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As we get ready for Saturday’s playoff game between the Saints and 49ers, let’s take a look at some programming notes for the days ahead.

I just talked to chat traffic control up in Bristol and we’re going to make a slight switch in Friday’s NFC South chat. This week, it will be held at 4 p.m. ET to help accommodate my travel schedule.

We also will have our Final Word segment on the game Friday afternoon and I’ll have my main preview column on the game Thursday.

On Saturday, NFC West colleague Mike Sando and I will be part of the Countdown Live chat that will take part throughout the game. Please join us if you can. Sando and I will have all the usual game-day coverage on Saturday.

In the meantime, we’ll have more preview stuff on the Saints and 49ers. I’ll also be keeping my eye on Tampa Bay’s search for a head coach. The Bucs are scheduled to interview Houston defensive coordinator Wade Phillips on Friday. It sounds like Phillips is the last of the first round of interviews. But you never know, the Bucs could be waiting to speak to another coach still involved in the postseason.

I’ll also be keeping an eye on Atlanta’s search for offensive and defensive coordinators and Carolina offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski, who is expected to interview for the job as head coach of the St. Louis Rams.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 17:

High-powered offenses: Assuming the Saints play their starters, and they say they will, their game with the Panthers may look like a mismatch at first glance. But, look again. The Panthers are a much better team than they were earlier in the year. They’ve won four of their past five games and they’ve scored 164 points in that span. Since Week 12, only the Saints (189 points) and the Patriots (171) have scored more points. Carolina also has won three straight road games after snapping a 12-game road losing streak.

Bright spot: The Falcons can take a bit of good news out of Monday night’s loss to New Orleans. They’re very good at bouncing back from a loss. The Falcons have not lost back-to-back games since 2009.

Erasing Jeff George: Like the Saints, the Falcons also are saying they’ll play their starters. Let’s hope that’s true and let’s hope Matt Ryan at least plays long enough to throw for 73 yards. If he does, he’ll set the franchise record for passing yards in a season. The record is 4,143 yards and it was set by Jeff George in 1995. No team should have George at the top of its record book for 16 years.

Last dance? I don’t think the Bucs are literally playing for coach Raheem Morris’ job on Sunday in Atlanta. I suspect ownership already has made a decision and one game isn’t going to change it. There’s been some speculation Morris could stay if he replaces himself as defensive coordinator and makes a change at offensive coordinator. It’s possible, but I think it’s highly unlikely. The Bucs have crumbled during a nine-game slide. If this were Morris’ first or second year, he might stick. But this is his third year and, by that time, you should be seeing progress -- not major regression -- from a youth movement.

Stats are for losers: Let’s put Tampa Bay’s nine-game losing streak in perspective. It’s the longest active losing streak in the NFL. It’s Tampa Bay’s longest losing streak since losing 11 consecutive games between the 2008 and ’09 seasons. The last time the Bucs lost 10 straight in a single season was 1977, the franchise’s second season, when the Bucs lost their first 12 games. If the Bucs lose to the Falcons, Morris will join John McKay and Leeman Bennett as the only coaches in franchise history to have more than one 12-loss season.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 16:

Ryan's on fire: The Falcons appear to be getting hot at the right time. In the past six quarters, against the Panthers and Jaguars, Atlanta has outscored opponents 65-14. Quarterback Matt Ryan has thrown seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions in those two games. Ryan also is playing for a spot in the record book. He is 42-18 in his career. Joe Flacco, who also entered the league in the 2008 draft, is 42-20. Each already has won more starts in his first four seasons than any quarterback since the Super Bowl era started in1966.

Monday Night Fever: The New Orleans Saints have all sorts of streaks going. They’ve clinched a playoff berth for the third straight season. They’ve won at least 11 games in each of the past three seasons. They’re on a six-game winning streak. That ties them with the Patriots for the longest active winning streak in the NFL. Finally, the Saints have the NFL’s longest active winning streak in “Monday Night Football’’ games. They’ve won six straight and haven’t lost since a 2008 game against Minnesota.

The “other’’ record: Understandably, most of the talk surrounding the Saints has to do with Drew Brees’ pursuit of Dan Marino’s record for passing yards in a season. But another member of the Saints is chasing history. That’s second-year tight end Jimmy Graham. He’s on pace for 99 catches and 1,338 receiving yards. The NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end is 1,290, set by San Diego’s Kellen Winslow in 1980. Graham also has had at least five catches in six straight games.

Making history: Even in a season that hasn’t been filled with wins, the Carolina Panthers have a chance to make some very positive history. Running back Jonathan Stewart needs to gain just 6 rushing yards to reach 600 for the season. Fellow running back DeAngelo Williams already has 717 yards and quarterback Cam Newton has 609 yards. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last two teams to have three 600-yard rushers in a season were the 2006 Falcons (Michael Vick, Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood) and the 1978 Patriots (Sam Cunningham, Horace Ivory and Andy Johnson).

Losing at historic rate: Some unflattering notes on Tampa Bay’s eight-game losing streak: It’s the longest active streak in the NFL and the first time the Bucs have lost eight straight in a season since 1987. If the Bucs lose to the Panthers and make it nine straight, it will set off some more statistical bells. The Bucs haven’t lost nine straight in a season since starting 0-9 in 1985.

We’ve got the playoff races heating up and the holidays. That’s going to make for an interesting week in the NFC South.

But the good news is we should be pretty much on our normal routine. Unless I hear otherwise from chat control in Bristol, the NFC South chat will be held in its normal slot, Friday at 1 p.m. ET.

We’ll have our usual Stock Watch and Power Rankings on Tuesday, my weekly QB Watch on Wednesday and Final Word on Friday. On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers will be playing. I’ll be watching that from NFC South Blog headquarters and writing a wrap-up as soon as the game is over.

On Sunday night, I’ll be flying to New Orleans to get in position to cover the Monday night game between the Saints and Falcons.

At, at some point this week, I might actually get out for an hour or so and do some Christmas shopping. It's looking like gift cards might be the standard this year.

Oh, and looking a little beyond the one-week time frame, Pro Bowl selections will be announced Dec. 27.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 15:

Time for a comeback? Before things got out of hand over the past couple of months, Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman had built a reputation for leading his team to fourth-quarter comebacks. The Bucs might not be capable of that these days, but there is some encouraging news on this front. The Cowboys, Tampa Bay's opponent Saturday, have lost three games this season after leading by at least 12 points in the fourth quarter. In the 51 seasons prior to this one, Dallas had lost only twice after leading by 12 or more points in the fourth quarter.

On a record pace. Freeman has thrown 18 interceptions to lead the league. That’s triple his total from the 2010 season. He has a chance to join an infamous club. Since 1990, only two Tampa Bay quarterbacks have thrown at least 20 interceptions. Brad Johnson had 21 in 2003 and Craig Erickson had 21 in 1993.

On a record pace II. New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham has a streak of five games in which he has had at least five receptions. Graham is on pace for 98 catches and 1,355 receiving yards. Marques Colston set the team record with 98 receptions in 2007. The franchise record for receiving yards in a season is 1,399, set by Joe Horn in 2004.

Chasing Manning. Carolina quarterback Cam Newton already has thrown for 3,573 yards. He needs 167 more yards to break the rookie record that was set by Peyton Manning in 1998.

Coughing it up. Tampa Bay running back LeGarrette Blount fumbled twice last Sunday and lost one. Blount now has five fumbles for the season. That ranks him No. 2 in the league among running backs. Only Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew (six) has more fumbles.

ATLANTA – I’m about to travel back to NFC South Blog headquarters.

A quick reminder that there will be no NFC South chat Friday because I’ll be in the air at the time we usually chat. But my weekly Final Word segment will be popping up as I travel.

After I get home this afternoon, I’ll check back in with injury updates on the Buccaneers, Saints and Panthers and weigh in on any developments that come up during the day.

On Saturday night, I’ll be covering the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. On Sunday, I’ll be watching the Saints play the Vikings and the Panthers play the Texans and writing wrap-ups on both games.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 14:

New territory. It’s been pretty obvious coach Sean Payton has taken the Saints to a new level since arriving in 2006. That Lombardi Trophy from the 2009 season is tangible proof. But here’s another sign that success is here to stay. If the Saints win Sunday at Tennessee, they’ll have three consecutive 10-win seasons. That’s never happened in franchise history. The Saints previously had back-to-back winning seasons in 1987 and ’88 and 1991 and ’92.

Dome team? Sunday will be the last time the Saints play outdoors this season. They’re 6-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, but only 2-2 in away games in outdoor stadiums. Keep that stat in mind, because I’ve got a feeling it could be a talking point if the Saints have to go to San Francisco or Green Bay in the postseason. One thing to keep in mind as we start looking ahead: As much as people like to talk about New Orleans' passing game, I think the Saints also have the ingredients for the kind of running game that could come in handy in a bad-weather game.

Defense has been offensive. The Bucs go against a rookie quarterback for the second straight week. Cam Newton’s inexperience didn’t exactly help the Tampa Bay defense last week as the Panthers scored 38 points. Jacksonville’s Blaine Gabbert hasn’t put up Newton-like numbers, so this might be a chance for Tampa Bay’s defense to stop a very bad slide. The Bucs have given up at least 350 yards of offense in each of their past nine games. They’re allowing 393.8 yards per game, which ranks No. 30 in the league. The Bucs also have a chance to break their franchise record for average yards allowed per game over the course of the season. That was set by the 1986 squad, which allowed 395.8 yards per game.

Bouncing back. In one way, the Falcons' loss to Houston might be a good thing. Atlanta is 4-0 following a loss this season. In fact, the Falcons haven’t had back-to-back losses since Weeks 13 and 14 of the 2009 season.

Bringing the heat. If you want a preview of what Atlanta’s defense might do against the Panthers, just find film of the Week 6 game these two played in Atlanta. Although Newton has done a nice job handling the blitz overall, he struggled with it against the Falcons. In the previous meeting, Newton completed only 37.5 percent of his passes and was intercepted three times when Atlanta sent five or more pass-rushers.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 13:

Creamsicle time: The Buccaneers will be wearing their throwback uniforms against Carolina. Yeah, the orange and white uniforms are back. Might not be a bad thing, because at least in the days of Lee Roy Selmon and John McKay the Bucs actually were capable of playing very good defense. Tampa Bay has a (slightly) better record than Carolina, and the Bucs are playing at home. But I have a tough time seeing a Tampa Bay win, unless the defense suddenly starts making some tackles. Since Week 5, the Bucs have allowed an average of 30.6 points per game. Only the Colts (31.3) have allowed more. The Bucs also are allowing a league-worst 6.5 yards per play in that span.

Breaking in the rookie: After losing Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart to injuries, the Texans are expected to start rookie quarterback T.J. Yates against the Falcons. Good luck with that. Since 2002, the Falcons are 11-1 when facing a rookie quarterback. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the only team with a better record against rookie quarterbacks in that span is the Steelers (14-1).

Happy (almost) anniversary: Atlanta’s defense is coming up on what would be a very big milestone. The Falcons have not allowed an individual running back to rush for 100 yards in 14 straight games. The last time it happened was when Carolina’s Jonathan Stewart went over 100 yards on Dec. 12, 2010.

A tip for the Detroit defense: Hey, any defense going up against the Saints can use all the help it can get. If it’s third down, you might want to put some tight coverage on New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham. He’s caught 13 passes on third downs this season. All 13 have been turned into first downs.

Shades of 2009: I’ve said several times that the Saints of this season are starting to remind me of the Saints of 2009, who went on to win the Super Bowl. Here’s the latest example. A victory against the Lions would put the Saints at 6-0 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for only the second time in franchise history. The only other time that happened was 2009.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 12:

Newton’s better under pressure. Carolina rookie quarterback Cam Newton has been far better this season when opposing teams have blitzed. When opponents have sent five or more pass-rushers, Newton has averaged 8.1 yards per attempt with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. But when opponents have sent four or fewer pass-rushers, Newton has averaged 7.9 yards per attempt with five touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Sweet Dome Atlanta. The home game with the Vikings will mark the seventh straight game the Falcons have played in a dome. That could reach eight next week when the Falcons travel to Houston, where Reliant Stadium has a retractable roof that probably will be closed. The Falcons have only one definite outdoor game left on their schedule. That comes in Week 14 when Atlanta travels to Carolina.

Defensive woes. The Bucs were 3-1 after four games, but now are 4-6 and have lost four straight. They haven’t lost five straight since 2009. You can blame most of Tampa Bay’s problems on the defense. Since Week 5, it has been particularly bad. In that span, the Bucs have allowed an average of 31.8 points per game. Only Indianapolis (32.0 points per game) has been worse.

Chasing 2009. Any time you talk about the Saints, the 2009 season is the ultimate measuring stick. That’s the season in which New Orleans won its only Super Bowl. In one regard, this year’s team is keeping pace with the 2009 squad. The Saints are 4-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome this season. If they win against the Giants on Monday night, it will mark only the second time in history the team has started 5-0 at home. The other time, of course, was in 2009.

Playing to the camera. The Saints have won five straight Monday night games. They’ve played the Giants twice on Monday night and lost both. But those losses came before quarterback Drew Brees and coach Sean Payton arrived in 2006. Since then, the Saints are 7-2 on Monday night.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Now, it’s time to get ready for a busy weekend in the NFC South, so let’s take a look at what’s ahead.

First off, there will be no NFC South chat this Friday. I’ll be working, but the people in Bristol that handle the technical part of the chat are off. We’ll have our usual Final Word segment later this afternoon and will check in on the important injuries when the final injury reports come out late Friday afternoon.

We’ll help make up for the missed chat Monday night. NFC East colleague Dan Graziano and I will be chatting throughout the game between the Saints and Giants and I believe Matt Williamson, KC Joyner and ESPN Stats & Information will be joining us. To get into that chat, just go to the NFC South Blog on Monday night and you’ll see a post for Countdown Live that you can jump right into.

I’ll also have a column to preview the Monday night game over the weekend. I can’t give it away early, but I’ll hint that it’s about an area in which the Saints have shown dramatic improvement lately.

Having a Monday night game will help me watch the three Sunday games closely. I’ve got a place where I can sit in one game and watch the Buccaneers against the Titans, the Panthers against the Colts and the Falcons against the Vikings all at the same time. I’ll get you wrap-ups on those games soon after they finish.

We’ll also get you the Sunday morning inactives at approximately 11:30 a.m. ET. I’ll also check in during the Sunday games if there is anything of major significance.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 11 (remember, the New Orleans Saints have a bye):

Crunch time: It would be a very long shot for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to go into Lambeau Field and defeat the Packers. But I’m going to be keeping a close eye on this one for reasons other than the final score. I want to see if the Bucs show effort in this one. In last week’s loss to Houston, a lack of effort was a serious problem. There’s been a lot of emphasis around One Buccaneer Place this week on getting a better effort. I’m real curious to see if that happens. If it doesn’t, coach Raheem Morris officially could move onto the hot seat. When a team isn’t giving much effort in the second half of a season, ownership -- and the rest of the world -- will look at that as a reflection on the coach.

Running away:The Bucs have started slowly on offense pretty much all season and have had a tendency to fall behind early. That’s become an even bigger problem in the current three-game losing streak. The Bucs have been quick to abandon the run after falling behind. In the past three games, they’ve averaged just seven running plays in the second half. When that happens, quarterback Josh Freeman is placed in a tough spot. Freeman, who only threw six interceptions last season, already has thrown 13 this season. That leads the NFC and is second in the NFL. The last Tampa Bay quarterback to have 13 interceptions through the first nine games of a season was Trent Dilfer back in 1996.

Road woes: The Carolina Panthers have lost their past 11 road games. That ties them for the second-longest road losing streak in the league since 2006 and it’s the longest active streak in the NFL. The only longer streak was by the Lions, who lost 26 straight road games from 2007 to 2010.

Home woes:The Falcons were dominant in the Georgia Dome in the first three years of coach Mike Smith’s tenure. But they’re 2-2 at home this season. A loss to Tennessee on Sunday would give the Falcons more home losses than they’ve had in any season since Smith took over. But it’s not like the Georgia Dome has suddenly become a friendly place for visiting teams. It was about as loud as I’ve ever heard it last Sunday. People who say the Falcons are struggling at home need to remember their two losses have been to the Packers and Saints.

Stay in your lane: The Atlanta linebackers are going to be a key in Sunday’s matchup. They need to keep Chris Johnson from turning the corner. After a very slow start, Johnson has come on the past two games. Through Week 8, he was averaging just 2.5 yards per carry when running outside the tackles. In the past two games, he’s averaged 5.7 yards when running to the outside.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 10:

Saints like the Georgia Dome: Much has been made of how well the Falcons have played in the Georgia Dome since the arrival of coach Mike Smith in 2008. That’s understandable, because the Falcons are 22-5 at home. But the Saints have shown they can win in Atlanta. They’ve won in the Georgia Dome each of the past two seasons. The last time the Saints won three straight on the road against Atlanta was from 1991 to 1994, when the Saints won four straight.

Turnovers matter: Then again, the road hasn’t been kind to the Saints this season. All three of their losses have come on the road, and they’re 4-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints have won by an average of 22.5 points in their home games. Their point differential on the road is -1.6. Their biggest road problem has been turnovers. They’re +1 in turnover margin at home, but -7 on the road.

Defense on the rise: There have been recent signs that Atlanta’s defense is starting to reach its potential. In the past two games, the Falcons have allowed opponents to convert third downs into first downs just 19.2 percent of the time. That’s the best percentage in the league since Week 7. In the first six weeks of the season, the Falcons were ranked last in the league in that category at 49.4 percent.

Red-zone woes: Tampa Bay’s biggest offensive problems have been in the red zone. The Bucs have the league’s worst red-zone touchdown percentage (37.2). They also are tied for No. 20 in goal-to-go touchdown percentage.

Strength vs. strength: Carolina’s Cam Newton has completed a league-high 24 passes of 21 or more yards downfield. But it might not be so easy to get the ball downfield against Tennessee. The Titans have allowed a league-low five completions of 21 yards or more.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 9 (remember, the Carolina Panthers are on bye):

Classic trap game: The Atlanta Falcons are coming off their bye and they’ve got what seems like a very winnable game against the Indianapolis Colts. Assuming they win, the Falcons will play a very big game the following week, when they host the Saints. So it’s not all that difficult to imagine the Falcons looking beyond the Colts. They should be on a three-game winning streak by the time they play the Saints. But you can’t assume anything in this league. If I’m coach Mike Smith, I’m reminding the Falcons (repeatedly) about what happened to the Saints last week when they went up against the winless St. Louis Rams.

Stay in the pocket: When the Buccaneers defeated the Saints in Week 6 in Tampa, quarterback Josh Freeman had his best game of the season. That happened largely because Freeman got great protection. He was not sacked and was under duress only four times, according to ESPN Stats & Information. That allowed Freeman to stay in the pocket and he was particularly effective, averaging 7.6 yards per attempt and throwing for two touchdowns and no interceptions. While staying in the pocket in all his other games, Freeman has averaged 6.3 yards per attempt with five touchdowns, nine interceptions and seven sacks.

Every-down back? With Earnest Graham lost for the season, Tampa Bay running back LeGarrette Blount has said he’s ready to stay on the field for passing downs. That may happen some, but I’m not buying into the theory that the Bucs suddenly have decided they can trust Blount in pass protection on a regular basis. I’m thinking we’ll see a fair amount of Kregg Lumpkin as a third-down back and I wouldn't be surprised if the Bucs use a six-man offensive line at times with offensive tackle Demar Dotson checking in as an eligible receiver.

At home on the road: Since the arrival of Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan in 2008, much has been made about how successful the Falcons have been in the Georgia Dome. Well, going to Indianapolis shouldn’t provide too much of a scare. The Falcons also have been pretty good on the road recently. They’re 6-2 in their past eight road games. Since the start of the 2010 season, they’re 8-4 on the road. Only two teams in the NFL have better road records during that stretch.

Sticking with 'The Burner': Although rookie receiver Julio Jones is expected to return after missing the past two games with a hamstring injury, the Falcons would be wise to remember what they did offensively in winning those two games. They used Michael Turner and the running game as the focal point of the offense. Turner averaged 130.5 yards in those two games and he also can open lots of doors in the passing game. Since Turner’s 2008 arrival in Atlanta, the Falcons are 25-1 in games in which he has more than 21 rushing attempts.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 8 (remember, the Buccaneers and Falcons are on bye):

The Chris Weinke Bowl. Carolina’s Cam Newton and Minnesota’s Christian Ponder will meet in a matchup of rookie quarterbacks, but they have more in common than that. During the lockout, Newton and Ponder worked under the tutelage of Weinke at IMG Academy in Florida. Weinke, who played for Carolina and grew up in Minnesota, obviously was doing something right. Newton’s off to a great start, and Ponder has shown some positives since taking over the starting job. By the way, Newton will become the first rookie quarterback since 1967 to face two other first-round quarterbacks from the same draft class. He already faced Jacksonville’s Blaine Gabbert.

History in the making. Speaking of Weinke, Newton already has passed him and Tim Tebow on the list for most rushing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback since the AFL-NFL merger. Weinke and Tebow each ran for six touchdowns as rookies. Newton already has seven and is tied for No. 1 with Vince Young. I’m thinking Young’s moving to No. 2 very soon.

Going wide. As we noted Thursday, the New Orleans Saints are making great use of running back Darren Sproles. They’re lining Sproles up as a wide receiver quite frequently. When lined up as a receiver, Sproles has been targeted on 33 pass attempts. Matt Forte and C.J. Spiller are tied for second on the list of running backs lining up at receiver. Forte and Spiller each have been targeted nine times in those situations. When lined up at receiver, Sproles has 24 catches for 182 yards.

Chasing Brett Favre. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is closing in on another significant milestone. Brees has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 34 consecutive games. That puts him at No. 3 in history. But Brees is getting close to Favre, who is No. 2 at 36 games. The record is 47, set by Johnny Unitas over the course of five seasons.

Running at the Rams. The Saints are thought of as a pass-first offense. But don’t be surprised if they change things up a bit this week. The Rams have one of the worst run defenses in recent history. St. Louis allowed 293 rushing yards to Dallas in Week 7. The Rams already have allowed 1,103 rushing yards this season. Since 2000, only two defenses have allowed more rushing yards in their first six games.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South


Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 7:

Magic number: It might be harder to accomplish than it sounds, but there’s a very simple formula for success for the Atlanta Falcons. In the three games they’ve won, the Falcons have scored at least 30 points. In the three games they’ve come up short of 30 points, they’re 0-3. One wise move for the Falcons might be to establish the ground game. Detroit has allowed 100 rushing yards in each of its last five games. Atlanta is 22-3 when Michael Turner rushes for at least 100 yards.

Lucky charm? The Carolina Panthers might be catching a huge break with Washington’s decision to bench quarterback Rex Grossman and replace him with John Beck. Grossman was having his problems, but there’s no real evidence to indicate that Beck will be the solution. Beck’s career record as a starter is 0-4. He hasn’t started a game since Week 14 of the 2007 season.

Pressure’s not the problem: Added pass-rushers haven’t really been a problem for Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan. His numbers against the blitz have been better than when facing a standard defense. When facing four or fewer pass-rushers, Ryan has thrown five interceptions and been sacked 13 times, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The bad news is that the Lions blitz less than any team in the league. They’ve sent four or fewer pass-rushers on 83.3 percent of opponent dropbacks.

History in London? The last two meetings between the Buccaneers and Bears have gone to overtime. If that were to happen again Sunday, it would mark only the third time since overtime was instituted in 1974 that two teams have had three straight meetings go to overtime.

Going for five: New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees will be attempting to collect his fifth straight game with at least 350 passing yards. He would be breaking his own NFL record, which was set last week when his streak reached four games.