6)Matthew Stafford is having his best season, and hell need all of his skills and weapons to keep up with Drew Brees.Stafford has led seven game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime in 2016; the Lions are the first team with seven wins when trailing in the fourth quarter in the teams first 11 games of a season. No QB has had eight such drives in one season.Thats one of the rare achievements Brees hasnt managed. Last week, he passed for 310 yards with four touchdowns, and rushed for a TD. He leads the NFL with 3,587 yards and 30 TDs passing. Its Brees ninth season with at least 30 TDs passing, tied for the record, and he has a TD pass in an NFL-record 60 straight home outings.Houston (6-5) at Green Bay (5-6)The Texans have the better record and lead their division, the weak AFC South. Yet nearly everywhere the perception is Green Bay, third in the NFC North, is the better team.Houstons $72 million, four-year investment in quarterback Brock Osweiler isnt paying off, so much so that after last weekends loss, coach Bill OBrien was asked about benching Osweiler.His slump is encouraging for the Packers suspect secondary.Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers is on a terrific streak even while the running game has been mediocre and the blocking has been so-so.Indianapolis (5-6) at New York Jets (3-8), Monday nightWithout Andrew Luck, the Colts were no match for the Steelers on Thanksgiving night. Luck has gone through the NFLs concussion protocol and should be behind center for another prime-time affair.The Jets make just enough mistakes each week to be among the leagues biggest flops after going 10-6 in 2015. Many of their big-ticket players have let them down, and heres a chance to strut before a nationwide audience.Carolina (4-7) at Seattle (7-3-1)The last thing the Panthers need when facing Seattles stingy defense and strong pass rush is an injury-depleted offensive line. Unfortunately for Cam Newton and Carolina, thats the reality.Carolina stayed on the West Coast after the 35-32 loss at Oakland, while the Seahawks flew back cross-country from Tampa after a 14-5 defeat in which the offense was invisible. Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin and Jimmy Graham should be more productive against the Panthers.Washington (6-4-1) at Arizona (4-6-1)The Redskins owned the second NFC wild-card spot heading into the weekend. Their offense has been dynamic recently, with Kirk Cousins to Jamison Crowder the main connection.Washington also can get after the quarterback, led by Ryan Kerrigan, and Carson Palmer has been sacked 32 times. Even worse for the Cardinals, inexperienced tackles D.J. Humphries and Ulrick John and guard John Wetzel figure to start.Philadelphia (5-6) at Cincinnati (3-7-1)Both teams can begin thinking about next season after recent slumps.The Eagles have lost four straight on the road, but theyre 9-1 vs. the AFC since 2014. Cincinnati is 1-5-1 in the past seven games, and a true sign of their malaise: Mike Nugent has missed his past three PAT kicks and four of the past eight.San Francisco (1-10) at Chicago (2-9)One of these teams will mess up their April draft standing by winning this. Or maybe these two will tie 0-0.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Joey Bosa Chargers Jersey . The Masters champion and winner of last weeks Australian PGA has a three-round total of 14-under 199 at Royal Melbourne. "Im in a really good position for tomorrow," Scott said. Antonio Gates Youth Jersey . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. http://www.chargersauthenticofficialonline.com/authentic-drue-tranquill-jersey.html . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. Dan Fouts Youth Jersey . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Despite spraining his right ankle "pretty good," New York Giants safety Antrel Rolle expects to be ready for the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants didnt have a timetable for Rolles return, but coach Tom Coughlin was more optimistic about having his leading tackler the past two seasons back "I hope he comes back next week," Coughlin said Tuesday after practice. "Why would I talk about week one." Wearing a protective boot on his foot, Rolle made it clear that he does not like being hurt and that he will do everything in his power to play quickly. "I hate missing even a practice, being out there with my teammates, my brothers," said Rolle, who has not missed a game in three seasons with the Giants. "This is very hard for me to accept but at the same time, I have to be smart about it. I am going to push myself because that is just who I am. I push myself with everything that I do to try to be out there with my guys as soon as possible." Rolle was hurt when his feet became tangled with tight end Bear Pascoe during a sideline pass on a 7-on-7 drill on Monday. The 30-year-said the injury happened before he jumped for the pass, with his ankle rolling both to the inside and outside. "To be honest, I didnt really know what to expect," Rolle said. "I am not the kind of guy that likes to lay on the field no matter what the injury is. I tried to get up and walk off but I just couldnt bear it. I couldnt bear it to do it. Did I think it was worse? Possibly just because I heard a couple of popping sounds in my ankle. I think it was just part of my ankle rolling, it was just cracking. Just thank God it is nothing too severe, nothing I cant work through with just a little bit of time and hard work. " A nine-year veteran Rolle is the leader of the secondary. He had a career-high 108 tackles last season and was a constant voice trying to make sure his teammates were on the same page. Ryan Mundy, the five-year veterann who is working with the first team since the injury, said Rolle talked to the defensive backs Tuesday morning, telling them to keep working and he would be back.dddddddddddd "Hes one of the building blocks," defensive co-ordinator Perry Fewell said of Rolle. "Hes a brick. Hes always there. Hes tough. Hes the mortar that seals us. His presence is always valuable for us." Mundy spent the past four seasons with Pittsburgh, serving as the backup to Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu. He signed with the Giants as a free agent in the off-season and made an impression early in training camp with a hit on Ryan Torain that gave the running back a concussion. It also was a hit that drew the ire of Coughlin. "I have a reputation for hitting people, but my time in Pitt, I did whatever I was asked to do," said Mundy, who intercepted a deep pass to Rueben Randle in practice. "If Troy was out of the game, I was playing strong safety. If Ryan Clark was out of the game, I was playing free safety. Thats just been my whole approach. Whatever I need to do to help the team out, Im more than willing to do it. Mundy said that he is still learning the defence but he is confident hell get it down. Coughlin has confidence in Mundy, but he is also expecting Rolle to be ready sooner than later. "He doesnt like to miss anything," Coughlin said. "Quite frankly, if he can avoid it, he misses nothing." NOTES: Second-year CB Jayron Hosley had a good practice, knocking down passes by Eli Manning and David Carr and intercepting one thrown by Curtis Painter. ....Former Dallas linebacker Dan Connor is starting to share some of the first-team snaps at middle linebacker with Mark Herzlich. ...Fourth-round draft pick Ryan Nassib made one of his better throws of training camp, hitting Kevin Hardy on a deep go pattern with cornerback Charles James defending. ...Rookie S Cooper Taylor says his injured hamstring is getting better but he does not know when he will be back practicing. ... ' ' '