by John Czarnecki

And who knows what the final standings will be in the NFC North come January? At most, only two teams from that division will make the playoffs, and the team that misses out will strongly consider a change, especially if it's Minnesota or Green Bay. Here's a team-by-team rundown:

Who's looking over Jim Zorn's shoulder? Who isn't? (Win McNamee / Getty Images)

Washington: Owner Daniel Snyder has hired a coaching consultant during the season, and both times — Mike Nolan and Steve Spurrier — the head coach was a goner the very next season. Jim Zorn appears to be a dead coach walking with old-timer Sherm Lewis hired to oversee his game plans. Word has it Snyder approached former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan in the offseason to be his head coach and has made another attempt during the season, only to be rebuffed both times. Despite being owed millions by Denver owner Pat Bowlen, Shanahan does want to return to the sidelines, but he wants to wait until the league season ends and consider his options.

Carolina: Coach John Fox has told friends and some associates he expects to be fired once the season ends. It's not that Foxy is doing a bad coaching job; it's just that the Panthers are 0-3, and they don't appear capable of catching New Orleans and Atlanta in the South. But he's being blamed for sticking with Jake Delhomme and Julius Peppers, two high-priced stars, who aren't producing right now. If Bill Cowher is going to leave CBS, it would make sense that his former Pittsburgh boss, Dan Rooney, would try to persuade him to go to Carolina. Rooney and Panthers owner Jerry Richardson are the best of friends. Remember, Rooney accepted a draft-choice penalty (tampering charge) for allowing his then-assistant coach Dom Capers to become Carolina's first head coach.

Dallas: Wade Phillips is in the last year of his contract, and if the Cowboys don't make the playoffs, he's a goner. It could also be bad news for offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who is responsible for fixing the offense, Tony Romo and wanting Terrell Owens gone. With Jerry Jones, Shanahan would be in play and maybe even former Bucs coach Jon Gruden. Money isn't an object with Jones now that he has a fancy $1.2 billion stadium to fill. Mike Holmgren's name keeps popping up, too, but some believe he really wants a Bill Parcells-type job, overseeing a franchise.

Buffalo: His players sang happy birthday to Dick Jauron on Wednesday, but that figures to be the last such celebration in Buffalo. The no-huddle offense hasn't been working, and Jauron was one of three head coaches who dumped his offensive coordinator during the preseason. Former Tampa Bay GM Bruce Allen's name has popped up with the Bills, but he may have other offers at the end of the season.

San Diego: The Chargers were picked by many to finally return to the Super Bowl and make some noise this season. Well, the only noise you're hearing is GM A.J. Smith screaming about a 2-2 record and a defense that was just run over by the Steelers. Norv Turner has always been an offensive-minded head coach, and that has hurt him with the defensive players. What's killing Turner, though, is Ron Rivera simply hasn't been a very good defensive coordinator. Shanahan could be in play here, too, primarily if the Chargers are serious about moving into the L.A. market. And you can bet Shanny wouldn't mind playing the Broncos twice a year. Another good question to consider: Would you rather live in La Jolla, Calif., or Ashburn, Va.?

Dallas at Kansas City, 1 ET

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Can the Chiefs beat the struggling Cowboys? .

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Cowboys are the only team in the NFL without a wide receiver ranked among the team's top two receivers. And WR Roy Williams didn't make the trip. You have to believe the Chiefs will receive a heavy dose of the Dallas rushing game, although game-breaker Felix Jones remains out. Miles Austin replaces Williams, but beleaguered QB Tony Romo will be looking for buddy and TE Jason Witten, who was used last Sunday in Denver as an extra blocker on those fateful final plays. You would think Dallas would utilize the double-TE alignment (adding Martellus Bennett) against the undersized K.C. defensive front, but Romo has struggled with throwing out of that set.

New Chiefs QB Matt Cassel hasn't performed to his fat contract, but the Chiefs lack an identity on offense. TE Sean Ryan leads the team with 11 catches, two for TDs. The Cowboys are still hurting at safety and if Dwayne Bowe is ever going to have success deep, this would be the game for Coach Todd Haley to send him. The Chiefs have lost eight straight at home and 27 of their last 29 games overall.

CZAR'S SCOOP: In the spirit of the 50th anniversary of the AFL, the Chiefs will be wearing their old Dallas Texans uniforms for this game, meaning that their helmets will be emblazoned with the map of Texas and not the K.C. arrowhead symbol. That won't amuse Kansas City fans who are chipping in $250 million in sales tax revenue to refurbish Arrowhead Stadium.

Since starting the 2007 season with a 12-1 record, the Cowboys have gone 12-12, including a playoff loss. The Chiefs have 51 negative offensive snaps for minus-269 yards, tops in the NFL. Here's the negative breakdown: 16 rushing plays for minus-40 yards; 15 passing plays for minus-89 yards and 20 offensive penalties for minus-140 yards.

Chiefs RB Larry Johnson, who has no TDs and is averaging 2.6 yards on 72 carries, won't say if he was referring to Haley when he kept referring to "ego" after last week's loss to the Giants. On six plays inside New York's 5-yard line, Haley called five passes, none of which worked. Cowboys Pro Bowler DeMarcus Ware still doesn't have a sack.

Minnesota at St. Louis, 1 ET

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Can Minnesota win on the road at St. Louis? .

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Vikings QB Brett Favre celebrated his 40th birthday on Saturday. After his three-TD effort against the Packers, he had reason to celebrate. However, he could be minus two blockers (RT Phil Loadholt and LG Steve Hutchinson) who gave him so much time to throw on Monday night. Favre is the 17th NFL quarterback to start a game at age 40; none, though, has ever started a playoff game.

Kyle Boller starts for the injured Marc Bulger (bruised rotator cuff) and the Rams are desperate for some offense. They have scored only 24 points all season, being out-scored by 84 points. LT Alex Barron was benched last week and today he will have to deal with Jared Allen, who had 4 1/2 sacks Monday night. The Rams have allowed 10 sacks in four games while the Vikings had eight against Aaron Rodgers. The Rams want to run Steven Jackson, but teams have been putting eight defenders in the box and Minnesota won't be any different. The Vikes will dare Boller to go deep to Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton.

CZAR'S SCOOP: Several African-American NFL players have been out-spoken about never wanting to play for the Rams if conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh becomes a part-owner. Limbaugh is part of one of three different groups making proposals to purchase 60 percent of the Rams from the children of the late Georgia Frontiere.

The weird part, though, is that Limbaugh and Dave Checketts, who owns the St. Louis Blues, may have jeopardized their bid because they broke confidentiality clauses with Goldman Sachs by going public about their offer. The other two serious bidders have remained quiet about their Rams' intentions. However, what remains critical for fans to understand is that Chip Rosenbloom and his sister, Lucy Rodriguez, have four years before dealing with the IRS on their inheritance. Consequently, there is no reason for them to rush into any sale right now, particularly an unfavorable one. Minority owner Stan Kroenke sounds like he will retain his 40 percent stake in the Rams. Believe it or not, Rams OG Richie Incognito was named a captain for this game by coach Steve Spagnuolo.

Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, 1 ET

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Is Donovan McNabb ready? .

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ever since Andy Reid became the head coach of the Eagles, his teams are 10-0 immediately following the bye. The other good news is the return of QB Donovan McNabb and RB Brian Westbrook. Look for McNabb, who will wear a flak jacket, to continue to work the middle of the field.

TE Brent Celek and slot receiver Jason Avant have combined for 32 receptions and 19 of the team's 36 passing first downs. Those two guys have accounted for 44.4 percent of the Eagles' receptions in the first three games. Westbrook will rotate with rookie LeSean McCoy and ideally Reid would like to limit his touches to 15 in this game. Eagles rookie Jeremy Maclin starts for Kevin Curtis (knees).

Bucs CB Aqib Talib vs. DeSean Jackson is a great match-up; Talib had 3 INTs last week but was also burned for a touchdown. To shore up their run defense, the Eagles signed MLB Jeremiah Trotter during the bye week and he will share time with Omar Gaither. Trotter has practiced now for two weeks without any swelling in his knee.

The Bucs give QB Josh Johnson his second NFL start, but he's more of a scrambler (44 rush yards vs. Redskins) than a passer, limiting any chance to stretch the field. With Johnson, the Bucs will try to play ball-control with a short passing game and the running of Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward. Johnson needs to keep looking downfield to be successful.

CZAR'S SCOOP: With McNabb starting and wildcat quarterback Michael Vick expected to be used for six to eight plays, the Eagles haven't decided whether they will dress backup Kevin Kolb or make him the emergency quarterback. If Kolb were the emergency quarterback and replaced an injured McNabb prior to the fourth quarter, it would mean that Vick couldn't play, either. Reid sounds like he's leaning toward activating another player and not Kolb.

What will the Eagles do next year with Vick? Well, they owe him $1.5 million in March. They could still pay that and then trade him should they decide they don't want to keep him around at $5.5 million total. The Bucs get safety Tanard Jackson, one of their better young defensive players, back in the lineup after a four-game suspension. Eagles executive Joe Banner said during a cable TV interview that the club would look to extend Reid's contract after this season.

Washington at Carolina, 1 ET

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Can the Panthers win their first? .

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: This is a must-win game for both teams and the good news for Carolina is its defense returns SS Chris Harris and LB Na'il Diggs. Both will be important against Washington RB Clinton Portis, who did practice this week. It will be interesting to see whether FB Mike Sellers is blocking for Portis, who asked the coaching staff to bench him in favor of Todd Yoder.

Carolina is hoping that DT Hollis Thomas (35) can help shore up the middle of the defensive line. The Panthers want to be able to control the clock, but they have struggled maintaining a consistent running game, averaging 100 yards a game. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were the strength of the Panthers a season ago. If they can't run, then Jake Delhomme's play-action passing goes for naught.

Redskins CB DeAngelo Hall will match up against Steve Smith, who is due for a breakout game. Since the start of the 2005 season, Smith has 33 receiving TDs but none after three games this year. Washington's Glenn Pakulak punts for the injured Hunter Smith.

CZAR'S SCOOP: If the Panthers lose and drop to 0-4, doesn't it make sense to trade DE Julius Peppers and save his salary money. If they dealt him this week, they would save more than $12 million. The trading deadline is Oct. 20.

Hats off to the Panthers' Williams for suggesting the idea of players wearing pink cleats this month. Williams is very active in helping to raise money for cancer research and his mother is a cancer survivor.

The move to bring in Sherm Lewis, whose career included long stints in San Francisco and Green Bay, can't be viewed as a vote of confidence in Jim Zorn, whose offense still hasn't hit 30 points yet. "Sherm grew up in the West Coast offense," said Washington exec Vinny Cerrato. "He worked with the guy who invented the offense (former 49ers coach Bill Walsh). He worked with Mike Holmgren for (17) years. Jim worked for Mike for seven years so they speak the same language."

Lewis won three Super Bowl rings as a 49ers assistant from 1983-91 and another with the Packers in 1996. Lewis hasn't coached since the 2004 season with the Lions. The in-season hiring of a consultant is hardly unprecedented for owner Daniel Snyder. The Redskins added Bill Arnsparger to coordinator Mike Nolan's defensive staff in 1999. Nolan was fired after the season). Also, Joe Bugel and Foge Fazio were added to Steve Spurrier's staff in 2003 and Spurrier quit after that season.

Atlanta at San Francisco, 1 ET

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: San Francisco's sixth-ranked defense will be tested by the Falcons, who are balanced on offense but also have a solid young QB in Matt Ryan. Yes, the 49ers are geared to stop Atlanta RB Michael Turner like they did Steven Jackson and Adrian Peterson, but can they apply enough pass-rush pressure on third down to keep Ryan in check? 49ers CB Nate Clements must shut down Falcons big-play WR Roddy White. 49ers NT Aubrayo Franklin has played a major role in stopping the run.

San Francisco wants to run rookie RB Glen Coffee as much as possible, but he's not Frank Gore. He lacks Gore's inside power. For Shaun Hill to make some plays, LT Joe Staley must neutralize Atlanta pass rusher John Abraham. Atlanta SLB Stephen Nicholas must check TE Vernon Davis, the 49ers' leading receiver with three TDs. Hill is 7-0 in lifetime starts at Candlestick Park.

CZAR'S SCOOP: Falcons owner Arthur Blank is talking about getting a new stadium. Besides a new Georgia Dome, one area being discussed is land near Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport. Gore expected to return after the bye on Oct. 25 against the Houston Texans. And that's when No. 1 pick Michael Crabtree is expected to make his San Francisco debut; right now the team has a two-week roster exemption.

Everyone has been scrutinizing the Crabtree deal as a five- or six-year contract while ignoring the fact that it's favorably front-loaded. Crabtree with make $19 million in the first three years and $23 million over the first four seasons. Based on this holdout, one would expect Crabtree to demand a renegotiation after three years if he really is the next Jerry Rice. That's the kid's M.O. He's not going to live with a six-year contract that pays him a paltry $4 million in 2014.

Other games

Cincinnati at Baltimore: Look for the Ravens to pound the Bengals and then go deep with Joe Flacco. The Ravens swept the Bengals last season, but before that lost six of seven games. Baltimore has allowed less than 11 points in its last 10 home games. Rookie Michael Oher figures to start for Baltimore LT Jared Gaither, who suffered a serious neck injury last Sunday in Foxborough. Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, whose wife Vikki died last week, traveled to Baltimore with his two children and will coach today.

Oakland at N.Y. Giants: All signs point to Giants QB Eli Manning (plantar fasciitis in right heel) starting. But the big worry for the Raiders is that their woeful offense (208.5 yards per game) is going against the league's No. 1 defense, including the top pass defense. It seems unlikely that JaMarcus Russell will be able to do much against New York's best, even if LB Michael Boley is out. With Eli playing, it means the Giants will remain balanced on offense. They won't simply be pounding the rock. Look for David Carr to relieve Manning should New York get a comfortable lead.

Cleveland at Buffalo: At this moment, there are 27 player grievances against Browns head coach Eric Mangini and the team. The NFL believes the Browns could lose all of them and that Mangini should settle them in-house. The best news for Browns QB Derek Anderson is that Buffalo is minus both starting safeties. With Braylon Edwards gone, rookie Brian Robiskie figures to be the go-to receiver. RB Jamal Lewis remains iffy because of a hamstring. Cleveland has lost 10 straight games.

Pittsburgh at Detroit: Lions QB Daunte Culpepper will get the start for injured No. 1 pick Matthew Stafford. It makes sense, too, considering the strong Pittsburgh pass rush. RB Rashard Mendenhall gets his second consecutive start for Pittsburgh after shredding the Chargers for 165 yards and two TDs last Sunday night. Detroit rookie WLB DeAndre Levy starts ahead of former first-round pick Ernie Sims. The Lions are allowing 240 passing yards per game.

New England at Denver: Very interesting match-up between Bill Belichick and his young protege Josh McDaniels, whose Broncos are 4-0. Denver will start rookie RB Knowshon Moreno while the Patriots turn to Laurence Maroney after Fred Taylor had ankle surgery this week. Maroney did rush for 937 yards as a rookie in 2006, but his production has slipped every season since. Randy Moss and Wes Welker will start, good news for Tom Brady. It should be very cold with a chance of snow flurries. Kyle Orton is working to get Eddie Royal more catches; he has only eight for a measly 58 yards.

Houston at Arizona: The Cardinals are 0-2 at home after going 14-4 in Ken Whisenhunt's first two seasons in Arizona. Besides playing poorly at home, the Cardinals have been missing the big pass play this season. Last year, they had 35 completions of 25 yards or more and this season only three. And Jerheme Urban, not Larry Fitzgerald, has the longest reception of the season, 40 yards. Cardinals QB Kurt Warner might have some peace of mind because Houston's Mario Williams (groin) may not play.

Jacksonville at Seattle: QB Matt Hasselbeck (ribs) returns to the starting lineup against a Jacksonville defense that has managed only three sacks in four games. This is a pivotal game for both teams. The Jaguars have discovered a passing game with receivers Mike Sims-Walker, Torry Holt and rookie Mike Thomas and they could be the key against a suspect Seattle secondary. The Jags have won two straight and have the Rams, Titans and Chiefs up next.

Indianapolis at Tennessee: Believe it or not, Peyton Manning has thrown for more than 300 yards in four consecutive games and the Titans' cornerbacks — Cortland Finnegan and Nick Harper — are banged up although both are expected to play. The Colts, though, will be minus Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden in the secondary. Colts safety Bob Sanders made the trip and there's a chance he could play in his first game this season. Kerry Collins has been struggling, but Jeff Fisher refuses to bench him. Collins could get well because the Colts have the second-worst third-down defense in the AFC.

N.Y. Jets at Miami (Monday): The Browns shopped WR Braylon Edwards around the league and got no takers, knowing that the Jets were the last resort. Edwards should play and Rex Ryan's lone fear is that his personality doesn't mesh with his rookie QB Mark Sanchez's. The Jets can keep Edwards next season by tendering him at $5.5 million. The Jets may run some wildcat with WR Brad Smith at the controls. The Jets are also counting on Edwards to give them a big-play threat. Miami OLB Joey Porter will start.