Well, the first bye week took a toll on my wins total, rather than my losses total, and I went 8-6 last week bringing my season total to 35-27.

NFC (14-8):
STL vs DET- Predicting winners in a match-up of two unbalanced teams is easiest. Picking between two good teams is harder. Picking between two equally bad teams is even harder. And picking between two lower level teams who have shown the ability to play with some good teams but just aren’t all around good or consistent is the hardest. Detriot is 0-4 despite two almost comebacks against the Eagles and Packers and Calvin Johnson is finally involved in the offense which is a good thing for them. The Rams are still a work in progress. The Rams have already doubled last year’s win total (and matched their season win average from the past 3 years), but they are none-the-less still a work in progress and will have their share of downs this year. Detriot won’t go 0-16 again, and their impressive offense should be able to carry them to their first win of the year.
CHI vs CAR- Well, I have now established an example of my upset-picking credibility by calling the Giants to knock the Bears off the pedestal of the unbeatens. So be warned, I may harp on that all year long despite other upset picks falling flat on their faces. To the game, Carolina nearly beat the Saints. However, to me this is another indicator of the Saints taking a step backward, rather than the Panthers showing their mettle. However, Jay Cutler was knocked out of the game with a concussion after 9 first half sacks and has been ruled out of this weeks game. If they can play as well as they did last week, Jay Cutler’s absence helps the Panthers on their way to win #1.
GB vs WSH- Having the opposing team commit a delay of game penalty on 4th and goal inside the 1 after a time out, losing a guaranteed touchdown opportunity because your receiver tripped and fell down after catching the ball, and going scoreless in the second half usually things you can’t count on/survive. Green Bay is a better team than the Eagles (who’s ineptitude versus Washington continues to astound me) and should be a good measuring stick to make a judgment on the quality of the Redskins. Packers win.
NO vs ARI- I keep wanting to pick the Saints to get beat because they just don’t seem to have a molecule of the offensive fire that they had last year. Apart from the Falcons, however, none of their opponents have been close enough to moderately good in order to do so. The Cardinals don’t break the trend. If they break a trend, it will be the trend of the Saints offense looking mediocre. The Cardinals defense has already been carved up for more than 40 points twice in this young season, so expect the Saints offense to break out this week. Maybe that’s what they need to get going. Saints win.
PHI vs SF- I’m not gonna lie. This a game I hate to see come up on the Eagles schedule. The 49ers will figure things out and put together a decent run at some point, even if it’s only a 3 game win streak amidst a 4-12 season. They tend to play the Eagles well, and with an unpredictable breakout due any time now, the Eagles iffy quarterback situation Philly vulnerable. If Vick plays, his health will be questionable, and if Kolb plays, a slow start could put them in a hole that they just can’t climb out of (as we saw last week). I’m much more confident in the Eagles as a team than I am about the 49ers, but nevertheless, this one’s got me worried. A team that shoots themselves in the foot as much as the 49ers eventually realizes it hurts and stops. Nevertheless, I’ll have to take the Eagles.

AFC (10-13):
KC vs IND- The Saints aren’t the only 2010 Super Bowl team to disappoint this season. Looking past the 59 yard Scobbee FG, the Colts had to fight just to tie it up at the end against the Jaguars (they faced a 4th and 10 in their own territory on the final drive). Meanwhile, the Chiefs are coming off a bye week as the only remaining undefeated team. They’ve been playing great defense and face a great challenge against Peyton Manning and the stacked arsenal of receiving talent that he always seems to have. It’s tempting to pick the Chiefs to keep this surprising run going, especially after having two weeks to focus on the Colts, but after being beaten by the Jaguars, I have faith in the Colts to right ship and be ready to play. Colts win.
JAC vs BUF- A week ago, I might have had to stop and consider this one for a moment, but the Jaguars finally got Maurice Jones-Drew going and pulled a mammoth upset of the Colts. May not be a defining win, but it shows enough to not be concerned about Buffalo.
DEN vs BAL- The Broncos are starting to make me turn my head and consider them as a legit competitive team. However the Ravens really made me turn my head and solidified my opinion of them as a more than legit contender. As we’ve seen so far, it takes a tough, physical, and resilient team to stick it out with the Ravens and I don’t see the Broncos being able to hold up for 60 minutes. Ravens win.
SD vs OAK- Both of San Diego’s losses have been surprise upsets by teams that we didn’t think were very good who relied on special teams returns. The other Chargers performances have been dominating wins. I’d expect a 3-2 record after Sunday regardless of whether the Raiders pull a few kick returns out of nowhere or not. Chargers win.

INT (11-6):
TB vs CIN- Some serious question marks have to be raised about the Bengals after losing to the Browns despite finally getting their passing game going. However, the Browns haven’t been straight up bad, it could be that they just put things together last week. We’ve seen that the Bengals are able to tough out a win like they did against Baltimore, and I’m far from sold on the Buccaneers, so I’m uneasily picking the Bengals to win.
ATL vs CLE- Missed it by that much. Make whatever small gesture you prefer, that’s how close I was to taking the Browns last week. But I didn’t have enough confidence. They browns have been the opposite of the Saints for me, I want to pick them, they’ve shown some potential, but they just can’t seem to find an opponent that I can count on them against. The same holds true this week. Atlanta is rising in the ranks and I’m becoming more and more of a believer. Falcons win.
NYG vs HOU- Unless the Giants defense can muster another 9 first half sacks and knock Matt Shaub out of the game, they’ll have a hard time keeping this offense to 3 points. Texans win.
TEN vs DAL- It’s hard to know what to expect from the Cowboys. A horrid, 0-2 start followed by an impressive win over the Texans; and that was 2 weeks ago. Tony Romo isn’t the safe bet after a bye week that most star quarter backs are, but it could have been a good time for the team to get back on its feet. Meanwhile, I said at the start of the season that while the Titans might not be great, they could be that pesky team that other good teams just can’t seem to put away. I think that could start here. A Dallas team trying to get things together and then having to try and deal with Vince Young scrambling on 3rd down and Chris Johnson making touchdowns out of nothing. Titans win.
MIN vs NYJ- Last year we saw how effective Brett Favre was at chucking the ball into the air and letting a tall, athletic receiver named Sydney Rice out jump the defense. Sydney Rice is now named Randy Moss. However, we also saw at the start of the season how out of sync Brett was with receivers after a late appearance at training camp. It might take a while for the Favre/Moss connection to get going. Meanwhile, the Jets look like a well oiled machine. With their offense being effective, they can go a long way on the defense. I’m not ruling out the Vikings yet, but right now the Jets are far better, New York wins.