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.

NFL Week 5

-Parity (or mediocrity, whatever you want to call it) is becoming the dominant theme in the NFL this season. A few examples for you: Sunday saw the fall of the league's final undefeated team in 2010: the Kansas City Chiefs. To serve as a comparison, last season, there were five undefeated teams at this point in the season: the Saints, Colts, Broncos, Giants and Vikings.

Here's another story. Of the league's 32 teams, 24 (or three quarters) have already lost two games. The NFC is a particularly level playing-field, 13 of 16 have lost at least two games in the first five weeks.

A few more snippets: almost half the teams in the league (15) have 3-2 or 2-3 records. Only three teams have win streaks of three games or more going right now. Four playoff teams from last season – Chargers, Vikings, Cowboys, Bengals – have losing records. Five non-playoff teams from last season are leading their division right now.

All in all, the NFL feels like a bit of a pack right now, with a few stragglers and a few front-runners but a large amorphous center. It might seem confusing – feels like there are more and more upsets every week – but it's really a blessing for the league that there aren't two 10-0 teams and a host of other teams in danger of not winning a single game all year.

The water will clear in coming weeks as we get a better sense of how everyone stacks up but for the moment, just be thankful that your team probably still has a decent chance of taking their division if they piece a winning streak together .

-Quick mention for the Oakland Raiders who battered, clattered and clawed their way to victory over the Chargers snapping a 13-game losing streak to their SoCal rivals. I haven't had many nice things to say about the Raiders in my time as an NFL columnist (and the decision to cut possibly the worst number one draft picks of all-time, JaMarcus Russell, was one of them). But on Sunday, this was a team that got behind a coach that they appear to like and respect and won a very important game for him.

Oakland's D was always going to struggle to contain the Chargers passing game but they took of every potential opportunity to both score and prevent points. In the first quarter alone, they blocked two punts – resulting in a touchdown and a safety – and forced two San Diego fumbles when they were driving into the redzone.

The most important turnover of all came deep in the fourth quarter as San Diego attempted to get within field goal range. Safety Michael Huff came on the blitz and got to Rivers, knocking the ball out of his hand as the quarterback went to throw it. Tyvon Branch picked up the fumble and returned it for a touchdown, sending all of Oakland into delirium.

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

a. Bears running back Matt Forte: Was the difference in a game where both offenses struggled to move the ball through the air. Rushed for 166 yards and 2 TDs.

b. Redskins safety LaRon Landry: Made plays all over the field for Washington, including 10 solo tackles, 3 assisted tackles. It was his two big plays though -- a forced fumble and then an interception in overtime -- that made it an All-Pro day for him.

c. Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams: Was a tackle-making machine against the Ravens. Made 10 solo tackles and assisted on 5 more. Exactly what you need out of a middle linebacker.

d. Lions quarterback Shaun Hill: Was solid in the short to intermediate passing game, completing 21 of 32 for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns.

e. Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick: Deserves a mention for a rare good performance by a Buffalo QB. Completed 20 of 30 passes for 220 and 3 TDs.

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

a. Bears quarterback Todd Collins: Threw 16 total passes, 4 of which were intercepted. He was yanked in the fourth quarter.

b. Cardinals running back Beanie Wells: Averaged a paltry 1.75 yards a carry on 20 carries. Tough day for the former Buckeye who also lost a fumble (which he recovered).

c. Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer: Threw three interceptions, including a pick-six and an interception with 31 seconds left that set up Tampa Bay for the game-winning field goal. His poor, interception-filled year continues. He's entering Jake-Delhomme-in-Carolina territory.

d. Cowboys cornerback Malcolm Jenkins: Was picked on by the Titans, who continually threw to his side, and produced a number of big plays on his side of the field.

e. Texans running back Arian Foster: Gained 25 yards on 11 carries, by far his lowest total of the season.

-Rookie of the Week: Titans Alterraun Verner made a brilliant instinctive play, laying out to catch a short Tony Romo pass in front of the intended receiver after it had been deflected at the line of scrimmage. He added 6 tackles and a defended pass. Not bad for the fourth round pick who has already entrenched himself as a starter in Tennessee.

-Play of the Week: Add Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann to your list of the NFL's most athletic guys.

-Ridiculous Play of the Week: Ridiculous in the sense that: how do you let two punts in a row get blocked??

Five Quick Hits:

1/ Redskins new kick returner, rookie Brandon Banks, looks like a real find. Won't be long till he returns a kick for a touchdown. Even at 5'7'' and 155, he was only one tackle away from doing so a couple times against the Packers.

2/ Eagles second-year running back LeSean McCoy is starting to look like a nifty little player.

3/ Bucs rookie receiver Mike Williams already looks like a beast.

4/ Stat of the day: Two quarterbacks passed for more than 400 yards on Sunday. Both guys, Tony Romo and Philip Rivers, ended up on losing teams. One quarterback, Todd Collins, passed for 32 total yards. His team won. I guess the quarterback position can be a little overrated sometimes.

5/ Poor Kyle Orton. He's finally developed into an above-average NFL quarterback only to find himself on a team without any kind of running game. The Broncos are dead last running the ball: they average 51 yards per game which is more than twenty yards less than the Saints, the second worst team.

Picking NFL Week 5

How I did last week: 7-7

On the first week I felt really confident in my picks too...

Record on the season: 35-27

Not numbers I'm proud of. But I'm staying positive. It's only Week 5.

Bears at Panthers: I guess Chicago backup QB Todd Collins is next in line for suicide by Bears offensive line. Keep that arm warm, third-stringer Caleb Hanie, you could literally be needed at any minute. Say what you will about Jay Cutler (and plenty of people do just that), but there is significant drop-off when Collins takes over from him. As long as the Panthers can keep former Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers from teeing off on rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen too many times, I like them to pull off the upset here. Panthers.

Buccaneers at Bengals: Want a reason the Bengals are only 2-2 this season? Carson Palmer might be the obvious answer, but don't ignore Cincinnati running game struggles. The Bengals have averaged a paltry 3.3 yards a carry in 2010 (tied for 27^th in the NFL). Their winning record last year started with Cedric Benson's breakout season. He's due his first 100+ yard rushing day this season. Bengals.

Rams at Lions: Interesting matchup between two teams clearly on the rise (yes, I know the Lions are 0-4, but look at the teams they've faced. Without their young franchise QB no less. Trust me, they're making their move soon). Bradford has been as advertised for the Rams but the real surprise has been the transformation of the St. Louis defense into a unit that has allowed only 13 points per game (down from 27.2 last year). Meanwhile the Lions new look defense has not gelled yet: it's given up 26.5 points per game. Still, I see the experience of Detroit veteran quarterback Shaun Hill (who passed for almost twice as many yards as Aaron Rodgers when they faced off last week) paying off in this one. Lions.

Giants at Texans: The final score between the Giants and the Bears last Sunday indicated a bit of a rout. However, what sticks in my mind was New York's offense managing to score only three points in the first half while its defense was going into feeding-frenzy mode (9 first half sacks) against Chicago's porous offensive line. Only after the Bears' defense wore down did New York bag a couple touchdowns. That won't be enough to keep pace with the league's number two offense. Texans.

Broncos at Ravens: Big wins last Sunday for both these franchises. Joe Flacco seems to have put his horrendous second week outing behind him with a couple of efficient performances while the Ravens defense is statistically the NFL's best through four weeks. The Broncos are good enough to make a game of this one, but they aren't good enough to win it in Baltimore. Ravens.

Falcons at Browns: How do you not love Peyton Hillis, the Browns 24 year-old running back out of Arkansas, who runs with very little concern for either his body or the bodies of others? His running style – likened by numerous media outlets to a human battering ram – most likely won't afford him a long NFL career but it'll be fun to watch while it lasts. Falcons.

Chiefs at Colts: Any Chiefs fans out there who read these picks must really really hate me. I've picked against them three times this season, and they're 3-0 (on the other hand, maybe my negative picks are a good luck charm). And the madness continues this week. Apologies Kansas City, but believe it or not, the Colts, at 2-2, need this one more than you do. Colts.

Jaguars at Bills: The 'who cares?' game of the week. Maybe of the season. In fairness to Jacksonville, they've beaten two decent teams this year (Broncos and Colts) while the Bills' greatest achievement so far was probably losing by only eight points away to the Patriots. Jaguars.

Packers at Redskins: Sometimes it's the picks where a mismatch seems so obvious that lead you astray. For example: the Redskins have the second worst pass defense in the league while Green Bay have a scary good passer and one of the best receiving corps in the NFL. No-brainer, right? Now watch the Redskins ruin my Sunday. Packers.

Saints at Cardinals: Cardinals rookie quarterback Max Hall will have a shot at a fairytale first NFL start because every game the 'not-yet-rolling' Saints have played in this season has been close. But after making a big mistake in the fourth quarter, he'll trudge off the field disgusted, as the announcers bemoan what might have been. Saints.

Titans at Cowboys: Dallas has had two weeks to savor its win over in-state rivals Houston and prepare for this game against Tennessee. I'm chalking up the Cowboys' 0-2 start as fluke because I still think they have the roster be the cream of the crop of the NFC East this season (though that doesn't mean what it used to). Cowboys.

Chargers at Raiders: Call this a leap of faith, because the Chargers are 0-2 away from Qualcomm Stadium this year. But I just can't see a Raiders defense that has allowed an average of 26.8 points per game coming up with enough stops to slow Philip Rivers down. Chargers.

Eagles at 49ers: Kevin Kolb looked like a deer in the headlights last Sunday, almost too aware of potential pressure: constantly checking down or scrambling out the pocket too quickly. That's not going to beat many NFL-caliber defenses. With LeSean McCoy also not at full strength, the Eagles will struggle to move the ball on Patrick Willis and co. The Niners gave the Saints a great game at Candlestick in a showcase game and, at 0-4, they'll be blazing for this one too. 49ers

Vikings at Jets: The Randy Moss trade back to Minnesota has been the storyline in the NFL this week. He'll be facing Darrelle Revis once again, who left the game with a sore hammy the last time the two were matched up. Moss will be a blessing for Favre eventually but you can't expect them to have a Favre-Sidney Rice rapport in their first game together, especially when facing the Jets suffocating defense. Jets.

NFL Week 4

-Not what anyone expected from the Redskins-Eagles afternoon game, but Donovan McNabb wins his comeback to Philly. It was supposed to be McNabb against rejuvenated Michael Vick, but it turned into McNabb against his former longtime understudy, Kevin Kolb, after Vick was knocked out of the game in the first quarter. It was supposed to be a shootout and an exciting game but there were only six points scored in a decidedly mediocre second half.

The fact that McNabb triumphed with a 60.2 quarterback rating and a completion rate under 50 percent tells its own story. The Eagles were plagued by mistakes on both sides of the ball: offensive and defensive penalties, blown coverages, a fumble, and god-awful tackling.

Washington wasn't much better, but did manage to score a pair of early touchdowns; a 12-yard rushing touchdown by Ryan Torain and a 31-yard TD reception by Chris Cooley. That was more than a Kevin Kolb-led Eagles offense could muster.

Kolb looked nervous, flustered, and like one of those dreaded “check-down” quarterback, unwilling to stretch the field by going deep. His numbers weren't awful – 22 of 35 for 201 yards a TD and INT – but they mask the fact that he didn't see or missed a number of open receivers down the field and 13 of those completions were passes to running backs. If Vick can't play next week, Kolb will have to be much better.

-Mike Singletary is in the hot seat. In two of their losses, San Francisco have been desperately unlucky, in the other two, they were just desperately bad. But ultimately, they're one of only four 0-4 teams in the NFL and that means their coach is in trouble.

The Niners have continued to struggle offensively this year: Alex Smith hasn't been much better this year (he threw two interceptions against Atlanta), the running game hasn't taken off either.

Providing Michael Vick is out next week, the Niners have three winnable games coming up: at home against Philly and the Raiders and away to the Panthers. But go 1-2 in that stretch, and I think Singletary's tenure will be over.

-The Bears offensive line is just plain awful. There's only one stat you need to know here: the Bears O-line gave up 9 sacks in the first half against New York. NINE. IN ONE HALF. That broke an NFL record. And there were countless other plays where Chicago quarterback Cutler was hurried and hit.

I hadn't seen a Bears game until Sunday evening, and my question is: how on earth did they manage to win 3 games with that line? Now I'm not a college elitist by any stretch, but when the five starters of your offensive line played at Tennessee Tech, Texas Tech, Washington, San Diego State and Tulsa, you might be in trouble.

After that brutal first half, Jay Cutler didn't come back out (can you blame him?) with concussion-like symptoms. The line played better in the second half, with a lot of help from Matt Forte chip blocks and a gameplan full of quick passes, but backup Todd Collins still got knocked out near the end.

Thinking more long-term, the Bears are going to have to figure out a way to protect the quarterback that cost a fortune to bring to Chi-town. His body can't take a whole season like that, and the Bears can't expect to win many more games, no matter how well their defense plays, without considerable O-line improvement.

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

a. Rams quarterback Sam Bradford: passed for 289 yards and a couple touchdowns as he won his second straight game. Unheard of in recent St. Louis history.

b. Bengals receiver Terrell Owens: a monstrous 222 yard and one TD receiving day for T.O. in a losing effort. He's fast becoming Carson Palmer's go-to guy.

c. Jets running back Ladanian Tomlinson: Lit up the Bills for 133 rushing yards and a couple scores. No one will ever say you're done when you average 7 yards a carry.

d. Chargers tight end Antonio Gates: Just doing what he does. Had 7 receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns. In my opinion, there's not a better tight end in the game.

e. Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee: Hit a 59-yard game-winning field goal to beat divisional foe Indianapolis, the only time he was asked to kick an FG in the game.

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

a. Niners cornerback Nate Clements: Fumbled the football after making the interception that would have surely given San Francisco their first win of the season (second time I've seen Clements do that by the way). Hurting Niner fans (and I know a couple) won't forgive him for that for a long, long time.

b. Cardinals quarterback Derek Anderson: Threw two interceptions (including a pick six) on Arizona's first four possessions, and was benched after the second. Could be the last we see of him for a while.

c. Steelers kicker Jeff Reed: Went 0-2 on field goals in a three point game.

d. Titans running back Chris Johnson: Held to 53 rushing yards on 19 attempts, at an average of 2.8 yards per rush. He also lost a fumble in the first quarter.

-And here's a player who was a little of both: Titans rookie kick returner Marc Mariani:

The good: Returned a kickoff 98 yards for his first NFL touchdown in the third quarter.

The ugly: Fumbled/ dropped a kickoff with a minute and a half to go in the game. Stopped a potential game-tying or game-winning Tennessee drive before it started.

-Rookie of the Week: Carolina quarterback Jimmy Clausen is still searching for his NFL win, but some of the gutsy plays he made –including a 55 yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Stewart and a 16-yard completion to David Gettis on 4^th down and 4 with under two minutes to play – will give Panthers fans hope that the future looks brighter than the present. On both plays, Clausen didn't force an early throw, read the pressure well and escaped the pocket before making the completion on the move. Good stuff from the rookie QB.

Play of the week: Pretty much the only thing to go right for San Francisco on Sunday. Tap those toes, rook.

Ridiculous Play of the Week: Ridiculous in a good way this week. Danny Amendola, I salute you.

Five Quick Hits:

1/ Joe Flacco sure loves those 20-yard throws to the sideline, doesn't he? Personally I think he just likes showing off his big arm.

2/ Running back Arian Foster is going to be the difference maker that takes the Houston Texans to the next level. The Texans were outgained 245-192 by the Raiders in the passing game, but Foster's 131 rushing yards wore Oakland out. He added 56 reception yards for good measure. His two scores gave Houston the W.

3/ Green Bay's Charles Woodson is getting back to defensive MVP form of last season. His line on Sunday: 11 solo tackles, 2 assisted tackles, 3 passes defended, and a 48-yard touchdown on an interception return. Not bad for a 34 year-old cornerback.

4/ Real mature, Chuck Cecil. The one-finger salute usually works when it comes to making officials change their minds...

5/ Think homefield advantage isn't a difference maker in the NFL? The Seattle have outscored opponents 58-26 at home in two wins. Away from Qwest Field? It's the Hawks who've been outscored 17-51 in two losses.

Picking NFL Week 4

How I did last week: 10-6

One Brian Urlacher forced fumble away from the 11-5 week I was craving.

Record on the season: 28-20

Gotta to get above 60 percent...

49ers at Falcons: Three games in and it's reaching debacle level in San Francisco (where offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye was let go this week). Not the best time to face a team that beat you 45-10 last year and is coming off a big division win in New Orleans. Don't look now Niners fans, but with the Eagles coming to town next week, you could be 0-5 in two weeks time and your season finished before we hit mid-October. Falcons.

Jets at Bills: The Jets are already back on track, they don't need this powder-puff of a fixture right now. But they'll take it. Jets.

Ravens at Steelers: I think this is the game where not having Ben Roethlisberger under center finally catches up with the Steelers. Yes, Charlie Batch played well and got a victory against Tampa Bay. But swept under the rug were the two interceptions he threw and his second touchdown pass to Mike Williams which really should have been a third pick. Under a lot more pressure against the Ravens, he'll make more mistakes. Pittsburgh's defense will keep the game close, but Baltimore will score just enough points to triumph. Ravens.

Panthers at Saints: Looking for a coach on the hot seat? Panthers head man John Fox fits the bill. Fox's job was most likely saved by the Panthers going 4-1 in their last five games last season, thanks in part to Matt Moore's emergence. But Moore regressed this season and lost his starting job to rookie Jimmy Clausen. All of a sudden, Carolina (0-3) looks like one of the league's worst teams and Fox like a dead man walking. Saints.

Broncos at Titans: Everyone knows about Chris Johnson, but here's a stat you probably didn't know about Tennessee: their defense has allowed an average of 14 points per game so far this season, which is third fewest in the NFL (behind only the Steelers and Chiefs (both unbeaten, by the way)). If the D can keep that up, the Titans are going to win a lot of games this year. Titans.

Bengals at Browns: Can't believe I actually picked a Bengals game right last week. I think that makes me 1-189 all time in Cincinnati picks. Now let's see if I can get a streak started. Bengals.

Lions at Packers: Committing 18 penalties for 152 yards in a single game (as Green Bay did against Chicago on Monday night) is a pretty fail-proof way of making sure a team doesn't live up to its vast potential. The Packers have frequently been one of the most penalized team in the NFL during the Mike McCarthy era. But after hearing McCarthy harp on about the problem all week, they'll straighten it out for at least a couple games. Packers.

Seahawks at Rams: Can you believe that three NFC West teams (including these two) actually won last week? Could be a while before that happens again...The Seahawks have looked very strong in their two home games, but will need to cash in some road wins to be a playoff team. However, all of a sudden, playing the Rams doesn't look like the guaranteed W that it was last season (two of Seattle's five wins last season came at the expense of St. Louis). Not sure about this one. Seahawks.

Colts at Jaguars: Rough outing last week for Jacksonville and, with the Colts rolling into town, it won't get any easier this week. Colts.

Texans at Raiders: Sebastian Janikowski didn't look worth that $16 million contract when he missed a 32-yard gamewinner against Arizona did he? It's not going to be easy to be the highest paid placekicker in NFL history when you're only hitting 61.5% of your field goals on a team that requires you to kick as much as the Raiders do (six times against Arizona). Sometimes those big contracts aren't all they're cracked up to be. Just ask Big Albert Haynesworth. Texans.

Cardinals at Chargers: The Chargers have lost two very similar games. In both: they: a/ were playing away from San Diego but heavily favored, b/ fell behind early, c/ started making a comeback, d/ ultimately fell just short. I don't think they'll need to make a comeback at home against a team that should have lost to Oakland. Chargers.

Redskins at Eagles: It surprises me that Donovan McNabb's return to Philly didn't make it to either of the week's showcase games, on Sunday or Monday night. McNabb looks good this season and is eager to stuff years of criticism down Eagles fans' throats (not a direct quote). Couple that with Michael Vick getting back to passing and running for touchdowns and earning NFC offensive player of the month for September, and you have a mouthwatering matchup on your hands. Most of the country (with the exceptions of the Arizona and San Diego areas) will watch this shootout that really could go either way. Eagles.

Bears at Giants: I think even the most die-hard Bears fans would admit Chicago has had its fair share of luck this season (see Calvin Johnson's catch that wasn't in Week 1, and two Packers picks of Jay Cutler wiped out by penalties last Monday). Playing the Giants at a time when they appear to be imploding is a pretty big slice of luck in itself. Could New York really start 0-3 in its brand new stadium? Bears.

Patriots at Dolphins: If the Buffalo Bills can score 30 points and put up 374 yards of offense (no typos there, I promise, I double-checked) on the Patriots defense, then the Dolphins should be able to move the ball on them too. On the other side of the ball, the Miami defense will hold Tom Brady and co. under 22 points. Dolphins.