Chicago at Washington: Too many distractions and a short preparation
week are the main reason the Redskins, losers of four straight will come up
short versus a disappointing Bears squad. Pick: Chicago
St. Louis at Cincinnati: Carson Palmer is coming off one of the worst
performances of his career, but the Rams defense doesn't apply near the
quarterback pressure or shuts down the run like last week's opponent
(Steelers). Pick: Cincinnati
Dallas at Detroit: Even on their home turf, this one could
possibly get out of hand quickly. Defensively, the Lions don't have any of the
necessary answers for the Cowboys' high-powered offense. Pick: Dallas
Oakland at Green Bay: The Packers will make a very business-like
return to their winning ways against a Raiders club that is coming off a pair of
victories over two underachieving division rivals. Pick: Green Bay
Miami at Buffalo: The Bills, although still very much a long
shot, are alive in the AFC playoff picture. Even in better times, the Dolphins
have always had a history of performing poorly in the harsh winter
weather. Pick: Buffalo
Tampa Bay at Houston: The Bucs' victory last week versus the
Saints was huge and likely secured an NFC South title. A win over the fading
Texans will serve notice to the rest of the NFC that they are a club to be
reckoned with. Pick: Tampa Bay
San Diego at Tennessee: Just keep feeding LT the football and
good things will happen. Look for the defense that had eight sacks last week
versus the Chiefs to apply a lot of pressure on Vince Young. Pick: San
Diego
Carolina at Jacksonville: This one is my absolute lock of the week.
The Jaguars are not about to let AFC rivals Buffalo, Tennessee and Cleveland
back-door them at this stage of the season. Pick: Jacksonville
NY Giants at Philadelphia: Upset special. The Eagles are still
smarting from their Week 4 loss to the G-men and are poised to pull off an upset
victory. Eli again has that deer-in-the-headlights look in his eyes. Pick:
Philadelphia
Arizona at Seattle: Look for the Seahawks' big-game experience,
home field advantage, the right arm of Matt Hasselbeck and a defense led by an
outstanding Leer corp. to be the difference in this key division matchup. Pick:
Seattle
Minnesota at San Francisco: This is not nearly the same Vikings
squad that began the 2007 season. With Adrian Peterson returning and the
development of QB Tarvaris Jackson and WR Sidney Rice, the future may well be at
hand. Pick: Minnesota
Pittsburgh at New England: Super upset special. The Patriots have not
played well the past two weeks and the Steelers (two-touchdown underdogs) match
up very well on both sides of the ball against a Patriot club coming off a short
week. Pick: Pittsburgh
Cleveland at NY Jets: This one should be a high-scoring affair,
but in the end I believe the Browns have too many offensive weapons for a
struggling Jets squad coming off a victory over the lowly Dolphins. Pick:
Cleveland
Kansas City at Denver: Even the great fans in Denver might decide to
stay at home and watch the Steelers-Pats contest. Denver should win on the
strength of their home field advantage and potentially explosive
quarterback. Pick: Denver
Indianapolis at Baltimore: The Ravens still have a formidable defense
that can rise to the occasion, but their offense is far too inconsistent, and
the short week will be the difference in this low-scoring contest. Pick:
Indianapolis
New Orleans at Atlanta: Do you think the NFL schedule-makers would
like to have this one back? And, oh yeah, in the game look for the Saints to
keep their faint playoff hopes alive with a victory on the road. Pick:
New Orleans