Week 5 NFL Predictions

I hate to start off with this kind of news again, but Raiders owner Al Davis was confirmed to have died at the age of 82 today. He was known for being one of the most out-there owners, consistently firing coaches if they weren’t winning Super Bowls in just a couple years, drafting kickers in the first round and always looking for the fastest guy in the draft field. On the flip side, though, he was one of the NFL’s early innovators. Without him, the entire NFL landscape looks different, and one of the most dynamic teams of the last half-century never exists. Davis hasn’t been well – Denarius Moore let slip a couple weeks ago that none of the rookies had met the owner, who used to be a staple on the practice sidelines – for a while, it seems, but I don’t think anybody expected this. My condolences to Raiders fans and those close to the Davis family.

Now, it seems like we have a couple of ridiculous trends going right now. The first, and what has to be the most shocking, are the undefeated Detroit Lions. Three years ago, this team went 0-16, an NFL first. This year, they became the first team to ever record back-to-back victories after trailing by 20 or more. That just doesn’t happen (clearly). Second, don’t look now, but Wes Welker is on pace for 2,464 yards and Calvin Johnson on pace for 32 touchdowns. Both would not just shatter their respective receiving records; no player has ever scored 32 times in a season, and Welker’s yards would come close to matching Chris Johnson’s total yards-from-scrimmage record. And then of course, we continue the year of the quarterback. Six are on pace to throw for 5,000 yards, which only two have done … in history. I keep hearing that eventually, defenses will shake off the rust and this will slow down, but all six not continuing this pace? I doubt it. Looks like Dan Marino may have to move over soon. Now, for your Week 5 picks.

Week 4 Results: 12-4

Season Total: 23-9

Tennessee Titans (3-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2):

The Steelers aren’t looking pretty right now. The defense is still solid, but it isn’t the unbreakable wall it’s been for the last few years. The offense looks downright shaky, though, and now Big Ben is in a boot and Hines Ward is still nowhere to be found. The Titans, on the other hand, are flourishing behind the league’s No. 1 scoring defense and despite the lack of playmaking coming from Kenny Britt and Chris Johnson. Johnson seems to be finding his stride though, and don’t be surprised to see him pull out another 100-yard performance today. However, Pittsburgh still has gas left in the tank, and home field is always a nice luxury when you’re sitting in the Steelers’ precarious position.

Pittsburgh Steelers: 21-17

Philadelphia Eagles (1-3) at Buffalo Bills (3-1):

This game has a hint of desperation to it. A loss for Vick and the Eagles may drop them to three behind the division-leading New York Giants and Washington Redskins, a far cry from the “Dream Team” that Vince Young espoused at the beginning of the year. On the other hand, though, Buffalo has to feel a little alarm after last week’s collapse at Cincinnati. Has it all just been a fluke? Have teams figure them out? I would not want to be in either team’s position right now. Buffalo managed to outduel Tom Brady and the Patriots a couple weeks ago at home, but I can’t see them doing it again this week. Eagles score early and often here, Ronnie Brown doesn’t pitch it to the opposing defense and the Bills just won’t keep up.

Philadelphia Eagles: 34-24

Kansas City Chiefs (1-3) at Indianapolis (0-4):

Who was surprised by Kansas City’s win last week? I was. Granted, it was at home, Minnesota was the team that looked like it had quality but just wasn’t playing well, not the Chiefs. Instead, Matt Cassel found his groove, and the Chiefs defense seem to have a found a way to hold it together. But the bigger surprise last week had to be Curtis Painter. Demoted to second-string 19 days before the season opener to make way for retiree Kerry Collins, clearly the Colts had no confidence in him. Then he came out and gave Tampa Bay all it wanted from a first-time starter. If Painter can keep his consistency going against a weaker Chiefs’ D and keep Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon and Dallas Clark involved in the offense, the Colts should erase those 0-16 fears right here.

Indianapolis Colts: 27-21

Arizona Cardinals (1-3) at Minnesota Vikings (0-4):

Well the Kevin Kolb experience isn’t failing, per se, but the Cards definitely haven’t found any wins off him this season. What looked like a decent division race in the NFC West has now left Arizona way behind. Beanie Wells looked shockingly good in his return last week, but that may be more a fluke than a trend. Of course, Minnesota and Donovan McNabb seem to be doing the same dance up north. The Vikings, who were supposed to have a decent shot to contend with the addition of McNabb, are struggling in all facets, McNabb, who’s thrown for less than 200 yards per game, most of all. The wild card here is the run game for both teams. If Wells can produce another 180-yard outing like last week, the Cardinals have a chance to snap that losing streak. But the Vikings have Adrian Peterson. And Peterson’s gonna have a field day against this Arizona defense.

Minnesota Vikings: 31-17

Seattle Seahawks (1-3) at New York Giants (3-1):

Looks like I was wrong; Sidney Rice IS all that Seattle is lacking. Atlanta’s defense hasn’t exactly been stellar this year, but the same Seattle team that looked stagnant in the first couple of weeks still managed to come roaring back against the Falcons last week and hang 28 on them. New York, on the other hands, is quietly finding ways to win. A 100-yard performance by Hakeem Nicks here, a 100-yard performance by Brandon Jacobs there and Manning quietly having one of the best years of his career. Plus, the Seahawks are playing a 1 p.m. game on the East Coast. Again, I’ll complain, stop doing this, NFL. It’s not fair at all to expect west-coast teams to be fully prepared for a 10-a.m. kickoff.

New York Giants: 31-13

New Orleans Saints (3-1) at Carolina Panthers (1-3):

Well I’ll give it to Cam Newton: He doesn’t know how to lose. Granted, his team is doing it a lot, but that doesn’t mean he’s accepted his role on a bad team. Without him or Steve Smith, Carolina is, if possible, worse than last year’s 2-14 team. New Orleans, on the other hands, may already have this division under wraps. The Saints have found a steady runner in Mark Ingram, and of course Drew Brees needs no explanation. The Saints’ biggest advantage this week, though? Its defense. Coordinator Gregg Williams has gone to great lengths to give this D its opportunistic reputation, and that’s something Newton will have fits against. He’ll get his 350 yards, but he’ll throw three interceptions as well. The wins will come, Cam. Just not this week. Not against this team.

New Orleans Saints: 31-28

Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3):

Andy Dalton got himself a legitimate comeback last week. The Bills may or may not pan out, but right now, that was a big, big comeback for the Bengals, and it’s a good sign in a division that looks like it may be weakening. The Jaguars are headed in the opposite direction, though. That offense is a mess, and the defense isn’t much better. Jack del Rio needs to have a great reason for doing this to his offense, or he may be starting the coaching carousel this season.

Cincinnati Bengals: 21-17

Oakland Raiders (2-2) at Houston Texans (3-1):

I don’t want to know what the Raiders are going through right now. From what I’ve heard, they found about Davis’ death when they woke up this morning, and the majority of players/staff on this team felt a strong affinity for the man. Emotions are gonna run high, and I’ve no doubt several Raiders are going to have great days. But this isn’t the same Houston team we’ve seen for the last 10 years. The No. 1 rushing attack in the country is going up against one of the worst run defenses. Andre Johnson is out, but Owen Daniels and Jacoby Jones are healthy enough to carry the passing attack.

Houston Texans: 31-28

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) at San Francisco 49ers (3-1):

The Niners have to like where they’re sitting right now. They’re the only team that seems to have made serious improvement in the NFC West, and by “improvement,” I mean hiring a Harbaugh. Seriously, these guys are scary good. Jim made the playoffs in his first year with the Ravens, and John is well on his way with the Niners. All of a sudden, Alex Smith doesn’t look like a huge bust, and that defense held the Eagles scoreless for an entire half. Think about it. DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Michael Vick, Lesean McCoy, Brent Celek and Ronnie Brown all couldn’t combine for a single point. That’s impressive. But Tampa Bay isn’t just better than Philadelphia, it’s offense may be better. No one plays the fourth quarter like Josh Freeman, and the Bucs are rolling right now. San Fran will have trouble slowing them at all.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 27-17

San Diego Chargers (3-1) at Denver Broncos (1-3):

San Diego may be a winning team, but it sure doesn’t like doing so. The Chargers had arguably the easiest opening quarter season in the league, and they scraped out all three of their wins against teams that are a combined 1-11 right now. Philip Rivers is as good as ever, Ryan Matthews looks like the next LT, but this team is teetering on the brink right now. And I think Denver will push them over. Kyle Orton has Brandon Lloyd back, and Eric Decker has quickly emerged as a top wideout, while Willis McGahee is showing what he has left in the tank. Thankfully, Rivers’ likes to make cornerbacks’ jobs easy, so the fact that the Broncos’ defense is despicable should be covered up.

Denver Broncos: 30-24

New York Jets (2-2) at New England Patriots (3-1):

Did you know the Patriots are giving up nearly 500 yards per game? That’s not bad; that’s historically awful. A blind quarterback with handless receivers could score on this defense. Unfortunately for New York, Mark Sanchez and Co. aren’t acting like they’re much better than that. This offense has all the right pieces, but if it weren’t for an incredible defensive performance through the first quarter, the Jets wouldn’t even be contending. That said, Tom Brady will put up 300 on these guys. And with the introduction of the Stephen Ridley run game, the Pats’ offense will be as potent as ever.

New England Patriots: 34-20

Green Bay Packers (4-0) at Atlanta Falcons (2-2):

If you have to bet on one game this week, do not bet on this one. Matt Ryan has never lost at home in the regular season. He’s only ever lost here once. To Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in last year’s playoffs. And that was a 48-21 shellacking. This week, I have to give the edge to Rodgers. Ryan and the Falcons will fight, but Ryan is simply getting hit too much, and their defense is far too porous, for the Falcons to stay in this game for long, especially if they can’t find a way to rattle Rodgers somehow.

Green Bay Packers: 38-27

Chicago Bears (2-2) at Detroit Lions (4-0):

Look, I’m all about the Cam Newton bandwagon right now, but that’s no excuse to give up 29 points to an offense that consists of two plays: Throw it to Steve Smith, and run it with Cam Newton. That was a game at Soldier Field that the Bears had to take decisively, and instead, they took it meekly. The only upside? Jay Cutler wasn’t sacked last week. And of course, that means nothing against one of the best D-lines in the NFL. Ndamukong Suh appears to have made it his mission to give QBs nightmares, and he’s going to have a field day with this offense. Meanwhile, who can stop Matt Stafford and Megatron? The Cowboys tried, and largely succeeded, for three quarters, but still couldn’t hold on. Added to that, this is the first Monday Night Football game in Detroit (with the Lions playing) in 10 years, and it’s the first ever in Ford Field. Think that place won’t be rocking the whole night? This is a statement game for the Lions, and the Bears are on the wrong end of the punctuation.

Detroit Lions: 34-14

Week 4 NFL Predictions

For those of you who haven’t heard the news, Mike Heimerdinger lost his battle with cancer yesterday at the age of 58. Heimerdinger has been an integral force behind the Titans’ success in the last two decades and despite his diagnosis of a rare form of cancer, Heimerdinger elected to continue coaching his players last year, despite what I can only imagine was the most stressful time of his too-short life. As a devoted Titans fan for much of my life, I can say with assurance that Heimerdinger, you will be missed by everyone.

Now, a couple of things to start off with this week: First off, what the heck, Buffalo? You’re not supposed to buck the trend. You’re supposed to be Buffalo, and do what Buffalo does (Buffalo buffalo buffalo, anyone? No? OK, no more nerd jokes), and lose. A lot. That and Oakland. We all knew McFadden was talented, when he’s healthy, and I even called the Raiders’ win over the Jets, but that was a seriously good effort by Oakland. Coming back from 17-7 and stymying what you can argue is the most talented offense in the NFL is how you say, “Hey, we’re for real.” In other news: Detroit’s awesome (but what’d you expect? The Lions generally are.), Kansas City is just flat bad, and giving Minnesota a two-touchdown lead is like giving a crack addict a load of coke. It’s gone in 30 minutes flat. Also, Kerry Collins’ reputation should go through the roof after this week. Now, without further ado, here are my picks:

Week 3 Results: 11-5

Season Total: 11-5

Tennessee Titans (2-1) at Cleveland Browns (2-1):

Cleveland’s wins have been shaky and the opponents have been weak, but a winning record is a winning record. The Browns do play solid football, with a defense that doesn’t break, as well as a potential two-headed running attack that may give coordinators fits in the near future. Plus they have the winningest NCAA quarterback of all time. That probably helps a little (if he continues to pan out). However, Mike Munchak played under Heimerdinger and coached under him. Think Tennessee might have an emotional edge this week? Look for Chris Johnson to have his breakout week Sunday and Hasselbeck to continue his tear.

Tennessee Titans – 27-13

Detroit Lions (3-0) at Dallas Cowboys (2-1):

I read somewhere that Cris Carter said at the beginning of the season that Calvin Johnson wasn’t even a top-5 NFL wide receiver. Johnson is threatening one of Carter’s most impressive records (consecutive multi-touchdown games, with four) this week. Think Carter’s noticing Megatrown now? That said, Minnesota seemed to have figured out the Lions’ offense last week but couldn’t close the deal. The Cowboys’ defense, led by Demarcus Ware, is as formidable as it’s ever been and if he gets to Stafford as many times as Jared Allen did last week, Detroit may need to worry about finding a backup QB for the third straight season.

Dallas Cowboys – 24-21

Carolina Panthers (1-2) at Chicago Bears (1-2):

ESPN analyst said Cam Newton came back down to mortality last week, throwing for less than 200 yards. Newton still has the rookie record for most passing yards in a three-game stretch, and he threw for those 200 yards (minus 68 on a Jonathan Stewart reception, called back on a technicality) in the heaviest rain I’ve ever seen in an NFL game. Yeah, awful performance. For Chicago, the same issues remain. Jay Cutler HAS to remain standing (only JaMarcus Russell can throw the ball from his butt, and we all saw how that worked out) and Martz HAS to figure out a way to open up the run game. Thankfully, Chicago should have a week’s respite before refocusing on the fact that they’re playing for third in the NFC North.

Chicago Bears – 27-17

Buffalo Bills (3-0) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-2):

To be fair, I never saw Ryan Fitzpatrick as a horrible quarterback; he just never seemed an all-star quarterback. But regular quarterbacks don’t outduel one of the game’s greatest, even on one day. Cincinnati looks like it could be good, but the Bengals laid an egg against San Fran. Youth could be a problem for the Bengals, and I think the Bills will have just enough opportunities to pull out a squeaker here. (Side note: WHY are the Bengals not dealing Palmer? They’ve clearly found a decent replacement in Andy Dalton.)

Buffalo Bills – 31-30

Minnesota Vikings (0-3) at Kansas City (0-3):

Somebody has to win here, I guess. My opinion: Vikings will run up a 27-7 halftime score, with Adrian Peterson having the half of his life, with 150 yards and two touchdowns, but Minnesota will mysteriously forget about him for the third straight second half, and allow the hapless Chiefs to climb back in to tie it. Neither team will score in overtime.

OK, I was serious about the first chunk. Just not the overtime part. And I think Matt Cassel, Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston will find a way to keep it close in the second, but the Vikings should walk out of here with their first win.

Minnesota Vikings – 30-23

Washington Redskins (2-1) at St. Louis Rams (0-3):

I know the Rams are hurt on offense, but KC has it worse and still managed to give San Diego a go last week. Torrey Smith made the Rams look silly on defense, which, given Steve Spagnuolo’s predigree, really is inexcusable. Good Rex doesn’t even need to show up for the Skins to keep on rolling.

Washington Redskins – 27-10

San Francisco 49ers (2-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-2):

Michael Vick needs to slow down. He’s not healthy and he keeps getting hurt and, no, that isn’t the refs fault. (He may have a legitimate grievance here, but if you play like a running back, you’re going to get calls like a running back. Deal with it.) Odds are, Vick will miss time in this one as well, let’s keep in mind, the Niners are not a good team. Solid, consistent play has kept them winning, but look for the Eagles to explode on both sides of the ball, with or without Vick.

Philadelphia Eagles – 34-13

New Orleans Saints (2-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2):

Drew Brees would like to issue a statement to everyone worshipping Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Cam Newton right now: “Hey, I’m still around.” Or he would, if he hadn’t done so in the fourth quarter against the Texans. Lance Moore is back for the Saints, and the run game seems to have found its feet. Meanwhile, nobody has a clue what Jacksonville is doing. Jones-Drew is great, but when your leading receiver has 139 yards through three games, 40 of which came on an end-of-half Hail Mary, it’s not hard to figure out how to stop that offense.

New Orleans Saints – 34-18

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) at Houston Texans (2-1):

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something isn’t right with the Steelers’ offense this year. Maybe it’s the star-player effect? Two years ago, Chris Johnson had 2,500 yards from scrimmage, and was incredible through the first six games of the season … while his team struggled to 0-6. This year, Mike Wallace is close to his predicted pace for a 2,000-yard season, yet Pitt can’t score. Roethlisberger’s excessive turnovers do not help, and facing a much-improved Texans team that held New Orleans down for three quarters won’t do anything to improve the Steeler struggles. Consider this a semi-permanent changing-of-the-guard game.

Houston Texans – 24-21

New York Giants (2-1) at Arizona Cardinals (1-2):

Eli Manning likes his streaks doesn’t he? Five or six games at a time, he’s an elite-caliber QB. Rest of the season, though, he’s solidly average. He should have a couple more games in him, so relax, Giants fans. However, Ahmad Bradshaw really should be getting the ball more. He’s as quick as anyone in this league, and it’s a crime for him to get fewer than 15 touches a game. On the flipside, Arizona is an enigma. The defense seems to be leading this team (even if Sidney Rice had his way with it last week), while the Kevin Kolb-Larry Fitzgerald connection isn’t exactly what the Cardinals were hoping for. Arizona should turn this around, but it won’t be this week.

New York Giants – 27-17

Atlanta Falcons (1-2) at Seattle Seahawks (1-2):

All right, Atlanta, what was that? 20 yards on 11 carries for Michael Turner? Tampa Bay is a good team, and that loss had to come, but that was a woefully inept offensive performance from a very solid offense. The Falcons have been a little limp since getting blown out by Green Bay last year, but Matt Ryan and Co. are too talented to not turn this around soon. Meanwhile, Seattle finally found an offense, and it comes in the form of Sidney Rice. Rice broke 100 yards in his first game back (he’s just shy of being the team’s leading receiver, if that tells you anything), but as Minnesota proved a couple years back, Rice cannot take you to the playoffs. Or even win against decent teams.

Atlanta Falcons – 30-13

Denver Broncos (1-2) at Green Bay Packers (3-0):

The Tim Tebow boos are only going to get louder, but this is not just Kyle Orton’s fault. Knowshon Moreno is well on his way to being another first-round bust, leading the run game straight into the ground. Thankfully, Denver’s defense seems to have stepped up. That’s not going to be enough to stop Aaron Rodgers, who, like Brady, is just operating on another level right now. If Orton manages to take advantage of the Pack’s clearly ailing secondary, the Broncos have a chance, but Rodgers at Lambeau? Might as well think Favre at Lambeau.

Green Bay Packers – 34-27

New England Patriots (2-1) at Oakland Raiders (2-1):

When the schedule came out at the beginning of the year, Bill Belichick had to have breathed a sigh of relief for the opening-season schedule, which featured three teams with losing records in four games. Not so much now. Both the Bills and the Raiders lead their division, and it doesn’t seem to be a fluke. The Raiders’s D, as I said earlier, is extremely good, even without All-Star cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, and could well give Brady more fits. What’s certain is, Wes Welker will NOT go for 200 yards again this week. However, Brady won’t throw four interceptions again, and Belichick simply doesn’t lose twice in a row. McFadden will lead the way for the Raiders, but he won’t be enough.

New England Patriots – 37-27

Miami Dolphins (0-3) at San Diego Chargers (2-1):

Miami is just a bad team right now. Daniel Thomas seems to be the lone bright spot for this team, and if Brandon Marshall doesn’t cure his case of the dropsies and the defense doesn’t settle down, the Phins are on their way to getting worse. Meanwhile, the Chargers continue the magic of having one of the league’s best offenses and defenses, yet squeaking out victories. They’ll try to lose this one too, but even they shouldn’t be able to give this one away.

San Diego Chargers – 21-19

New York Jets (2-1) at Baltimore Ravens (2-1):

Not a good stretch for the Jets. Baltimore may quietly be the league’s most well-rounded team, especially with the explosive emersion of Torrey Smith (I’ll stop talking about him when he doesn’t have 130 yards and three touchdowns through the first quarter, OK?). New York’s no slouch either. The offense seems to be clicking, and the defense is as formidable as ever. But Baltimore has home field in this one, and as physical as this game should be, you can expect that to play a huge role.

Baltimore Ravens – 17-13

Indianapolis Colts (0-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1):

Indy’s season just goes from bad to worse, but at least it gets to happen on primetime. Kerry Collins will be sitting this week out after receiving a concussion during last week’s loss to the Steelers, and Curtis Painter will be starting. And folks, Painter is bad. So bad, the Colts signed a 38-year-old retiree 19 days before the season opener, just to keep him from starting. And Indy won’t have the luxury of an offense that insists on giving up turnovers this week. Josh Freeman is just too consistent, and LeGarette Blount is a threat to explode any time … I mean running, not punching people, by the way.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 31-13

Side note: This is why I believe we should all respect Collins a little bit more. The starting job is his, guaranteed, yet he sits out when he has a concussion. More quarterbacks need to follow this mode. A recipient of a couple of concussions myself, I can tell you, they’re a serious deal, and they get worse each time. Stop with the bravado, Ben Roethlisberger and Michael Vick, and start focusing on your futures and on setting a good example for those who idolize you (regrettable though their choices may be).

Week 3 NFL Predictions

OK, so I’m only about 45 weeks late on this week’s entry, but in my defense … I don’t really have one. Laziness at its finest, ladies and gentlemen. I swear that’s gonna change this time around, though, so here’s this week’s picks (Fair warning: Lockout plus being overwhelmingly busy this summer means you probably shouldn’t quote me on these picks just yet.)

Denver Broncos (1-1) at Tennessee Titans (1-1):

I’m not a fan of starting with this matchup. The Broncos are a bad team that can score in a hurry (when healthy). As I’ve always said and will continue to say, Kyle Orton is an underrated quarterback, and he doesn’t need all-star-caliber receivers to get his job done. But, however inept the Titans’ offense may look – seriously, what the heck, CJ? – their defense has definitely taken a step up this year, silencing a potent Ravens offense last week. Gotta give the edge to the Titans here.

Tennessee Titans – 24-17

Detroit Lions (2-0) at Minnesota Vikings (0-2):

Raise your hands if, in 2009, you saw Detroit walking into the Metrodome in 2011 as heavy favorites. Any hands up? OK, put them down, liars. Minnesota is awful this year. That previously unmovable defensive line is torn and shattered, the secondary is as suspect as it’s been for the last four years, only now the Vikings have no way to cover that up. Conveniently enough – at least from my completely unbiased point of view – Matt Stafford can probably boil water right now, he’s so hot. Look for Calvin Johnson to have another two-touchdown game. On the flipside, Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin are about the only things the Vikings have going for them, and Detroit’s D-line could be the best in the nation. Good luck getting through Suh, guys.

Detroit Lions – 34-21

Green Bay Packers (2-0) at Chicago Bears (1-1):

This game should be renamed “A Day in the Life of Jay Cutler,” because that’s what’s going to happen to Aaron Rodgers. He’s gonna make fast friend with the turf and with Brian Urlacher, but then he’s going to score a lot. The issue the Packers are gonna have is finding a way to stop the Bears. When Cutler’s on – read: not getting decked every five seconds – Chicago has an incredibly efficient offense. And Green Bay may not have the answer. Look for the Bears to keep this division a three-way race for a little bit longer.

Chicago Bears – 27-23

New England Patriots (2-0) at Buffalo Bills (2-0):

When was the last time this game mattered? Like 2003? When was the last time Ryan Fitzpatrick mattered? When the Crimson student-athlete GPA was on the line? Seriously, though, Buffalo has the No. 1 scoring offense in the league, and New England is at a close third. Defense will be at a premium here, especially with New England’s Pat Chung out this week. Thankfully, Brady > Fitzpatrick. Always. Plus, losing 16 in a row just becomes mental at some point.

New England Patriots – 34-10

San Francisco (1-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-1):

You know what? I like Andy Dalton, and I really like A.J. Green. Plus, Cedric Benson isn’t suspended for his jail time yet, so there’s also that. The 49ers are a decent team this year, but they are not contenders. Unlike most people, I’m gonna say Alex Smith has lucked out in the fact that he’s had as many offensive coordinators as he’s had years in the league. Otherwise, he’d be out of a job. Never good when your team is led by a guy like that. Also never good? Kicking off when your body is telling you it’s 10 a.m. Seriously, NFL, stop with these West-to-East-Coast-games at 1.

Cincinnati Bengals – 28-17

Miami Dolphins (0-2) at Cleveland Browns (1-1):

Miami can’t catch a break. Perennially playing for second in its division, and what should’ve been an easy non-division game against Houston suddenly turned into a game against the AFC South’s best. Now the Dolphins have to go up against up-and-coming Colt McCoy, after Tom Brady and Matt Schaub laid out exactly how to shred their defense. Oh, and they have no more running backs. The Browns have Peyton Hillis. (At least the Dolphins have Dan Carpenter. There’s that.)

Cleveland Browns – 23-15

Houston Texans (2-0) at New Orleans Saints (1-1):

Don’t have a game preference this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET? Watch this one. The fireworks between Drew Brees and Schaub should put the Green Bay-Carolina game last week to shame. The only question I have is: Just how good is the Texans’ D? They stifled a stunted Colts offense and a bland Miami offense that no longer has its two top playmakers. Can they hold off Drew Brees and his circus in the Superdome? My guess: No.

New Orleans – 34-28

New York Giants (1-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-1):

You know, everyone always talks about how stacked the lineup of the Eagles is. But nobody ever talks about how often that O-line allows Vick to get hit … or how Philly is supposed to handle opponents without Vick. And let’s not get started on that defense. The Giants, though, have a whole other world of issues on the D, and if Vick does manage to play the full game – which I think he will – they won’t have an answer.

Philadelphia Eagles – 28-17

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) at Carolina Panthers (0-2):

Carolina’s had some poor fortune. Despite record-breaking numbers by Cam Newton – who, by the way, has made an official believer of me – the Panthers have nothing to show for it. That changes here. Jacksonville’s defense may be able to slow Cam down somewhat, but that offense has nothing that can scare anyone.

Carolina Panthers – 24-20

New York Jets (2-0) at Oakland Raiders (1-1):

You know what’s weird? Oakland being real, that’s what. Hasn’t happened since Rich Gannon’s days, which was a long time ago. But that’s what the black and silver are dealing with right now. A healthy Raiders offense should give even the Jets’ defense fits, and a healthy Raiders home crowd will give the whole Jets team fits. No hot dogs for Sanchize in this one.

Oakland Raiders – 17-14

Baltimore Ravens (1-1) at St. Louis Rams (0-2):

No one saw that Ravens loss coming. On an ugliness scale of 1-10, that was easily a 13. But let’s be honest here: Sam Bradford is still hurt, Stephen Jackson is still limping, Danny Amendola is still out. The Rams have nothing. Good time for Baltimore to show up in Missouri.

Baltimore Ravens – 31-13

Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at San Diego Chargers (1-1):

Now take the problems the Rams are having, triple them, and you may have some feeling of KC’s situation. Eric Berry and Jamaal Charles are both gone with ACL tears, along with Tony Moeaki. The Chiefs’ offense is clearly inept without Charlie Weis, and Philip Rivers is gonna have a field day with this defense. Chiefs’ reign in the AFC West ends with this game.

San Diego Chargers – 34-20

Arizona Cardinals (1-1) at Seattle Seahawks (0-2):

People keep knocking Kevin Kolb, but all I see is a decent QB with enough weapons to put points on the board. Plus, the Cardinals have one of the most underrated defenses in football. Meanwhile, Seattle dumped their franchise QB for … Tavaris Jackson? I feel like Pete Carroll wants to get fired. Until the Seahawks wizen up and find a new QB, that 0 behind their name will stick around for a while.

Arizona Cardinals – 21-10

Atlanta Falcons (1-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1):

The NFC’s best division of coming out of Week 2 at 1-7, thanks in large part to these two teams. Now, one has to decide which is going to stay in contention for the top of the division. Matt Ryan is legit, we’ve already seen, but nobody has end-game numbers like Josh Freeman. In Tampa, in what’s guaranteed to be a close game, look for another fourth-quarter victory to notch in Freeman’s belt.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 24-21

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Indianapolis Colts (0-2):

Think NBC regrets scheduling this one? Yep …

Pittsburgh Steelers – 34-14

Washington Redskins (2-0) at Dallas Cowboys (1-1):

Dallas just seems like a house of cards to me. Credit Tony Romo for fighting through some ridiculous injuries for this team, but fact remains he lost to the Jets, and the Cowboys have no legitimate substitute for him. Meanwhile, the Skins, like the Bears before them, will center solely around whether good Rex or bad Rex shows up that day. In a rivalry game that seems to mean a lot more to Cowboys faithful than to anyone else, I don’t see good Rex making it through. Cowboys find above .500 for the first time in a year.

Dallas Cowboys – 28-21

Week 11 NFL Predictions

I don’t have much to say this week, which is unfortunate, since you guys won't have much to watch this week. Three winning weeks in a row, though – even if my record has gotten progressively worse each week.

*Week 10: 7-6

*Overall: 54-41

Washington Redskins (4-5) at Tennessee Titans (5-4): OK, when I said Shanahan was killing his own team, I didn’t mean he was demoralizing them THAT badly. Either way, ‘Skins aren’t going to recover from that one in under a week.

Titans over Redskins: 31-20

Detroit Lions (2-7) at Dallas Cowboys (2-7): In my defense of last week, after watching the Bills give up three straight shoulda-been wins, would you have picked them against your favorite team, which should’ve beaten the Jets? Yes. That being said, I would not want to be in the Cowboys’ way right now. The team’s playing like everybody’s jobs are on the line (and they probably are).

Cowboys over Lions: 27-13

Buffalo Bills (1-8) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-7): Can we get a two-game win streak for the Bills? … um, no. Not on the road. Or at home. Or really anywhere (I feel like I’m reciting Green Eggs and Ham here).

Bengals over Bills: 31-10

Arizona Cardinals (3-6) at Kansas City Chiefs (5-4): The Chiefs needed this “break” badly. I can’t see this team losing three straight, with the third at home.

Chiefs over Cardinals: 28-13

Green Bay Packers (6-3) at Minnesota Vikings (3-6): I hate picking the Vikings. It’s just irritating, because I know they’re going to flame out, and eventually the team will have to accept what Favre is and bench him. That being said, there’s barely in a drama in this division, and this division needs drama.

Vikings over Packers: 17-14

Houston Texans (4-5) at New York Jets (7-2): This is not the season Gary Kubiak envisioned after Houston’s Week 1 win. We all know that. It’s too late for them to turn the season around, but I think you can expect a surprise here.

Texans over Jets: 21-17

Oakland Raiders (4-5) at Pittsburg Steelers (6-3): Anyone else notice the irony in the fact that Big Ben comes back, the offense plays better, and the Steelers goes 3-2 in that stretch? I did. It’s about to be 4-2, though. Raiders may be the best team in an OK division, but they aren’t doing what New England did last week.

Steelers over Raiders: 28-7

Baltimore Ravens (6-3) at Carolina Panthers (1-8): When in doubt, I usually go for the home team. Good thing my only doubt about this one is Ray Rice getting to 20 fantasy points this week.

Ravens over Panthers: 31-7

Cleveland Browns (3-6) at Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4): I don’t think Cleveland is a good team by any margin, but I think it does play a great spoiler team, with its consistency on offense, but I’ll save another of those upset calls for another week. Jacksonville finally seems to be clicking, and a home win against Cleveland is a must if the Jags want to stay in playoff contention.

Jaguars over Browns: 24-17

Atlanta Falcons (7-2) at St. Louis Rams (4-5): The Rams are no longer in first. Order seems to have been restored in the West … until this week at least.

Rams over Falcons: 21-17

Seattle Seahawks (5-4) at New Orleans Saints (6-3): Reality check time for the Seahawks, same as the Raiders. This is just a decent team controlling an awful division.

Saints over Seahawks: 28-16

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) at San Francisco 49ers (3-6): I’m officially drinking the Raheem Morris Kool-Aid, but I don’t think it’s gonna pan out this week. Given how desperate the Niners have to be at this point, plus the 3,500-mile home-field advantage, and I have to side with San Fran here.

49ers over Buccaneers: 24-21

Indianapolis Colts (6-3) at New England Patriots (7-2): I’m a little irritated at the scheduling on this one. Greatest game of the regular season for nearly a decade running, and it’s scheduled as an afternoon game – which I can’t watch because of work – instead of a night game. Way to hold the ball on this one, NFL. That being said, the Patriots got their marquee win last week. The Colts will get theirs this week, on a last-minute come-from-behind touchdown by Manning.

Colts over Patriots: 28-24

New York Giants (6-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (6-3): I refuse to admit I’m wrong about the Giants. This team will collapse at some point this year. No better time than the present … or just in Philly against Vick.

Eagles over Giants: 31-20

Denver Broncos (3-6) at San Diego Chargers (4-6): I do not want to pick for this game. The two will probably combined for 628 passing yards, 284 rushing … and three touchdowns. I don’t understand how offenses this good – and defense, in the Chargers’ case – can be part of such bad teams. It’s something to watch, though.

Chargers over Broncos: 17-13

Week 10 NFL Predictions

OK, so my Detroit prediction failed last week. I forgot how remarkably consistent teams, which have spent the last decade at the bottom of the league, are at falling apart when it seems impossible to do so. There’s always next year, I guess?

Also, I’m a little sad that I forgot about Thursday night’s game. I picked Atlanta to win. Apparently that was something of an upset – division-leading team at home is an underdog. That’s a new one – but I can’t count it, because I didn’t write it down.

Oh well, I’ll just have to go perfect this week.

*Week 9: 8-5

*Overall: 47-35

First back-to-back winning weeks, by the way. Not the biggest brag, but I can take it.

Detroit Lions (2-6) at Buffalo Bills (0-8): Remember how I said the Bears would be the team to give up Buffalo’s first win, and they managed to pull another win out of nowhere again? Yeah, Buffalo doesn’t seem to want to get anything this year.

As for the Lions, Matthew Stafford’s out again, but I think that may actually be a blessing in disguise. Don’t get me wrong, I’m slowly starting to be won over by the ‘Dawg (ew.), but I think Shaun Hill has better chemistry with the team, and if anyone can ensure a victory over a winless team, it’ll be Hill. That, plus Jim Schwartz not bombing the play-calling this week.

Lions over Bills: 27-7

Minnesota Vikings (3-5) at Chicago Bears (5-3): I don’t know which team has it better/worse. The Vikings, who seem to catch the weirdest breaks at the weirdest moments – think last week’s comeback versus the Cardinals, right after dumping Randy Moss – or the Bears, who just seem to hand victories about and get them returned twofold.

Here, I think it’ll be Bears. Mostly, because they’re at home, and I don’t have a clue how else to gauge this game, but also because the Vikings were L.U.C.K.Y last week. This team doesn’t know how to make the playoffs. I’m not saying the Bears do, but as long as Jay Cutler isn’t playing the role of meat being tenderized, the Bears actually have a pretty solid team.

Bears over Vikings: 21-16

New York Jets (6-2) at Cleveland Browns (3-5): I wanna say the Browns can pull off the shock twice in a row. And I wanna say the Jets can lose three times (Oh wait…two out of three. Never mind.) in a row. But it doesn’t matter how enticing this rivalry could become in the next few years – with Rob Ryan, Rex’s brother, as defensive coordinator for the Browns, as well as Eric Mangini, who took the Browns coaching position after being unceremoniously ousted from the same position in New York, facing off against Rex and the Jets – the Jets simply are too good to collapse midseason like this. Even is Mark Sanchez is still overrated.

Jets over Browns: 24-13

Cincinnati Bengals (2-6) at Indianapolis Colts (5-3): Bengals are in free fall, which is kind of weird, considering Palmer is as close to true form as he’s been in five years, and the Bengals have recently been known for their defense, not high-flying offense. Somehow, though, this team is just coming apart. And playing the Colts off a loss is not a good way to re-stitch those seams

(I really don’t have to say much more about Indy. We all know about Peyton.)

Colts over Bengals: 31-20

Tennessee Titans (5-3) at Miami Dolphins (4-4): Two major issues exist here for the Dolphins: 1) They haven’t won at home this year. Granted, it’s been against stiff competition, but two have been division rivalry games, so that’s definitely not a good thing; 2) Teams don’t get much more consistent than the Titans. Road or away, you can usually expect them to bring about the same level of performance each game.

Growing up watching the Titans, I know all too much about the latter. Home-field advantage for the Titans is not a big deal. Conversely, though, road games are no big threats either. And I like how that’s playing off here.

Titans over Dolphins: 17-14

Carolina Panthers (1-7) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-3): Poor Panthers. I no longer stand by my statement that this is a playoff team, but seriously, who has worse luck than these guys? Minus most of their running backs and their starting quarterback coming into this game. That’s just not right.

As for the Bucs, who in the world saw this coming? They’ve not been seriously blown out this year, and, granted, they have one of the easiest schedules in the league, but so did the Arizona Cardinals a couple years back. Ask them how the Super Bowl turned out. The Bucs may not be Super Bowl caliber, but you can chalk up at least one more win this week.

Buccaneers over Panthers: 24-13

Houston Texans (4-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4): Both of these teams have spent most of the season equal parts hype and disappointment. The Texans just can’t seem to get a consistent thing going – seriously, where the heck is Matt Schaub? This is his team, not Arian Foster’s – while the Jaguars are matched in schizophrenia only by the two NFC West leaders, Arizona and Seattle.

Let’s face it: Given the relatively surprising success of the Titans this year, neither of these teams has a legitimate shot at making the playoffs. But I think Houston’s going to keep itself out of last place for the second year in a row, starting with a win in Jax.

Texans over Jaguars: 30-24

Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) at Denver Broncos (2-6): Really, I don’t wanna waste time on this. Kyle Orton to Brandon Lloyd has been one bright spot in a very dreary season that serves only to make Bronco Nation regret firing Mike Shanahan.

Kansas City, meanwhile, is putting together a legitimate squad that’s matched by only, dare I say it, Oakland. Even if this game is mile high, the Chiefs heads are in the clouds right now, while the Broncos are in free fall.

Chiefs over Broncos: 21-13

Dallas Cowboys (1-7) at New York Giants (6-2): And I’m freeeeeee … freeeeefallin. What if the Super Bowl half-time show this year was Tom Petty?

Giants over Cowboys: 31-10

Seattle Seahawks (4-4) at Arizona Cardinals (3-5): I’ve given up even trying to understand the Seahawks.

The Cardinals, however, have the mark of a decent team that simply needs a quarterback. They’ve played well in most instances, and great in some (New Orleans). Any other year against any other division, this would be a practice year. This year, though, against this competition, I see the Cardinals having a chance. Hosting the bipolar Seahawks this week certainly isn’t hurting them.

Cardinals over Seahawks: 20-3

St. Louis Rams (4-4) at San Francisco 49ers (2-6): Well, the 49ers owner came out a couple weeks ago and said his team would win the NFC West. Now’s the time to put up or shut up. I gotta say, though, I do like this lineup, with Troy Smith in, instead of Alex Smith. If not for a bout of ill-timed food poisoning, Troy Smith could very well have been the Ravens’ starter in their playoff run a couple years ago.

The Rams have been one of this season’s pleasant surprises. They’re not quite on the level of the Bucs and the Chiefs, but at the same time, seeing them do well, after so many years of misery, is something I think almost everyone who has no vested interest in the NFC West playoff race kind of enjoys watching. This week, though, gotta go with the Niners.

49ers over Rams: 17-14

New England Patriots (6-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2): I don’t care who you like, this game is football at its finest. Two teams that have dominated in recent years, one on a prolific offense with a defense that gets the job done, the other the exact opposite.

Granted, last week was embarrassing, but Brady seems to have fully recovered, and the Patriots’ D has been a surprise this year, while the Steelers’ D has been even better than usual, and Big Ben’s return hasn’t hurt, either. Belichick coming off a loss is dangerous, but so is Heinz Field at night. Still though, I can’t see this New England squad dropping two in a row.

Patriots over Steelers: 17-13

Philadelphia Eagles (5-3) at Washington Redskins (4-4): Alright, the emotion of Donovan McNabb’s return to Philly has worn off, and Michael Vick’s reality has set in. I don’t know what Mike Shanahan is doing to his team, but he’s killing the ‘Skins chemistry, and let’s face it: The Eagles are the better team, and they’re going to want revenge.

Eagles over Skins: 20-17

Week 9 NFL Predictions

I’ve got awesome news for you guys, and I know every last one of you will care. Care to hazard a guess? … That’s right. Detroit is still in contention for the NFC North with a win over the Jets today. We all knew it was coming …

OK, so I’m kidding (sort of). But I’ve got plenty of reasons to be excited. As one friend put it, the Pack laid the groundwork on how to shut down the Jets, and if the Lions follow it, they should coast. The Lions offense literally can’t be stopped right now. It’s the fact that they’re giving up almost 25 points a game that’s killing them.

Also, the Titans are on bye this week, so I can spend the next seven days praying that I dreamed the waiver claim. Too bad that part won’t happen.

With that, here’re this week’s picks:

*Week 8: 9-4

*Overall: 39-30

Chicago Bears (4-3) at Buffalo Bills (0-7): The depressing downward spiral of the Bears only gets worse here, I’m afraid. Buffalo has been too close too many times to not be able to pull one out, while Jay Cutler seems to be hanging on by a very thin thread.

As of right now, Mike Martz seems like he’s actually trying to get Cutler killed, and he’s doing a pretty good job. And somehow, Ryan Fitzpatrick (who knew? Better yet, who knows?) has been the spark the Bills have needed to finally put up some points this season.

Bills over Bears: 24-17

New York Jets (5-2) at Detroit Lions (2-5): I’ll be honest: I may have a little fan bias on this one. But I’m looking at a Lions team that is putting up 25 points per game, has only been truly beaten once (Week 3, Minnesota), seems like they’re defense is actually becoming something special, and Detroit’s had an extra week to prepare for a Jets team that looked completely flummoxed by the Pack last week.

I’m not saying I’ve forgotten about Mark Sanchez and his best receiving corps and backfield that money can buy; I’m just saying I think Detroit can score more. And that’s what wins games, my friends.

Lions over Jets: 31-20

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) at Atlanta Falcons (5-2): Raheem Morris truly believes he has the best team in the conference. That’s a lovely sentiment, but the reality is, it has the best schedule in the conference. The Buccaneers are a potential playoff team, and Josh Freeman looks like he’s settled in, but they are not beating Mike Smith, Matt Ryan and co. at home, when first place in the division is on the line.

Falcons over Buccaneers: 24-10

New England Patriots (6-1) at Cleveland Browns (2-5): You know what’d be really funny? If Brady threw the game-losing interception because he forgot to sweep his hair out of his eyes before the snap. But really, I think the Patriots will struggle. One New England receiver has been able to go off each week, which has saved the offense from exposure, but what happens when a team shuts Welker and Branch down and the unknown backups can’t pick up the slack? We know they can’t fall back on a running game.

Meanwhile, that’s about Cleveland has. If Peyton Hillis were playing for, say, a playoff team, he would probably have 700 yards and 10 TDs right now. He is that good. The best part about Cleveland, though, is that it fights. Detroit and Buffalo aside, this team has probably suffered more close losses than anyone in the league. But occasionally, it’ll be a close win. Plus, I think it’s fun watching the experts struggle with all this “parody” this year.

Browns over Patriots: 34-17 (I didn’t say it would be close, did I?)

Arizona Cardinals (3-4) at Minnesota Vikings (2-5): I almost said, “Here’s a game that doesn’t matter.” Then I remember the Cardinals are in the NFC West, and it very much does matter. I’m hesitant to say the Cardinals’ motivation will be enough to pull out a win for this one, just because they really have nothing on offense. Occasionally, you’ll get the unexpected performance out of them – like the 30-17 trouncing they put on New Orleans – but this is not a good offensive team.

The biggest weakness for the Vikings, I think, aside from Favre, is their defense right now. It’s not bad, but it certainly isn’t playing up to the level it should be. That being said, Sidney Rice is coming back, and it’s the Cardinals at home. They should survive.

Vikings over Cardinals: 27-20

New Orleans Saints (5-3) at Carolina Panthers (1-6): The Saints have a nasty tendency to just get trounced by the awful teams – this is actually a good thing come playoff time, if you think about it – but I think the Panthers are awful enough that this doesn’t matter, especially since the Saints won’t be taking them lightly after their first meeting. Remember how I said for five weeks that I still thought Carolina had playoff potential? Yeah … that’s really all I’ve got to say on that.

Saints over Panthers: 31-17

Miami Dolphins (4-3) at Baltimore Ravens (5-2): I do not understand the Dolphins. How do you 4-0 on the road and 0-3 at home? Maybe the visiting team is so stunned by the women in South Beach that they have extra incentive? Who knows. Either way, ‘Phins are on the road, so it’s moot. The big thing here is that Dan Carpenter is healthy, and Miami’s going to need that leg against a team that historically relies on its kicker.

I think this game comes down to Ray Rice, though. He’s been less than stellar this year, having only one truly great game and scoring both of his touchdowns then. The Ravens have a great receiving corps and Flacco looks solid this year, but if Rice doesn’t get it going, even with McGahee playing well, it’s just hard to see the Ravens putting up enough points to match Miami. Good news is, Rice is due for another good game.

Ravens over Dolphins: 24-19 (Yes, I do think the ‘Phins will kick four field goals.)

San Diego Chargers (3-5) at Houston Texans (4-3): By all accounts, the Chargers should be dead, out of the playoff running. But they do this every year, plus have the No. 1 offense and defense in the NFL right now (explain that one). The problem is, the majority of that No. 1 offense comes in the form of Antonio Gates, who isn’t playing this week. Rivers has made it work with receivers that I bet you couldn’t name even if you watched the Chargers play a week ago, but at Houston, against an offense that can score whichever way it feels like, will be a challenge.

Houston meanwhile, just seems to lack a winner’s mindset. Maybe it’s because this franchise isn’t used to be a contender, but it continues to underperform with the talent it has. This offense should be miles ahead of everyone in the league, and yet Matt Schaub is barely averaging 200 yards per game. The bye week and the home field should help tremendously, but the Texans need to do some serious soul searching.

Texans over Chargers: 28-25

New York Giants (5-2) at Seattle Seahawks (4-3): Anybody else out there think all those Giants bandwagoners are going to look hilarious when they fall/jump/dive off that wagon in the coming weeks? Ahmad Bradhsaw is playing out of his mind, yes, and Eli Manning is having a decent year. But let’s keep in mind, I said Eli. You know, choke artist who redefines family of choke artists? (Let’s keep this straight: I love Peyton Manning, but the man can not win big games when it matters.)

Also, I hate enigmas. And the Seahawks are an enigma. They’re not just good at home, bad on the road. They are ridiculously good at home and ridiculously bad on the road. It’s like they forget how to play the second they leave Qwest Field. Lucky for them, they’re at Qwest. And they’re due for another rushing touchdown. Yeah, they have two. For the season. Total. Ew.

Seahawks over Giants: 28-17

Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) at Oakland Raiders (4-4): I don’t think this game has mattered since it was a big deal that Bo Jackson played football for Oakland and baseball for Kansas City. But New England West – I’m sorry, I mean Kansas City – has built an extremely solid team, thanks to the help of a great coaching staff, a great backfield, and a defense full of young future Pro Bowlers. I said I expected 10-6 from the Chiefs, but even I’m shocked at how well this team is closing out games.

The Raiders, meanwhile, I don’t understand. So they bench Campbell, put up 59 points, bring Campbell back, put up 33 points. Seriously, what the heck? I knew their defense could be shut-down, as long as it focused on the run, but I always assumed that means 17-10 games, not 59-14 ones. Here’s the problem, though: Oakland’s run D is not good, and the last two weeks, it’s faced teams that would struggle to run the ball even with only four guys playing defense.

Kansas City is not that flawed. Look for 350 yards on the ground and for the Raiders to come crashing back down to reality.

Chiefs over Raiders: 34-20

Indianapolis Colts (5-2) at Philadelphia Eagles (4-3): I know I said Peyton isn’t clutch, but his talent still irks me. It isn’t fair how somebody minus the nation’s best tight end, using several undrafted or high-round-pick wide receivers can simply keep chugging along at a 4,000-yard-per-season pace. I don’t think Philly will slow him down, but I do think they’re going to leave him bruised and battered.

As for the Eagles, he’s baaaaack. I can’t believe I’m admitting that Vick seems to be legitimate at this point, but what he’s done for this team is unreal. It’s motivated and playing well beyond what its talent level should be accomplished. And here, the team’s at home against Indy. And I think that’s the edge the Eagles are going to need for this week.

Eagles over Colts: 21-17

Dallas Cowboys (1-6) at Green Bay Packers (5-3): It would be funny if Dallas came into Green Bay and shocked the world with a win. And it would keep NBC from trying to put a hit out on Jerry Jones after scheduling this game. But it’s not going to happen. I’ve never a seen a team as talented as this, yet so dysfunctional.

Packers over Cowboys: 34-14

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-5): ESPN is silently considering the same thing as NBC. They were thinking division title implications at this point. As much as Ben Roethlisberger irritates me, it’s hard to argue with how good he makes this team, which was already one of the best in the league without a proven quarterback.

As for Cincinnati, the only trouble they give teams is figuring out how to spell that city (seriously, I misspell it every time). Plus, Roethlisberger gets a chance to seek a little vengeance against the team that swept the Steelers last year, on its own turf. You don’t think the Steelers are drooling a little bit over this one? I do think Palmer and the Bengals will be able to put up some great numbers against Pittsburgh today, but it’s not going to be enough.

Steelers over Bengals: 28-20

Moss to Titans? Bad move.

I have a complaint to lodge. This was supposed to be my easy semester, my last one, 12 credits, including one class that should be an easy A. Instead, I get saddled with the last two weeks, where I never got more than five hours of sleep and had to do something like 10 out-of-class assignments.

But it’s cool. I’ve got four more over the next week, then I’m home-free till Thanksgiving.

As usual, I have a reason for telling this: I’m not simply putting my picks up on Sunday morning, with little description to go with them, for no reason. Getting a couple hours extra sleep on a weekend is just that valuable to me right now.

But since I got out of work an hour early tonight and since some earth-shattering (only if you’re a Titans fan, I guess) news just broke, I thought I’d take the time to reintroduce myself to the blogosphere.

For those who haven’t heard, Randy Moss was claimed off waivers … by the Tennessee Titans. On the outset, this looks like a great deal. The Titans now have a legitimate, proven deep threat, which they’ve lacked since Kevin Dyson. They’ve also gotten a great replacement for the injured Kenny Britt. Moss has a place with a proven, veteran quarterback, as well as a veteran, level-headed coach. The Titans are legitimate playoff contenders, which pretty much ensures that Moss will give most of his effort … most of the time, at least.

So with all these benefits, what could possibly be wrong with this deal? Only everything else.

Randy Moss is like one of the massive, exotic animals you go to the zoo to see. He’s fascinating to watch, gorgeous in a way, and, as long as he’s viewed from afar or from behind some protective casing, you could watch him all day. But the second he gets closer to you, you realize just how terrifying he truly is.

I don’t love Randy Moss the person, and I doubt many fans who know his personality do. But I do love the football field Moss. He’s entertaining and he’s full of surprises, but mostly, he’s incredible. I only ever saw Jerry Rice in his waning days, so I have no comparison to Moss’ talent. All I can say is, when he wants to, he seems completely untouchable.

And when he’s playing for a team you don’t care about, that’s great. You can ignore his off-the-field rants and the fact that he just sometimes turns it off in the middle of games. You can’t do that when he comes to your team.

Moss is poison personified. Childress may be vilified for releasing Moss in the manner he did, and I don’t agree with it, but I do understand it. Moss wasn’t being productive, and he was already creating problems in the locker room. If action wasn’t taken immediately, there was a chance the Vikings would be worse than they already were. Childress cut his losses, assumed the risk and did what needed to be done.

So it’ll be different with the Titans right? Like I mentioned earlier, he’s got all kinds of reasons to be happy, so why won’t he play nice? All it takes is one thing.

The Titans are a good, borderline great, team this year, and they have the league’s best offense. It’s the best offense, not because it’s the most talented (although Chris Johnson certainly helps), but because the team meshes. Johnson aside, there are no superstars, and even Johnson seems to understand the team aspect.

That being said, Moss cannot be the No. 1 receiver for the rest of the year. Granted, it’s hard to imagine a better way to replace your best receiver for a few weeks than with the greatest receiver this generation, but this can’t end well.

Either Moss performances like he has the potential to and gets the starting job – which means Britt comes back, forced into the No. 2 slot, upsetting him and completely screwing up the obvious Vince Young-to-Kenny Britt connection that’s developed – or, regardless of his performance, Moss is demoted to No. 2 upon Britt’s return, which means Tennessee has to deal with whiny, sulky Moss, who doesn’t try but still gets paid $200,000 a game.

I don’t like either scenario.

Plus, remember what I said about poison? New England was able to mask this because of Belichick’s stance that no player is great than the team and because of personalities, like Tom Brady’s, that were so overwhelmingly powerful, Moss simply had to fall in line.

Tennessee does not have this. Kevin Mawae was forced into retirement over the offseason, Keith Bulluck was discarded and Kerry Collins is a back-up. Collins is a great, mature individual, but there is no way Moss takes his orders from a guy who won’t even start most of the season.

Jeff Fisher can’t be the answer, either. He can only hold so much sway over the players, and unlike fellow teammates, he can’t be around Moss all the time to manage him.

The Titans are a young team, focused primarily on rebuilding, with plenty of impressionable players, especially at the wide receiver position, and Moss is the absolute worst role model to bring in for these guys. This gives Moss the ability to absolutely shred the locker room if he wants, something he will do if he doesn’t get his way.

The only way the Moss signing can work out favorably for the Titans is as an extremely short-term solution. Like I said before, there’s no better way to replace an injured receiver than by signing the best receiver of the generation. It’s also reasonable to assume that Moss will give everything he has during his initial games with the Titans, if for no more reason than to encourage a team to sign him next season – or in 2012, pending a lockout.

I normally would never condone abusing a player’s talents like this, but if the Titans are able to get a productive three or four games out of Moss, then waive him before he’s able to do too much damage to the team’s psyche, there’s potential for this to be a truly brilliant move on the part of the Titans’ organization. It would be a costly one (close to $1.5 million for only four games) but worth it if it means they can keep up their torrid streak of 28 points per game.

Put simply, though, the Titans have some ‘splainin’ to do. This is not a move typical of the Jeff Fisher dynasty, and it provides absolutely no long-term advantages. So why run this risk, Tennessee?

I’d love to hear your guys thoughts/comments.