NFC News

's unfathomable season in Minnesota could be analyzed like a corporate earnings report.

DETROIT At SEATTLE OPENING LINE - Seahawks by 9 1/2 RECORD VS. SPREAD - Detroit 2-5; Seattle 2-5 SERIES RECORD - Seahawks lead 6-4 LAST MEETING - Seahawks beat Lions 9-6, Sept.

Regulators on Friday shut banks in Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and California, bringing the number of bank failures this year to 120 amid the struggling economy and a cascade of defaults on loans.

If you're a New York City sports fan close your eyes and envision the following: High-priced, smiling athletes standing on floats, cradling a championship trophy as millions of adoring fans shower them in a blizzard of confetti and paper.

It's time for another week of trying to figure out American pro football. Two weeks into our charity underdog pool, we have 11 players with points -- more than half the participants.

By Bob Brookover Even though the Eagles have dominated the NFC East for most of this decade, whenever the subject turned to the division's best tight ends, they had to be counted out of the conversation.

On Wednesdays, wide receiver Roy E. Williams talks. On Thursdays, quarterback Tony Romo talks.

Lions running back Kevin Smith was back at practice Thursday after missing Wednesday's workout because of a shoulder injury he suffered in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to St.

To the point where the NFL's active rushing leader, Edgerrin James, was sent away earlier this week to see if Rankin could provide a missing jolt for Seattle's struggling run game.

By Scott Garbarini, Associate NFL Editor -- - Although the careers of Eli Manning and Philip Rivers will be forever intertwined, the two quarterbacks have never gone head-to-head on the playing field.

Published: Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 12:26 p.m. Last Modified: Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 12:26 p.m. It's proving time for the Bengals.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck #8 of the Seattle Seahawks is sacked by Bobby Carpenter #54 of the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium on November 1, 2009 in Arlington, Texas.

Detroit running back Kevin Smith missed practice after aggravating a shoulder injury in the Lions' loss to St.

The job of turning around the New York Giants belongs to Eli Manning, Antonio Pierce and the other leaders on the defending NFC East champions.

Matt Hasselbeck watched most of Wednesday's practice to rest his broken ribs, though the Seahawks expect the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback to start again Sunday against Detroit.

The Bears still are a month away from playing the Minnesota Vikings for the first time this season, but they have a sense of what the NFC North leaders are all about.

CHICAGO If there are any suggestions on how to slow down Brett Favre and the 7-1 Vikings before they run away with the NFC North, Bears defensive end Alex Brown is open to them.

On Sunday, Missouri became the only state to enforce a sales tax on what many see as a spiritual pursuit - the practice of yoga.

In five days, the Cowboys return to the site of the most gutless performance in franchise history.

The Edgerrin James experiment in Seattle is over. The struggling Seahawks cut ties with James on Tuesday, releasing the backup running back who never provided the pop Seattle hoped to get when it signed the 31-year-old in late August.