Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will miss Sunday’s game against the Chiefs, according to a league source, and a return by the crucial Week 12 meeting with the Ravens is remote at this point.

Polamalu suffered his second knee injury of the season in a loss to the Bengals last weekend.

The Steelers are hopeful the injury will not keep Polamalu out of more than three games total, and the team will be cautious about how quickly he returns.

Colts WR Anthony Gonzalez will not play in Sunday’s game against the Ravens as he recovers from a knee injury, according to a league source.

Gonzalez is expected to practice next week and possibly return to game action in Week 12, depending on how he progresses on the practice field. Gonzalez hasn’t played since suffering the injury during the season opener.

How about the Dolphins? Two inexcusable penalties from the offensive line in a row, and they come back and run for a key first down on third-and-16? Okay.

Then on third-and-nine, with it looking like field goal city, they completed a touchdown pass. Carolina’s third-down defense let the team down on that drive, and they aren’t forcing Chad Henne to move his feet enough. Not enough pressure.

The Dolphins defense, on the other hand, is getting off on passing downs. They are getting to Jake Delhomme. Joey Porter, after being deactivated a week ago as a coach’s decision, is eating up tackle Travelle Wharton (filling in for All-Pro tackle Jordan Gross, who is out for the season) in the passing game. Not exactly sure what his sack dance was — keeping the uniform clean, eating a bowl of something (cereal?) and then kicking someone (possibly in the backside?) — but perhaps it has something to do with how he’s handling his business on third down right now.

Anyway, Delhomme is getting smothered on third down, while the Dolphins, post-touchdown, are benefiting from great field position and finishing drives. They go Wildcat with Ricky Williams for the second time on second-and-goal from the 1, and Williams is able to turn the corner on the keeper and get to the pylon (Williams has scored a rushing and receiving TD in the same game for the first time in his career).

Huge, huge touchdown. Three points there would have been a win for the Panthers. And now, up 11, it puts more pressure on the Panthers to have to abandon the run — their best weapon — sooner. The scoreboard and clock are not on their side on a night when Delhomme isn’t throwing interceptions, but he’s been all over the place with the football, completing just seven of 16 passes in the first half for just 64 yards. Ouch.

Not much stretching of the field going on here. The Dolphins lack that element and thus far Jake Delhomme has overthrown Steve Smith on a few deep shots.

The Panthers have been the better ball control team and the Dolphins have suffered from poor field position as well. Those factors are huge in a backyard brawl like this, with both teams wanting to be physical on offense and defense.

The more time Miami’s defense spends on the field against Carolina’s two-headed monster rushing attack, the more I like the Panthers to grind this thing out in the second half. They are flat out attacking Joey Porter with the run, whether he’s on the right side or the left. They went after him twice in a row for big gains a drive ago.

So, we’re lacking offensive fireworks for the second straight week. Much more to football than that, of course. And hey, at least we haven’t had any interceptions yet after the pick-a-polooza last week in San Francisco.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — That is Carolina Panther power football. Opening drive is what they do best. Lot of power runs and a few intermediate passes.

Talking to scouts about this game, they all expected the Panthers to run right at the Dolphins’ older outside linebackers — Joey Porter and Jason Taylor — as much as possible. Those guys aren’t great against the run and can wear down. Carolina dropped back three straight times inside the red zone, which is not its style, and ended up stalling and settling for three points.

I have a gut feeling WR Steve Smith has a big game. He has been getting back in sync with QB Jake Delhomme and is starting to stretch the field again. That pre-game fender bender won’t derail him and he’ll be telling Delhomme in the huddle that he can beat either of Miami’s rookie corners, no doubt.

Look for Ricky Williams to feature in Miami’s Wildcat in place of Ronnie Brown. I have a feeling maybe Ted Ginn gets involved in that misdirection role Williams used to run in the Wildcat, when Brown was in the shotgun.

Defensive end Julius Peppers is expected to play only on passing downs because of his broken hand, but he’s played with it before (in 2007) and each week he gets a little more mobility as the cast is cut down. The Panthers expect him to be able to play without the cast in roughly two more weeks.

Panthers WR Steve Smith was involved in a minor car accident on his way to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., for Thursday night’s game against the Dolphins.

Smith is fine, has arrived at the stadium and will play.

Bengals RB Cedric Benson likely will not play Sunday against the Raiders after missing practice again with a hip injury, according to a league source.

Benson’s teammates would be surprised if he is able to go.

Recently signed RB Larry Johnson has received an ample workload in practice, according to the source, and could end up playing a significant role in this weekend’s game.

The 49ers’ attempts to have a new stadium constructed in Santa Clara received a major boost Wednesday night when a planning commission recommended, 7-0, that the City Council certify the team’s Environmental Impact Report. Should the City Council do that, which could happen as soon as next month, then the final step would be to hold a public vote on the issue, which could come next year, possibly in June.

The 49ers aim to be in the new 68,000-seat stadium for the 2014 season, and the planning commission’s decision left members of the organization very enthused. The stadium project is the primary focus of 49ers president Jed York and vital to the team’s ability to compete on a more-level playing field in terms of revenue streams.

Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown will be placed on injured reserve, ending his season, according to a league source.

The team later confirmed the move in a news release.

Brown injured his right foot during Sunday’s victory over the Buccaneers and is a vital part of the Dolphins’ offense, running the Wildcat and having an excellent season.

Brown will see a specialist Thursday morning to further evaluate the specifics of his foot problem. He may or may not need surgery at this point, pending the results.

Vikings coach Brad Childress and the team are very close on a multi-year contract extension, according to a league source.

The parties have been working on a contract for a while and agreed to the primary tenets of the deal, according to the source. The pact should be finalized and announced soon.

Childress, a driving force behind bringing QB Brett Favre to the Vikings this year, has improved his record every season with the team and reached the playoffs in 2008.

The Vikings are sitting comfortably atop the NFC North this season at 8-1, and the extension with Childress likely will be announced before the playoffs.

New Orleans has signed cornerback Chris McAlister, a former Pro Bowler with Baltimore, with CB Tracy Porter out four to six weeks with an MCL injury, according to a league source.

The Saints expect defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis to return to practice Wednesday, with an outside chance he could play this weekend. However, it’s more likely he’ll return in Week 12.

Safety Darren Sharper is likely to play Sunday, according to a source, while cornerback Jabari Greer is expected to miss one more week due to injury.

Hello everyone. Hope you guys are ready to talk some football with me during my weekly live chat on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET.

I’m bracing for plenty of talk about the CFL playoffs, WAC bowl prospcects, top college recruits … Okay, okay, notsomuch. My life is ruled by NFL football. The playoff chases are heating up; we’ve got more than enough to discuss. So submit your questions now, and then check back in to join me for the chat as we banter about the latest from around the league.

Let me know what’s on your mind and thanks for checking in.

Cheers!

The playoffs are here. Okay, I lied. But take a look at the Week 11 schedule and it’s loaded with de facto playoff games. The margin of error for those on the cusp of the playoff scene (think: Bears, Ravens, Jags, 49ers), is preciously thin, and many of those clubs face something close to must-wins for their season to go as planned. All of the bye weeks are behind us. The playoff push is on:

Chargers at Broncos: Putting this one at the top, because it could straight up decide the AFC West. The Chargers are suddenly looking like the Broncos did at the start of the season — by finding ways to win games. Philip Rivers is playing outstanding football. Denver, meanwhile, suddenly isn’t impenetrable on defense and could be playing without Kyle Orton. Losing him for even a week or two would be a massive loss, with the team riding a three-game skid, including one defeat to lowly Washington. The Broncos are not running the ball well. It could be just like last season, when Denver flopped in the second half and the Chargers came on to win the AFC West.

Colts at Ravens: People in Baltimore haven’t forgotten about the Colts leaving town in Mayflower moving vans under the cloak of snow and darkness. Throw in the Colts beating the Ravens at Baltimore in the playoffs a few years back, and this atmosphere is gonna be nuts. The Colts are still undefeated after that miracle win over the Patriots, and the Ravens need to beat teams like Indy and Pittsburgh to get back into the postseason. This will be fun. Peyton Manning generally has his way with Baltimore’s once-vaunted defense. Watching Ray Lewis try to match wits with him in pre-snap machinations is almost as good as the game itself.

Eagles at Bears: Chicago might already be doomed after that loss to San Fran, and Jay Cutler needs to make a mental recalibration after throwing five more picks. He’s actually been very good at home, but this is another night game (Cutler has thrown 11 picks in three primetime games this season). The Eagles are suddenly vulnerable after leading their division just a few weeks back. Brian Westbrook might be gone for quite some time, and Philly needs to figure out a running game without him (throwing for 450 yards wasn’t enough for a win last week). This game is loaded with possible tiebreaker implications, and both teams should be utterly desperate for a win.

49ers at Packers: The loser of this game is not likely going to the playoffs, while the winner will have put together consecutive wins over NFC foes and be right in the heart of the wild card scene. Green Bay will give up four sacks — it’s who they are — but could win anyways. Alex Smith faces Aaron Rodgers in a draft-class reunion, and if Smith commits the kind of turnovers that have plagued his career, Green Bay should be in good shape. Expect another 25-30 carries from Frank Gore.

Falcons at Giants: Is this starting to feel like a qualifying tournament yet? It’s like the MEAC basketball tourney and only by surviving will a team have a chance to get to the big dance. Not quite the NCAA play-in game, but close. Both of these ailing teams, at one point not too long ago considered favorites to win their divisions, are reeling. Matt Ryan is in a funk, and Eli Manning is spiraling too. Perhaps the bye week allowed his foot to heal some. Atlanta losing Michael Turner for at least a week is a crushing blow, as he was back in top form. The Giants must reestablish Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs as a potent one-two punch.

Jets at Patriots: Seems like a long time ago since the Jets smothered the Pats to remain undefeated atop of the AFC East. New York has fallen apart on both sides of the ball since then, and the Patriots looked like the best team in the league recently before Bill Belichick’s bizarre fourth-down call on Sunday night. How his team responds to that decision — and specifically how it affects the psyche of that young defense — will be huge. I expect the Pats to roar back with a statement game and run up the score any way they can on Rex Ryan’s defense, especially after Ryan’s preseason talk about not kissing Belichick’s rings. Mark Sanchez is likely to have a much rougher go of it this time around against the Pats.

Dolphins at Panthers: Both of these teams were left for dead about five weeks back, but are back in the hunt, giving us a nice backdrop for NFL Network’s Thursday night game. Both teams have gotten very hot in the last six weeks, each by running the ball with alarming effectiveness and employing multiple threats out of the backfield. Problem for the Dolphins is Wildcat general Ronnie Brown is hurting and will miss this game. Joey Porter is set to return. Since Jake Delhomme has stopped giving the ball away, the Panthers have been a very formidable team, and their defense has improved on the fly this season, led by a strong linebacking unit. Both of these teams should have beat the undefeated Saints and have much in common. This will be a ground-heavy game and, once again, the winner will be thrust deeper into the playoff equation.

Titans at Texans: Titans owner Bud Adams is a Houston man with deep Houston roots, facing the eventual expansion team that came to Houston after the Oilers left for Tennessee. Beating Houston means a lot to him (heck, after his two-handed salute to the Bills, you have to wonder what he’d come up with on the sidelines should his club win its fourth straight game in Houston of all places). Tennessee’s rushing attack is dominating and Chris Johnson is Vince Young’s best friend in the passing game, too. Young has made excellent decisions with the football and that’s enough to keep the Titans competitive. The Texans are coming off a bye, and are still trying to find a consistent running game. Houston needs this game badly to prove it can get over the top and earn its first postseason appearance. The Titans will give them plenty to handle, though, perhaps too much.

Redskins at Cowboys: It’s a rivalry game if nothing else. Who would have thought a week ago that the Redskins would be coming in off a win and the Cowboys off a loss? Washington’s first trip to Dallas’ new stadium puts the Redskins in the role of possible spoilers. Washington’s running game looks more powerful with Ladell Betts in place of Clinton Portis. Dallas should be able to exert its will against a threadbare offensive line, and the Cowboys’ pass rush has been humming. But if the ‘Skins find a way to stick around into the third quarter, and the Cowboys get a little tight, and Tony Romo starts to try to do too much …

Bengals at Raiders: As long as the Bengals learn to manage their success and not take this game too lightly, it should be an easy win. Oakland’s quarterback situation rivals Cleveland’s for the worst in football. If the Bengals take care of games like this, they are going to win the AFC North. Even having a banged up Cedric Benson shouldn’t be too much of a setback. Heck, I’d rest him here if at all possible. Maybe I’d dress him, but only use him if absolutely necessary.

Saints at Buccaneers: New Orleans hasn’t looked like that complete football team of early on, but the Saints can beat you so many ways. Even if they start slowly, they have shown they can roar back against inferior teams like the Bucs. Josh Freeman has given Tampa Bay fans something to feel good about and they have been much more stout defensively since the bye. The Saints’ defense has owned young quarterbacks this season however, turning Mark Sanchez, Matt Ryan, Matthew Stafford and Chad Henne into mistake machines. It very well could do the same to Freeman, a rookie, here.

Seahawks at Vikings: Brett Favre will likely be listed with various ailments throughout the week on the injury report, then go out and carve somebody else. He’s making guys like Sidney Rice develop at a quicker pace, and the Seahawks are going to have a heck of a time controlling the Vikings’ run game as well. You know Matt Hasselbeck will be game for a chance to go against a legend, and him taking to the air to try to keep pace with the Vikings’ offense could make for compelling theater. Ultimately, this should be a chance for Minnesota to move one step closer to what’s looking like an inevitable NFC North title.

Cardinals at Rams: Steven Jackson gives the Rams their best/only chance to win, but loading up to stop the run is something the Cards do very, very well. Kurt Warner is on a tear and Arizona is now getting Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald involved at the same time. The Cardinals have to use this game much like the Bengals — as a must-have to pull away in the division. Warner returning to St. Louis, where he went to the Super Bowl twice, is always fun and he knows how to use that dome and fast track to his advantage.

Steelers at Chiefs: Hard to project anything other than the Steelers taking care of business here. Jamaal Charles had a nice game rushing the ball for the Chiefs with Larry Johnson out of the picture, but the Steelers will be highly motivated after losing to the Bengals and they could very well swarm Matt Cassel and force him into mistakes. This should be the perfect bounce-back tonic for Pittsburgh.

Bills at Jaguars: Buffalo is pretty much falling apart. Too many injuries and a lot of youth will do that. Nevertheless, the Bills cut ties with coach Dick Jauron on Tuesday. Jacksonville has a way of taking one step forward, then two steps back, and must reverse that trend here. This should be an opportunity for them to pick up essential ground, while other AFC wild card hopefuls face a more stern challenge. Sticking with the run game should be just about enough to get that done. The Bills’ inexperience shines through the longer the game goes on.

Browns at Lions: Wouldn’t a tie somehow seem fitting? This game has bearing on draft-pick order tiebreakers, and nothing else. At least it’s not on Thanksgiving.

The Buffalo Bills are expected to start Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to a league source.

Trent Edwards, the team’s longtime starter, returned to the lineup last week after missing about a month with a concussion, but was yanked in favor of Fitzpatrick during the 41-17 loss to the Titans.

On the injury front, the Bills expect to be without starting LT Demetrius Bell for at least two weeks, according to a league source. Bell will have his knee scoped and if all goes well, he could return next month. Bell, in his second season, has started all eight games and is one of a bevy of Bills to suffer an injury this season.

The 10th Sunday of NFL play shed some light on how the teams stack up. Here’s how I see it …

1. Saints — Keep finding ways to win. Not quite as pretty as it was early on.

2. Colts — You gotta be kidding me. They pulled that off? Amazing. What a game.

3. Vikings — No longer can I be accused of not putting this team high enough.

4. Patriots — I haven’t seen that kind of decision-making and suspect late-game management out of Bill Belichick in a long, long time. That one’s gonna sting for a while.

5. Bengals — No Antwan Odom, no Keith Rivers and no problem on D for the Bengals. Gotta love what these guys are doing. Sweeping the Steelers and Ravens? Child, please.

6. Steelers — They’ll be there in the end.

7. Chargers — They even got the run game rolling Sunday. All of a sudden, the AFC West is setting up for them.

8. Cardinals — They have a good chance to run away with the division. As long as they keep Kurt Warner healthy, they can be a factor.

9. Cowboys — I have a hard time putting them here. We all know they have more clunkers in them. Anyone else get the feeling the list of truly elite teams is dwindling more by the week?

10. Texans — Might still make a true believer out of me yet.

11. Ravens — Two looming games with Pittsburgh are vital.

12. Eagles — Spiraling and sputtering, and losing Brian Westbrook again won’t help the run game any.

13. Broncos — If Kyle Orton misses any amount of time, the drop could be very steep and sudden. Losing their mojo.

14. Giants — Let’s see how they come out of the bye.

15. Packers — Won one desperation game, but have a lot more to come.

16. Jaguars — Found a way to keep themselves in the playoff mix in a very tough AFC.

17. Dolphins — Ronnie Brown’s status in a short week (on the Thursday night NFL Network game) will be key.

18. 49ers — They need Alex Smith to protect the football and Frank Gore to be a workhorse. Gutsy effort last Thursday.

19. Titans — Vince Young just keeps on winning. Owner Bud Adams is now capable of dancing on the sidelines (saw it with my own eyes in the preseason), and, well, celebrating in other ways.

20. Panthers — They are averaging 200 rushing yards per game since October. With Jake Delhomme protecting the football now, they’re a tough out.

21. Falcons — Matt Ryan’s slump is very real, and even with the running game rolling, very damning.

22. Bears — If Jay Cutler played all his road games in primetime, he might throw 40 picks a season.

23. Jets — September seems like an awful long time ago, eh?

24. Seahawks — They end up in the same spot as a week ago. Not quite sure why, but things get murky down here in these parts.

25. Rams — They gave the Saints quite a scare. Steven Jackson keeps them in games.

26. Chiefs — They own the Raiders, which has to count for something.

27. Redskins — They showed great fight in a comeback win. Several people in that building have preferred Ladell Betts to Clinton Portis for a while now, and we may continue to see why.

28. Bills — Not much to cheer about these days.

29. Buccaneers — Tough, tough loss. Been more competitive since the bye.

30. Lions — They’re an automatic loss on the road.

31. Raiders — JaMarcus Russell is not very good, is he? I mean, no young quarterback would thrive in this circumstance, but still.

32. Browns — Cementing their status weekly with more chaos.