Can they push it to 10…and beyond?

 That will be one of the big questions as the NFL in Week 11 starts getting hotter as the weather turns colder. 

Can the New England Patriots – coming off their bye week – become only the 18th team in history to win the first 10 games of their season?  The 1929 Green Bay Packers did it first and the 2005 Indianapolis Colts accomplished it last. 

“We just have a tough road ahead of us, no matter who’s doing what and what the records are,” says Patriots quarterback TOM BRADY, not even thinking of any sort of perfect season or even homefield advantage in the playoffs.  “You really can’t get too focused on what’s going to play out.” 

What will play out this week is the first “flexible” game of the season, and – surprise! – the Patriots are in it.  They visit the AFC East-rival Buffalo Bills – themselves on a winning streak of four games – on Sunday night on NBC at 8:15 PM ET.  NFL “flexible scheduling” in Weeks 11-17 gives teams the chance to play their way onto primetime on NBC and into the late-afternoon 4:15 PM ET time slot on CBS and FOX.  

As the Patriots go for 10, they can see that the road only gets bumpier.  History’s undefeated streaks to start a season, ending with the 1972 Miami Dolphins’ 14-0 perfect season: 

SIZZLING STARTS

 So as the late-season scrambling gets tighter, here are some of Week 11’s big games:

  

 STORYLINE:  Another week, another division game! 

It’s the third in a row for the Cowboys, second straight for the Redskins.   Dallas ties Green Bay for the best record in the NFC, has lost only to undefeated New England , and has outscored its NFC East rivals by an average of 38-24. 

“They are stomping on everyone,” says Washington head coach JOE GIBBS.  “They are on a roll.” 

It’s pick your poison with Dallas .  QB TONY ROMO has thrown the second-most touchdowns in the league (23), WR TERRELL OWENS has three 100-yard receiving games in a row (with four TDs), and RB MARION BARBER has rushed for 20 TDs in his last 24 games.  

That all said, this is, after all, ’Boys-’Skins, and anything can happen.  Four of the last six meetings have been decided by no more than three points, and the teams split the other two. 

And the Redskins have started to grind it out in force.  CLINTON PORTIS, the league’s No. 3 rusher (766 yards) has had  two consecutive 100-yard games on a combined 66 rushes.  He had 67 carries in the four games before that.

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NFL FACTOID 

OLDIES BUT GOODIES:  When the Carolina Panthers play at the Green Bay Packers this Sunday, history can be made.  If Panthers QB VINNY TESTAVERDE (44 years, 5 days old on Sunday) starts against Packers QB BRETT FAVRE (38 years, 39 days old on Sunday), they would combine for the oldest starting QB duo in history (82 years, 44 days).  *****************************************************************************************************

 STORYLINE:  They’ll be waiting, David. 

What a way to get back into it after missing three games with an ankle injury.   Jacksonville expects to have DAVID GARRARD back at QB this week.  But he returns against the league’s top pickoff team.  With their six interceptions of the Colts’ PEYTON MANNING last Sunday night, the Chargers now lead the league in the category with 17. 

 Antidote to that?  Pound it!  Jacksonville is truly a two-back team, joining Oakland as the only clubs with two RBs with 500 yards apiece -- MAURICE JONES-DREW (536) and FRED TAYLOR (519) -- making it the No. 3 rush team in the NFL. 

The Chargers, of course, have their own running threat in LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON, last year’s rushing champ, who has averaged 101.0 yards in San Diego ’s last four games.    

 STORYLINE:  Talk about evenly matched! 

Both clubs are 6-3, both come off losses, and each seems to have the antidote to one of the other’s strengths.  Most important of all, the teams are ranked No. 7 (Lions, 24.6) and No. 8 (Giants, 24.4) in the league in points per game. 

“It’s a statement game for us,” says Lions head coach ROD MARINELLI.  From here on in, it is for every NFL team. 

It will be a game of who-will-dominate?  The Giants rank sixth in the NFL in rushing, the Lions eighth against the rush.  The Lions are No. 9 in passing, the Giants No. 9 against the pass.  The clubs even rank in the top five in the league in points-off-takeaways.   Detroit leads the NFL in the category with 97 points, New York has the fourth-most such points, 71. 

Home & away:  The Lions are 4-0 at home this year…All six of Giants QB ELI MANNING’s career 300-yard games have come on the road. 

 STORYLINE:  “Get out the hard hats and lunch pails!” 

That’s how Bills DE CHRIS KELSAY describes the approach his team will take against the mighty Patriots.   Buffalo has followed that simple, blue-collar approach in turning its season around from a 1-4 start into its four-game win streak. 

The Bills play a begrudging defense.  They have allowed the fewest points (10) off their giveaways in the league.  They feel that their defense is similar to Indianapolis ’, the Patriots’ last opponent, so watching film of that game will help.  “We will take some things the Colts did and give ourselves some opportunities,” says Buffalo S DONTE WHITNER.

 Of course, Whitner and his mates will face, among many Patriots obstacles, the NFL’s receiving yards (924) and TD-catch (12) leader in RANDY MOSS.  A daunting task for a defense with his height, speed and sure hands, Moss has been on the field for 500 out of a possible 593 offensive snaps, according to the Boston Globe – most of any Patriot WR, TE or RB. 

The Bills hope to have rookie RB MARSHAWN LYNCH (ankle), the league’s fifth leading rusher (751 yards), at full speed.  He has had a hand in seven of their 10 offensive touchdowns this year. 

 STORYLINE:  First meeting of ’06 first-round QBs. 

Tennessee ’s VINCE YOUNG was No. 3 overall, Denver ’s JAY CUTLER – from Vanderbilt in Nashville -- No. 11.  

Young has taken the Titans to wins in 13 of the past 21 games he has started and threw for a career-high 257 yards last week in a loss to Jacksonville .  Cutler, in his first full season as a starter, ranks third in the league in third-down passer rating (109.4) and led Denver to a rejuvenating 27-11 win over Kansas City last week.  “We’ve got to keep this level of play up,” he says.     

The matchup of the night could be Titans DT ALBERT HAYNESWORTH against Denver ’s OL if he can return from a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the Jaguars’ game.  “Albert is a dominant player,” says Titans DE KYLE VANDEN BOSCH.  “He’s such a force.  He draws double teams in the run game.” 

That influence can impact on the Broncos’ rushing attack, which had a 109-yard, one-TD game from rookie SELVIN YOUNG last week.