Editor's note: ESPN senior NFL writer John Clayton's weekly "First And 10" column takes you around the league with a look at the best game of the week followed by primers for 10 other games. Here's his look at Week 11.

First ... Tampa Bay Buccaneers at St. Louis Rams: As if Tony Dungy hasn't heard enough bad news of late, the story out of St. Louis is that Kurt Warner's right thumb is well again.

That means Warner will be more precise in his passes against a Buccaneers defense that has suddenly turned from great to just pretty good. Against the Patriots last Sunday, Warner was on fire. He took an injection into the joint of his right thumb before completing 30 of 42 passes for 401 yards against a defense geared to stop the pass.

	Warrick Dunn dived for the go-ahead touchdown in a 38-35 Monday night win over the Rams last year.

The Bucs stop here. If they don't beat the Rams on Monday night, they'd fall to 4-6 and their playoff hopes would be beyond life support. Buccanners players were saying that they needed to win last Sunday's game against the Bears or their playoff hopes were over. Well, the Bucs lost.

The key for the Bucs has to be their offense. Last year, they beat the Rams in overtime 38-35, but the game was in Tampa. The Rams might be vulnerable on defense if Brad Johnson can attack them the right way.

Sunday's victory over the Patriots cost the Rams two key backup defensive linemen -- Damoine Lewis and Leonard Little. That's a lot of pass rush to lose in one game. Little came off the bench on passing downs and had nine sacks in nine games. Lewis, the team's top draft choice, played 60 percent of the downs and got great inside push.

Defensive coordinator Lovie Smith must now manufacture pressure against Johnson. Sean Moran, who has only eight career sacks, will slide over to Little's pass-rushing spot on passing downs. Former Bucs Tyoka Jackson and Chidi Ahanotu also have to contribute to the pass rush even though the talent on the defensive line is more geared to stopping the run now. Ryan Pickett, another first-round pick, can try to handle Lewis' spot, but Pickett is more of a run-stopper than inside pass-rusher.

That could buy a little more time for Johnson to attack downfield, which is something that hasn't been built into the offense. The Bucs seem gun shy when the time calls for more downfield passes. This is the time, though. There is nothing much more to lose because the season is almost lost anyway.

Another worry for the Rams is a thin linebacking corps. Mark Fields has a bad ankle. Don Davis is out. Strong safety Adam Archuleta has a sore ankle. That might make it tough to tackle Mike Alstott, the Bucs' power runner.

Still, the Rams' defense has played special all year. Defenders play within the system and don't give up big plays. They run to the ball well. Overall, they rank fourth in the NFL, four spots higher than the Bucs.

And 10. San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts: Jim Mora Sr. versus Jim Mora Jr. Father and son don't like playing each other because each hates losing. For Senior, the loss could affect his job status at the end of the season when his contract runs out. Mora Sr., is 66, and despite the instant credibility he established in New Orleans and Indianapolis, the Colts will be on the verge of being knocked out of the playoffs if they drop to 4-6. Mora Jr., is the 49ers' flamboyant defensive coordinator who has turned a group of young players into a competitive bunch. A year ago, he broke in as many as eight rookies on defense. There is more stability this season, which is one of the reasons the defense has played a key role and why the team is 6-2 in games decided by eight points or less. Mora Jr., has the supreme test because he has to face Peyton Manning, who will throw every play at the 49ers to keep the Colts' playoff hopes alive. Manning is starting to run out of his favorite targets. Edgerrin James and Jerome Pathon are out for the season. Rookie Reggie Wayne has a banged-up knee. But there is still Marvin Harrison, and Mora Jr., must do his best to contain him. The Colts' defense continues to be picked apart for big plays. Indy has fallen to 26th in the league, allowing 349 yards a game.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans: The league's leading rushing offense took some tough hits Sunday in beating Jacksonville. They lost Mark Bruener, the best blocking tight end in the business, for the season, and guard Rich Tylski for a couple of weeks with a knee injury. Those losses wouldn't be as huge as if they'd lost left tackle Wayne Gandy or center Jeff Hartings, but it could weaken them in an important game. Even though the Titans' injury report looks like a casualty list every week, they can still somehow stop the run (they rank fifth). The Titans are a desperate team, which will be dangerous for the Steelers. Coach Jeff Fisher called last Sunday's win over the Bengals one of the most important in recent franchise history because so many players are limping around with high-ankle sprains or worse. Quarterback Steve McNair gutted out the victory despite multiple ailments. Face it, this matchup comes down to blood and guts. The Titans don't figure to get blown out as they were34-7 in the Monday night game at Pittsburgh last month. The Steelers have been one of the league's most complete and consistent teams this season, but this road trip to Nashville along with next month's game at Baltimore are their toughest challenges down the stretch.

8. Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles: Marty Schottenheimer has Dan Snyder believing the Redskins can make a late playoff run. His four-game winning streak has been a tribute to his relentless, non-nonsense coaching style. But this is the real test of where the Redskins stand in relation to the top team in the NFC East. Quarterback Tony Banks is expected to return as the starter after getting a nasty concussion against the Broncos, but he will be facing the wildest assortment of blitzes this season. That could translate into turnovers and turnovers could translate to a blowout loss by the Redskins. For the Redskins, the game comes down to establishing a running attack with Stephen Davis and keeping the score low. The Eagles have outscored their past three opponents by a combined 105-27, and they could pad their NFC East lead if they can get past this game. With the Chiefs, Chargers and Redskins on the schedule after this week, it's not out of the question for the Eagles to be 9-3 and on a six-game winning streak by the middle of December. Coach Andy Reid has to keep his team focused and his players from getting in trouble off the field.

7. New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots: What was Bill Belichick thinking? He doesn't want Tom Brady looking over his shoulder at Drew Bledsoe for the final six games, even though Brady has been an average quarterback the past four weeks. Brady has been one of the league's more remarkable stories this season, coming off the bench to fill in for an injured Bledsoe and taking a bunch of journeyman offensive players to a 5-3 record in his starts. But Brady isn't throwing the ball downfield much and defenses are starting to box-in the offense. The problem created by the Patriots' conservatism is that Brady and the running game have to be at their best on every play because they don't have chances to recover from turnovers. The Saints believe they are ready to get on a roll. Quarterback Aaron Brooks is coming off his best game. Ricky Williams and Deuce McAllister are getting paired up on specialty plays in the backfield. If the Patriots win, they could head into next week's game against the Jets with a 6-5 record. If they lose, though, they will have a losing record, fading playoff hopes and an angrier Bledsoe. Bledsoe should call Bernie Kosar for advice because he's getting Kosared in New England.

6. Oakland Raiders at New York Giants: Jim Fassel has one Giant headache. Offensive players are grumbling about the play-calling. Not enough running, they say. Defensive players are giving up too many big plays. After going to the Super Bowl, the Giants are settling into a pattern of being average. To be average in the NFC East is inexcusable. After coming off stronger and angrier on Monday night, Fassel is saying that the team WILL win five of its last six games. Anytime you're ready, Giants. They've lost four of the past five and don't seem to have the offensive power to win games. Kerry Collins is the NFC's third lowest rated quarterback because of a conference high 13 interceptions. The Raiders enter the game as a complete, focused team. Is that what the Giants were trying to become? Jon Gruden's biggest concern is the matchups of his banged-up offensive line against the Giants' defensive line, which is still one of the best in football. Matt Stinchcomb is struggling to replace Barry Sims at left tackle. Center Adam Treu has to handle the tough inside rushes of Cornelius Griffin and Keith Hamilton. But Rich Gannon seems to be oblivious to most pressure.

	Corey Dillon ran for 140 yards against the Browns in a 24-14 win in Week 5.

5. Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns: At least when the Bengals held a winning record a few weeks ago, they didn't go party like the Browns. Let's see, after the Browns' second victory over the Ravens, three Browns were arrested in two cities after late-night parties, and one, halfback Ben Gay, admitted in a Cleveland newspaper story that he sold drugs a year ago. With a 10-31 franchise record, isn't it a little too early to be throwing party favors around for the accomplishments? After all, a home loss to the Bengals could send the Browns into a tailspin. Coach Butch Davis has to turn into a strict disciplinarian to refocus the team. This week was a publicity fiasco. The Bengals are concerned about their vanishing passing offense. Quarterback Jon Kitna has watched his quarterback rating drop to 68.9 and his interception total jump to 10. Having rookie Chad Johnson back should help. He has been out with a broken clavicle. Still, the key is Corey Dillon. If Dillon can run on the partying Browns, the Bengals might win. If not, the Browns will be on the streets next Sunday night and Monday. The Bengals should be able to run a little easier now that Gerard Warren was suspended one game by the Browns.

4. Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars: Explain to me how Shannon Sharpe is going to react to the gag order about saying bad things about the offense? Poor guy might choke holding back his thoughts. Of course, it's pretty simply stated. If Elvis Grbac doesn't play better, Randall Cunningham better get the chance. Maybe it's the injured ribs that are bothering Grbac. Whatever the reason, Grbac can't keep turning the ball over and expect to be the franchise's $30 million quarterback and keep starting. He has 13 interceptions. Trent Dilfer went 11-1 last year with the Ravens because he didn't throw pretty interceptions. Grbac also has to get himself out of the habit of throwing off his back foot after being hit a few times. Ravens coach Brian Billick is rallying the troops for the stretch drive, but losing twice to the Browns was a killer. The Jaguars still don't know whether Mark Brunell's quad has healed enough for him to start. He missed last Sunday's game against Pittsburgh, and minus Tony Boselli, Fred Taylor and Brunell, the Jaguars don't have much chance of getting into the end zone against a good defense, particularly one as good as the Ravens'.

3. Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs: When the Seahawks go to Arrowhead, you never throw out the records. They've lost 17 of the past 19 games in Arrowhead, so the Seahawks know not to go to the stadium thinking their 5-4 record means anything against the 2-7 Chiefs. It doesn't mean anything that the Chiefs are winless in Arrowhead this year. The Seahawks are jinxed in Arrowhead. Two years ago, though, Mike Holmgren, in his first year as the Seahawks coach, pulled out a 31-19 win at Arrowhead and the Seahawks won the AFC West. If he can repeat the former, the Seahawks may actually start talking about making a playoff run. They would be 6-4 going into a home game against the Chargers. The fight for a wild-card berth could be on. For the Chiefs, though, it's just a matter of getting that winning feeling back for Dick Vermeil. The Chiefs are coming off a bye, but they still aren't healthy at wide receiver. Snoop Minnis might not play. Maybe the time off got Trent Green more comfortable. He leads the NFL with 16 interceptions, a trend that must stop.

2. Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings: Randy Moss proved good and bad things Monday night against the Giants. On the good side is that whenever he wants to play, no one can stop him. On the bad side is that he must not have wanted to play much the first half of the season and he was stopping himself. Coach Dennis Green said Moss will finish with 17 touchdown receptions this year, meaning he needs 11 more in the final seven games. Plus, this is a home game where the Vikings are dangerous. The Bears proved last Sunday against the Bucs that they don't get flustered away from home. They stop the run well, and letting Jim Miller throw deep opened up a lot of things on offense. Green has done a nice job of fixing the Vikings' secondary the past two weeks. Dale Carter looked good at cornerback after two seasons off. Robert Griffith provides great leadership in the secondary from his strong safety position. This should be a fun game, and a Vikings win could keep things alive. Too bad the Vikes have only two more home games.

1. Arizona Cardinals at San Diego Chargers: Doug Flutie is in a slump. He's running around, but the plays aren't coming. He went through a similar slump a couple of years ago in Buffalo when Jay Riemersma and Eric Moulds were hurt and bounced out of it. Not having a healthy Freddie Jones at tight end has hurt, but Flutie isn't looking for excuses. At this stage, they've squandered too many winnable games to worry about excuses. The Cardinals come in with a defense that has no stars and a bunch of unknowns. It's the kind of defenseless defense that Flutie should have his way with, but don't discount Dave McGinnis' coaching. He does a great job of putting players in the right position to make plays, so maybe he can steal one from the Chargers. That would be bad news for Mike Riley, who might be fighting a losing battle to keep his head coaching job. Riley and the Chargers need this one, if it's an ugly win or not.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.