With six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, his Chargers down by three, Phillip Rivers released what must have looked to him like an easy completion to his go-to-receiver on a pivotal 3rd-and-6.

Brad Childress basically confirmed that Tarvaris Jackson is the top option for the Vikings in the event (however unlikely it appears) that Brett Favre doesn’t return.

While Browns coach Eric Mangini is having trouble drawing some of his players to voluntary OTAs, set to begin next week, he’s apparently having no problems getting through to rookie RB Montario Hardesty.

Just because it’s Pro Bowl doesn’t mean there isn’t some offseason recruiting going on. Darnell Dockett said Wednesday he’d gladly give up his No. 90 jersey to fellow Pro Bowler Julius Peppers, on the condition Peppers would join him on the Arizona Cardinals.

There are so many things that can be debated at the midseason point. Even though there’s still a lot of football left to be played, I’m about to give props to some deserving guys who might not be getting the recognition they deserve.

Barring a setback in warmups before Sunday’s game against the Seahawks, Cowboys DT Jay Ratliff will start and play, league sources tell NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora.

Cowboys DT Jay Ratliff was added to the team’s injury report Friday with a knee injury that kept him out of practice.

A league source told NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora that four players were fined for Week 4 infractions, three of them for hits on quarterbacks.