Miami at Detroit

O: I know it is hard to believe, but the Dolphins are currently riding on a three-game winning streak. The defense is finally starting to come together and play well. The offense is not great under Joey Harrington (it never is), but it is decent enough to give the Dolphins the points needed for a win. Now they face the Lions, who have showed flashes of a good offense. The Dolphins’ streak will come to an end though, as the Lions win one for the home crowd on Thanksgiving.

J: Miami’s defense has been the main reason for them winning their last three games in a row. Detroit will not put up much of a fight if Kevin Jones is still injured for the Thanksgiving game. Dolphins win.

Tampa Bay at Dallas

O: I never thought the Cowboys could actually beat the Colts, but they did it and now are tied with the Giants for the lead in the NFC East. The Buccaneers are coming to town, and so it should be an easy win for the Cowboys, right? Nope. The Bucs will leave Dallas with a win and break the hearts and shatter the hopes of every Cowboy fan (a.k.a. “Romosexuals”).

J: Without much of an offense, Tampa is going to have a tough time beating anybody. Dallas beat the Colts, who were unbeaten up until that point, and should be able to wear down the Bucs’ defense as the game goes along. Cowboys win.

Denver at Kansas City

O: The Broncos were unable to stop LaDainian Tomlinson last week, and will struggle to contain Larry Johnson. This game should be good and very close. I can go with the safe pick and take the Broncos, but I’m going to root for the Chiefs to win one for the home crowd. Chiefs get a win on Thanksgiving.

J: Denver found out exactly how good LaDainian Tomlinson was on Sunday. Denver has been relying on their stout defense the entire season and Tomlinson shredded them to pieces. The Chiefs’ Larry Johnson is another great versatile running back, but not as good as L.T. He will keep the Chiefs in the game, but Denver should be able to pull out a win.

Arizona at Minnesota

O: The Cardinals are not playing well at all, and the Vikings are starting to fall away from a playoff berth after losing four in a row. Expect them to bounce back against the Cardinals this week. The Vikings will get the win.

J: Edgerrin James has still not been able to rush for over 100 yards in a game, which should tell you how horrible the Cardinals’ running game is. It is not going to get easier against the Vikings’ run defense. Minnesota will give up some big plays to Cardinals receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, but will be able to secure a win in the end.

Carolina at Washington

O: Steve Smith is just on fire, and I really wish I had him on my fantasy squad. He should have a good day against the Redskins’ defense, a defense that has already given up and started thinking about next year. Panthers win easy on the road.

J: The Panthers’ defense is among the best in the league right now and is fully capable of taking over games. Jason Campbell looked solid in his first career start for the Redskins, but Julius Peppers and Co. will chase him all over the field. Panthers will win.

Cincinnati at Cleveland

O: The Bengals are back to .500, but now they have to get past that, and facing the Browns is a great opportunity for them to do just that. “Ocho cinco” is finally getting the ball, and keeping the Bengals in the playoff hunt. Expect him to have another field day, as he leads his team to a victory over the Browns.

J: Chad Johnson has been tearing up opposing secondaries for two weeks in a row now and took over the spot as the NFL’s leading receiver after racking up 17 catches for 450 yards and five touchdowns during that two-game stretch. Johnson should be able to keep his momentum up against a weak Browns’ secondary and help secure a win.

Houston at N.Y. Jets

O: This is going to be a tough game, especially since you never know what Jets team is going to show up. It is going to be close, but the Texans are going to come away with a win on the road over the Jets.

J: The Jets beat the Patriots on the road two weeks ago and then lost to the Bears 10-0 last week. On Sunday they face an easier opponent in the Houston Texans and should be able to get a win at home.

Jacksonville at Buffalo

O: The Jaguars’ defense looked amazing against the Giants last Monday night, but they must play like that consistently in order to become a contender in the league. I think they will continue their stellar play and get a win on the road.

J: Jacksonville beat the Giants on Monday night, but lost safety Donovin Darius for the rest of the season with a broken leg. Buffalo seems to be doing good without Willis McGahee running the ball, but they are not good enough to beat the Jaguars.

New Orleans at Atlanta

O: What happened to the Falcons? I have no idea. It is always a different team every week, and regardless of which team shows up, they will not be able to contend with the Saints. Expect Drew Brees to have another big day in the air. Saints get a win on the road.

J: In week three, the Saints shut down the Falcons in their first home game back in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city. Look for the struggling Falcons to take out some revenge on the Saints and get back into the playoff race with a win.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore

O: The Steelers are starting to play better football, and must continue to do so for them to even have a chance of making the playoffs. But they are playing the Ravens, who are playing well on both sides of the ball. Don’t mind Ben Roethlisberger’s 17 interceptions, for Willie Parker will find a way to get into the end zone this weekend. Steelers win an important one on the road.

J: Ben Roethlisberger has been making too many mistakes for them to be able to beat the Ravens. It will be a physical game, but Baltimore will win at home.

San Francisco at St. Louis

O: The 49ers are actually 5-5, which is incredibly hard to believe. The Rams started the season 4-1, and are now 4-6. Marc Bulger will lead the Rams back to their winning ways and end the five-game skid. Rams win at home.

J: Since I hardly ever pick any upsets, I will this time. The 49ers will beat the Rams on the road. There you have it folks.

Oakland at San Diego

O: Hey, maybe the Raiders are not THAT terrible, but there is still no way they can beat the Chargers. LaDainian Tomlinson is just awesome, and is making fantasy owners very happy. He has eight touchdowns in two weeks, and will continue his touchdown spree against the Raiders. Chargers win big at home.

J: L.T. might break a single-game touchdown record in this game the way he has been playing. Tomlinson has scored 19 touchdowns in the last six games. That is just insane and totally uncalled for. He makes all other running backs in the league look inadequate and he has pretty much locked up the MVP award already.

Chicago at New England

O: One of the great match ups of the week. The Bears’ great defense against the Patriots and Tom Brady. Can Brady beat the Bears’ defense? There is no doubt that he could. He will find a way of getting past that Bears defense. Brady leads his team to a victory at home.

J: This will probably be a low-scoring game with plenty of turnovers. If Rex Grossman can avoid making costly mistakes on offense, the Bears’ defense will secure the win.

N.Y. Giants at Tennessee

O: The Giants are in trouble after losing bad to the Jaguars. It doesn’t help that they play the Titans, who are playing solid football right now. Tiki Barber should be able to rack up a lot of yards and find the end zone this week. Giants bounce back and get a much-needed win.

J: I told you people last week the Titans would upset a good team soon, I just did not know it would be that soon. Since I doubted them last week I am not going to do it again. Titans will surprise the Giants with a win at home.

Phi
ladelphia at Indianapolis

O: It would have been an interesting match up if it were Donovan McNabb vs. Peyton Manning. Unfortunately we will not see that happen. McNabb suffered a season-ending injury, making it easier on the Colts’ defense. Manning is coming off a tough loss to the Cowboys, and is going to take it out on the Eagles’ defense. Colts get back on the winning track.

J: The Eagles are done for the season after losing McNabb for the year. The Colts need to rebound quickly after last week’s loss. Well, not really, but they will anyways. The only chance that Philadelphia has is if they can run the ball well, but that has not been their strong side this year, so look for the Colts to win comfortably.

Green Bay at Seattle

O: The Seahawks defense is stepping up and their offense is starting to come around. With both Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander back in the lineup, it is going to definitely help them the rest of the season, but not this week. The Packers aren’t playing great, but Brett Favre has one more great Monday night performance in him. Packers stun the Seahawks and get a win.

J: The Packers have the toughest quarterback to ever play the game, hands down. No matter what injury Brett Favre has after a game, he is always back the following week. That is good news for the Packers, who need him more than ever now that backup quarterback Aaron Rogers is done for the season. The Seahawks have Shaun Alexander back now and will try to bounce back from last week’s loss to the 49ers.