MVN: Most Valuable Network

The New York Giants and the Tennessee Titans share many similarities starting with the team names.

"Giants" and "Titans" are synonyms. The Giants and Titans are head and shoulders above all other teams in their conferences. The Giants and Titans, both 11-1, are a week or two away from locking up home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Tennessee is two games ahead of Pittsburgh by won-loss record. They trail the Steelers by half a game against AFC teams: Pittsburgh is 8-1 while Tennessee is 7-1.

The Titans face two patsies and two bullies in their last four games: Cleveland, Houston, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. Combined records for those teams: 25-24 overall, 21-15 against the AFC. Houston plays Monday night.

Tennessee should crush the Browns and Texans and should have home field locked up before facing the tough Steelers and resurgent Colts.

Pull that off and Jeff Fisher could be tempted to rest his players for Tennessee's last two games.

The Giants took a, ah, giant big step to lock up the conference with its 23-7 smack down of the Redskins. The G-Men are a perfect 8-0 against the NFC. Tampa Bay, 9-3 overall, is 8-2 against the conference.

New York has four conference games remaining, two against division rivals Dallas and Philadelphia followed by contests with Carolina and Minnesota. Those teams are 30-17-1 overall and 22-14 against the conference.

The Giants show few weaknesses as a team. That old saw "they don't rebuild, they reload" applies to them this year.

They are already the Beast of the East. Lets make it official now. But they have the tougher road to home field.

If they get by the Eagles and Cowboys, the Giants will lock up home field before facing the Panthers and Vikings, both desperately locked in their own races for a division crown.

The Cowboys are reasserting themselves. If they should pull off an upset in week 15, New York's hurdle for home field gets higher in the form of the Carolina Panthers in week 16 at the Meadowlands.

If the Cowboys pull off that upset, the NFL should flex the Giants-Panthers game from 1:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon to Sunday Night Football. That's a game we will want to see instead of the now scheduled San Diego at Tampa Bay.