Cleveland at Pittsburgh

Johan: The Steelers’ defense came alive last week against Tampa Bay, racking up five sacks, three interceptions and a forced fumble. They should have no problem doing the same to the Cleveland Browns this week. Pittsburgh will get another win.

Oscar: The Browns pulled off a nice upset last week over the Chiefs in Kansas City, and they can definitely do it again this week against an injury-plagued Steelers team. Browns pull off another upset for a two-game winning streak.

Atlanta at Tampa Bay

J: Usually whenever these two teams play each other it turns out to be a great game. Simeon Rice and the Tampa defense chase Michael Vick all around the field until he makes a big play or a big mistake. This week, I do not think that will happen because Rice is done for the season and Vick will have more time to throw if he chooses to do so. Falcons win.

O: A year ago, this would have been a great matchup. Now, no one cares. The Buccaneers’ defense knows how to contain Michael Vick, but I don’t see that happening. Falcons should have no trouble over a struggling Bucs team. Falcons get another win.

Baltimore at Kansas City

J: Tough defense vs. mediocre offense is the matchup this week for these two teams. If Baltimore can contain Larry Johnson for the entire game, then they should win easily. The Chiefs let the Browns come back and steal the game from them last week, so the Ravens do not have too much to worry about. Baltimore wins.

O: Both teams are coming off tough losses and can’t afford to lose two in a row. The Chiefs’ defense is better this season and their offense is looking good with Trent Green back, but the Ravens’ defense will not allow them to find their groove. Ray Lewis and Steve McNair lead their team to win.

Indianapolis at Jacksonville

J: The Colts have received too much credit this season, including from me. That is not a knack on the Titans, who deserved to beat them last week, but seriously, the Colts have had too many close games to be perceived as a team that is almost guaranteed to win every game. Having said all that, I still think they will beat an even more inconsistent Jaguars team.

O: What is up with the Colts? They now have two losses (mainly due to their horrible run defense) and are looking very beatable. And the Jaguars ? I don’t know what to say about them. It is hard to tell which team will actually show up, and they tend to play at the level of their opponents. The game should be interesting, but the Colts will be able to get back to their winning ways.

Minnesota at Detroit

J: The Vikings should not throw the ball anymore until Brad Johnson gets some extra sessions in with his psychologist. The guy threw four interceptions and no touchdowns last week. That is a QB rating of 10.3. You are not winning any games playing like that – well, not unless you are Rex Grossman playing the Vikings (his QB rating was 1.3 and the Bears won 23-13). Jon Kitna is throwing for a lot of yards, but he has more INTs than TDs on the season and 10 out of 12 times it results in a Lions loss. Minnesota will win, as long as they run the ball.

O: This game is literally a toss up. Brad Johnson has been playing horribly, while the Lions are ? just the Lions. I’m picking the Lions to get a win just because they are at home this week.

New England at Miami

J: The Patriots have a unique talent for always putting together a great team effort. Whenever one of their star players goes down, they plug in another guy and the quality of play does not seem to drop off too much. That is why they are the best all-round team in the league.

They will prove it again this week with a win over Miami.

O: This pick is actually tougher than it seems, but all you have to do is compare both quarterbacks. If the Patriots’ defense can rattle Peyton Manning, then they should have no problem with Joey Harrington. Tom Brady will be pressured by the aggressive Dolphins’ defense, but he’ll overcome it and lead his team to a win.

N.Y. Giants at Carolina

J: Carolina did not play well on Monday night against the Eagles. Jake Delhomme did not have enough time in the pocket to throw, but he probably will against the Giants, who are still playing without several starters on defense. It will be a close game, but the Panthers come out on top.

O: This game is HUGE for both teams. I don’t know what happened to the Panthers last week, but they can’t afford to lose this one. And the Giants just have too many problems that cannot be resolved this season. Panthers will get a win at home to please their crowd and keep their playoff hopes alive.

Oakland at Cincinnati

J: Despite having the best pass defense in the NFL, the Raiders are not good enough to shut down the Bengals’ trio of potent receivers. Carson Palmer will find the open man and lead his team to a win.

O: The Bengals really stepped last week against the Ravens, and I see that continuing this week against a solid Raiders defense. Carson Palmer will find a way of getting the ball into the end zone and lead his team to a win.

Philadelphia at Washington

J: The Eagles surprised everyone with a win on Monday night, showing that their season is not over just because Donovan McNabb is gone for the year. They lost starter Hollis Thomas for four games due to a suspension, which will hurt their pass rush. The Redskins look pretty good with Jason Campbell as their QB and will get a win at home.

O: Looks like the Eagles haven’t quit on their season (fans already did) just yet. They beat a solid Panthers team and should be able to do the same against the Redskins this week. Eagles win.

Tennessee at Houston

J: The Titans are like the feel-good team of the league for some reason. I just get happy when they win, even though I am not a big fan. I think it is because they are playing way better than they were supposed to and people find that admirable, at least I do. Titans win again.

O: It was quite a shocker to see the Titans beat the Colts, but Jeff Fisher has done a great job with his squad and his rookie quarterback, Vince Young. They are traveling to face the Texans, and will get another win to get them closer to .500.

Green Bay at

San Francisco

J: Our irrelevant game of the week award goes to the Packers-49ers matchup. Neither of them are making the playoffs, so who cares except fantasy owners? 49ers win.

O: This one is going to be a shootout. The Packers lost really bad last week to the Jets and are looking to forget last week with a win, but Frank Gore and Alex Smith are not going to let that happen. The 49ers get a win at home.

Seattle at Arizona

J: Arizona actually won last week, good job. I am afraid there will not be a winning streak, though. The Seahawks will do a quick fly-by and steal an easy win.

O: The Seahawks are finally back. They are playing better defense and having Shaun Alexander has brought life back to the team. Despite their good performances recently, I am going to have to go with Matt Leinart and the Cardinals to pull off an upset at home.

Buffalo at N.Y. Jets

J: Buffalo did a great job keeping up with the Chargers last week and only lost by three points. The Jets throw the ball more than the Chargers, though, and I am not so sure the Bills’ secondary are capable of stopping them. The Jets are my pick.

O: This is actually a good matchup, but one that no one is really going to watch or pay much attention to. But I’ll take the Jets since they are playing at home and staying in the playoff race.

Denver at San Diego

J: We all know what happened last time. It is going to happen again.

O: History will repeat itself this week for the Broncos. They will struggle to stop LaDainian Tomlinson and just lose again to the Chargers, who will get the win at home.

New Orleans at Dallas

J: This is the best game of the week. Two great teams, pla
ying great football right now. I give the nod to the Cowboys because they are at home, but it can go either way.

O: This is one great game, and it should be a great duel between Drew Brees and Tony Romo. Who gets the advantage? It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys’ defense can contain the Saints’ offense, but I am leaning toward Brees being able to lead the Saints to a win. Saints will silence Cowboys fans with a win in Dallas.

Chicago at St. Louis

J: If Grossman can improve his QB rating from last week, which should not be too hard, the Bears will not have to fight so hard to walk away with a win this week.

O: Rex Grossman is horrible. OK, now that I got that out of the way, he is very lucky to have the defense he has. That defense is good enough to beat any opponent, including the Rams on Monday night. Bears get another win.