Vikings coach won't put Favre on injured reserve

In the wake of two embarrassingly lopsided losses, interim coach Leslie Frazier isn't giving up on Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings.

Frazier said he would not put Favre on season-ending injured reserve with a concussion and wouldn't rule out a return to the field before the season is over.

"He's proven time and time again that he's capable of coming back and playing," Frazier said Tuesday.

Favre made a surprise start against Chicago on Monday night after being ruled out on Saturday with a sprained right throwing shoulder. He threw for 63 yards with one touchdown and an interception before getting knocked out of the game in the second quarter on a sack by Bears defensive end Corey Wootton.

Frazier said it was unlikely the 41-year-old quarterback could recover from the concussion in time to play Sunday at Philadelphia, but wouldn't rule out a return for the season finale at Detroit on Jan. 2.

Favre has said several times this will be his last season, and Frazier said the veteran doesn't want to go out watching from the bench.

"He doesn't want to let his teammates down," Frazier said. "He really wanted to play in front of the home fans last night for maybe the last time. That was important to him. I think more than anything he likes to compete and the fact that we've got two ballgames left, he's a guy who loves his teammates and loves to play."

Bengals put WR Owens on season-ending IR

The Bengals have placed Terrell Owens on season-ending injured reserve a day after the receiver had surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee.

The Bengals didn't make a corresponding move Tuesday to replace him on the roster.

Owens hurt the knee a couple weeks ago but kept playing. He aggravated it on the opening drive of a 19-17 win over Cleveland on Sunday, then hobbled off the field and didn't return. He finishes the season with 72 catches for 983 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns.

Steelers got first down on 9-yard run vs. Jets

Coach Mike Tomlin concedes the Steelers were mistakenly awarded a first down on a 9-yard run by Rashard Mendenhall during their 22-17 loss to the Jets on Sunday.

On first-and-10 from the Jets 35 early in the second quarter, Mendenhall gained 9 yards to the 26-yard line. After momentary confusion as the chain crew began moving the sticks, referee Peter Morelli's crew put the ball down at the 25 and signaled a first down.

The statistics crew hastily awarded Mendenhall a 10-yard carry - an extra yard that wound up giving him a 100-yard game. The Steelers went on to score a touchdown on Ben Roethlisberger's 9-yard pass to Matt Spaeth.

Alex Smith or Troy Smith? Singletary not saying

Mike Singletary is keeping mum on his starting quarterback.

The coach has made up his mind on who will get the call for San Francisco's must-win game Sunday at St. Louis. He just isn't saying which guy named Smith will be under center for the 49ers.

Smith 1 or Smith 2? Singletary says it might just be both.

"It depends on how the game goes," Singletary said Tuesday.

He said he has talked to both quarterbacks and insists each will get his share of reps in practice this week to be ready to play.