The Jets added a championship touch this week by having Yankees manager Joe Girardi work with quarterback Mark Sanchez on his sliding technique.
Give coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer credit for attending to details. And for finding ways to protect the rookie, who has a sore left knee and wears a brace, hampering his slides.
“When we bring Joe Girardi in, this is all about business,\’\’ Ryan said. “Mark understands that. We kid about the \’Sanchise\’ name, but he\’s the face of our franchise. We\’ve got to keep him healthy.\’\’
The Bills, who are 3-point underdogs in the game at Rogers Centre in Toronto, lost their starting quarterback, Trent Edwards, to a concussion the last time these teams met. He\’s healthy now, but has lost his job to Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Back in October, when Edwards got hurt, in came Fitzpatrick to lead a comeback to a 16-13 overtime win. Against Miami last Sunday, he showed some versatility, scoring on a 31-yard run and throwing a 51-yard TD pass to Terrell Owens.
He also knows how to slide.
BILLS, 20-13
t Cleveland
Chargers thinking about a playoff bye with six straight wins in the bank.
BEST BET: CHARGERS, 27-7
San Francisco (plus 1) at Seattle
Niners are the better team in most areas.
UPSET SPECIAL: 49ERS, 17-13
Tennessee (plus 7 1/2) at Indianapolis
Colts can tie consecutive regular-season wins record. Titans will hang tough.
COLTS, 20-17
New Orleans (minus 9 1/2) at Washington
Someone will slow down the Saints at some point. Not at this point.
SAINTS, 28-13
Dallas (pick) at N.Y. Giants
Giants beat Cowboys in Week 2. Both teams were vastly different then.
COWBOYS, 21-17
New England (minus 4 1/2) at Miami
Dolphins get Patriots coming off a bruising and with chance to virtually clinch division.
PATRIOTS, 27-23
Baltimore (plus 2 1/2) at Green Bay
Packers CB Charles Woodson having his best season, could be difference-maker here.
PACKERS, 21-20
Denver (minus 4) at Kansas City
Did Thanksgiving feasting on Giants straighten out Broncos?
BRONCOS, 28-17
Oakland (no line) at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh\’s season suddenly is on the line.
STEELERS, 23-10
Houston (pick) at Jacksonville
Texans\’ season is on the line. So is Jaguars\’ year.
TEXANS, 21-20
Minnesota (no line) at Arizona
Let\’s hope Kurt Warner plays so we can watch two aging maestros at QB.
VIKINGS, 24-20
Philadelphia (minus 3) at Atlanta
Eagles are inconsistent and banged-up. Falcons are inconsistent and even more banged-up.
EAGLES, 17-16
Detroit (plus 13) at Cincinnati
With visits to Minnesota and San Diego upcoming, Bengals can\’t afford to slip here.
BENGALS, 26-10
Tampa Bay (plus 6) at Carolina
Too bad Chase to the championship is done. Folks in NASCAR country stuck watching this.
PANTHERS, 14-10
St. Louis (plus 9) at Chicago
Time to think about 2010 in both cities.
BEARS, 17-10
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RECORD:
Versus spread, 4-10 (79-86-2 season); Straight up, 8-8 (117-49 season)
Best Bet: 6-6
Upset Special: 8-4