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.

Joey Porter, who was deactivated for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay due to a coach’s decision, expects to return to practice on Monday. Sources say Porter’s deactivation against the Buccaneers was related to the linebacker’s off-field conduct last week.

Porter, who was nursing an injury and not feeling well, was excused early to go home from the team’s facility one day last week and instead was found to have gone elsewhere, according to sources. A source close to Porter would not speak to the specifics of the reason for the discipline, but said the report was essentially correct and called it a “difference of opinion.”

The Dolphins would not confirm or deny anything regarding the nature of Porter’s deactivation, and both sides are putting it behind them. Miami faces a critical game Thursday night on NFL Network, traveling to Carolina, and need all healthy bodies ready to go with a short week of prep time.

As the source close to Porter put it: “It’s back to business as usual on Monday.”

The NFL fined Chargers DB Eric Weddle $7,500 for unnecessary roughness, according to a league source.

Weddle made helmet-to-helmet contact with Giants TE Kevin Boss during the second quarter of San Diego’s 21-20 victory in New York last Sunday.

SAN FRANCISCO — I applaud coach Mike Singletary’s attempt to go for it on fourth-and-1 around midfield, as this game longs for someone to take some initiative. The failure to convert presented the Bears with great field position, and they managed an interception-free scoring drive, albeit just with a field goal.

Chicago’s screen game remains its best (only?) offensive weapon. The Bears’ penalties, which negated an interception, have been damning. They’re lacking focus at critical times. The Bears have adjusted to the run game, however, stacking the box with nine or more defenders to contain Frank Gore.

This one could well come down to the final drive. It’s 7-6, as the third quarter winds down.

It’s been a fractured game, overall, all hilted and lurching, with no tempo, lots of penalties and turnovers and and a choppy pace.

SAN FRANCISCO — Bears QB Jay Cutler is in his third night game for the team, and all have been disasters to this point.

He threw four picks on opening night. Then he threw two at Atlanta on a Sunday night, and now he’s thrown three on a Thursday night game at San Francisco. That’s a whopping nine in three games. He’s thrown three at Cincy and another one at Seattle, so on the road the dude has been horrible: 13 INTs in a little less than five full games, to just seven TD passes.

SAN FRANCISCO — Jay Cutler’s interceptions are the story here, though the second one had more to do with Devin Hester falling down than anything else. Both of Cutler’s picks killed very promising drives. The return by defensive back Tarell Brown, zig-zagging across the field to the opposite sideline, was the biggest play in the game thus far, setting up Frank Gore’s touchdown run.

The 49ers are jumping routes to Hester, and the few things the Bears have going on offense are passes to Greg Olsen over the middle and Matt Forte in the screen game. The lack of discipline and penalties from the Bears — delay of game on a half-ending field goal?!? Yeah, Robbie Gould made the kick from 50 yards, but come on, that can’t happen.

For San Francisco, limited mistakes is the key. Alex Smith is protecting the football (for the most part, by his standards). Gore is off to a nice start (8 rushes for 49 yards), and I expect a heavier dose in the second half. He averages 9.4 yards per carry at home this season. No fireworks between Vernon Davis and Adewale Ogunleye has been pleasantly surprising as well. Good to see none of that stuff spilled into the game.

SAN FRANCISCO — Well, Jay Cutler’s biggest bugaboo came back to haunt him. The huge knock on the talent quarterback – interceptions, particularly in the red zone.

This pick in the end zone was hugely avoidable. First of all, the Bears were in a two back set, releasing blocking tight ends off the line on third-and-goal from the one, but with no outside targets. So all three potential intended receivers were flooding the same area of the end zone, and the 49ers were well prepared.

That side of the end zone was overflowing with defenders, and any one of three 49ers could have stepped in front of the errant attempt into the end zone. Nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin, a breakout player in this league, made the pick look as easy as it was (he’s very athletic for a big man). it was doubly troubling for the Bears because it came on the final play of an 18-play drive in the end zone. That will crush your soul a little bit.

A great chance to seize some control of the game was wasted.

Cutler entered the game ranked 39th in the NFL in red-zone passing, completing just 51 percent of his passes for a poor 69.0 rating. He has thrown four red-zone picks this season; no one else in the league has tossed more than two (Matt Ryan and Marc Bulger are the only passers with two red-zone INTs).

SAN FRANCISCO — About what we expected.

Jay Cutler finally started looking downfield late in the quarter, which is something the Bears want to do. Clearly Chicago likes the matchup problems tight end Greg Olsen creates, and they’ll take that whenever it’s there. Patrick Willis has been involved in seemingly every tackle for the 49ers.

Expect to see more of those screens to Devin Hester and a trick play or two to him as well. The Bears anticipate seeing Alex Smith operate more outside the tackles and moving the pocket around. Frank Gore could end up being the workhorse.

SAN FRANCISCO — The jawing between Adewale Ogunleye and Vernon Davis before the game was no joke. I was right on the sidelines and at one point I thought they were gonna throw down. Cooler heads prevailed. Had any physical altercation taken place, they would have been ejected. Ray Anderson, the NFL’s discipline czar, is in the house at Candlestick Park tonight.

Davis and Michael Crabtree are going to be difficult for the Bears’ wilting secondary to handle. The 49ers featured Crabtree early on their first three passing plays, and Davis is a beast in the red zone. The Bears have to decide which guy to double. The 49ers are going to the shotgun a lot as well to try to ease Alex Smith into the game, and Frank Gore is a real weapon in the draw game out of that formation as well.

The Bears want to get vertical early and also know they need more creativity in the offense, specifically more reverses and misdirection plays to Devin Hester. The 49ers are very poor on third-and-long, however, and ended up taking a sack in that situation in the red zone on their opening drive, not unusual for them. In what could be a tight game, you have to wonder if that missed field goal comes back to haunt them.

By this season’s lofty standards, Week 10 doesn’t look quite as robust as some other weeks, but it does feature what might well be the game of the season: Patriots at Colts. The two greatest quarterbacks of their generation will battle Sunday night with the entire league watching. That sounds like a fun place to start our trip around Week 10:

Patriots at Colts: Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning. Two teams that really don’t like one another. Two of the hottest teams in the NFL. The Colts trying to catch New England’s record for consecutive regular-season wins. Who isn’t going to be watching this one? A Patriots win here would enable them to begin making the statement that they rule the AFC once more.

Eagles at Chargers: Philly came a few third-and-1 conversions away from standing alone atop the NFC East, while San Diego came one last-minute drive away from watching its playoff hopes take a major blow. Both of these teams are trying to be more multi-dimensional on offense and Brian Westbrook’s status will be key. The Chargers’ defense is showing more bite lately, with Shawne Merriman getting back in form.

Bengals at Steelers: Cincy wins this game and its 4-0 against Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and in the driver’s seat of a tough AFC North. Who da thunk it? Cedric Benson and the Bengals’ power running game might have some success as the Steelers have lost some front seven defenders recently. It’s a short week for the Steelers, too. Hard to see Pittsburgh dropping a vital divisional game at home, but should it happen, the 7-2 Bengals would be sitting pretty.

Cowboys at Packers: Suddenly Dallas is on top of the NFC East, and Green Bay is struggling to stay on the outside of the playoff picture. The Packers’ protection problems go beyond its tackles, and inserting Mark Tauscher at right tackle likely isn’t enough. DeMarcus Ware is back to last year’s form and Aaron Rodgers is suffering from all the hits he’s absorbed. The Packers’ talented secondary might be able to pick on Tony Romo should he falter, and this might be Green Bay’s last stand. A loss at home here would be crushing.

Bears at 49ers: Finally, our Thursday night slate of games begins and this one is in desperation city. The loser can forget about realistic playoff hopes and the winner might get a shot at redemption. It is hard to imagine Alex Smith carving up Chicago’s poor secondary too much, but TE Vernon Davis is emerging as a big-time threat. The loss of LT Joe Staley is a lot for the 49ers to overcome. Mike Singletary faces his old team with everything at stake. Good theater.

Ravens at Browns: Baltimore is another team in a must-win position should it fancy a playoff run. The Ravens can’t lose another divisional game (two meetings with Pittsburgh loom), but have found a way of giving away big games to an inferior Browns team on occasion in the past. Clevelanders still hate the Ravens for leaving for Baltimore, and the chance to undermine their playoff hopes should have the fans motivated. This very well could be Brady Quinn’s return as the starting quarterback as well.

Seahawks at Cardinals: Arizona has become fearsome on the road, but enigmatic at home. This is the type of game they have a habit of blowing, but if the Cards take care of business within the division, they’re going to repeat as NFC West champs. I figure to see Anquan Boldin back. This should be another opportunity for Arizona to keep trying to get that running game going as well. Seattle can play spoiler, and a win would at least start building some positive momentum.

Falcons at Panthers: Carolina is back to running the ball down teams’ throats, but the turnovers from the first six weeks will haunt the Panthers all season. Still, they had the Saints on the ropes and know the Falcons well. The Falcons are starting to ride Michael Turner again, which makes life much easier for Matt Ryan and will help curb his interception woes. This could be a low-scoring game.

Jaguars at Jets: Another must-win game for teams that hope to be a part of the playoff picture until the end. New York’s bye came at the right time to stop a freefall, and Mark Sanchez will try to emerge from a funk. Another matchup where both teams will look to run the ball all day. No Kris Jenkins is a big blow for the Jets, and linebackers like Bart Scott are going to have to wrap up Maurice Jones-Drew.

Buccaneers at Dolphins: Josh Freeman finally gave the Bucs something to feel good about last week, and maybe he’ll have top WR Antonio Bryant back for this one. Miami’s run of tough defeats to elite teams continued last week, and the Wildcat has been slowed recently. The push to get more passing involved in that aspect is essential, and rookie QB Pat White might end up being more of a force in this game as well.

Saints at Rams: The biggest potential for a complete blowout this week. New Orleans can seemingly overcome any deficit, but the run defense has slipped in recent weeks, and Steven Jackson is the Rams’ best chance at success. I expect to see the Saints in a lot of 9-10 man fronts, given St. Louis’ aerial woes. Even coming off a bye, it is difficult to imagine the Rams being able to pull this one off.

Lions at Vikings: The other game that screams blowout. Detroit has been horrific on the road for a long, long time, and the Vikings come in off a bye, with all of Brett Favre’s various ailments allowed to heal up. Matthew Stafford has been an interception machine since returning from his injury and if Minnesota gets up early and Jared Allen goes off, Stafford stands to suffer again. Minnesota is running away with the division.

Broncos at Redskins: Washington might be stuck on two wins for quite some time, and the empty-seats ratio will likely soar as the temperature drops. Kyle Orton returns to the place of his first-ever start. Washington’s pass protection issues are epic and the Broncos could win this game without scoring an offensive point. Once Elvis (Dumervil) enters this building, you’re going to have a heck of a time getting him to leave against the worst set of tackles in the NFL.

Bills at Titans: Vince Young stands a good chance of going to 3-0 this season and continuing his sparkling winning percentage. This is going to be basic football from both sides, and yet another game where running the ball will carry the day. Trent Edwards is scheduled to return from his concussion. Maybe Buffalo found a way to get T.O. more involved during its bye week, but the Titans’ secondary is finally jumping routes and picking off passes again.

Chiefs at Raiders: There is a lot of wonderful history between these once-great teams, which is something to celebrate as the league commemorates the AFL in 2009. Beyond that, well, both of these clubs are one day closer to the NFL draft. I’ll leave it at that.

It’s been widely assumed inside the Browns organization that Brady Quinn would take over for Derek Anderson as the starting quarterback following the bye week, but coach Eric Mangini has not informed players or many other staff members of his final decision, which will be announced Wednesday.

Given Anderson’s inept play, the team’s slide and Quinn’s limited window to perform thus far since being a first-round pick, players and members of the organization said they would be very surprised if Quinn did not take over. The Browns, by playing Anderson most of the first half of the season, also avoided a cluase in Quinn’s contract which would cause his salary to soar should he take 70 percent of the snaps.

Players said there was no indication given to them by the coaches about who would be under center, and that the bye week’s practice reps didn’t indicate anything about either player starting as well. However, they were anticipating a move to Quinn.

The Browns return for a full practice Wednesday to prepare for their Monday night game against Baltimore.

The NFL made it clear back in August that it was investigating allegations that Raiders coach Tom Cable threatened and struck defensive assistant coach Randy Hanson at a training camp meeting, during which Hanson suffered a broken jaw. Here’s a look at how the alleged conduct could be a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy, which applies to “all persons associated with the NFL,” and obviously includes coaches and players.

The policy makes it clear how high the standard of conduct is, applying to “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League.” Simply not being found not guilty of a crime — the Napa D.A. filed no charges against Cable after its investigation — is “not enough,” according to the policy.

The policy explicitly notes that league discipline may be imposed in circumstances such as “the use or threat of violence,” and “violent or threatening behavior among employees,” and conduct that “imposes inherent danger to the safety and well being” of another person. All of these apply to Hanson’s claims against Cable and form the grounds for both the Napa Valley police investigation and the NFL’s internal review.

The policy also specifically applies to domestic violence and partner abuse, charges that two women have made against Cable through the media (Cable has admitted to striking an ex-wife once 20 years ago). Both the Raiders and the NFL have said that they are investigating those matters as well.

And thus, in a case such as this, the policy states that “persons charged or otherwise appearing to have engaged in conduct prohibited under the policy will be required to undergo a formal clinical evaluation.” Based on the results of those tests, the person could be “encouraged or required” to undergo counseling or treatment. It also states that the evaluation and counseling are not considered discipline. However, “failure to comply with this portion of the Policy shall itself constitute a separate and independent basis for discipline.”

Discipline for violating this policy often results in fines or suspensions, and the commissioner has the right to decide any penalties, factoring in “the actual or threatened risk,” as well as any past history of misconduct. The affected person will have the right to appeal. The DA’s lengthy examination and subsequent rebuttal of some of Hanson’s claims damaged his case, according to league sources, and reduced the likelihood of Cable facing any substantial penalties for those allegations, all of which came before the domestic abuse allegations came to light.

As stated in the policy, a clinical evaluation is a standard procedure in the league’s investigation in Cable’s case, which will help inform any decisions the league will make.

Levi Jones is set to start at left tackle for the Redskins when they face the Broncos on Sunday, according to a league source.

Jones, a former stalwart for the Bengals, was signed three weeks ago. He’s appeared in two games for the Redskins, but has yet to start.

Washington’s offensive line is arguably the worst in the NFL, and former Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels was put on IR earlier this season with a career-threatening neck injury.

Stephon Heyer has struggled on the left side and has also recently been banged up.