Manning has fared well following a bye week

Giants quarterback Eli Manning will try to get back on track heading into Week 12 at home against the Packers. Manning, who is coming off a bye week, threw for 215 yards and two interceptions his last time out against the Bengals in Week 10. He’ll try to bounce back against a Green Bay defense that has allowed 244.4 yards per game through the air, which is ranked 21st against the pass this season. Manning has a solid track record in his first game back after bye week. He has thrown for 10 touchdowns and a lone interception to go along with an average of 322.5 yards through his last four games following a bye. “I’m excited about it; I hope he sticks to the trend,’’ wide receiver Victor Cruz said. “I guess it’s just a renewed sense of focus coming out of the bye week. You’re a little bit fresher and had some time to get some rest.’’

Stunning TD run gets Forsett on the map

Justin Forsett scored his first touchdown as a Texan on a controversial play at Detroit in Week 12. Playing sparingly behind starter Arian Foster, Forsett had a carry in the second half that appeared to end after a 7-yard run but referees never blew the whistle and Forsett scampered another 74 yards to the end zone. Lions coach Jim Schwartz immediately threw his challenge flag but NFL rules state that coaches cannot challenge a play that is automatically reviewed. Furthermore, any play that is reviewable but incorrectly challenged by a coach is no longer subject to reviewal. Replays showed Forsett’s elbow and knee hitting the ground after a 7-yard gain but the play stood as it was called on the field. Forsett is credited with 87 yards on five carries.

Rodgers has rich history vs. Giants

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be looking to break out for his first 300-yard performance since Week 7 heading into a Sunday night matchup against on the road against the Giants in Week 12. Rodgers, who threw for 236 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, will face a New York defense that has allowed 257.8 yards per game through the air, which is the eighth-most allowed in the league thus far. Rodgers has fared well against the Giants and has averaged 386.5 yards to go along with eight touchdowns and one interception in two career regular season games in his career. “I think there has to be some gamesmanship on both sides,” Rodgers said. “We’ve played each other a couple times in the past year. They’re a very well-coached team on defense. They don’t want to just line up and play; they have to move around a little bit and that’s what they do in their packages, trying to disguise some coverages.

Just because: 1973 Oakland A’s figurine

Among many other things for which I’m thankful, I’m also thankful for living in a world that made this:

It’s the 1973 Oakland A’s — owners of belt and title — in miniature! It’s for sale in exchange for redeemable U.S. currency!
The “Mustache Gang” A’s (they were paid bonuses to grow facial hair!) were indeed a compelling lot, in that they won many games and championships, very often hated each other in the process and had an owner — Charlie O. Finley — who was clinically banana-town.
That’s manager Dick Williams on the far left, and I do believe there’s Bert Campaneris and Sal Bando and Gene Tenace and Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter, among others.
Why, again, aren’t these made for every World Series winner, both since time immemorial and until the mountains crumble into the sea (i.e., Dec. 21)? Have they not earned such a tribute?
Also: I would like to buy this thing.
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Ravens RB Ray Rice apologizes, says he wasn’t disrespecting Terrible Towel

The Ravens beat the Steelers on Sunday night, 13-10, giving them a two-game lead in the division and the inside track to a first-round playoff bye. As Baltimore running back Ray Rice made his way to the locker room after the game, he could be seen with a Terrible Towel over his head.
In general, it didn’t seem particularly egregious or disrespectful. Still, Pittsburgh linebacker LaMarr Woodley was prompted to send this warning tweet: (By the way, how soft have we gotten as a society? You think Mean Joe Greene would’ve sent “warning tweets” if Twitter existed 40 years ago? This is a rhetorical question.)

Bad idea rayjust ask lendale white and tj whosyourmama twitter.com/LaMarrWoodley/…
— LaMarr Woodley (@LaMarrWoodley) November 20, 2012

Quick refresher: Then-Titans running back LenDale White did this late in the 2008 season, and three years before that, former Bengals wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh thought this was a good idea. In ’08, Tennessee started 10-0, finished 13-3, and eventually lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Ravens. In ’05, Cincinnati won the AFC North and hosted the Steelers in the wild card. Not only did they lose the game, they lost quarterback Carson Palmer to a serious knee injury. Perhaps to avoid any bad Myron Cope mojo, Rice explained to the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson that his motives weren’t nefarious. “I apologize to those who saw it as disrespectful,” Rice said. “For me, I thought it was a pretty cool gesture, exchanging my gloves with a fan and walking out with it. Obviously, getting a victory there was cool, and I leave it in the past. Their fans are great, the organization is great, and the rivalry is always going to continue to be great. “To have something in your basement to know what the rivalry is all about is pretty cool,” he continued. “I’ve been exchanging jerseys with guys. My basement is geting pretty colorful down there with other teams’ stuff. [Having the towel was] not maliciously; just more out of respect.” Seems reasonable us.
The Steelers and Ravens will meet again in Week 13, and the biggest issue won’t be how Rice treated a Terrible Towel but whether quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be healthy enough to play. For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to the Pick-6 Podcast on iTunes. You can follow Ryan Wilson on Twitter here: @ryanwilson_07.

PODCAST: Weekend Picks Panel — Week 13 Against The Spread

Will UCLA coach Jim Mora use the full playbook against Stanford with a possible Pac-12 rematch on the horizon.(US Presswire)

The Weekend Picks Panel has assembled and, after bloody debate, we can present a podcast below with yourbest guesseslocks of the week. Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) and Jerry Hinnen (@JerryHinnen) join me again to discuss all of the Top 25 action from the oddsmakers’ angle, giving you at least one good reason and pick for each game.This Thanksgiving edition of the picks panel kicks off with another edition of “Five for Fighting,” as Tom and Jerry pick up where they left off in the season-ending competition. Jerry won Week 12, cutting Tom’s lead in the series to 6-4. This week’s battle slate kicks off with one of the most interesting games of the weekend: Stanford at UCLA. The Bruins have a Pac-12 title game bid sealed, but a win over the Cardinal could set up a Pac-12 title game against Oregon in Eugene. A win for Stanford would clinch the Pac-12 North and set up a rematch of the very same game for the conference title. Tune in to hear what Jerry thinks Jim Mora’s play calling will look like, considering the stakes at hand for both teams. We move on to debate some of the most enticing in-state rivalry games, and Nebraska’s potential division-clinching battle with Iowa. The Lightning Round delivers your usual quick-hits picks explanation, courtesy of my distinguished guests.In a hurry? Check the contents below for specific topics. 0:00 — Five for Fightingintro 2:25 — No. 11 Stanford at No. 15 UCLA (+1 1/2) 6:40 — No. 13 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson (-4 1/2) 11:00 — No. 22 Oklahoma State at No. 14 Oklahoma (-8 1/2) 14:55 — No. 25 Mississippi State at Ole Miss (-1 1/2) 20:15 — No. 17 Nebraska at Iowa (+14 1/2)Lightning Round 24:50 — Auburn at No. 2 Alabama (-31 1/2) 26:20 — No. 1 Notre Dame at USC (+3 1/2) 28:10 — Georgia Tech at No. 3 Georgia (-13 1/2) 29:30 — No. 20 Michigan at No. 4 Ohio State (-4 1/2) 31:30 — No. 5 Oregon at No. 16 Oregon State (+10 1/2) 33:00 — No. 6 Florida at No. 10 Florida State (-5 1/2) 34:55 — Missouri at No. 9 Texas A&M (-21 1/2) 37:00 — Connecticut at No. 19 Louisville (-13 1/2) 38:10 — No. 21 Rutgers at Pittsburgh (-2 1/2) 39:30 — Idaho at No. 25 Utah State (-39 1/2) Got questions you want answered on a future podcast? Let me know on Twitter (@cnpatterson3) or send them to podcast@cbsinteractive.com. Feedback — both love and hate — is encouraged as well. You can listen to the podcast in the player below, or click here to use the pop-out player and keep browsing. If you want to take the CBSSports.com College Football Podcast on the go, you can click here to download the MP3 or get this and all episodes for FREE from the iTunes Store.

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2012 NFL Week in Photos, Week 12: Aldrick Robinson is really excited

Aldrick Robinson #11 of the Washington Redskins pulls in a pass for a touchdown against Danny McCray #40 of the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day at Cowboys Stadium on November 22, 2012 in Arlington, Texas. (Getty Images)

Apparently, the Cowboys didn’t see what Aldrick Robinson did to the Eagles last week. It looked a lot like this.
For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to the Pick-6 Podcast on iTunes. You can follow Ryan Wilson on Twitter here: @ryanwilson_07.

2012 NFL Week in Photos, Week 12: RG3 beats sack but not ref

Arlington, TX, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) throws the ball away to avoid the sack from Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Jason Hatcher (97) during a game on Thanksgiving at Cowboys Stadium. (US Presswire)

This was one of the few times Robert Griffin III didn’t hurt the Cowboys in the first half: he was flagged for intentional grounding. For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to the Pick-6 Podcast on iTunes. You can follow Ryan Wilson on Twitter here: @ryanwilson_07.

Ravens RB Ray Rice apologizes, says he wasn’t disrespecting Terrible Towel

The Ravens beat the Steelers Sunday night, 13-10, giving them a two-game lead in the division and the inside track to a first-round playoff bye. As Baltimore running back Ray Rice made his way to the locker room after the game, he could be seen with a Terrible Towel over his head.