Colts’ Collie Out With Another Head Injury

On Sunday, Collie left a game with a head injury for the third time in seven weeks, and Indianapolis Coach Jim Caldwell said on Monday that he did not know if Collie would return.

“We lean totally upon those who are in charge,” Caldwell said, referring to the club’s doctors. “Once he’s cleared and ready to go, that’s the case.”

Despite its victory against Jacksonville on Sunday, Indianapolis (8-6) remains in a precarious position as far as the postseason goes. But if the Colts win at Oakland this week and beat Tennessee at home in the finale, they will win their seventh A.F.C. South title in eight years and earn a ninth consecutive playoff berth.

Collie was injured late in the first half Sunday when Jacksonville linebacker Daryl Smith appeared to hit him in the head with his forearm as Collie went low to make a catch. The Colts’ president, Bill Polian, said it was “too early in the week to make any type of judgment” on Collie’s status.

Despite missing five games and more than a half in three others, Collie leads all Colts receivers with eight touchdown receptions, is second in catches (58) and is third in yards (649). And he is something of a security blanket for quarterback . On Sunday, in what amounted to a potential elimination game for the Colts (8-6), Manning threw 10 passes to Collie in the first half, and Collie caught 8 for 87 yards and 2 scores.

ARE SURPRISED The Raiders (7-7) remained in postseason contention by beating the , 39-23, on Sunday. It is new ground for the club, which had lost at least 11 games for a league-worst seven consecutive seasons.

The Raiders still need plenty of help, of course; they have to win their remaining games, and have the first-place (9-5) and the second-place (8-6) each lose at least once.

But for players like the Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who was a rookie in 2003 when the streak began, it is long overdue. “Everybody’s excited and we have something to play for,” Asomugha said. Coach Tom Cable seemed to be excited, no matter what: “Football is football. I love football. I love coaching.”

TEBOW WILL START AGAIN The interim Broncos coach Eric Studesville said that would start when the Broncos hosted the (5-9) next weekend. Studesville, who said the regular starter Kyle Orton was still bothered by bruised ribs, praised the job Tebow did in managing the game plan in his first start, a 39-23 loss last week at Oakland.

APOLOGIES IN MIAMI For the eighth time in nine seasons, the will miss out on the postseason. Miami (7-7) is last in the A.F.C. in scoring, has only 34 combined points in its past three games and has only 24 in the past three home games.

Sunday’s 17-14 loss to the was the seventh time Miami was held to 14 points or fewer. And receiver Brandon Marshall wanted to say he was sorry. “I want to apologize to the defensive guys,” Marshall said. “All year, they played their hearts out.” He added: “Offensively, all year, we didn’t get the job done. We didn’t make enough plays.”

SEASON OVER FOR OWENS receiver decided to have knee surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee, ending his season. Owens, 37, flew to Birmingham, Ala., on Monday and was examined by Dr. James Andrews. Owens played well this year, with 983 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns, but the Bengals (3-11) are having one of their worst seasons.

MAYBE ROMO, MAYBE NOT Coach Jason Garrett said “we’ll see how he does, how he feels” when assessing the chances that quarterback Tony Romo, who has missed eight games with a broken collarbone, will return this season. … The said tight end Heath Miller will play Thursday night against the after missing two games with a concussion. … The said tight end Todd Heap may return for Sunday’s game at Cleveland after missing the past two games with a pulled right hamstring.

Rookie QB Gabbert Works Out With Jaguars Teammates

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — First-round draft pick quarterback Blaine Gabbert says it was a “blast” working out with 27 of his Jacksonville Jaguars players who practiced together for the first time at an area high school.

Previously, the players had been working in small groups throughout the area to stay in shape through the NFL lockout.

Gabbert, the 10th pick overall out of Missouri, spent much of the hour and a half practice taking instruction from starting quarterback David Garrard and throwing to a variety of receivers, including Cecil Shorts III, the Jags’ fourth-round pick.

Gabbert says it’s good to “have the opportunity to work out a little bit and throw the ball around.”

Gabbert says he arrived in town Sunday and has been working out with his group since.

Injuries on Offense Force Giants to Adjust Game Plan

After sputtering for three quarters, the Giants (7-4) were finally able to move the ball late in the game and rallied for a 24-20 win.

They will look to add more diversity as the newcomers grow more comfortable, beginning Sunday against the (5-6) at New Meadowlands Stadium.

“In this league, you want to be put in a situation where the plays you’re running and the things you’re doing, the guys are comfortable running it,” said Monday in a conference call.

The Giants are uncertain when their offense will be made whole again with the return of their starters. The offensive line has been missing three important pieces: center Shaun O’Hara (foot) and tackles David Diehl (hamstring) and Shawn Andrews (back). Receivers Hakeem Nicks (leg) and Steve Smith (chest) have also been sidelined.

On Sunday, the offensive line scaled back its presnap calls and adjustments to help William Beatty at left tackle and Kevin Boothe at left guard. It worked: the Giants did not allow a sack for a fourth straight game.

With three new receivers added the past two weeks, the Giants rarely lined up in three-receiver looks. Instead, they used two tight ends or two running backs more often.

Early on, it was evident that Manning missed a big-play target like Nicks and the security of a weapon like Smith.

“You want your guys that present the best matchups against a defense, and that’s what we did,” Manning said. “I’m more comfortable with these guys than a guy that has been here for five days, and so that’s just putting us in the best position to run our offense.”

With five games to play, the Giants are in the playoff mix. They are tied atop the N.F.C. East with the Eagles, who beat the Giants a week ago in Philadelphia. The teams play again Dec. 19.

WESTBROOK HELPS ROLL Brian Westbrook rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown in place of the injured Frank Gore and the San Francisco 49ers sent Arizona to its sixth straight loss, 27-6, amid a shower of boos from the Cardinals’ home crowd.

Westbrook, who had 9 yards on five carries entering the game, rushed 23 times in his 21st career 100-yard game — his first since Dec. 7, 2008, for Philadelphia against the Giants.

San Francisco (4-7) improved to 3-1 since Troy Smith became the starting quarterback and moved to a game behind the co-leaders St. Louis and Seattle in the anemic N.F.C. West.

Arizona (3-8), the two-time defending division champion, has not lost this many in a row since dropping eight straight in 2006, Dennis Green’s final season as coach. (AP)

’ LONG-SHOT BID The Dolphins (6-5) are playing like a playoff team, even if they have a slim chance of becoming one. Against Oakland on Sunday, Miami gained 471 yards — their highest total in 15 years — and held the to 16 rushing yards — the second-lowest total by a Dolphins defense.

But Miami could fall short of a postseason berth even if it sweeps its final five games. The Dolphins have lost to the four teams they are chasing in the A.F.C. race: New England (9-2), (9-2), Baltimore (8-3) and the (8-3).

“This is back-against-the-wall time,” Coach Tony Sparano said. (AP)

STEELERS’ HARRISON LOSES APPEAL The league rejected Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison’s appeals of his $75,000 fine for a hit on Cleveland receiver Mohamed Massaquoi and the $20,000 fine for a hit on New Orleans quarterback . Harrison possibly faces another fine for his roughing-the-passer penalty Sunday against Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. (AP)

RYAN’S LONG-LOST TWIN “I never realized how similar that I am to ,” Jets Coach told reporters. “I mean, the obvious physical appearance would be the first thing. The fact that he’s married to a supermodel? Hello?”

Ryan, who was referring to the model Gisele Bündchen, then showed reporters a copy of the December issue of InStyle magazine, which includes an advertisement — for women’s apparel at — featuring Ryan’s wife, Michelle. “I’m also married to a supermodel,” Ryan said. (AP)