Reports that Justin Smith will be Inactive

     San Francisco 49ers defensive end Justin Smith has played in 185 consecutive games. That streak looks to be ending tonight as the 49ers will take on the Seahawks. Adam Schefter of ESPN, reports that Justin Smith will be inactive tonight with an elbow injury that he suffered last Sunday night against the Patriots.

     Smith plays over 90% of the 49ers defensive plays and are a completely different defense when he is not in. Although, head coach Jim Harbaugh listed Smith as questionable, their plan is to make the Seahawks think that Smith will be active tonight. Smith has not missed a game since 2001, when he was a rookie for the Bengals.

PFH Week 16 Spotlight: Keenan Lewis

     The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost four out of their last five games. Their last win coming in week 14 against the Ravens when quarterback Charlie Batch was the starting quarterback due to a Ben Roethlisberger sprained shoulder. In that game, cornerback Ike Taylor went down with a broken fibula. The Steelers defense hasn't been the same since. However, another Steelers cornerback has done some very good things all year long, and his biggest test of his career will be this Sunday against the Bengals.

     Cornerback Keenan Lewis has had a productive season, and without a doubt, his most productive since being drafted by the Steelers back in 2009. Lewis is a starting cornerback, but usually lines up on the second best receiver on the field. However, since Taylor has went down, Lewis has been asked to cover opponent's number one receiver, and has answered the call on just about every play. Being that this is Lewis' contract year, and he really wants to show how important of a player he is, he will need to do it again against one of the League's best, A.J. Green. Green is arguably one of the top three wide receivers in the league. Green has 85 receptions for 1,208 yards receiving, and 11 touchdowns. Green has only been held for one reception in a game all season, and that was against the Steelers. Who was covering Green? Ike Taylor. With Taylor still out, it will be up to Keenan Lewis.

     As hard as it might be to stop the 6'4, 207 pound Green, the Steelers don't have much of a choice. They are currently 7-7 and are fighting for the sixth seed which is currently being held by the 8-6 Bengals. So to put an even bigger spotlight on Lewis, the playoffs are on the line. If the Steelers lose, they will be eliminated from the playoff race. Keenan will play a big role in whether the Steelers playoff hopes will stay alive by the outcome of this game.

Financial trouble coming for the Saints?

     The New Orleans Saints are going to have to make some big decisions after the 2012 season comes to an end. They are facing a tight year with the salary cap. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Saints will come in at $16 million over the cap. With two key players in defensive lineman Sedrick Ellis and offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod in the last year of their contract, the Saints will have to make some cuts. It might just start with linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith.

     If the two defensive leaders want to remain on the roster, they will most likely be taking a huge pay cut. Smith's contract gives him $10.15 million in salary plus in bonus pay in the 2013 season. Vilma's contract gives him $6 million through the 2013 season. If both Smith and Vilma are released, the Saints will be charged with $9.4 million in contract penalties within the next two years. If this is not enough room, the Saints could be making even more releases and cuts into some salaries. For instance, safety Roman Harper's days with the Saints could be numbered. He will be collecting $5.4 million in 2013 with his current contract with the team.

     How did this all happen? Drew Brees will be taking a huge chunk of pay home in the 2013 season. Brees will be going from the $10.4 million that he made in the 2012 season, to  $17.4 million he will be making next season. This could cause a loss of  some key players on this roster. So with out a doubt, the Saints will be making some slices and dices if they want to cover for their free agents, draft picks, undrafted free agents, Sean Payton's expired contact, etc. They could be in trouble.

Lewis not expected to play until Playoffs

     Earlier rumors that Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis could be returning to action this week after practicing for three weeks with his torn triceps injury seems to be misleading. Ian Rapoport from the NFL Network is reporting that the Ravens are not expecting Lewis to play until the postseason.

     The Ravens are already extremely thin at linebacker with Jameel McClain out with a spinal cord contusion and Dannell Ellerbe questionable with an ankle injury, the Ravens don't expect to put Lewis on the field until the beginning of January. With two games left of the regular season against two potential playoff teams (Giants and Bengals), the Ravens defense is really beat up. They will need to patch it up and stop this three game losing streak if they want to get on a roll before the playoffs arrive.