Picking NFL Week 9

How I did last week: 7-6

Peyton Manning and Clint Session helped me squeak another winning week.

Record on the season: 65-52

Boy, that's a lot of losses.

Chargers at Texans: I badly want to pick Texans because I've been burned by the Chargers poor form away from Qualcomm Stadium so many times this season. But Houston's defense gives up a ton of points (a minimum of 24 in every game they've played), and I think Philip Rivers will have a monster day against their weak secondary. Chargers.

Cardinals at Vikings: Two teams with very sticky quarterback situations will try to establish the run to win the game. Give me the one with Adrian Peterson running the ball. Vikings.

Saints at Panthers: Over the last two years, the Saints have made a habit of underperforming in games against unfancied opponents just like this one. So I expect this matchup to be much closer than everyone thinks after the Saints played well against Pittsburgh. But could they really play down to Carolina's level enough to lose to them?? Saints.

Patriots at Browns: I'm officially jumping on the New England bandwagon. Their defense, which was supposed to be very bad, has in fact taken great strides this season while their offense, with or without Randy Moss, has continued to roll. Best team in the league eight weeks. Patriots

Bucs at Falcons: Be wary of Bucs corner Aqib Talib, Matt Ryan. He'll be waiting for that deep ball you like to throw to Roddy White. Falcons.

Bills at Bears: Unfortunately for Buffalo, they don't have the pass rushing weapons to get after the Chicago's biggest weakness, its offensive line. The Bills rank 25^th in the league in sacks with 11, and the Bears have usually found a way to win games when their offensive line isn't completely overpowered. Bears.

Dolphins at Ravens: The Ravens have only one game by more than 7 points all year. The Dolphins have only once by more than 5 all season. Expect a squeaker, folks. Ravens.

Jets at Lions: Going with the upset in this one. Sure the Jets can't possibly be as bad on offense as they were last week but I think Detroit can score the points to keep up with them. A combination of injuries and a big contract appear to have slowed Darelle Revis down a step or two this season. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson might just pick on him a little bit. Lions.

Giants at Seahawks: Seattle's undefeated record in home games will be severely tested by a New York team that rebounded from a poor 1-2 start to win four straight before its last week. The key matchup in this one will be the Seahawks offensive line against New York's impressive array of pass-rushers, because, as you may have heard, Matt Hasselbeck took 8 sacks last week. And I think the bruising will continue Sunday. Giants.

Colts at Eagles: Michael Vick may give the Colts fits with his legs, but Peyton Manning's arm will terrify the Eagles lackluster secondary. Colts.

Chiefs at Raiders: I love most everything the Chiefs have been doing this season, but after what has happened the last two weeks (reminder: Oakland won their two games by a combined 75 points and I picked against them both times), how am I not going to pick Raiders in front of their home crowd? Raiders.

Cowboys at Packers: Hah. If you think there's any chance of me picking the Cowboys again after last week's performance until they've actually won about five games, you're sadly mistaken. Just on principle if nothing else. Packers.

Steelers at Bengals: Can't see the Steelers losing two primetime games in a row, especially against an underachieving Bengals team that has lost four straight games. Cincinnati's dominance of the AFC North looks more like a one year fluke every time a week goes by this season. Steelers.

NFL Week 8

Ten (Not So) Quick Hits:

1/ Oakland is suddenly the league's hottest team. They've won their last two games by a combined margin of 75 points and both their offense and defense continue to purr. I caught the last few minutes of their beatdown of Seahawks, when the game was already long gone, and all I can say is, that looked like one confident sideline.

2/ Why, oh, why did you allow yourself to be talked back into this league, Brett Favre? Your body can't take hits like this anymore.

3/ The Saints offense is clicking again and, just like year, it's impressive. Their short passing game took the sting out of the Steelers pass-rush (probably the best part of Pittsburgh's D) and took very calculated shots down-the-field. When you're making Steelers safety Troy Polamalu look bad in pass coverage – and New Orleans did that repeatedly – you know you're playing well.

4/ If Sunday showed us one thing, it's that having Matthew Stafford back healthy is going to make Detroit a lot better. I expect a big second half out of them.

5/ Is it weird that Chris Johnson is second in the league in rushing but, because of his lofty preseason goals and his 2000+ yards of last season, people seem to be considering his season so far a failure?

6/ The Jets offense certainly didn't play well (more on this later), but Green Bay's banged-up D more than played its part in shutting New York out.

7/ San Francisco has been crying out for a spark-plug all season, and though he is by no means the finished article, quarterback Troy Smith, with his mobility and the winner's mentality he acquired in college, may be just that.

8/ Every week, Dallas seems to hit rock bottom. And then they lose the next week too. They have a brutal last nine games, and the way they're playing right now, I could honestly see them finishing the year with three total wins or less. They haven't that bad since the late 1980s.

9/ I thought you were hurt, Antonio Gates...

10/ That was some press conference, Mr. Moss.

-Here's some of the studs of the week:

a. Jaguars quarterback David Garrard: Played as well as he ever has for Jacksonville, picking on a Cowboys defense that is giving up over 30 points a game on average the last four weeks. He was almost perfect, completing 17 of 21 passes for 4 touchdowns and 260 yards. Now if he can only do this, or something like it, consistently.

b. Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles: Averaged 8 yards a carry on a big day where he collected 177 yards on the ground. Didn't get into the endzone, but consistently broke big runs against the Bills.

c. Lions defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch: Picked on Redskins rookie left tackle Trent Williams all day, collecting two sacks – forcing a game-sealing fumble with one of them – and four other quarterback hits. That's exactly Jim Schwartz paid big free-agent bucks for him this offseason.

d. Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey: Caught five balls for 105 yards and a touchdown, showing his deep-threat ability. He took his knocks after being a major disappointment as a rookie last year, but he's beginning to show why Oakland liked him so high in that draft.

e. Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitus: Did everything you could possibly want out of a middle linebacker. He was all over the field: he made 7 tackles, got a sack, intercepted a pass, and defended another. The second year man is a big part of the Rams defensive improvement.

-Here's some of the goats of the week:

a. Jets offense: I usually put individuals, not entire units, here. That should give you an idea how bad the Jets offense was. Three turnovers inside Green Bay territory; numerous dropped passes; and a quarterback completing 42 percent of his passes and throwing two picks all added up to zero points on the board in four quarters of football. A missed 37-yard field goal by Nick Folk was as close as they got to troubling the scorers.

b. Cardinals quarterback Max Hall: Was benched before the end of the first half after throwing 2 interceptions and completing 8 of 16 passes for 71 yards. This has to be the week that Ken Whisenhunt figures out Hall isn't ready to be an NFL starting quarterback yet.

c. Seahawks offensive line: Completely overpowered by the Raiders front seven. They gave up eight sacks of Matt Hasselbeck (by five different players), allowed countless other pressure, and couldn't run block either: the Seahawks ended with 47 yards of net rushing on 19 attempts.

d. Panthers quarterback Matt Moore: Was back to his disappointing early season self against St. Louis. A paltry 51.0 quarterback rating and three interceptions thrown.

e. Steelers tight end Heath Miller: Made this list for just one play: this boneheaded one. Completely took the wind of Pittsburgh's sails.

-Rookie of the week: A committee: After scrounging around for potential candidates for my last few columns, there were suddenly too many good rookie performances to choose from on Sunday. There was Rams quarterback Sam Bradford leading his team back to .500, Tampa Bay running back LeGarette Blount vaulting his way to an excellent day and Ndamukong Suh sacking away and scoring his first NFL touchdown. Take your pick.

-Play of the Week: That's how you get low, Derek Cox.

-Ridiculous Play of the Week: If T.O. ever makes it to Canton, I bet this won't make it to his highlight reel.

Picking NFL Week 8

How I did last week: 8-6.

Not exactly clairvoyant (I picked the Broncos, who only lost by 45 points) but I'll always take a winning week any day.

Record on the season: 58-46

Inching (and that's no exaggeration) up towards 60 percent on my picks. That would be a nice number to hit.

Bills at Chiefs: The play of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has given hope to Buffalo fans. Hope at least that they might win one game at some point this season. Fitzpatrick quarterback rating on the season is 102.2, second only to Peyton Manning's, believe it or not. Talk about shining in obscurity. So yes, I predict the Bills will win a game this season, it just won't be against the upstart Chiefs at Arrowhead on Sunday. Chiefs.

Panthers at Rams: With Matt Moore suddenly back in form, this actually looks like a interesting game because Moore was so effective at running Carolina's offense when he started last year. But last year is last year, and Sam Bradford and the Rams organization is turning it around in 2010. Rams.

Broncos at 49ers: Call it a leap of faith but I like former Heisman winner Troy Smith getting the start ahead of David Carr at quarterback this week. I never felt that Smith got a fair shot at the starting job in Baltimore. But his main job on Sunday will be handing off to Frank Gore, who has to have a big game against the disappearing act that is Denver run's defense. 49ers

Redskins at Lions: Matthew Stafford's back. Great news for the Lions, but there's bound to be a bit of rustiness for the second-year man on Sunday. The Redskins have specialized in playing close games this year, and rustiness costs you in close games. Redskins.

Packers at Jets: Green Bay showed some signs of life against Minnesota last week after a disappointing 3-3 start. But the Jets have shown this season that they do many different things well. On top of that they're at home and have had a bye to rest up for this one. Jets.

Dolphins at Bengals: I liked Cincinnati in this one until I found out this nugget: the Bengals have only one fully fit cornerback, rookie Brandon Ghee, going into Sunday's game. Against a team with a big target like Brandon Marshall and one of the league's best slot receivers, Davone Bess, that's not great news. Dolphins.

Jaguars at Cowboys: This game has redemption victory written all over it for Dallas. Starting quarterback lost for the season, playoffs all but gone, ditto for the head coach, a furious owner, and players who want to prove they're better than the product they've been putting out on the field for the season's first seven weeks. Jon Kitna will pass for minimum 300 yards, and the Cowboys defense will come up with some big takeaways. Cowboys.

Titans at Chargers: If last Sunday's game against the Eagles proved anything, it's that the Titans doesn't need Chris Johnson to put points on the board. Even with Johnson being held to 66 yards, they still scored 37 points on Philly. On top of that, in terms of points allowed, the Titans D is much better than the Chargers. Titans.

Buccaneers at Cardinals: I wonder if a bookie would take a bet on third string Cardinals quarterback, John Skelton, getting into this game at some point.Bucs.

Vikings at Patriots: Brett Favre's streak of 316 straight starts (including playoff games) may well be in jeopardy on Sunday because of his ankle injury. Favre has hinted that he could play but Vikings head coach Brad Childress appears to be thinking that fielding a hurt Favre, who isn't playing very well anyway, might not be the best route for the franchise to take. Regardless of who starts under center, the Patriots, one the few consistently impressive teams in the league this year, will be too much for the Vikes to handle. Patriots.

Seahawks at Raiders: One question will determine the winner of this one: Can the Raiders run the ball on Seattle? Oakland rushed for 328 yards against Denver – with Darren McFadden accounting for over half of that – but the Seahawks have been miserly against the run this season, allowing just 77.5 yards of rushing a game (second only to the Steeler D). So it's strength against strength. And I've generally found that, when it comes to running the ball, a strong run defense will shut down a good runner. Seahawks.

Steelers at Saints: An interesting match-up between last year's Superbowl-winning team and the team that many think could be this year's champion. The Saints will want to show that they're not out of it yet, but neither their offense nor their defense has been as good as last season so far. Meanwhile, the Steelers defense might be the most impressive single unit (on either side of the ball) in the NFL at the moment. Steelers.

Texans at Colts: Houston finally beat longtime nemesis Indianapolis earlier this year. To repeat the upset they'll have to rely on a heavy dose of Arian Foster, as the Colts still rank in the top ten of the league's worst rushing defenses. The Foster surprise factor is gone this time around, however, while the Texans pass defense is so porous that it's giving up over 300 yards a game through the air. Can't see Peyton Manning missing out on that a second time. Colts.

NFL Week 7

-The NFL's hot topic of the week – helmet to helmet hits – shows up in the weekend's games. The NFL world was abuzz this week after the league clamped down on head shots and hitting defenseless receivers by issuing heavy fines to Steelers linebacker James Harrison and Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather, among others. Current players almost universally came out against the sanctions, including Joshua Cribbs, who was on the end of one of the questionable Harrison hits.

But Sunday's games showed that the size of the fines certainly succeeded in catching the players' attention (which was undoubtedly the NFL's main goal anyway). Both Harrison and Meriweather were spotted taking it down a notch on plays: Harrison ducked away from a shot on a player already going to ground and Meriweather issued a hard hit into a receiver's shoulder pads instead of unloading on his helmet (sorry no highlights available). In the games I watched, there were a number of less memorable plays were it appeared that players went low with their tackles instead of going headhunting.

The players' main argument against the rule stiffening was that it would ruin the physicality of the game and prevent them from playing with freedom. Honestly, for this week anyway, that didn't appear to be the case. The games were still full hard hits and no big plays made because a defender was afraid and backed out of a hit on someone.

I think that's a victory for the league and its controversial decision in itself, because it proves that the game can stay physical and violent (and let's not kid ourselves here, that's a large part of why we all like to watch it) without having the kind of tackles and hits – you might even call them cheap shots – that can irrevocably change a player's life in a split second. The league doesn't want that 'blood' on its hands and, even though the reasons for that might be selfish (legal liability plays a part here, you can be sure), I can't blame them for it.

-The quarterbacking carousel will continue in Arizona. On Sunday against Seattle, Max Hall played badly for the third straight game since Ken Whisenhunt named him the starter over Derek Anderson. This one was actually the worst performance of the three as he completed only 4 of 16 passes for 36 yards and an interception. He fumbled in the third quarter on a sack by Chris Clemons that also knocked him out of the game.

Anderson came in and played better than Hall, leading the Cardinals on their only touchdown drive of the game. His numbers were anything but spectacular (8-17 for 96 yards) but at least he showed a little poise in the pocket.

I'd be very surprised if Anderson wasn't named as the starter for the next game sometime this week – Hall just doesn't look ready for the biggest stage yet – and that means more turmoil and disruption at the quarterback position for Arizona.

It's a pity for the rest of the Cardinals roster, because their lack of a good signal-caller is pretty much the only thing preventing this team from running away with a weak division. Their record is 3-3 despite getting 'D-' play from their quarterbacks. You just hope for Whisenhunt's sake that he knew what he was doing when he cut Matt Leinart this summer.

-Here's a shortlist of some of the studs of the week:

a. Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall: It's nice when a player ties an NFL record in a certain statistical category in a game and makes my selection job here nice and easy. Hall did just that (granted it's a record held by 18 other players) by intercepting four Jay Cutler passes against the Bears, including a pick-six and some very acrobatic catches.

b. Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt: Had his best day as a pro only two days after being involved in bar brawl. Despite not being allowed to make the start, he made up for lost time taking his first catch to the house for a 26-yard score. He finished with 225 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

c. Raiders running back Darren McFadden: Had one of the best individual days by a running back this season, averaging 10.3 yards a carry on his 165 rushing yards. He added three rushing touchdowns and a reception for a score. Like Britt, McFadden was another young player having a career day this week.

d. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger: Gave himself a 'B-' or a 'C+' in his first game back from suspension. I think he'd have to give himself an 'A' Sunday after he dissected the Miami secondary for 302 yards and couple touchdowns. He also avoided major mistakes too to finish with a 132.0 quarterback rating.

e. Browns linebacker David Bowens: Coming into this game, the 33-year-old veteran's only statistic in 2010 was a single tackle, recorded October 10 against the Falcons. Well, his stat line got a little extra padding Sunday, as he intercepted Drew Brees twice, and took both balls back the other way for touchdowns.

-Here's a shortlist of some of the goats of the week:

a. Saints quarterback Drew Brees: Threw four interceptions in a very poor performance against the Browns. The Saints have not been the same this year, and part of that blame must fall of Brees' shoulders. After all, in 2009 he threw 11 picks all year, this season he already has 10 through seven games.

b. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler: Makes this list for the same reason as Brees: four picks thrown. Interceptions plagued Cutler last year, but he had cut back on the mistakes this year, throwing only three all season prior to Sunday. Chicago fans will be hoping Sunday was a fluke and not a return of a trend.

c. Eagles cornerback Ellis Hobbs: Was the man charged with covering Kenny Britt. You figure out why he's on this list...I'll give you a clue: on Sunday, Hobbs got beat more than a stoner's African drum.

d. Vikings quarterback Brett Favre: I hate to have three quarterbacks on this list but anytime a QB throws three interceptions over a series of seven pass attempts they deserve their spot here. Favre did have good moments against the Packers and did seemed hampered by his ankle for most of the second half, but it's starting to look like the beginning of the end for the gray number 4. Especially when he throws passes like this.

e. Chargers kicker Kris Brown: What is it with the Chargers and their kickers? Brown, a backup to the injured Nate Kaeding, missed a 50 yard field goal which would have sent their game against New England into overtime. Sure, it wasn't a chip shot, but missed field goals seem to plague San Diego.

-Bounce-back player of the week: Panthers quarterback Matt Moore: It was as if Moore woke up from the coma he's been in all year – his quarterback rating was a paltry 33.3 before Sunday's game – against San Francisco and reverted back his '09 form, the form which had us all whispering about his potential. A hugely important performance from a player who needed to show the management that he's a better bet at quarterback than Jimmy Clausen this season.

-Rookie of the Week: Bengals wide receiver Jordan Shipley: It ain't easy to make noise either on or off the field when you're part of receiving corps that also contains the NFL's two biggest diva receivers: Chad Ochocinco (part of me still can't believe we've all accepted to call him that) and Terrell Owens. But Shipley did just that on the turf of the Georgia Dome against Atlanta, catching six balls for a huge 131 yards out of the slot, including a 64-yard touchdown.

-Play of the Week: Ever wonder what NFL coaches do with their Saturdays? Apparently, the last couple weeks, Browns head coach Eric Mangini has been watching Michigan State games...(click here or here if you don't get that reference)

-Ridiculous Play of the Week: No whistle yet, Jacob Hester.

Five Quick Hits:

1/ Where did that come from Oakland? 24-0 lead before the end of the first quarter? 59-14 final? 328 yards of rushing? Those are college, not NFL, numbers.

2/ It may not have been the play of the week but this is a pretty darn good catch by Eagles rookie Riley Cooper, turning a certain interception into a 37-yard gain.

3/ He doesn't have gaudy numbers (either this season or in his career as a whole) but I'll tell you what, that Josh Freeman kid is clutch. I think his moxie will make him a NFL superstar sooner rather than later. Tampa Bay can truly build around him.

4/ Officials got the call wrong on that Ray Lewis strip-fumble against Buffalo in overtime. At some point, maybe right around the time the guy's being lifted into the air by Ravens players, that has to be called a dead ball. The winless Bills didn't deserve to get their hearts broken on a missed call.

5/ Speaking of bad officiating, it doesn't get much worse (or wordier) than this.

Picking NFL Week 7

How I did last week: 9-5

Definitely what I would call a bounce-back week. My “not-overthinking it” tactic is going swimmingly.

Record on the season: 50-40

Well, it's better than 50 percent...

Jaguars at Chiefs: Believe it or not, but I haven't picked the Chiefs to win any of their five games this season (they're 3-2, by the way). So why would I buck that trend now, with the Chiefs coming off a two game losing streak? Well, they were one offensive pass-interference call away from beating the Texans last week, and they held Peyton Manning without a touchdown for three quarters the week before. The concept of a 'quality loss' may be a little ridiculous, but call me a believer. Chiefs.

Eagles at Titans: A true test for Kevin Kolb: a game against the Titans nasty, scrappy defense and without deep-threat DeSean Jackson to boot. On the other side of the ball, Chris Johnson could thrive a defense that doesn't defend the run, and a secondary that doesn't tackle, very well. Titans.

Bills at Ravens: Any team playing against the Bills right now is pretty much guaranteed to be my lock of week. And given that the Ravens are a top-10 (you could make a persuasive argument for top-5) team this season and playing at home, not much discussion necessary here. Ravens.

Browns at Saints: After three average performances in a row, the Saints bounced back last Sunday throttling the Bucs 31-6. If Chris Ivory is more than a one-week flash in the pan, New Orleans should now have a strong running game to complement and improve its passing game. And that's what made them so good last year. Saints.

Redskins at Bears: Redskins defensive end Brian Orakpo terrifies even good offensive lines (I think I saw at least five called or uncalled holds on him when Washington played Green Bay a couple weeks ago). Along with Lorenzo Alexander and the rest of the Redskins pass-rushers, Orakpo will be licking his chops at the prospect of facing the Bears poor O-line. But if Washington couldn't stop Joseph Addai and the Colts running game last week, Matt Forte may be the difference maker for Chicago one again. Bears.

Bengals at Falcons: The Bengals are fresh, coming off a bye week, but unless they start getting better production out of Carson Palmer and its defense (which has been poor at defending the run and pressuring the passer) it might not matter. Falcons.

Steelers at Dolphins: With Big Ben back and the defense showing no signs of letting up, it's getting awfully hard to pick against Pittsburgh. Steelers.

49ers at Panthers: If San Francisco wants to get its season back on track – and, a little surprisingly, there a lot of people who think it's not too late – losing this game is not an option. 49ers.

Rams at Buccaneers: There may not be a ton of star-power in this one, but it's an interesting matchup between two of the upstart teams in the league this year, and two promising young quarterbacks. Not much to pick between the teams, but St. Louis' defense is a little better than Tampa Bay's. Rams.

Cardinals at Seahawks: A few things I like about the Seahawks this season: a/ Marshawn Lynch is a great addition to their backfield (taking the role Pete Carroll initially wanted LenDale White to fill this summer) b/ Matt Hasselbeck thinking he's back in 2005 c/ their defense finally stiffening up a little. The 'Hawks are finally giving those rabid Qwest Field fans something to cheer about. Seahawks.

Patriots at Chargers: Work this one out if you can: the Chargers are number one in the league in total offense and passing offense. That good, right? They're also ranked first in the league in total defense and pass defense. Well, that's excellent. Their record on the season? 2-4. And it's only going to get worse Sunday against New England, the only NFL team that is averaging over 30 points a game. Patriots.

Raiders at Broncos: $1000 right now to name the NFL's current leading receiver (in yards). Bet you can't do it. No it's not Andre or Calvin Johnson, Miles Austin, or Reggie Wayne. Try Brandon Lloyd, the 8^th year pro, who's played for four franchises and is anything but a household name. He has 663 receiving yards this season (61 more than second-placed Reggie Wayne). Without taking any credit away from Lloyd, that should give you some idea of how well Kyle Orton is throwing the football right now. Broncos.

Vikings at Packers: Last season, Brett Favre saved his best for games against his old employers. He'll want to be just as stellar in his second return to Lambeau. If they were fully healthy, I would pick the Packers because they have a better, younger team. But the Green Bay is one of the league's most injury-decimated franchises right now, and it's been showing the last three weeks. Vikings.

Giants at Cowboys: Home and away the Cowboys just haven't been able to pull it together this season. When I watch them play, I see an extremely talented roster with very little discipline. Patrick Crayton confirmed my suspicions this week. A couple more losses – and the hot Giants who've shored up their defense in recent weeks should be more than capable of delivering one– and Wade Phillips will be history. Giants.

NFL Week 6

-Minnesota comes out on top in “the battle of the disappointments.” The Vikings needed a spark down 14-7 at halftime against the Cowboys. Percy Harvin, last season's rookie of the year, provided it with a huge 95 yard touchdown kickoff return to start the second half.

That big play got the crowd fired up, and the momentum was firmly on the Vikings side. Minnesota's defense stepped up and held Dallas to one touchdown in the half. Ryan Longwell's 38 yard kick, with four minutes left, gave the Vikings a 24-21 win.

Neither of these teams is Superbowl-caliber this season, but for the Vikings, it felt like a big win, one they could build on. They're only one and half games behind the Bears in NFC North and if they get on a roll anything's possible.

Meanwhile for Dallas, despite all their offensive weapons (there aren't many franchises that wouldn't swap their receiving corps for Dallas'), mistakes continue to plague their season. Tony Romo threw two more interceptions and though the offense averaged 5.2 yards per play (as opposed to the Vikings 3.8 yards), they didn't put up as many points on the board as they should have.

Missed opportunities, that's the true story of the Cowboys season, a season which we were promised would be special but is evaporating right in front of us. At 1-4, with both the Eagles and Giants picking up steam, a postseason berth looks a long way away.

-A full-blown quarterback controversy is brewing in Philadelphia. Want to know the best individual performance in the NFL this weekend? Look no further than Kevin Kolb's strafing of the Atlanta Falcons.

Kolb showed everyone the reason Andy Reid wanted him as his starter this season: he made good decisions, was accurate (23 of 29 passes completed) in the short game and intermediate passing game, but kept the defense honest by throwing the occasional deep pass. He finished with 326 passing yards, three touchdowns, and a passer rating of 133.6 (a perfect rating is 158.3).

So what does Reid do now when Michael Vick is ready to play? He has two quarterbacks who have looked good and produced at least one stellar performance this year. Kolb makes more sense for the long-term health of the franchise, but Vick dual-threat explosiveness is almost impossible to leave on the bench.

- Almost a tie in Foxboro. Both the Ravens and the Patriots had three possessions during the overtime period after they ended level 20-20 in normal time. Aside from a twenty yard Joe Flacco completion to Derrick Mason, both teams struggled to move the chains and the first five possessions ended in punts.

A tie genuinely looked on the cards until, Tom Brady hit the recently-returned Deion Branch for a 23 yard pass into Ravens territory with five minutes left. Five more plays moved them within field goal range and Stephen Gostkowski drilled the 35-yard kick with two minutes left.

Even if you're a Ravens fan, you should probably recognize this as a blessing in disguise. A tie could have really messed with the postseason races at the tail end of the season, just as the Bengals-Eagles tie did a couple years ago.

-Here's a shortlist of some of the studs of the week:

a. Lions receiver Calvin Johnson: Caught 5 balls on Sunday for 146 yards and a touchdown. He is the definition of a deep threat receiver.

b. Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake: Consistently got into the Packers backfield and terrorized Aaron Rodgers. The pass rushing specialist picked up three sacks (for a combined 24 yard loss) doubling his total for the season. He laid a total of six hits on Rodgers.

c. Seahawks punter Jon Ryan: Had a monster day the Bears and their dangerous return teams. He was asked to punt ten times by Seattle and, with six of them, he pinned Chicago back inside its own twenty (five of those were actually downed inside the Bears ten). With both team sputtering on offense, Ryan's punting won the field position battle. (You'll notice I'm choosing to ignore his last punt that was returned for a TD for Devin Hester. The rest of his afternoon was too impressive)

d. Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel: Had his best game of the season at Houston. He threw for three touchdowns (he previously had thrown only four in the first four games) and completed 69 percent of his passes (as opposed to 55 percent heading into Sunday).

e. Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora: Has been an absolute tear of late, collecting 7 sacks in New York's last three games. Two of those came against the Lions on Sunday and both resulted in Drew Stanton forced fumbles (one of which was recovered by the Giants and turned into a touchdown). He's one of the league's most talented pass-rushers when he's right, and right now, he looks right, all right.

-Here's a shortlist of some of the goats of the week:

a. Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell: Put up “Jamarcus-like” numbers in a offensive snore-fest against the Niners. Actually I think that may be a little unfair on Russell, because even he would have struggled to finish a game with a 10.7 passer rating. Campbell threw two picks and completed only 8 of 21 passes for 83 yards.

b.Lions running back Jahvid Best: Was not at his best (sorry, that's awful) against the Giants. Bottled up by New York's front seven who held him to almost as many carries as yards (12 and 16) and a paltry 1.3 yard average.

c. Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez: After a couple of strong outings, was pedestrian against Denver, completing 17 of 30 passes for 198 yards, a touchdown and a couple picks. One of his picks was one of the worst passes that I've seen thrown this season.

-Rookie of the Week: Last week, we had a fourth-round rookie win this award, and this week, it's an undrafted one who (literally) ran away with it. Saints running back Chris Ivory averaged a whopping 10.5 yards a carry against the Buccaneers, finishing with 152 yards on the ground. He also added 17 yards on his single reception.

-Play of the Week: If you type athleticism into YouTube in a couple weeks, a copyright-infringing clip of this circus catch by Colts receiver Pierre Garcon will probably pop up.

-Ridiculous Play of the Week: Ridiculously, a couple of quarters later, another Colts player, safety Aaron Francisco, made the exact same catch.

-Five Quick Hits:

1/ Four games away from the NFL didn't seem to change Ben Roethlisberger too much, did it?

2/ The fact that there was any debate about the Rams, who are now sitting pretty at 3-3, selecting Sam Bradford number one overall last spring is getting more ridiculous every start he makes.

3/ If you watched Hard Knocks this summer, you probably remember a scrappy little running back/ receiver by the name of Danny Woodhead. The Jets coaches loved him but they didn't know if they could find a roster spot for him. On Sunday, Woodhead was the leading rusher for the Patriots carrying the ball 11 times for 63 yards. Just one of those nice little stories, the NFL tosses up every once and a while.

4/ I'm beginning to think the Chargers could really have used this rejuvenated version of LaDanian Tomlinson on their roster in 2010.

5/ Speaking of San Diego, who's the better 2-4 AFC West team do you think? The Chargers or the Broncos? Two weeks ago, I would have said the Chargers, no question. Today, I'm not so sure.

Picking NFL Week 6

How I did last week: 6-8

I don't want to be one of those “over-sharers” but I have to relate a painful moment from my Sunday last week. As the morning round of games drew to a close, my record from the already completed games was 5-2. Two games, the Packers-Redskins game and the Bengals-Bucs match-up, went late. I figured that I had a shot at 7-2, but more realistically I should expect to be 6-3, still a solid platform for the rest of my week. Worst case-scenario, I'd be 5-4, still a winning record.

Of course the worst of the possibilities happened.Then I lost all three afternoon games. Then the Sunday night game went the wrong way too. Only a Jets win on Monday night saved me from a complete, back-breaking, spirit-destroying collapse.

Just a brief glimpse for you into the torrid Sundays NFL prognosticators have to endure. If they care about being right that is, which, somewhat unfortunately, I do.

Record on season: 41-35

First losing weekend of the season is going to prompt a new strategy for the picks. No over-thinking it, I'm just going to go with my first instinct and thought on these.

Falcons at Eagles: Kevin Kolb showed us he could run the Eagles offense last week against the Niners, but Falcons receiver Roddy White is a big play waiting to happen against Philly's secondary. Falcons.

Browns at Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger or no Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers were going to win this game. Steelers.

Seahawks at Bears: Can't believe the Bears have won four games with that sieve of an offensive line, but somehow they've found a way to overcome their biggest weakness. Credit to 'em. Bears.

Dolphins at Packers: The Packers have been decimated by injuries in the last few weeks and continue to struggle with penalties. Miami is fresher, coming off a bye, and they're the type of team that wears you down anyway. I like the upset here. Dolphins.

Lions at Giants: The Giants have bounced back in a big way the last two weeks. Their defense appeared to have turned it around and receiver Hakeem Nicks is becoming a real stud. I like Detroit's future but Shaun Hill has been forced to throw the ball a lot lately. New York will pick him a couple times on Sunday. Giants.

Saints at Buccaneers: The fact that I'm even considering Tampa Bay in this one should be considered a major victory for Bucs fans, given where the two teams were last year. I consider them but I won't go so far as to pick them however. Saints.

Chargers at Rams: I keep picking the Chargers in games I think they should win and they keep losing. But Philip Rivers is playing so well right now that I can't imagine his individual brilliance not turning into victories soon. Chargers

Chiefs at Texans: The Chiefs defense is turning into a very solid unit: they almost held the Colts (the Colts!!) without an touchdown for an entire game. That would have been unheard of. But unfortunately their offense is struggling to keep pace with the defense's development. Texans

Ravens at Patriots: If I had to pick the one team I've been most impressed by this season, it would be the Ravens. They play both offense and defense really well, and their receiving corps, once their biggest weakness, has become one of their biggest strengths. Ravens.

Raiders at Niners: If Niner fans are smart, they'll boo Alex Smith before the team has even played a possession on Sunday. Smith struggled for three quarters against the Eagles last week. Then the fans started booing (and chanting for David Carr, which is embarrassing in itself) and Smith led two TD drives. Niners.

Jets at Broncos: I guess Rex Ryan was right about how good his Jets are. Jets.

Cowboys at Vikings: Who would have predicted the two teams that faced off in last year's NFC championship starting the season a combined 2-6? I see the Cowboys being the lesser of two evils in this match-up, particularly with Favre not being 100 percent. Cowboys.

Colts at Redskins: The Redskins are giving up a league worst 410 yards per game on defense, but they're middle of the pack in terms of points actually given up. Their philosophy of bending but not breaking will be severely tested by Indianapolis. Unless Washington back Ryan Torain can eat up 40 minutes of clock and rush for 120 yards on a lot of 5 yard carries, it's going to be a long day for the Washington secondary. Colts.

Titans at Jaguars: Jacksonville won't be able to contain Chris Johnson for four quarters . Titans.