5 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. Keyshawn Johnson to become more of a factor, as long as Glenn Foley remains the Jets’ quarterback. Johnson has led the Jets in receptions with 18 over the last four games--with Foley playing quarterback much of that time. Despite appearances that he’s off to a slow start, Johnson has 102 catches in the first 24 games of his career. By comparison, Jerry Rice had 90, Michael Irvin 62, Herman Moore 55, Tim Brown 49, and Cris Carter 41.

2. Twenty-to-one odds that Mike Ditka isn’t seen handing money over to one of his coaches. Last week Ditka pulled out a $50 bill and handed it to defensive coordinator Zaven Yaralian, paying off a $20 bet that the Saints could stop Tim Brown across the middle. The TV cameras picked it up, the NFL is investigating and Ditka will probably lose more money now after being fined.

3. The Vikings remaining focused. Minnesota has a showdown game against Green Bay in three weeks, but quarterback Brad Johnson thinks the next two games against the Lions and Jets are pivotal. “These next two games can set us up for something big in December,” Johnson said. “If we don’t win these next two games, we are out of the hunt, as far as winning the division. We have to beat Green Bay if we want to win the division. We gotta beat San Francisco if we want home-field advantage.” The Vikings play the 49ers a week after taking on the Packers.

4. New England tight end Ben Coates to struggle against the Buccaneers. Opposing tight ends are averaging three catches for 28.4 yards against the Tampa Bay defense.

5. A Packer victory. We’re not exactly going out on a limb with Green Bay playing winless Indianapolis, but check out Coach Mike Holmgren’s record against the AFC: 16-6. Before Holmgren’s arrival, the Packers were 22-49-3 against the AFC.