ESPN analyst Joe Theismann answers five key questions after Week 12 of the 2001 NFL season:

Which NFL coach would be the best fit for Notre Dame?
Notre Dame should take its time and get its list together of people to consider for the job. However, Jon Gruden and Tom Coughlin have been mentioned and considered. The name of Oregon's Mike Bellotti has come up.

	Jon Gruden, left, should continue with what he's started in Oakland.

Ideally, there is no question Notre Dame would like to have the 38-year-old Gruden. His dad coached in South Bend. Gruden lived in Indiana. He would be excited about the job. I have spoken to him on a number of occasions about it. His dream was to be an NFL coach. If I were give him advice, I'd say, "Jon, go win an NFL championship. Complete the task you have begun."

People don't realize what he has accomplished in Oakland. The Raiders were an organization that would never change -- never. But in three years, Gruden has changed their attitude and their personality and brought back a commitment to excellence. To make an analogy, he has changed the way a stream flows, which anyone would think is impossible. I don't think it is time for him to walk away from the Raiders.

If I could pick one NFL coach I would want at Notre Dame, it would be Gruden because I know him and his commitment and his passion and love for the university. But it ain't going to happen -- period.

Notre Dame football needs to change its personality. It must become more offensive; Notre Dame must get better play from the skill positions and from the quarterback. Notre Dame and its alumni have greater expectations than we have seen over the last few years. The Irish have not been a soundly coached football team, something that must be corrected at Notre Dame.

Are the Steelers playing the best ball in the NFL?
The Steelers are pretty close to playing the best football. Offensively, they are extremely efficient running the football. Defensively, they are tough, ranked No. 1 in the league. Kordell Stewart has had a terrific year. He has played smart and within himself and has thrown the ball as well this year as I've ever seen him throw.

San Francisco and Chicago, two teams nobody expected to be good, must rank near the top as well. Despite losing Sunday, the Oakland Raiders are still playing among the best.

Few teams are as hot as the Arizona Cardinals. They have won three in a row and have victories this season on the road at Philadelphia and now at Oakland against a Raiders team many consider to be a Super Bowl contender. Dave McGinnis has done an outstanding job turning the Cardinals around.

Which teams' playoff bubbles burst and stayed inflated Sunday?
For teams whose bubbles are bursting, I would include Indianapolis, Minnesota and Denver. The Broncos continue to get poor play out of Brian Griese. When he makes a mistake, it's major. His interceptions are not being run back five yards to kill a drive; his are being returned for touchdowns, like Peyton Manning, who threw another one Sunday. I've never in my life heard of a quarterback throwing interceptions and having six of them run back for touchdowns. Never. It just doesn't happen -- at least, until Manning did it.

Tennessee inflated its chances with a big victory over Cleveland. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are the odds-on favorites in the AFC Central, so the Titans' victory keeps them close to at least getting a wild card. New England has also elevated its chances, beating the New York Jets, as did Miami, with two straight comebacks -- last week against Buffalo and Sunday against Denver.

Should the Raiders be worried about their slumping defense?
I don't think the Raiders should be worried about their defense. Every now and then they have gotten into a shootout or a game where they didn't play well. A few weeks ago against Seattle, the Raiders came into the game looking like a powerhouse, and the Seahawks ran the ball down their throats for 319 yards. On Sunday, David Boston and Jake Plummer made some great plays to lead Arizona.

The Raiders lost the game because David Dunn fumbled a punt. He made a horrible decision to try and field it. The Raiders-Cardinals game reminded me of last year's Rams-Saints playoff game, when Az Hakim fumbled the punt that allowed the Saints to win the game with a field goal. It seemed the Raiders were getting in a groove in the fourth quarter and would be able to move the football in overtime. But special teams cost them.

Despite the loss, I still look at the Raiders as one of the best and most solid teams in football.

Who'll win the Week 13 showdown in St. Louis -- 49ers or Rams?
The 49ers will have to play nearly perfect football to beat the Rams, who average 30.1 points a game. When they don't beat themselves, the Rams are the best team in football -- so I expect them to beat the 49ers.

It should be an incredibly exciting game. I don't believe Garrison Hearst will be able to run the ball as easily as he has. The 49ers need to figure out where Mike Martz will find a mismatch for Marshall Faulk. How will he get Faulk the football?

I do not see the home field as much of an issue. It would be if the Rams had to come to San Francisco to play the 49ers in the playoffs. The 49ers would love nothing more than to play everyone at 3Com Park, especially when the tide is high.

A game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football, former NFL QB Joe Theismann won a Super Bowl and a league MVP award. He reviews the NFL each week for ESPN.com in Cup o' Joe.