Compiled from notes submitted by NFL beat writers

Michael Strahan for the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Giants coach Jim Fassel thinks so. Fassel said Strahan rescued the Giants' season at Minnesota last Sunday with a tackle and two sacks on three consecutive downs.

His 103.5 sacks rank 17th since the statistic became official in 1982, and Strahan holds the single-season record with 22.5. He seems to be headed for a sixth Pro Bowl for the 3-4 Giants.

Strahan said he doesn't think about Canton: "I have a lot of years of playing still in me, and when I look at the guys who are in it, they've done a lot more than me. I am focused on hopefully winning a championship, hopefully this year."

GENERATION GAP: Sons of former NFL quarterbacks Archie Manning and Bob Griese will face each other today in Miami. The Colts' Peyton Manning will battle the Dolphins' Brian Griese.

PANTHER PRIDE: If the NFL season were to end today, Carolina would be the top seed in the NFC. The Panthers are 4-0 in the NFC South after finishing 1-5 in the new division last year and 0-6 in the NFC West the previous season.

ROAD WOES: The Lions are threatening the all-time mark of 23 losses in a row on the road; they're at 20. The Houston Oilers set the record of 23 from 1981-84, and Buffalo is next with 22 in a row from 1983-86.

SILVER LINING: Bears wide receiver Marty Booker has more receptions in the 2001 and '02 seasons (197) than any other player in the NFC.

Booker made the Pro Bowl last season, but he has only 16 receptions this year and didn't get many opportunities early when the Bears were relying more on Kordell Stewart's legs than Chris Chandler's arm.

DEUCE COUP: Including his 101-yard effort last week vs. Carolina, Saints tailback Deuce McAllister has rushed for 100 yards in the last five games, tying Ricky Williams for the team record.

McAllister has reached the rushing milestone 13 times in his career, the second-highest total in club history behind the 16 posted by George Rogers (1981-84).

RUNNIN' EAGLES: Coach Andy Reid likes to pass the football, but with his Pro Bowl quarterback, Donovan McNabb, mired in a season-long slump and his injury-ravaged defense desperately needing to stay off the field, Reid and the Eagles are embracing the run. Reid ran the ball 32 times for a season-high 194 yards last week in the Eagles' 24-17 win against the Jets - the fifth consecutive game the Eagles have had as many or more rushing attempts than pass attempts.

TIME FOR WILLIS? The Bills will move Willis McGahee, who is just 10 months removed from major knee surgery, to the active roster Wednesday. Will they make him active for the game at Dallas on Nov. 9? McGahee said he's ready. He essentially will have had four weeks of practice before the Dallas game, and he seems to be running well in practice.

AFC NORTH: Baltimore coach Brian Billick says the Ravens would have drafted quarterback Byron Leftwich had the call gone through to Minnesota on draft day.

"We legitimately couldn't get the phone call through," Billick said.

The Ravens ended up taking Kyle Boller later in the first round, and Boller and Leftwich will meet today.

"The comparison is going to be drawn for a number of years, and it's going to be fun to watch these two young guys develop into elite QBs," Billick said.

NFL teams are 23-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 10 points this season. The Browns own both losses; they lost 9-6 to Indianapolis in Game 1 and 9-3 to New England in Game 8. They have scored 14 or fewer points in six of eight games and are 3-5 at their bye week. It's the worst record after eight games in Butch Davis' three years.

The Steelers are last in the AFC North at 2-5. Most of these Steelers aren't used to losing on a professional level. Only 14 remain from the 1999 team that went 6-10, their last losing season.

"After going to a championship game two years ago, and the playoff games last year, this isn't fun," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "Winning solves everything. Winning is the cure. Guys are happy, everybody's happy. But when you're losing ballgames, everyone's frustrated."

Quote of the week

"When you talk about offense in the NFL, nobody has done more than he has on a consistent basis year after year. It doesn't matter who the back is. ... It doesn't matter who the quarterback is. They move the ball and they score points."

--Patriots coach Bill Belichick on Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, his Monday night opponent

Who's hot

St. Louis fifth-year wide receiver Torry Holt has 402 receiving yards in the Rams' past three games. Holt, who leads the NFL with 52 receptions, scored five touchdowns in those three games and has eight this season. The Rams hope Holt stays hot today against the 49ers in San Francisco.

Who's not

It's been a rough start for the pro career of Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich. In four starts, the rookie has thrown nine interceptions and fumbled three times as his team has gone 1-3 in those games. It doesn't get any easier today for the former Marshall standout as the Jaguars visit the Baltimore Ravens.

On the air

1 p.m. - New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ch. 19, 45.

4 p.m. - Cincinnati Bengals at Arizona Cardinals - Ch. 12, 7.

4 p.m. - Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys - Ch. 19, 45.

8:30 p.m. - Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings - ESPN.

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