Former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri needs knee surgery and may miss more than a month of action, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Colts yesterday worked out veteran Matt Stover as a possible replacement, while declining to comment on Vinatieri's injury, according to the Indianapolis Star. The 36-year-old Vinatieri played Sunday night in the Colts' blowout victory over the Titans, and no word came out about an injury until Monday night.

-In other NFL injury news, the Steelers have placed defensive end Aaron Smith on season-ending injured reserve, according to ProFootballTalk.com, which is a major blow to Pittsburgh's defense.

-One of the big stories in Sunday's showdown between the undefeated Giants and Saints is Jeremy Shockey, the New Orleans tight end who left a scorched earth trail on his way out of New York. This quote from Shockey, made before the Giants dealt him in the summer of 2008, sums it up: "If the team trades me, I promise you I'm going to make them pay. If I ever get a chance to play against a team that trades me, it's not going to be a pretty sight."

-The Giants' Ahmad Bradshaw is the team's leading rusher entering the game, and he is averaging 6.5 yards per carry, but New York still has no plans to give him more carries at the expense of Brandon Jacobs.

-Veteran running back Kevin Smith is taking personal blame for the Lions' problems running the football, saying he has not been able to make the explosive plays that should be expected of him.

-Last week, Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell was sacked six times and completed just eight passes against the Giants. This week, Russell faces the most blitz-happy team in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles. For a quarterback who has been described as having "zero confidence," this week has the potential to make a bad situation worse.

-Jets coach Rex Ryan said his confidence in his defense -- misplaced, as it turns out -- led to his not using two timeouts late in Monday night's loss to the Dolphins.