Interception Virus infects NFL : Was that the same Denver team that walloped the Patriots last week? The Turnover Virus that deviled Brady seemed to have passed yesterday to Broncos QB Jake Plummer (four interceptions) , as Pittsburgh creamed Denver 34-17 -- and he then passed it to Jake Delhomme (three interceptions), whose Carolina team lost 34-14 a few hours later.

Even if Plummer had melted down a week earlier, the Patriots would have had a hard time against yesterday's Steelers.

Pittsburgh meets Seattle in the Super Bowl in two weeks -- Sunday, Feb. 5, at 6:18 p.m. on ABC, and this time, I'll be rooting for them to cap Detroit native Jerome Bettis's career with a win in his hometown. "The Bus" deserves it -- 13 seasons in the league, this will be his first time in the show.

5 things to look for in Super Bowl XL. Len Pasquarelli at ESPN.

Consider the possibilities: Steelers-Seahawks showdown could be memorable. At SI.com.

Abducted by the Green Fairy? Absinthe involved in honeymooner's disappearance from cruise ship: The Stamford Advocate details a bizarre story getting weirder:

An illegal alcoholic drink that gained notoriety in the 19th century for its hallucinogenic effects is emerging as the latest twist in a modern mystery surrounding a Greenwich man who vanished from his honeymoon cruise last summer.

Passengers say that absinthe, made from grain alcohol and the common herb wormwood, was consumed by a group of men last seen with George Allen Smith IV on July 5, the day he disappeared from a Royal Caribbean cruise of the Mediterranean.

Due to the hallucinogenic effects of absinthe, imbibing it is sometimes called, "Chasing the Green Fairy."

Cheaper thrills: Speakeasy cuisine: Underground restaurants flourish in the Bay Area. S.F. Chronicle finds eating out is more exciting if it's a bit illegal -- and it's less expensive, too.