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Washington at Tampa Bay - One of the best teams in the league, as well as the defending champions, host one of the worst teams in the league here. Very hard to see any way of avoiding the obvious pick here, which means that my pick should be predictable and obvious. My pick: Tampa Bay
Buffalo at NY Jets - The Bills have really been struggling lately, ever since that loss to the Titans maybe a month or so ago. So this is not as much of a given as it would have been had this meeting occurred in September or early October, when the Bills were still red hot and had a swagger, and the Jets were either winless or right next to it. Still, with the Bills coming off a hugely disappointing loss and feeling the pressure of a suddenly tight race in the AFC East between them and the Pats, I think that they will get it together, at least enough to get by in this one. My pick: Buffalo
New Orleans at Tennessee - The Saints suffered a bad loss to the Falcons, and now they have to go on the road to face probably the hottest, and arguably the best, team in the NFL at the moment. New Orleans has struggled on offense, and they face a tough defense and a ball control offense that will likely try to keep the Saints offense off the field. True, the Saints have played well to this point in the season, but I just do not like their chances here in this one going in. My pick: Tennessee
Cleveland at New England - This is a tough test for both teams. Both of these teams are on the rise lately, and so one of these two teams has to break. Somehow, in my gut, it feels like the Browns will pull this one out, albeit narrowly. My pick: Cleveland
Atlanta at Dallas - An inexplicable blowout loss at home last weekend makes this game feel a lot less certain than it would have before that loss. Also, the Falcons clearly can be a dangerous team, and they do have some talent. Just ask the Saints, the team that Atlanta just managed to upset. However, with home field advantage as well as the wake up call of an embarrassing loss at home against the Broncos last weekend, the Cowboys should figure to play a lot better this time around. My pick: Dallas
Detroit at Pittsburgh - Detroit really does not have much luck in the NFL, do they? They lost some real heartbreakers earlier this season, becoming the first team in NFL history to lose two games by 50+ yard field goals on the final play of the game twice in one season, which was key in why this team has remained the league's last remaining winless team this season. And the Lions have only gotten worse, getting blown out in recent weeks, and not really showing much, and looking every bit the part of an 0-8 team. And here they go, heading into the Steel City to take on one of the hottest teams, which just does not seem to bode well. Making the obvious choice here, and just don't know how anyone could predict any different result here. My pick: Pittsburgh
Jacksonville at Indianapolis - The Colts lost a heartbreaker at home to the Titans two weekends ago, and it was devastating for them. Yet they responded very solidly just days later with a solid win against the Jets. Now they have another weak team coming into their dome home, and my guess is that the Colts should take care of business. My pick: Indianapolis
Minnesota at LA Chargers - Two teams that have show significant inconsistency this season so far, which means you just cannot be sure what you will get out of this game. Either team can suddenly get hot, and it would not be a shock. Conversely, either team can look inept and lose convincingly, and that also would not be a total shock. That makes this a bit difficult to predict. Still, heading into this one, the Chargers feel like the better team, plus they enjoy home field advantage. So they should be able to come away with this one. My pick: LA Chargers
Carolina at Arizona - The Panthers have been inconsistent this season, and that is particularly true at the key position at quarterback. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have been, quite surprisingly, the most consistent team in the league this year to this point, as they just keep winning. If not for that one bad INT late in the Packers game, this team might very well still be undefeated. So no reason to feel that the Cards are suddenly going to suffer a letdown here. My pick: Arizona
Philadelphia at Denver - The Broncos have been streaky this season. They started off 3-0, and looked like a serious contender. Then they dropped four straight, and just looked awful. Now, they have won two in a row, and looked simply awesome in a dominant road win at Dallas. As they now get to host the also rather inconsistent Eagles, this feels like it should be a third straight win for the guys in the orange jerseys. My pick: Denver
Seattle at Green Bay - The Seahawks are really struggling right now, and it feels like one bad loss might derail the rest of their season, because they just do not have any wiggle room if they hope to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive. Now, they head to Lambeau Field, which is never an easy place for a road team to begin with, and they have to face Aaron Rodgers, who does not seem all that bright off the field, but is undeniably brilliant on it. Hard to see how the 'Hawks win this one, although this would be a great time to figure some solution to all of their problems and pull off a win. My pick: Green Bay
SNF: Kansas City at Las Vegas - The Chiefs have a winning record right now, but they still do not look or feel like the same, explosive team that we have gotten used to seeing in recent seasons. Still, they win more often than they lose, and Andy Reid should be able to do something to give this team a shot. The question is how well, or not well, the Raiders will play. They are coming off a hugely disappointing upset loss to the Jets, and can either respond by playing extremely well and pulling off a huge and convincing win, or doing the opposite and suffering another loss that might trigger some sense of alarm about the prospects for a once promising season. This is a difficult one to predict, because it feels like it could really go either way. The Chiefs could get hot or stay cold, and ditto with the hometown Raiders in their still new city. Home field might help, to be sure. My pick: Las Vegas
MNF: LA Rams at San Francisco - The Rams now have another threat on offense with the addition of veteran, and hugely talented wide receiver Odell Beckham. So this will be the first glimpse that we get as to how huge that pick up might be for Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense. If it works out well, winning could resolve a lot of issues for both the Rams and Beckham. However, it also could turn out very badly, as it did for the Browns and Giants before them. Still difficult to see which way this one will go. The 49ers have their backs to the wall, and will likely do some things to adjust to the Rams here. Keep in mind that the 49ers have won the last four meetings between these two teams, and just seem to have the Rams number. My pick: San Francisco
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