Don’t bet the house (or Dolphins)

Buccaneers over Redskins

* Which is the most surprising aspect of this game? a) The Buccaneers lead the NFC South by two games; b) The Buccaneers lead the NFC in scoring defense and total defense; c) The only NFC quarterbacks with better passing ratings than Jeff Garcia are named Favre and Romo; or d) Someone leads the NFC South by two games?

Browns over Texans

* There was a fascinating documentary about the history of video games on the Discovery Channel the other night. Did you know that the bizarre field goal Cleveland’s Phil Dawson kicked last Sunday against Baltimore was actually a diagramed play based on the ground-breaking video game Pong?

Giants over Vikings

* Does Minnesota Coach Brad Childress ever read his team’s postgame stats? I mean, really read them? If he does, he will find the solution to his season-long dilemma at quarterback. Right there in last week’s Minnesota-Oakland box score, where it says that Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice completed two of two passes for 94 yards, giving him a passer rating of 118.8 -- or 63.3 points higher than Tarvaris Jackson.

Titans over Bengals

* Longing for those old USC days, when his play-calling resulted in something other than a punt, an interception or a field goal, Tennessee offensive coordinator Norm Chow was overjoyed that the Titans signed ex-Trojan Mike Williams. Williams helped win a game for the Titans in late October when he dropped a crucial third-down pass for the Oakland Raiders, who released Williams two days later. Memo to all involved: Dropped passes by Williams won’t help the Titans anymore.

Cardinals over 49ers

* 49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary explained his decision not to accept the head coaching job at Baylor, his alma mater, by saying, “My preference has always been that I wanted to stay in the NFL.” That still doesn’t explain why Singletary decided to stay with the 49ers.

Saints over Panthers

* The Panthers haven’t won a home game, going 0-4. The Saints lost their last home game to the previously winless Rams. This game will be played on the Panthers’ home field. Saints roll in the Lock of the Week.

Chiefs over Raiders

* Can anything be read into Chiefs tailback Priest Holmes’ announcing his retirement days before the Raiders come to town? Yes. Rookie Chiefs tailback Kolby Smith will have a big day on Sunday.

Seahawks over Rams

* Of the eight teams in the NFC and AFC West divisions, Seattle, at 6-4, is the only one with a winning record.

Broncos over Bears

* The baseball website MLB.com ranks the 1980 Denver Bears No. 37 on its list of 100 Greatest Minor League Baseball Teams.

Chargers over Ravens

* After failing to defeat Croatia despite the presence of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard on his roster, Steve McClaren was sacked as coach of the England national soccer team. After failing to defeat Jacksonville, Minnesota and Kansas City despite the presence of LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates and Philip Rivers on his roster, Norv Turner remains the coach of the San Diego Chargers.

Jaguars over Bills

* Outtake from the still-being-scripted Buffalo Bills 2007 highlights video: “And in Week 11, Bill Belichick ordered his men to stomp all over the Bills until they squealed for mercy. Due to time restrictions, we now move to the Bills’ Week 12 defeat at Jacksonville. . . .”

Patriots over Eagles

* Previously unseen video footage taken on the Eagles’ sideline during the 2005 Super Bowl shows Coach Andy Reid momentarily looking cross-eyed at Belichick: Final score this Sunday from Foxborough: Patriots 66, Eagles 3.

Steelers over Dolphins

* Dolphins caught looking ahead to their next defeat, a Dec. 2 home game against the New York Jets.

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christine.daniels@latimes.com