FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -The New England Patriots have played without running back Laurence Moroney, without linebacker Junior Seau and without defensive backs Rodney Harrison, Eugene Wilson and Randall Gay.
And the list keeps getting longer.
Nose tackle Vince Wilfork and tight end Benjamin Watson, a pair of first-round picks from the 2004 draft who have become indispensable parts on either side of the ball, both left Sunday's 21-0 loss to Miami in the third quarter with leg injuries.
The Patriots won three Super Bowls by overcoming injuries, starting with the substitution of Tom Brady for Drew Bledsoe in 2001 and running through the two-way play of wide receiver Troy Brown when holes in the defensive backfield stretched the roster to its limits.
But this year, New England may be finding that replacements are hard to come by.
Already with subs in the secondary and at linebacker, the defensive line took a big hit when Wilfork, a 2004 first-round pick from Miami, went down against the Dolphins. Coach Bill Belichick did not comment on injuries in his weekly news conference on Monday.
``It's the same as it always is,'' Belichick said. ``It's Monday after the game. We'll see where we are on Wednesday.
``My crystal ball's a little cloudy today. I'll see if I can clear it up.''
Mike Wright filled in for Wilfork, and David Thomas came in for Watson, who leads the team with 49 catches and 643 yards and is tied for the team lead with three touchdown catches. But the Patriots snapped their three-game winning streak and handed out their first shutout since the Bills blanked them 31-0 to start the 2003 season.
The Patriots have lost three of their last six games; they also struggled in two of the victories, against hapless Detroit and against NFC North leader Chicago. Cornerback Ellis Hobbs preferred to focus on the wins - ``the left-hand column'' - and not about the quality of play.
``We're talking about one loss. You're trying to string them together,'' he said, brushing off concerns about injuries. ``If we allow them to become a distraction; if we allow them to handicap us; if we allow them to be an excuse, then that's that they will be.''Panthers
The Carolina Panthers said all the right things Monday as they vowed to play hard through their final three games of the season.
``You know, 9-7, that can give you a shot,'' safety Mike Minter said. ``That's the only thing we can go off of. Are we out? No. Does it look slim? Yes. We still have three games left and we can't fold it up.''
Sunday's 27-13 loss to the New York Giants put Carolina's postseason hopes in serious jeopardy.
The team that many predicted would easily march its way to its first Super Bowl title is instead 6-7 on the season and must close the year with three straight wins - over Pittsburgh and at Atlanta and New Orleans - to even have an outside shot of making the playoffs.
Coach John Fox refused to throw in the towel on Monday.
``If you do the math, it works. Time will tell whether we can accomplish or not,'' he said.
But the coach looked weary, with bloodshot eyes that belied his sense of hope. His team isn't playing well right now, he has no idea when quarterback Jake Delhomme will return to the lineup and its going to take a gigantic effort to salvage this once-promising season.
Fox acknowledged the frustration is seeping through the organization, and blamed it on a stretch of close losses that led up to Sunday's one-sided loss to the Giants.
``They wear on you, there's no question,'' he said. ``It's not easy. It's not easy on the players. It's not easy on the coaches. I'm sure it's not easy on the fans. When you lose, that brings frustration at all levels.''
But he held firm when asked if he believed the Panthers have it in them to claw their way back into contention.
``Umm-hmm,'' he said. ``I will always believe that.''Cardinals
Their season was a lost cause after an eight-game losing streak, but somehow the Arizona Cardinals have regrouped.
Their 27-21 victory over defending NFC champion Seattle on Sunday was their third win in four games.
``What I like is that the players and coaches hung together, never came out on a Wednesday like they didn't want to be there,'' coach Dennis Green said Monday news conference.
Green attributes the improvement to Mike Kruczek taking over the offensive coordinator's job.
``I think Mike's done a very good job,'' Green said. ``The players feel they kind of know what's coming, which is important. We aren't scoring as many points as maybe we will in the last three games or at least we'd like to, but I think he's done a very solid job.''
In the last five games, opponents have sacked Matt Leinart only four times. He was not sacked by the Seahawks, throwing for two touchdowns.
The line also has given Edgerrin James some long-awaited room to run. He rushed for 115 yards against the Seahawks, his second 100-yard effort in a row. He had no 100-yard performances in Arizona's first 11 games.
The improvement came after Arizona moved Wells from left guard to right tackle, benching Oliver Ross. Rookie Deuce Lutui took over at right guard, and Milford Brown returned from injury to play left guard.
``Yeah, I think it's coming together,'' Green said. ``I think they've worked hard at it. We moved the guys around a little bit and I think they're working well. We haven't had many guys miss practice. We've had them in the same positions, so it's worked good.''
The Cardinals had no injuries against Seattle and expect nose tackle Kendrick Clancy back next Sunday against Denver, Arizona's final home game of the season.Bills
Despite their win over the Jets Sunday, Buffalo is all but out of the playoff race.
But the Bills (6-7) have won four of their last six and are proving doubters wrong.
``A lot of people thought that we were completely out of the race,'' defensive end Chris Kelsay said Monday. ``But I never got the sense that that was the feeling in the locker room.''
Even in the face of missing the playoffs for a seventh straight season, the Bills are refusing to go down with a whimper.
Two of Buffalo's past four victories have been decided by last-minute scoring drives. And the Bills' past two losses have been decided by a combined four points and coming against Indianapolis and San Diego, two of the NFL's elite teams.
With three games left, starting with a home game Sunday against Miami (6-7), Buffalo has an opportunity to finish with a winning record for only the second time since 1999.
The Bills' win over the Jets (7-6) was their most complete and impressive of the year. It came against an AFC East rival that had a chance to firmly jump into the playoff race after having won three of its previous four.
Buffalo won with a patchwork defense that was missing three injured regulars, and forced to start four rookies - including cornerback Ashton Youboty, who made his NFL debut. And the Bills didn't flinch when veteran linebacker Takeo Spikes missed most of the second quarter with an ankle injury before returning for the second half.Steelers
Coach Bill Cowher says quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple will finish out the season with the team, even if he is hired by Boston College to be its head coach.
Whipple, who formerly coached at the University of Massachusetts, met with B.C. officials Sunday and is considered the front-runner for the position. ``He's a quality person and a good football coach who would be a great asset to any school,'' Cowher said.
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