NFL Update 3: Let's Hear It For Relocated Ligaments!

The one thing I don't understand about the NFL's weekly schedule: Why have 42 games at 1 o'clock and then just three games at 4 o'clock? Are the late games there purely for adding more hours of football to the day? The matchups are typically better (though probably not this week), which would entice those that have already spent three hours on the couch to stick around for more. But why just three? Why not five or one or zero? But anyway, for those of you planning to spend some more quality time on the couch, here are your 4 pm games. Carolina (6-2) at Oakland (2-6), 4 pm. The Raiders have lost 5 of their last six, and there's no reason to expect that trend to reverse itself today. Carolina is a balanced team firing on all cylinders right now. Conversely, Oakland's program has an interim coach and almost no direction of which to speak. The Panthers' Jake Delhomme has returned to Pro Bowl form, and his team seems poised to ride those freshly sewn ligaments through the NFC playoffs. Kansas City (1-7) at San Diego (3-5) Passing this off as a divisional matchup is technically true, and at least the Chargers still have most of their skill position players healthy. The weather is expected to be 63 degrees and cloudy, so by California standards, even the weather is terrible. Tyler Thigpen is your quarterback for KC today, as his mobility should help the Chiefs lose by less than 20 points. Indianapolis (4-4) at Pittsburgh (6-2) Easily the best matchup on the slate. Some people have been arguing that Peyton Manning's knee has been getting as the season. How? How does any part of an athlete's body get healthier after getting the shit beaten out of it for three months? Speaking of which, Roethlisberger is expected to start. He practiced Friday without any notable issue, bad news for anyone that was waiting to see Byron Leftwich's unity glove.