Denver Broncos at New York Jets - I don't think the Jets are going to be competitive in this one. I know, I know. "Any Given Sunday", right? But the Jets have really looked terrible, and they're going up against perhaps the best team in the league, a team with a lot of solid experience and loaded with talent. In the meantime, the Jets are coming off a humiliating shutout, during which both their offense and their defense were made to look really bad. So much is going wrong with the Jets right now, that it's difficult to even picture them finding a way to win against any halfway decent team, and they have quite a few games against quality opponents coming up. I can't imagine that they'll wave a magic wand and straighten out all of their issues by game time Sunday, so it's Denver all the way in this one. Prediction: Broncos
Carolina Panthers at Cincinnati Bengals - A battle between two first division leaders! The Panthers overcame a large deficit last week to beat Chicago, and right now, they are in sole possession of first place in the NFC South. The Bengals came crashing down to reality last Sunday evening after an undefeated month of September, although they still managed to retain sole possession of first place in the AFC North. But here's the thing: I think the Bengals are a better team outright than then Panthers, and Cincinnati is a tough place to play. The Bengals learned a lesson about a team cast by many for dead suddenly roaring back to life against them last Sunday, and they should be able to pull that same trick this Sunday against Carolina. Prediction: Bengals
Green Bay Packers at Miami Dolphins - This one is a tough one to call. Had it been at Lambeau Field, the Packers would have a strong and obvious advantage. The Packers are probably the better team, but the Dolphins can hang tough against a lot of solid teams. But Green Bay seems to be coming back to life right now, after a sluggish start, and although this I believe this will be a close contest, I like the Packers to hang on and sneak a win towards the end. Prediction: Packers
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans - After a historically epic collapse and loss, like the Titans suffered last week, teams often times get focused and bounce back to have a solid performance the next time around. And there's perhaps no team in the league better to bounce back against then the lowly Jaguars, who are still searching for their first win. Prediction: Titans
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings - It is a familiar story by now: the Lions have enough talent to win, and they really should win, but somehow, they keep finding ways to lose games that they should win. So it is here, with Detroit having one of the league's top defenses, and loaded with offensive talent. They should have more than enough to beat Minnesota, but this is exactly the kind of game that Detroit has to be careful not to lose. I think the Lions are the better team, and so I'm going with them, but they make me very, very nervous sometimes, especially when it comes to games like this. Prediction: Lions
Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - The Bucs have really been playing very well the last few weeks, and home field advantage against the Ravens is a big plus. It would be unwise to assume that Baltimore should roll over Tampa, based on past history. The Bucs really can win this game, and should have enough to keep it close. But the Ravens are a pretty solid team themselves, and coming off a tough loss, so they should be motivated. Prediction: Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns - Cleveland has perennially been the city of sports purgatory, and fans there have gotten used to it, right? That's the conventional wisdom, anyway. But Lebron is back, and now, the Browns have played pretty impressively so far this season, with a historical win last Sunday. They were robbed of a similar kind of comeback in week one against Pittsburgh, but with home field advantage this weekend, plus the confidence boost from their big win, and the revenge factor on their side, I would expect the Browns to finally be able to pull off a big win against the Steel City this weekend. I've been burned before when picking the Browns, but I really do expect them to beat the Steelers this weekend. Prediction: Browns
Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons - Two teams that are not where they want to be right now. The Bears keep losing tight heartbreakers, while the Falcons cannot buy a win on the road, it seems. But this game is at Atlanta, where these Falcons, historically, are very good. Chicago will need to come up with something, some way of keeping in this game to have a chance at the end, or the Falcons will roll at home and earn an important win. This is pretty much a must win for both teams at this point, I suspect. Prediction: Falcons
San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders - San Diego looks absolutely awesome so far this season, and the Raiders look absolutely horrendous. The Chargers were hot last week in taking apart the Jets. And while the Raiders did enjoy a bye, and should be well rested, this is a team in turmoil. These two teams are headed in opposite directions, and that should be reflected on the scoreboard this weekend. Prediction: Chargers
Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks - The Cowboys have been very impressive so far this season. And the Seahawks, while still winning, have hardly looked as dominant as many people expected them to be at this point. Still, Seattle is a tough place for opponents to play in, and the Cowboys certainly have their work cut out for them. They should hardly expect to light up the scoreboard, like they have been doing as of late, even if Seattle is not playing as sharp as they can. Hard to predict against the home team in this one, despite the solid play from Dallas. Prediction: Seahawks
Washington at Arizona Cardinals - Washington played very well on Monday night, and pushed Seattle, even if they still lost the game. And the Cardinals played well for a while in Denver, before the game got away from them there towards the end. This is the second straight week that Washington has to face a tough, physical defense. The Cardinals should bounce back at home, and earn a solid victory this week. Prediction: Cardinals
NY Giants at Philadelphia Eagles - A tough game to call! The Giants are hot, having won three in a row now. The Eagles, meanwhile, are still 4-1, looking pretty good themselves atop the NFC. There will likely be a lot of offense in this contest, and as much as I hate to say it, home field advantage should be a factor in this one. My hearts wants the Giants to win, but if I look at this game objectively, it's tough to pick against Philadelphia. Prediction: Eagles
San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams - The Niners have looked solid the last two weeks at home, while the Rams looked all too vulnerable once again. Still, Jeff Fischer has a game plan, and the question is whether the Rams will be able to impose that on San Francisco. I'd like to say yes, but the Rams have not played remarkably well this season thus far, and the 49ers might be hitting their stride. Prediction: 49ers
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