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Who's Hot/ Who's Not
[Who's Hot]
Keenans
Nine months after his last game, former Bucs holdout Keenan McCardell made five catches for 65 yards in victorious Chargers debut, then came into locker room wearing a natty cream suit. "I might have to steal a couple of his shirts," LaDainian Tomlinson said. Two Mike Keenans are also looking fresh: Middlebury's QB set record with 427 passing yards while Florida Panthers G.M. (no relation) gets airtime during lockout on Canadian hockey reality series Making the Cut.
Saints' Leading Men
Team owner Tom Benson will spend bye week getting married to interior decorator from New Orleans; QB and Martin Lawrence look-alike Aaron Brooks (left) also has reason to celebrate: He threw for 282 yards in win over Raiders.
Singletarys
Mike, the Ravens linebackers coach, has his Ray Lewis-led troops at the heart of a defense that's allowed a league-low 85 points. They aren't the only ones saying neigh: Singletary, a 4-year-old colt whose owner loved watching Mike on the Bears' defense in the 1980s, goes for his third win in six starts this Saturday in Breeders' Cup.
Prowling Lions
Remember that streak of 24 consecutive road losses coming into this season? Suddenly Detroit has won three straight away from Ford Field and is now bound for Dallas, where the Cowboys are 1-2.
Cardinals
Arizona's upset Seattle to get back into NFC West race, St. Louis's host World Series games for first time in 17 years and the Vatican's are, no joke, hosting a Rome-area radio show, Not Only Sports,on which they discuss Italian soccer.
[Who's Not]
New Jersey
As they say on the Turnpike: Ewww, roll up the windows! Down went the Jets (in battle of unbeatens). Down went the Giants (to the Lions at home). Miss America pageant--held in Atlantic City since 1921--was not renewed by ABC, Tony Soprano's (that is, James Gandolfini's) Surviving Christmas is sinking faster than Big Pussy, and the new-look, lame-look Nets, minus Kenyon Martin and injured Jason Kidd, open next week against (gulp) Shaq and the Heat.
Cowboys' Star
Dallas fans are hiding their allegiance these days, and not just because Bill Parcells said, "We don't have a chance right now," after 41-20 loss to the Packers. Election rules prohibit voters from wearing Cowboys gear near polling stations--because there's a stadium referendum on ballot.
Warrick Dunn
Recently recovered from sore hamstring, Falcons back had just 49 yards in drubbing of the week: Chiefs 56, Falcons 10. Dunn's best buddy in baseball (SI PLAYERS, Sept. 20), Yankees slugger Gary Sheffield, hit something of a rough patch himself.
Roaming Buffalo
When they shuffle off from home, the Bills look lost. Now 0-3 as visitors and in position for fifth straight losing road record. Next travel date? To Foxborough, where the Pats have won 15 straight.
Notre Dame
Ex--Irish star, ex--Oiler back and current Westwood One radio analyst Allen Pinkett makes flip, on-air analogy to Rodney King beating. Then Notre Dame is undone on its own turf as BC rallies from 13 points down for a win in South Bend.
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SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/GETTY IMAGES (MCCARDELL)
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ANDREW COHOON/AP (BROOKS)
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VERA ANDERSON/WIREIMAGE.COM (LAWRENCE)
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ALINARI ARCHIVES/CORBIS (CARDINAL)
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BRIAN BRANCH-PRICE/AP (MISS AMERICA)
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NFL PROPERTIES (DALLAS HELMET)
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CARLETON HALL/WIREIMAGE.COM (BLEDSOE)
