Carolina at Cincinnati

Johan: The Panthers look like they have finally reached the level of play everybody expected before the season started when they were one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. Steve Smith is completely healed and making plays all over the field and Julius Peppers is dominating on defense. Cincinnati has not been able to put everything together yet and will fall against Carolina.

Oscar: The Bengals will be hosting the Panthers for one of the premier games of the week. The Panthers are coming off of a victory over the Ravens and the Bengals disappointed coming off a loss to the Buccaneers. Expect it to be a shootout, but the battle in the trenches will determine who wins this game. The edge goes to the Panthers.

Detroit at N.Y. Jets

J: This could either be a very boring game or a very entertaining game. Neither team has played stellar defense this season, or even close to it, and Detroit will be hurting even more after losing their best defensive lineman in Shaun Rogers to a four-game suspension. I’m going with the Lions.

O: The Lions finally won a game (which I called, of course) and the Jets are back to .500. It is an important game for both, especially for the Jets to keep their playoff hopes alive. Jets win at home.

Green Bay at Miami

J: Marcus Vick is back on the roster for the Dolphins this week, providing some depth at the quarterback, receiver and return spots. It’s unlikely he will make an impact this week, but the Dolphins need all the help they can get. Green Bay has its explosives in Brett Favre every week, it’s just a matter of somebody lighting his fuse or not. This week the Packers will win it.

O: This game should be an interesting battle of two bad teams. The Packers are coming off a much-needed bye, allowing them to regroup and heal any injuries. The Dolphins just continue to disappoint. Oh well, there’s always next season, Dolphin fans. Packers get one on the road.

Jacksonville at Houston

J: This is just not the year for underachieving first-round corners. The Packers released Ahmad Carroll a few weeks ago and the Texans got rid of Phillip Buchanon this week. I have a feeling the Texans are going to get their act together toward the end of the season, but this week they will be bullied by the Jaguars.

O: The Texans got spanked by the Cowboys, and expect the same against the Jaguars this week. The Jaguars get one on the road.

New England at Buffalo

J: JP Losman is as bad of an NFL quarterback as you can get. I’ve seen community college QBs with better decision-making ability than him. The guy has no clue of what’s going on around him. The Patriots will have a field day collecting an easy win in Buffalo.

O: The Bills were close to beating the Patriots earlier in the season, but just came short. They will come short again, especially against a better-looking Patriots team. The Pats come off a bye with a win on the road.

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay

J: Was Philadelphia exposed last week or are the Saints that good? I think the Saints are for real and Philly just got outplayed. The Bucs, on the other hand, were just lucky against the Bengals. Gradkowski, however, looks like a legit quarterback prospect. Tampa really got a steal picking him at the bottom of the sixth round. The Eagles are even more legit, though, and will win on Sunday.

O: The Eagles just came off a tough loss to the Saints last week, while the Buccaneers finally got their first win over the struggling Bengals. The Bucs upset last week, and they will do it again.

Pittsburgh at Atlanta

J: The Steelers took out all their aggressions on the Chiefs last week, beating them 45-7. Atlanta could not hold on to their lead against the Giants. The Falcons will be motivated to win this one because they do not want to lose two in a row at home. Motivation will beat momentum this time.

O: The Steelers are back, while the Falcons struggle when Michael Vick is forced to use his arm. The Steelers’ defense is too good. Pittsburgh goes on a winning streak and gets one on the road.

San Diego at Kansas City

J: The Chargers are good enough to go all the way and the Chiefs will not be able to stop them. San Diego wins.

O: The Chargers are a force to be reckoned with and the Chiefs will not stop them, or even slow them down. Look for LaDainian Tomlinson to have a big game and lead the Chargers to victory.

Denver at Cleveland

J: Denver’s offense is nowhere near what it has been in the past, but as long as they have that defense they will be tough to beat. Cleveland will not be able to pull out a win at home, but Mike Shanahan needs to figure out how to get his team to score more touchdowns soon.

O: The Broncos’ defense is arguably the best defense in the NFL, allowing only one offensive touchdown so far this season. But good things never last. Browns will score, and score enough to upset the Broncos. Browns win at home.

Arizona at Oakland

J: Leinart will get his first win in the NFL this week when he leads the Cardinals to their first win since their season opener. Edgerrin James might actually rush for over 100 yards for the first time this season as well.

O: I really prefer not to waste space and talk about the Raiders. So I’ll talk about the Cardinals, who almost beat the Bears last Monday. It was a tough loss, and expect rookie quarterback Matt Leinart to take it out on the Raiders. The Cardinals win on the road.

Minnesota at Seattle

J: Seattle got their air assault going good last week and will continue to air it out against the Vikings. The Seahawks win.

O: The Seahawks showed a glimpse of how good their offense could be last week against the Rams. The Vikings are just an average team that, when players show up, always have a chance to beat any team. But they won’t leave Seattle with a victory. Seahawks win.

Washington at Indianapolis

J: The Colts have looked shaky the past two games against teams they should have handled with ease. They are coming off a bye week, when they hopefully made some adjustments to their attitudes. I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt and picking them as the winners.

O: The Redskins are having a rollercoaster of a season, going up and down, mostly down. The Colts are flirting again with perfection, but they are far from being a perfect team. The Redskins have Clinton Portis, and the Colts lack the rush defense to stop him. Redskins will upset the Colts, and leave Indianapolis with a win.

N.Y. Giants at Dallas

J: You could probably see Terrell Owens’ smile from outer space after he caught three touchdowns last week. Maybe now Bledsoe realizes what a playmaker he has and will start looking his way more often. Dallas wins at home.

O: Looks like the Cowboys are back to their winning ways, but not for long. The Giants are looking to go 3-0 in division games, and will do it. Giants will beat the Cowboys and petitions to start Tony Romo will come up again in Dallas.