Wide receiver Roy Williams' knee injury is the latest blow to the Lions, who have fallen from playoff contenders to also-rans. During their fourth consecutive loss in Week 13, Williams suffered a PCL knee injury similar to the one that knocked out cornerback Stanley Wilson for the season.

The Lions don't plan to put Williams on injured reserve, hoping he can heal quickly, but he's going to be out a couple of weeks.

Things are getting bad in Detroit. Quarterback Jon Kitna is beat up from all of the hits he's taken this year. Mental mistakes are starting to increase. Timing is off. If the Lions can't turn it around against the 11-1 Cowboys in Week 14, they could be heading to their seventh consecutive losing season.

Depleted Cardinals: The Cardinals may head into a do-or-die game in Week 14 against the Seahawks without their top two wide receivers. Larry Fitzgerald missed the game against the Browns in Week 13 with a groin injury and will be questionable all week. Anquan Boldin broke the toe that's next to his big toe against the Browns, which is an injury that often sidelines a player for a couple of weeks and could lead to a postseason operation.

The Cardinals worked extensively with shoe experts on Monday to see if there was comfortable padding that could enable Boldin to play. It's too early to write him off, but it's going to be very tricky to get him ready in a week. Already down two pass-rushers, a cornerback and a Pro Bowl safety, the Cards are missing a lot of key playmakers.

College searches: There doesn't appear to be a lot of college teams looking to the NFL for head-coaching candidates. Though the move to get pro coaches -- led by the Pete Carroll hire at USC years ago -- has been successful in the college ranks, the trend this year is for colleges to look more in the college ranks for candidates.

Garcia on the mend: Bucs QB Jeff Garcia said he should be back for the Week 14 game at Houston after missing the Week 13 victory over the Saints. Garcia has pain in his lower back. He says there is no fracture of any kind. Though he could have played in Week 13, the prevailing thought was he might have done more damage by starting against the Saints. Luke McCown, making his first start since 2004, played well in his absence.

Archuleta's demotion: Bears coach Lovie Smith's benching of safety Adam Archuleta wasn't much of a surprise. Archuleta has struggled of late in a defense that has been struggling all season. The Bears used Archuleta mostly on special teams and limited him to backup duties against the Giants in Week 13. Smith pushed to acquire Archuleta, who came from the Redskins in a trade. Brandon McGowan replaced him as the starter.

What was Payton thinking? It's still hard to be believe Sean Payton called the reverse that cost New Orleans a victory over the Bucs in Week 13. Reggie Bush has had fumbling problems this season and some problems with dropped passes. Wide receiver Devery Henderson is among the league leaders in dropped passes. To have those players handle a trick play with the Saints leading late is amazing.

To his credit, Payton admitted it was a mistake. The New Orleans papers noted criticisms Bill Parcells had with Payton's play-calling in Dallas. Parcells said Payton had a virus that sometimes led to him using a few too many cute play-calls. Payton was the NFL coach of the year in 2006. He'll be a better coach for this experience.

Texans scrambling: With QB Matt Schaub expected to miss the Week 14 game against the Bucs and guard Fred Weary heading for injured reserve with a broken leg, the Texans will be forced to make some roster moves this week.

Chris White, Weary's replacement, suffered what appeared to be a season-ending knee injury in Week 13, so the Texans will have to add linemen and maybe a quarterback. Shane Boyd is probably going to be signed off the practice squad to be a backup quarterback. Coach Gary Kubiak will know by Wednesday whether Schaub will be able to play. Schaub has a dislocated left shoulder, which could keep him out a couple of weeks, but Kubiak hasn't ruled him out of the Bucs game. If RB Ahman Green can't practice this week, he may be headed to injured reserve. Green has missed six games with chronic knee problems.