Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe looks forward to a potential playoff showdown with Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Cafardo contends Manning has proven himself to be the league's best quarterback with his record-setting year, and suggests Gillette Stadium is the proper spot for him to either finally fulfill his destiny or come up short once again.
In his notebook, Cafardo discusses the injury to defensive lineman Richard Seymour. While some reported the Pro-Bowler would need three to six weeks to recover, Cafardo is reporting Seymour may need only to rest his knee, and that the injury may be less than originally feared.
Also in the Globe, Bob Ryan looks at the state of sports in America, and explains how he would change sports if he were all-powerful.
In his Patriots Insider, Michael Felger of The Boston Herald asserts the offensive line will be integral to the Patriots playoff success. As Felger points out, the O-line has not been as sturdy as it once has been, and Tom Brady must be protected if he is to conjure up his typical playoff magic.
In his notebook, Felger discusses Corey Dillon's expressed desire to sign a contract extension that would keep him a Patriot long-term, a move that would ease his salary cap hit for the team in 2005.
Also in the Herald, Michael Gee features Patriots Vice-President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli and Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein as part of a five-part series reviewing the championships of the two New England franchises.
Michael Parente of The Woonsocket Call looks ahead to this Sunday's game with the San Francisco 49ers, arguably the league's worst team at 2-13. Both of the 49ers wins came at the expense of the lowly Arizona Cardinals, and both came in overtime. As Parente writes, this game should not present much of a challenge to the Pats, and will provide te opportunity to rest some key players.
ESPN.com and CBS.Sportsline.com have their Power Rankings out for the week, and in both polls the Patriots rank second behind the Pittsburgh Steelers.
