Buffalo at Chicago
Oscar (overall record 26-18): The Bears’ defense made the Seahawks look really bad last week. Buffalo has not looked too bad so far this season, but the Bears will make them look bad. Bears take a win at home.
Johan (overall record 32-12): Willis McGahee is the leading rusher in the NFL, but that will not help much against the Bears’ dominating defense. Chicago’s offense has been effective and opportunistic and will help close out a win at home.
Cleveland at Carolina
O: The Browns barely escaped with a victory over the Raiders, but that will not do against the Panthers. Delhomme leads his team to a third straight win.
J: Steve Smith is back to his unstoppable ways and that’s good news for the Panthers. If only Jake Delhomme can get into a rhythm and the defense starts playing more consistent, Carolina will start to look like the Super Bowl contender they were believed to be before the season started. That’s two big ifs, but the Panthers will still win over a struggling Browns team.
Detroit at Minnesota
O: The Lions have had a solid offense so far this season, and Minnesota has hung in there with the toughest of teams. The Vikings came off a tough loss to the Bills, so expect them to bounce back at home this week.
J: The Lions have not been all that impressive, but they still have enough talent to pull out upset victories against most teams in the league. Minnesota has been solid, but has had problems sealing their victories. The Vikings will go one game above .500 this week after defeating the Lions at home.
Miami at New England
O: The Dolphins are bad, and the Patriots showed signs of life last week by dominating the Bengals. Patriots will continue their winning ways against the Dolphins.
J: Just when you call out Belichick, he slaps you in the face with an impressive win over the high-powered Bengals. Laurence “you-wish-you-had-him-on-your-fantasy-roster” Maroney has been unreal at times and he and the Patriots should win comfortably against a bad Miami team.
St. Louis at Green Bay
O: The Rams pulled off an impressive come-from-behind win last week, but against the Lions. The Rams are an inconsistent team, and it is hard to tell which team will show up. But against a Packers defense, expect Bulger to put up some numbers. Rams get the road win.
J: Releasing Ahmad Carroll was a smart move by the Packers, which they should have done a long time ago. The Rams seem like they are in a better position to win, especially after Brett Favre got his bell rung. St. Louis will win it.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans
O: The Buccaneers cannot seem to find an offensive groove, and will not find it this week after losing their starting quarterback. The Saints will bounce back after a close loss to the Panthers.
J: So the momentum theory with the Saints riding high on their emotions did not work out too good. Having said that, there’s no way in the world they lose to Tampa Bay.
Tennessee at Indianapolis
O: The Colts may not have the same weapons as last year, but that does not matter because Peyton Manning has been on fire. Manning vs. the Titans? That is just ridiculous. Colts win big at home.
J: Last week Coach Dungy got a little cocky with his game plan when he tried to run the ball the whole game, which nearly cost them the game. Look for Peyton Manning to air it out more against a horrible Titans team. Colts win.
Washington at N.Y. Giants
O: The Giants are coming off a much-needed bye after having lost bad to the Seahawks in week three. The Redskins beat a tough Jaguars defense last week at home. The Giants’ defense isn’t the same as last year’s, so expect Clinton Portis to have another good game. The Redskins will take another win.
J: The Giants are coming off a bye week and the Redskins pulled out an important win over a tough Jacksonville defense. Unless the Giants figured out a new way to score more in the first half of games, they will lose. This week I see the Redskins winning.
Kansas City at Arizona
O: Larry Johnson finally had that great day that fantasy players have been waiting for. Expect him to continue playing well and lead the Chiefs to a win over the struggling Cardinals.
J: Arizona gave up on Kurt Warner last week and Matt Leinart threw an interception and lost a fumble in limited time against the Falcons in his debut as a pro. The Chiefs abused the 49ers last week and will spoil Leinart’s first career start by winning on the road.
N.Y. Jets at Jacksonville
O: The Jets almost pulled off an upset over the Colts, but lost by just three points. The Jaguars’ defense did not look sharp against the Redskins, and will take it out on the Jets’ offense. The Jaguars get it done at home.
J: The Jets almost pulled out an upset over the Colts a week ago, but they shouldn’t be able to do the same against the Jaguars’ tough defense. I pick Jacksonville to win this one.
Oakland at San Francisco
O: Sadly, this is one of the more intriguing games of the week. Which team is worse? It’s a tough call, but I’m giving the edge to the 49ers.
J: The only people in the country who will watch this game are the ones in the Bay area. I’m picking the 49ers to win and at the same time I’m starting a “Free Randy Moss” petition. It really hurts my heart seeing his talent going to waste over there.
Dallas at Philadelphia
O: The game of the week. Terrell Owens goes back to Philadelphia, the team he once played for and ruined. Both teams are also division rivals, which adds more importance to the game. Donovan McNabb has something to prove, and he will show that he does not need T.O. to get the job done. The Eagles win a close one at home.
J: Terry Glenn will have a great game this week because even though the Eagles will never admit it, they do not want Terrell Owens to catch any balls on Sunday and that will free up Glenn. This will be a great game and the winner will be the Eagles.
Pittsburgh at San Diego
O: The Steelers are in quite a hole at 1-2, and the bye week will benefit them this week against a Chargers team coming off a tough loss to the Ravens. Steelers pull off a close win on the road.
J: San Diego held off the Ravens for nearly the entire game last week, but could not stop them when it counted. This week they will try to create a bigger lead, but it could get tough against a Steelers team that desperately needs a win. Chargers still win it.
Baltimore at Denver
O: The Ravens’ defense looked solid against the Chargers, but the offense continues to struggle. It is going to be a close game, but the Broncos get the edge since they are at home.
J: Don’t look now, but the Ravens are 4-0 and seem to have all the ingredients to go far in the playoffs this year. The Denver defense, however, has only given up one touchdown in three games this year and they will hand Baltimore their first loss of the season.
