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The Panthers are 6-0 in games decided by three or fewer points after going 1-10 in those games the previous two years. Carolina has won three road games with overtime field goals by John Kasay and three home games on last-minute touchdown drives by quarterback Jake Delhomme.

"When you experience wins in close games, it builds your confidence," coach John Fox said. "You feel more comfortable and confident when those situations arise again."

PATRIOT DAY: Bill Belichick's regular-season record is 69-69 in his ninth season as a head coach. His Patriots are 5-0 against teams that currently have winning records. Quarterback Tom Brady plays against the Texans for the first time today. He's 16-7 when playing a team for the first time.

D-DAY: Texas Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez was named AL MVP earlier this week. That gives the Rangers five MVPs and one playoff victory in their history. The Cowboys have five Super Bowl titles and one league MVP - Emmitt Smith in 1993 - in their history.

PURPLE HAZE: The Vikings haven't won since owner Red McCombs addressed the players in the locker room Oct. 26, following the 29-17 loss to the Giants. That's when McCombs told the players they had "humiliated" themselves, the team and their fans.

WWW DOT: It took almost three losing seasons for Jaguars fans to start a Web site dedicated to firing Tom Coughlin. Ten games has been enough to start www.firedelrio.com. The site went up last week with the team at 2-8. Coach Jack Del Rio is in the first year of a five-year, $6.5 million contract, and the question is whether he gets two or three years to rebuild Jacksonville.

GROUNDED: The Jets' 3-7 start can be explained partly by the loss of quarterback Chad Pennington.

In his first 15 starts, he is 305-for-438 (69.6) for 3,537 yards and 31 touchdowns. He has six interceptions and a passer rating of 111.6. Since 1970, that's the second-highest passer rating for a quarterback in his first 15 starts to Kurt Warner's 111.7.

And since becoming the starter last season, Pennington has 22 touchdown passes and no interceptions in the red zone.

DONE IN THE DESERT: Coming off a 44-6 loss at Cleveland, the Cardinals returned home 3-7 and with rumors swirling that coach Dave McGinnis will be fired either at the end of the season or before.

"That's what you sign on for when you take on one of these things," said McGinnis, 16-35 since taking over during the 2000 season.

McGinnis is the team's sixth coach since it moved to Arizona in 1988, and no Cardinals coach has had a winning record since Don Coryell went 42-29-1 from 1973-77.

ETC.: The Bills have gone three straight games without a touchdown for the first time in team history, a span of 190 minutes and 24 seconds. ... In the past five games, the Bills have as many safeties as touchdowns, three. ... The Rams have averaged 32.7 points in their last six victories. ... The Cowboys had been shut out only 10 times before this season but have been blanked twice this year.

AFC NORTH: The Ravens have committed 20 penalties the past two weeks, 14 against the slumbering offense. The offense has not scored a touchdown in six quarters. ... The waiving of wide receiver Kevin Johnson, the team's No. 2 draft pick in 1999, leaves only quarterback Tim Couch and cornerback Daylon McCutcheon from that draft. Couch assuredly will not be back. Now, McCutcheon wonders if his days also are numbered. McCutcheon signed a three-year contract extension for $8 million prior to the 2002 season - but the deal calls for a $1.3 million option bonus in March - usually a death knell in the Butch Davis era. ... The Steelers play at Cleveland today, the only time this season a Monday night visitor must play on the road the following week. Pittsburgh's once stout running game ranks 31st in the NFL in yards per game. Since Bill Cowher became their coach in 1992, the Steelers have rushed for more yards than any other NFL team, 24,976, and averaged 4.2 yards a carry. They led the league three times.

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Written from notes submitted by NFL beat writers.

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