Giants @ Eagles, 1:00PM ET
You have to love that after all of the media reports dedicated to how Michael Vick is this mature, changed person that when walking to the locker room following his injury against the Falcons on Sunday night, he points to the scoreboard in response to heckling fans. He’s changed all right. Now instead of using his middle finger to diss Falcon fans, he uses his index. Get well soon, Mike.

Patriots @ Bills, 1:00PM ET
I’m sure the sentiment for most people heading into this game is that the Bills will “come crashing down to earth” after the Patriots get done with them. But I have a different take: I think this game is going to be fun as hell. Buffalo showed in the first two weeks that it has more than enough offensive weapons to be dangerous and obviously New England can score. This could be a 52-52 game about midway through the fourth quarter.

Texans @ Saints, 1:00PM ET
Sean Payton hasn’t quite mastered how to best utilize Mark Ingram, Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas in the same backfield, but once he does the Saints could revert back to their ’09 form when they blew teams out on a weekly basis. Meanwhile, Arian Foster once again looks doubtful to play and fantasy owners that drafted him with their top pick are starting to realize that yes, his hamstring is going to be a major problem early on.

Jaguars @ Panthers, 1:00PM ET
It’ll be the Rookie Quarterback Bowl in Carolina this Sunday when Blaine Gabbert makes his first professional start against Cam Newton, who has already thrown for over 800 yards in his first two games. Maybe if he stops throwing the ball to the other team he’ll pick up a win to go along with all of those fancy yards.

49ers @ Bengals, 1:00PM ET
Cincinnati receiver Jerome Simpson and offensive tackle Anthony Collins were detained by police late Wednesday when authorities investigated a package filled with 2.5 pounds of marijuana delivered to Simpson’s house while both players were present. Neither player was arrested but it’s great to see that the Bengals are already in mid-season form when it comes to obeying the law.

Dolphins @ Browns, 1:00PM ET
Just what every head coach on the hot seat needs: a three-game road trip following an 0-2 start. In three weeks if the Dolphins are 0-5, you can bet that Tony Sparano won’t be on the sidelines when Miami hosts its next home game (vs. Denver on October 23). And no, I mean literally bet on Sparano being canned: theSpread has his odds of being let go listed at 3/1.

Lions @ Vikings, 1:00PM ET
Let’s sum up Donovan McNabb’s career. Booed on draft day. Has appeared in 967 playoff games and one Super Bowl but has no ring. Had to put up with T.O. and a slew of media members and fellow athletes bashing him at every turn. Benched for Rex Grossman… possibly will be benched for Christian Ponder. I feel sorry for McNabb and I don’t mean that in a condescending way. I actually feel bad for the guy. Ah, well: Lions 56, Vikings 3.

Broncos @ Titans, 1:00PM ET
If there’s one game I don’t care if I see a down of this weekend, this would be it. I apologize to Denver and Tennessee fans but this matchup is the epitome of boring. But hey, go get ‘em Kyle Orton and Matt Hasselbeck. You do your thing. I’ll be over here watching Giants-Eagles, Texans-Saints or hell, even Jaguars-Panthers. Just anything but Broncos-Titans on a nice fall Sunday afternoon.

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Peyton Manning is obviously a great quarterback, but should the Indianapolis Colts just fall apart now that he’s out for potentially the entire season?

I have no sympathy for the Colts, as they’ve avoided developing a real backup for Peyton Manning for years. We all watched several years ago when they rested Manning and played Jim Sorgi. Contrast that to New England and the emphasis they place on backup quarterbacks. When Tom Brady got hurt, they had Matt Cassel ready to go. Now they’re at it again with Ryan Mallett on the bench. Wouldn’t the Colts love to have Mallett now?

I don’t blame Kerry Collins. He had a tough time today in Indy’s loss at home against the Browns, but he came out of retirement to take on this complicated offense. I blame the Colts brain trust, and they’re paying the price now for their lack of preparation.

Question: How worried are the Colts about Peyton Manning’s neck injury?

Answer: They just brought Kerry Collins out of retirement.

That cloud of doubt I talked about in this piece on Tuesday is starting to get even bigger in Indianapolis. That’s because according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, the Colts’ “braintrust” does not believe Manning will be ready for Week 1. Mortensen says that Manning is “hopeful,” but the report and the addition of Collins say otherwise.

Granted, Curtis Painter (42.4 QB rating) has been dreadful this preseason so maybe signing Collins was just a precautionary measure by the Colts. Maybe they just wanted to ensure that Manning would have a decent backup regardless of whether or not he’s able to play in Week 1.

Then again, why would Collins come out of retirement if he didn’t think he would have the opportunity to play? He’s 38 years old and it’s not like he needs the money. Chances are the Colts told him that there’s a good chance he’ll suit up for Week 1 and then Manning’s injury status could be a fluid situation the entire year. (In other words, Collins may play more than just one game.)

Either way, there’s legitimate concern that Manning won’t be ready for the start of the season. Of course, if he only misses one or two games it won’t be the end of the world. In fact, if he needs more time in order to become 100-percet healthy, then he should take it.

But if he’s banged up all season then the Colts are in some major trouble.

Here are three quick-hit observations on the Colts’ AFC South-clinching 23-20 win over the Titans on Sunday.

1. Colts hit jackpot on Sunday.
First, the Chiefs lost to the Raiders at home. Seven. Then, the Colts beat the Titans on a last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri field goal as time expires. Seven. Then, the Jaguars lose to the Texans. Seven…jackpot. All right, so that last thing didn’t even need to happen if the Colts beat the Titans but it worked well with my jackpot theme so I forced it in there to make the bad analogy work. Sue me. Give Indianapolis credit for not backing down when Tennessee came out swinging. The Titans had nothing to play for and it’s human nature to think that, in that situation, Tennessee might roll over. But they didn’t, and the Colts showed some resolve by continuing to fight for four quarters. You would expect them to do that with the playoffs on the line, but look at the Chiefs. They would have won the No. 3 seed in the AFC had they beaten the Raiders, who also had nothing to play for. But the Chiefs thought Oakland would lay down and when Oakland didn’t, Kansas City tucked tail and ran away. Now Indianapolis has the No. 3 spot and has earned a date with the Jets next weekend.

2. Manning does it again.
This wasn’t an overly impressive outing for Peyton Manning, who was out-gunned by Kerry Collins (who threw for 300 yards and finished with a passer rating of 111.1). But it was Manning who once again came up clutch in the end by leading his team into field goal range in the closing minutes. Manning couldn’t move his offense much in the fourth quarter, but it didn’t matter in the end. He saved his best work for the finale and now the Colts are once again AFC South champions.

3. The Titans deserve some praise.
Give Tennessee credit for showing up to play on Sunday. This is a team that was criticized for giving up last weekend in Kansas City but they came out swinging against the Colts. When Indy held leads of 13-6 and 20-13, the Titans could have shut it down and let the Colts cruise in the second half. But Tennessee didn’t and the Titans wound up making a game out of it. And hey – surprise! – Randy Moss actually made a big play when he snagged a first down pass in the second half to keep a drive alive.

Both starting quarterbacks in the Monday Night Football game were injured in the first half. Vince Young sprained his knee early in the first quarter, while David Garrard took a hit from a Tennessee pass rusher in the second quarter and went into the locker room just before half. (His injury is unknown at this point, but don’t rule out the possibility that he took himself out because he’s God awful.)

The good thing for Tennessee is that Kerry Collins is Young’s backup. He hit Bo Scaife on a 2-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter and then orchestrated another scoring drive that netted the Titans a field goal. Tennessee currently lead 17-0 at half.

Unfortunately for Jacksonville, their backup is not Kerry Collins but Trent Edwards, who was signed three weeks ago after Buffalo dumped him following two brutal starts at the beginning of the season. He came in and took the Jaguars right down the field, but then Mercedes Lewis crapped on the drive by fumbling inside the red zone. Tennessee recovered the loose ball and held Jacksonville scoreless in the first half.

Edwards looked great on his lone drive, but soon enough he’ll remember he’s Trent Edwards and start checking down every chance he gets. Of course, he’s probably a better option than Garrard at this point, so even if Garrard is healthy to start the second half, Jack Del Rio might as well leave Edwards in.

Update: ESPN will think twice about putting the Jaguars on Monday Night Football again after their performance tonight. Thanks to Collins and a dominating performance by their defense, the Titans rolled Jacksonville, 30-3. Maurice Jones-Drew never got going for the Jags and Edwards was picked off on the first possession of the second half.

Reports say that Garrard suffered a concussion in the first half, which is why he never returned.

For the second week in a row, Texans’ kicker Kris Brown blew an opportunity for his team to tie a game and force overtime. This time, Browns’ miss came in a 20-17 loss to the Titans on Monday night.

Brown missed a 49-yard field goal with six seconds remaining, which would have tied the game and forced overtime. Granted, a 49-yard attempt is no chip shot but he also missed a 49-yarder early in the second half that could have given Houston the lead, not to mention he blew a 42-yarder last week against the Colts as time expired that could have forced overtime.

Again, 49 and 42-yarders are no gimmies. But Matt Schaub and the offense put their team in position to at least force overtime the last two games and their kicker couldn’t convert. One could make the argument that Schaub and the offense should have done more before that point, but the bottom line is that Brown needs to be more clutch if Houston wants to reach the next level.

As for the Titans, they’ve now won four in a row since Jeff Fisher made the switch from Kerry Collins to Vince Young. VY was once again far from explosive as a passer, but he kept drives alive with his legs (11 carries, 73 yards) and also did a fantastic job of getting the hell out of the way of Chris Johnson, who rushed for 151 yards on 29 carries.

Tennessee’s defense also did a great job bottling up Steve Slaton and Houston’s running game, limiting the Texans to just 57 yards on the ground. The Titans also pressured Schaub throughout the night and forced him into some inaccurate throws.

Tennessee held the Texans to only a field goal in the second half after allowing 14 points in the first two quarters. It was a complete effort from the Titans, who have damn near erased their 0-6 start.

According to ESPN.com, the Titans will start Vince Young at quarterback this Sunday against the Jaguars. Young will replace Kerry Collins, who is 0-6 this season as a starter.

This move is long overdue. I’ve been writing for weeks how Young isn’t the answer, but Jeff Fisher had to do something because Collins just flat out couldn’t move the offense. Nobody should expect Tennessee to magically turn around its season now that Young is under center, but maybe he’ll give the team a spark.

The next thing Fisher should do is scale back the playbook and exploit Young’s athletic abilities. For Fisher and the Titans, now is about winning games and not trying to develop Young as a passer. So if that means he only attempts 15 passes and runs the ball 10 times, so be it.

It’s time for Young to prove everyone wrong. Obviously Fisher doesn’t have a ton of confidence in his abilities or else he would have been starting over Collins two weeks ago, so now it’s up to Young to produce. He showed in his rookie year that he could win in the NFL, so now he needs to rekindle some of that magic and win a couple ballgames to prove that he can be a starting quarterback in this league.

These next couple weeks are crucial for Fisher and Young. Winning is the only thing that will help them retain their current jobs, or at the very least ensure that they will find employment elsewhere.

According to a report by the Nashville Tennessean, Titans’ owner Bud Adams wants to see a little more Vince Young and a little less Kerry Collins.

“I have been wanting him to play Vince Young more because Collins has been having his problems out there,” Adams said. “I just think we need to find out how well (Young) can do. If you don’t play the guy and lose all your games, it is hard for you to see what he can do if he is not playing.

“Vince has won a lot of games for us. But Jeff is the one making those decisions; they are playing for him.”

If you read the entire article, Adams does a nice job of venting his frustrations but not making overly dramatic statements. He doesn’t like the way the Titans have started the season, but he’s relying on the coaching staff to make the football decisions, which he should.

I’ve been writing for weeks how the Titans should give Young a shot under center. He’s not going to magically turn things around for Tennessee, but he might give his team a shot in the arm and get them to at least be competitive. Watching Collins and the rest of the Titans play in New England yesterday was pathetic.

Fisher needs to do something, even if it doesn’t wind up panning out in the end. He can’t possibly think that the team that took the field yesterday gives him the best chance to win and if he does, then more losing is ahead for the Titans.

Titans head coach Jeff Fisher stated on Sunday night following Tennessee’s loss to the Colts that Kerry Collins will remain his starting quarterback for the time being.

From Rotoworld.com:

Collins was pulled for Vince Young late in the game, prompting cheers from the home crowd. “We were three and a half, four scores down,” Fisher said. “The game was a little out of hand, and when games get out of hand, either way, you play your backup.” Fisher may reconsider during the Week 7 bye. Downgrade Titans receivers for the rest of the season.

There’s nothing about this decision that I like. The Titans are 0-5 with little hope of turning around their season and yet Fisher refuses to make a change in efforts to light a fire under his lifeless team.

Young isn’t the answer, but Collins can’t move the chains right now and that was once again evident last night. He continues to struggle to with the intermediate to deep throws and while his decision-making hasn’t been good, his accuracy has been his because issue.

I understand if Fisher didn’t want to give up on the season, but Kerry Collins doesn’t seem like the horse you want to throw your life savings on when you need one big score. Young isn’t that player either, but if I’m the Titans I’d rather see what I have with him because I already know what I have in Collins.

A year after starting 10-0 and earning the AFC’s top playoff seed last year, the Tennessee Titans have crumbled to a 0-5 start in 2009. And outside of keeping things close against the Steelers in Week 1, it’s been an ugly 0-5 for Jeff Fisher’s team.

In the Colts’ 31-9 win over the Titans on Sunday night, it was again evident that Kerry Collins can’t lead Tennessee’s offense. When his offensive line didn’t give him time to throw this year, he stumbled into sacks by moving backwards in the pocket. When they did give him time, he was off the mark and inaccurate.

The Titans can no longer line up with an opponent and go toe to toe with them. They simply don’t have enough offensive firepower to keep up with how many points their defense is giving up, so Fisher needs to start getting creative. If Collins can’t move the offense, then Vince Young needs to start.

Fisher and his coaching staff obviously doesn’t think Young gives the Titans the best chance to win or else he’d already be starting. But what do they have to lose at this point? If Young gets his confidence back, he might light a fire under the rest of Tennessee’s offense and inspire his team not to quit on the rest of he season. If he flubs, then he flubs and the Titans will continue to drudge through what is turning out to be a lost season.

At one point, the Titans thought Young was going to be their quarterback for a long time. His mental collapse last year was unfortunate, but at some point Tennessee needs to move past that and see if Young will ever be the quarterback they thought he would once be.

It’s good that Fisher went to Young in the fourth quarter tonight, but Vince deserves a chance to take first-team reps in practice and prepare for a defense as a starter. As Young showed by picking up a first down on a third and long, he can make things happen with his legs and at the very least keep the chains moving. He’s still going to make mistakes, but Collins has made his fair share to start the year so you might as well roll the dice with the more athletic Young.

Fisher needs to realize that his 2008 team isn’t coming back. The wily veteran quarterback that led his team to a 13-3 record has aged about 10 years and is playing with a lack of confidence. It’s time to go back to Vince Young.