Chicago at Baltimore - The Bears and the Ravens rarely ever meet, although they will this week. The Bears are coming off a bitterly disappointing loss to Minnesota last week, one which they almost won. But as a result of losing, they now find themselves where most people expected them to be at this point - very far behind Green Bay, and well back of Detroit and Minnesota, solidly in the cellar of the NFC North. The Ravens, by contrast, earned a huge win at Oakland, and coupled with the Steelers surprising loss, now are right back into a first place tie, with the Bengals nipping at their heels, as well. The stakes are high for Baltimore, who simply cannot afford a letdown in this game. Frankly, I am not sure that the Bears are up to that kind of effort just yet, either, as they clearly have a lot of issues to iron out. My pick: Baltimore
Cleveland at Houston - The Browns are, once again, facing another very dismal season. Five weeks in, and five losses, plus a bunch of off the field disarray. Nothing seems to be going right for Cleveland again, and going to Houston, a team with real playoff hopes and a tough defense, plus a much improved offense, will not likely be the tonic that heals the Browns. That is especially true since the Texans need to keep up with the surprising Jaguars, while also being locked in a tie with the Colts and the Titans for second place. Hard to see how the Browns find a way to win in this one. My pick: Houston
Detroit at New Orleans - Another tough game for Detroit! The Lions head down to New Orleans to take on the Saints at the Superdome. This is a big test for both teams. Detroit has to bounce back from a disappointing loss to keep the momentum of a strong beginning to this season, and show that they will not be derailed by misfortune, as in seasons past. The Saints, meanwhile, are looking good, but are in what may very well be the toughest division in the league, as each team looks good and competitive there so far, with real playoff aspirations. The Saints have home field advantage, which should help. But still, I do not think it will be enough, as I expect the Lions to make another statement about how improved they are this year. My pick: Detroit
Green Bay at Minnesota - A big divisional showdown here between Green Bay and Minnesota. Historically, the Packers have not always fared particularly well in Minnesota. But right now, they are one of the hottest teams in the league, and they look like a team that finds a way to win, even when they are not playing at their best. Still, they will not run the tables and go undefeated the rest of the way, right? This game means everything to the Vikings, who obviously need to win in order not to fall too far behind both the Packers and the Lions within the division. Yet, somehow, the Packers look better than expected thus far, and they probably smell blood here, knowing that a loss by Minnesota likely ends what threat they pose. I like Green Bay, with Rodgers calmly providing heroics towards the end to win it for the Pack. My pick: Green Bay
Miami at Atlanta - The Dolphins have their work cut out for them. They finally won to stop the bleeding, but now, they go to Atlanta, to face a dangerous, and well-rested, Falcons team. That's tough. Yes, the Falcons look so far, having dropped only one contest. And they need to win this one in order to take advantage of Carolina's loss on Thursday. Miami, of course, would need to win to keep up with the three other teams in the AFC, all of whom are tied for first place entering this weekend. But it is hard to see how the Dolphins can beat the Falcons on the road in this one. My pick: Atlanta
New England at N.Y. Jets - The Patriots have not exactly looked dominant this season so far, but this is their chance to solidly put some distance between themselves and their surprisingly tough challenges within the AFC East division. Gang Green has looked surprisingly tough, having now won three straight games. But this is the Patriots. They have Bill Belichick, who will likely have his team well prepared. They have Tom Brady, arguably the most successful quarterback in history. They have considerably more talent, as well as a ton of experience. The Jets just have home field advantage, and my suspicion is that this will not be enough against the Pats. My pick: New England
San Francisco at Washington - The 49ers are winless heading into this game. Washington lost their last one, but need to win here to keep the race against Philly tight, as well as to stay ahead of Dallas. Plus, they are well rested, coming off a bye week. The Niners are 0-5, and at this point, they just want to earn their first "W." Unfortunately for them, however, this will be a very tough game to try and get it, and my expectations are that they will not get it today. My pick: Washington
L.A. Rams at Jacksonville - The Rams suffered a disappointing loss last week. I have learned my lesson, and will not underestimate the Jaguars again. The Jaguars still have some question marks, and I am not personally ready to classify them as a serious contender, or even a playoff caliber team. But they clearly look better - and far better, at that - then they have in recent seasons. The Rams might be improved, as well, but they likely will suffer their second straight loss this weekend. My pick: Jacksonville
Tampa Bay at Arizona - The Bucs visit Arizona, and both teams need to win in order not to fall any farther behind in their respective divisional races. The Cardinals have not shown the consistency that they did a few years ago, when they seemed to be one of the elite teams in the NFC, and a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Tampa Bay, in the meantime, appears to be improving to qualifying as a competitive team themselves, but they need to keep finding ways to win tough games like this one in order to secure the impression that they are indeed close to fielding a competitive team. In the end, I might be placing too much emphasis with some of these contests on home field advantage, but my suspicion is that it plays a part in the Cardinals winning this one. My pick: Arizona
L.A. Chargers at Oakland - The Chargers finally for their first win. Now, they hope to capitalize on the Raiders recent bit of bad luck, having dropped three straight now. The Chargers are a tricky team, and could pose some serious problems. Frankly, I think they might be the best bet at pulling off an upset. However, Oakland is bound to snap out of this bad streak at some point, and they are too good to simply drop four straight games without a fight. So, I think the Raiders get back on track today against their interstate rivals. My pick: Oakland
Pittsburgh at Kansas City - I think the Chiefs will be good enough in this game to earn the win, although this is the regular season, and does not necessarily mean that the same results will ensue if this teams meet again in the playoffs come January. But yes, the Chiefs have a decent defense, as well as an explosive offense. Andy Reid is a creative coach with a ton of experience, and they have every incentive to exact a measure of revenge against the team that took them out of the playoffs. This time, I think home field advantage means something, which it did not in January. My pick: Kansas City
Sunday Night Football - N.Y. Giants at Denver - This will be a nationally televised game, but unfortunately, it will likely not be much of a game. The Giants have perhaps the worst offensive line in the league, and their deadly wide receiver corps are all pretty much injured and unavailable for this game. The Broncos have a tough defense, and home field advantage, which is considerable given the high altitude at Mile High. The Broncos offense has looked good at times this season, while the G-Men's defense has not looked overly impressive. This one could get ugly, and may be decided by halftime. In the end, the Giants remain winless, and for the second time in my life, will start a season with a dismal 0-6 record. My pick: Denver
Monday Night Football - Indianapolis at Tennessee - The Colts got a good win against San Francisco last week, but they will have to go to Tennessee to face an angry Titans team that dropped two straight, but knows that they cannot afford to lose a divisional game like this. I believe the Titans get back on track again, showing why they looked like such an improved team, and why many people, myself included, feel that they might be a playoff team. I think this one will be all Titans. My pick: Tennessee
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