Week 17 NFL Picks-This Is It

Ok, its that time again. Time to make predictions as to who you think is going to make the playoffs and where each team stands in the playoff bracket. The AFC is a tougher nut to crack than the NFC because it is still up for grabs. Here is my bracket predictions going into the final games of the season and a little summary of what has happened so far on a season that has gone by quickly. (I am picking Oakland and New York Giants to sneak in with Denver and Dallas dropping out.)

After starting the season strong, the Buffalo Bills haven't just faded away, they've disappeared. Well, injuries in key positions can do that to a team. Still, like a light bulb before it burns out completely, the Bills flashed brightly last Sunday against the Broncos and Tim Tebow. The Teblown Express wasn't just derailed, it was blown up, but no surprise, I knew that was going to happen. Denver came out of nowhere and that's how they will end up, nowhere. The Detroit Lions put an exclamation point on their playoff intentions with the pounding they gave San Diego. The Chargers found themselves up the Rivers without a paddle. The New York Giants seem to be the Johny-come-lately of football. At the start of the season they were winning or losing games in the last minute. Now in the last minute of regular season they are making their bid for the playoffs. Watch out Dallas.

The big matchups this Sunday are Detroit at Green Bay and Carolina at New Orleans. Win or lose it won't impact the playoff picture, much. It will be interesting to see how Cam Newton will stack up in comparison to the Saints high powered offense led by Drew Brees.

Detroit can improve their position by beating Green Bay. Win, they come in as the 5th Seed and wouldn't have to face New Orleans in the Wild Card. Lose, they would then be the 6th Seed and the path to the championships would go through New Orleans.

The Buffalo at New England game could have implications of the dire sort. If New England and Baltimore both lose and Pittsburgh with an obvious win over Cleveland, then Pittsburgh would be the 1st Seed. If New England loses and Baltimore wins it doesn't matter what Pittsburgh does, Baltimore would be the 1st Seed and New England would be the 2nd Seed. I don't even want to know what would happen if by some remote chance Cleveland should beat Pittsburgh. End of the world scenario.

SUN, JAN 1                      TIME (ET)       TV       LOCATION
Carolina at New Orleans       1:00 PM        FOX      Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Buffalo at New England        1:00 PM        CBS      Gillette Stadium
Chicago at Minnesota            1:00 PM        FOX      Mall of America Field
NY Jets at Miami                   1:00 PM        CBS      Sun Life Stadium
San Francisco at St. Louis     1:00 PM        FOX      Edward Jones Dome
Detroit at Green Bay              1:00 PM        FOX      Lambeau Field
Washington at Philadelphia   1:00 PM        FOX      Lincoln Financial Field
Indianapolis at Jacksonville   1:00 PM        CBS      EverBank Field
Tennessee at Houston            1:00 PM        CBS      Reliant Stadium
Seattle at Arizona                  4:15 PM        FOX      U of Phoenix Stadium
Kansas City at Denver           4:15 PM        CBS      Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Tampa Bay at Atlanta            4:15 PM        FOX      Georgia Dome
Baltimore at Cincinnati         4:15 PM        CBS      Paul Brown Stadium
Pittsburgh at Cleveland         4:15 PM        CBS      Cleveland Browns Stadium
San Diego at Oakland           4:15 PM        CBS      Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Dallas at NY Giants              8:20 PM        NBC      MetLife Stadium

Week 15 NFL Picks-The Brady Bunch Verses The Tebow Express

Quite frankly, all the stuff that is going around about Tim Tebow is getting Te-boring. There is nothing spectacular about his last minute antics to win games. He has just been down right lucky and fortunate to have a defense that keeps the opponents from scoring and therefore in the game until the offense finally scores, which generally takes the whole game. Look at Cam Not-Win-A-Game, who I also think comentators are making to much of a fuss about. He scores touchdowns in bunches, but is unfortunate not to have a defense that keeps him in the game. In fact, Newton is forced to score just to keep up with the opponents scoring. Well, todays game will make or break the Tebow Express and no amount of Tebowing will help the cause or hinder it because God will be in Arizona with the Cleveland Browns, a team who really needs his help.

The Brady Bunch steam rolled Washington last week. Gronkowski was too much for the Redskins to handle, which is difficult to understand. The opposing defense should already know if Brady isn't looking towards Wes Welker then he will be looking in Gronkowski's direction or visa versa. I guess the two of them are just too hard to handle at the same time. That will be the challenge facing the Broncos defense, covering the two of them. Tim Tebow, instead of thanking God for the win at the end of the game, will be Tebowing to thank God today's humiliation will had finally come to an end, unless the defense comes to his rescue.

Baltimore will be facing a reinvigorated Chargers offense. Philip Rivers has found his groove. We will see if he stays in it today facing a tough on quarterback Ravens defense. Joe Flacco will need to get his mind off the Tebow thing and focus on today's game. Pittsburgh is breathing down their necks in the AFC North. Today's confrontation in San Diego is a must win for both teams and even more so for the Chargers, who have no wiggle room in the AFC West division.

Pittsburgh is in somewhat of a pickle themselves with an injured Roethlisberger. Without Roethlisberger, the Steelers playoff hopes will be iffy. Mendenhall has proven he can carry some of the load on the offense and whether Roethlisberger plays or not, the Steelers game plan will be filled with a heavy dose of the running game. San Francisco has already clinched their division, so their focus will be keeping their players healthy and injury free, but San Fran lost against Arizona last week and a team heading for the playoffs doesn't want to enter it on a skid, so the 49ers can't allow two losses in a row. It will be Pittsburgh's run game against San Fran's run game in the final analysis.
 
THU, DEC 15                        TIME (ET)    TV       LOCATION
Jacksonville at Atlanta             8:20            NFL       Georgia Dome
SAT, DEC 17                        TIME (ET)    TV       LOCATION      
Dallas at Tampa Bay                8:20 PM     NFL      Raymond James Stadium
SUN, DEC 18                        TIME (ET)    TV       LOCATION
Carolina at Houston                 1:00 PM     FOX      Reliant Stadium
Washington at NY Giants       1:00 PM     FOX       MetLife Stadium
Miami at Buffalo                     1:00 PM     CBS       Ralph Wilson Stadium
Seattle at Chicago                   1:00 PM     FOX       Soldier Field
New Orleans at Minnesota      1:00 PM     FOX      Mall of America Field
Cincinnati at St. Louis             1:00 PM     CBS      Edward Jones Dome
Tennessee at Indianapolis        1:00 PM     CBS      Lucas Oil Stadium
Green Bay at Kansas City        1:00 PM     FOX     Arrowhead Stadium
Detroit at Oakland                   4:05 PM     FOX      Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
New England at Denver           4:15 PM     CBS      Sports Authority Field at Mile High
NY Jets at Philadelphia           4:15 PM     CBS       Lincoln Financial Field
Cleveland at Arizona               4:15 PM     CBS       U of Phoenix Stadium
Baltimore at San Diego            8:20 PM     NBC      Qualcomm Stadium
MON, DEC 19                        TIME (ET)    TV       LOCATION
Pittsburgh at San Francisco     8:30 PM       ESPN    Candlestick Park

Week 14 NFL Picks-Can Tebow do It Again

My choice for the Browns verses Pittsburgh game on Thursday night was a no brainer, and not surprising, the Browns lost. They couldn't even take advantage of a hobbled Roethlisberger. No further comment needed. The wildcard picture is still wide open in the National Conference and in the American Conference one slot most likely will be filled either by Pittsburgh or Baltimore. Baltimore plays Indianapolis Sunday and I am expecting no surprises there either. Wouldn't it be something to see all three teams from the AFC North in the playoffs, excluding you know who of course. Cincinnati faces off with Houston in what should be a good game. Two surprises, the Buffalo Bills at the start of the season were hopefuls, but have fallen from grace, and the Detroit Lions are still hanging on with their pinky. San Diego can still make it if Denver and Oakland have a meltdown.

The Bengals need to show they can win against teams with a plus record and Houston would be a good place to start, and it isn't optional. Andy Dalton and A. J. Green face a tough defense in the Texans. A decent showing from Benson will help the cause. Houston, on the other hand, has continued to win despite their quarterback loss. They will be facing a decent defense in the Bengals as well. Stop the run, win the game.

San Diego is back on track, although it was the offensiveless Jaguars they took advantage of last Monday. Their chances are slim at best on making it to the playoffs. The Chargers need to win and keep on winning, and that still leaves their chances very slim. Philip Rivers may have finally got his head on straight, maybe. We will see. Buffalo lost Fred Jackson, but even though that was a huge blow to their offensive attack, it is not the sole reason they have been losing. The Bills have been giving up two many points, which leaves their offense hard pressed to match. When an offense is forced to press than mistakes often follow, just ask Rivers.

Tim Tebow showed alittle more quarterback than running back his last outing, which is a good thing. However the Broncos are doing it, the fans have at least something to cheer about. They went from being a punching bag to being the boxer. Chicago's defense is built to take on the offense Denver has been putting out with Urlacher as its foundation and if the Bears are to win, it will have to be with defense. Chicago will seek to box Tebow in, so outside passes and screens will be the way to go for Tebow and let McGahee take on the middle.

One of the most animated coaches in football is the Giant's Tom Coughlin. The more unstable the Giant's offense is, the more entertaining Coughlin is, and the cameras know this. I'll watch the Giants just to see the antics of Coughlin. It's entertaining. They're winning, then they're losing, and then they're winning and losing. Dallas has been surging, but I think the Giant's pass rush is going to give Tony Romo fits and Eli Manning is going to give the Dallas secondary fits. Both Romo and Manning are proned to making knuckleheaded mistakes at times, but Romo will win in this category.

Both Cam Not-Win and Tim Tebow score more with their legs, but between the two of them, Tebow wins more. Everyone makes a big deal about Cam Not-Win, but he has not proven himself as a pocket quarterback. Until he does that, Panthers will not be a true contender and he will not be considered a true quarterback, unless they redefine what a quarterback is. Running quarterbacks do not go to the Super Bowl. However, Tebow is supported by a good defense that keeps the opposing points low and the offense in the game to make the winning score. The other rookie, Andy Dalton, has proved himself the way a quarterback does, with his arm.

One final note. The hit on Colt McCoy was an obvious cheap shot by Harrison. When you watch the replay, Harrison had enough time to calculate his hit on McCoy. It is true McCoy exposed himself more to a frontal hit when he changed his posture from a run to a throw, but Harrison was head hunting from the get go, going in high with the top of his helmet all the way.

THU, DEC 8                            TIME (ET)   TV       LOCATION
Cleveland at Pittsburgh                8:30            NFL      Heinz Field
SUN, DEC 11                          TIME (ET)   TV       LOCATION
Kansas City at NY Jets                1:00 PM     CBS      MetLife Stadium
Tampa Bay at Jacksonville          1:00 PM     FOX      EverBank Field
New England at Washington       1:00 PM     CBS      FedEx Field
Atlanta at Carolina                      1:00 PM     FOX      Bank of America Stadium
Indianapolis at Baltimore            1:00 PM     CBS      M&T Bank Stadium
Philadelphia at Miami                 1:00 PM     FOX      Sun Life Stadium
Minnesota at Detroit                   1:00 PM     FOX      Ford Field
New Orleans at Tennessee         1:00 PM     FOX      LP Field
Houston at Cincinnati                1:00 PM     CBS      Paul Brown Stadium
Chicago at Denver                     4:05 PM     FOX      Sports Authority Field at Mile High
San Francisco at Arizona           4:05 PM     FOX      U of Phoenix Stadium
Buffalo at San Diego                 4:15 PM     CBS      Qualcomm Stadium
Oakland at Green Bay               4:15 PM     CBS      Lambeau Field
NY Giants at Dallas                  8:20 PM     NBC      Cowboys Stadium
MON, DEC 12                        TIME (ET)    TV       LOCATION
St. Louis at Seattle                     8:30 PM     ESPN     CenturyLink Field

Week 13 NFL PIcks-The Playoff Picture Is Getting Clearer

It's not going to get any easier for the Detroit Lions, who are hanging on tentatively to their playoff hopes. Buffalo is fading fast. San Diego is nowhere to be found. The New York Giants can't score enough points. Baltimore and Pittsburgh are neck and neck. Green Bay is packing for the Super Bowl and New Orleans is Breesing along. And Cleveland, they just seem to be content with living in the cellar of the AFC North.

Green Bay is playing the frustrated Eli Manning Giants. Eli Manning just can't catch a break. He threw for more yards than Brees and still lost. Maybe, this Sunday, going up against a Packer secondary that gives up yardage, will be his day. He will need to have a good day because Aaron Rodgers just has too many options, and the Giant defense can only double cover so many recievers a down. It is inevitable Rodgers will score and not just score, but continue to score. The key to beating Green Bay is disrupting the source, Aaron Rodgers. Blitz, blitz, blitz, and after you blitz, blitz some more.

Cam-not win a game finally won a against the everybody-beats'em Colts. Everyone makes a fuss over Cam Newton and I just don't see it. Yah, he is big and can run the ball. Whoopty doo. Box him in and he will throw the mistake. If Tampa Bay accomplishes that, victory will follow. If they don't, Cam-not win a game Cam-win another one against a weaker defense in the Buccaneers. Carolina's defense has been shredded by opposing offenses, so it will come down to who puts out the better offense with the least turnovers.

Andy Does-win is facing the tough-on-offenses Steelers. Who would have thought the Bengals would be contenders this year. Cincinnati has a good solid defense and a balanced offensive attack with Dalton guiding the way. The Steelers will be focusing on A. J. Green for obvious reasons. Pittsburgh likewise has a balanced attack on offense with Mendenhall running and Roethlisberger passing, but Roethlisberger has more consistent receivers to throw to and the uncanny ability to get out of tight situations when the opposing team brings the blitz. Steelers will come out throwing with the hopes of scoring quickly to take the Bengals out of their game plan.

If Cleveland beats Baltimore, they will win the rest of their games. Ha Ha. That is a mighty big if. As a comparison, that would be like getting a hole in one on the 18th of Pebble Beaches Spyglass Hill Golf Course. As far as winning the rest of their games, they play Baltimore one more time and Pittsburgh twice. That would be like getting a hole in one on the 13th of Spyglass Hill. I think you get the picture.

The Cleveland coaching staff just doesn't want to play Joshua Cribbs on offense and that is getting down right offensive. I remember an announcer once said, "If you don't air it out at least three times a game, you are doing your team an injustice." Cleveland, make something happen or at least look like you are trying to. Send Cribbs long and throw it to him.

THU, DEC 1                         TIME (ET)  TV      LOCATION
Philadelphia at Seattle             8:20 PM   NFL      CenturyLink Field
SUN, DEC 4                         TIME (ET)  TV      LOCATION
Carolina at Tampa Bay            1:00 PM   FOX      Raymond James Stadium
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh           1:00 PM   CBS      Heinz Field
Atlanta at Houston                  1:00 PM   FOX      Reliant Stadium
NY Jets at Washington            1:00 PM   CBS      FedEx Field
Indianapolis at New England  1:00 PM   CBS      Gillette Stadium
Oakland at Miami                   1:00 PM   CBS      Sun Life Stadium
Denver at Minnesota               1:00 PM   FOX      Mall of America Field
Tennessee at Buffalo              1:00 PM   CBS      Ralph Wilson Stadium
Kansas City at Chicago          1:00 PM   CBS      Soldier Field
Baltimore at Cleveland          4:05 PM   CBS      Cleveland Browns Stadium
Dallas at Arizona                   4:15 PM   FOX      U of Phoenix Stadium
Green Bay at NY Giants        4:15 PM   FOX      MetLife Stadium
St. Louis at San Francisco     4:15 PM   FOX      Candlestick Park
Detroit at New Orleans          8:20 PM   NBC      Mercedes-Benz Superdome
MON, DEC 5                      TIME (ET)  TV      LOCATION
San Diego at Jacksonville      8:30 PM   ESPN     EverBank Field

Week 12 Turkey Day NFL Picks-Will It Be a Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood

Green Bay has pretty much wrapped up their division as they continue their quest for an undefeated season, unless they suffer an unexpected set back like the Idianapolis Colts. Detroit started the season off like gangbusters, but have faultered somewhat the past five games. Whether the Lions make it to the playoffs will be decided today against the Packers. Miami is gaining momentum each week they play and Dallas has shaken the early season cobb webs loose. Baltimore needs to stay a step ahead of Pittsburgh and San Fran is breezing along comfortably in their division.

Aaron Rodgers is on a record setting pace, but will be facing a tough on the quarterback Lion's defense. Rodgers rarely makes a mistake and that is what makes him unbeatable. The Lion's, if they are going to win this game, will need to score touchdown for touchdown. Rodgers has way more weapons in his arsonal than Matthew Stafford does, so the Detroit defense will have to come up with a game plan that will neutralize some of those weapons. The Packers task on defense is much simpler, take out Calvin Johnson and job won, but the Packers chink in their armor is the defensive secondary. If the Lions drive a wedge into that chink the Packers will become vulnerable to a possible fatal blow and bye, bye undefeated season.

Miami is a tale of two seasons. The turn around is due to Matt Moore and Reggie Bush. Bush will tear a defense up on screens and will burn the secondary once he gets into the open field. If Bush has an excellent day Miami will have a good chance of winning. The Dolphins front line will need to pay attention to where Demarcus Ware is at all times or Moore will be running for his life. Moore's use of play action and screens will be a plus in his favor at avoiding Ware. Tony Romo has been on fire as of late and avoiding "the wish I had a V8" moment that left one scratching their heads over what he was doing in the final moments of earlier games. The Cowboys are dealing with injuries in key offensive postions, so a win hinges on Romo's play. Avoiding the interception or fumble is paramount.

Baltimore has been floudering on offense since they took down Pittsburgh. They lost to what-will-they-do-this-week Seattle and barely escaped the newly revised Cincinnati Bengals, who are chomping at their heals. On top of it, the Ravens defense has been giving up points. Ray Lewis is questionable, which if he doesn't play, Baltimore will be weaker against the run, and against the 49ers that would be Frank Gore. Joe Flacco and Torrey Smith have been making connection since the Pittsburgh game. We will see if that continues. Baltimore thrives on the mistakes of their opponents and forced three interceptions out of the Bengal's Dalton last Sunday. This will be more difficult with Alex Smith. Smith has been making good decisions under center and his favorite target to score is Vernon Davis. San Fran has a defense that is equally as tough as Baltimore. So, this game may be decided by the field goal kickers.

THU, NOV 24                        TIME (ET)    TV     LOCATION
Green Bay at Detroit                12:30 PM    FOX    Ford Field
Miami at Dallas                        4:15 PM      CBS    Cowboys Stadium
San Francisco at Baltimore      8:20 PM      NFL    M&T Bank Stadium

Week 11 NFL Picks-Green Bay Remains Undefeated

Winning in football is sometimes literally a matter of inches. This statement had verification in the Saints verses Falcons with the Falcons losing 26-23. San Diego got Bush-wacked and Palmer-ized by Oakland Thursday night. Pittsburgh gained control of the AFC North beating Cincinnati, while Baltimore sputtered against lowly Seattle. The Jets inability to put it in the end zone cost them against New England. Chicago topped Detroit and Green Bay had their way with Minnesota.

November 13, 2011, Atlanta verses New Orleans, a date which will live in infamy. The game was forced into overtime and Atlanta won the coin toss. Momentum appeared to be on the side of Atlanta. Mike Cox took the third down pass from Ryan. The oustretched arm of Cox in real time looked to have gotten the first down, but the replay showed he had bobbled the ball just before his arm crossed the stick. The Falcons now were faced with a drive ending fourth down. The obvious decision would be to punt, a no brainer, but the obvious was not today.

All eyes were on Mike Smith. A glaring fact: Go for it and fail, it would be a chip shot for New Orleans to win. If you are a gambler it could be likened to a moment you're standing at the Roulette Wheel with a wade of money in your hand and you pause to reflect, should I or shouldn't I. A decision that would have one of two outcomes. If you succeed, you will be celebrated with confetti showering down and corks popping. If you don't, it won't be confetti showering down, but a hail of disappointment and that was really stupid.

The offense got the green light and it was over at the snap of the ball. Turner couldn't get any momentum with his offensive line pushed back in his face and the Saints swarming to the ball. New Orleans took over, end of game, end of story.

It was the game to take control of AFC East because Buffalo lost to Dallas earlier. The Jets inability to score in the red zone and some stupid mistakes made it easy for the Brady Bunch. If you give Brady a minute of time, he will turn it into a score, and that is what Mark Sanchez did just before the half ended. Fumble a punt and throw an interception, thus turning the ball over to the Brady Bunch is only asking for trouble, and that is what the Jets did. Instead of taking advantage of the rag-tag defense of the Patriots, the Jets offense sat on the sidelines while Tom Brady performed his magic.

The New York Jets play Denver on Thursday night. Stop Tebow from running and it should be a farely easy victory. Is Dallas for real? They play Washington and it could get real nasty for the Redskins. Buffalo will be facing off with a surging Miami. Could go either way. San Diego is jumping from the frying pan into the pot against Chicago. A must win for both teams, especially the Chargers. Cincinnati needs A. J. Green against Baltimore and Baltimore needs to get focused. New England, on a Monday night at Gillette Stadium, mixed with some New England weather, could leave the Chiefs shivering in their feathers. I was 10-6 in Week 10.

THU, NOV 17                       TIME (ET)        TV          LOCATION
NY Jets at Denver                   8:20 PM         NFL      Sports Authority Field at Mile High

SUN, NOV 20                       TIME (ET)        TV          LOCATION
Tampa Bay at Green Bay       1:00 PM         FOX      Lambeau Field
Carolina at Detroit                  1:00 PM         FOX      Ford Field
Jacksonville at Cleveland       1:00 PM         CBS      Cleveland Browns Stadium
Oakland at Minnesota            1:00 PM         CBS      Mall of America Field
Buffalo at Miami                    1:00 PM         CBS      Sun Life Stadium
Dallas at Washington             1:00 PM         FOX      FedEx Field
Cincinnati at Baltimore          1:00 PM         CBS      M&T Bank Stadium
Arizona at San Francisco       4:05 PM         FOX      Candlestick Park
Seattle at St. Louis                 4:05 PM         FOX      Edward Jones Dome
Tennessee at Atlanta              4:15 PM         CBS      Georgia Dome
San Diego at Chicago            4:15 PM         CBS      Soldier Field
Philadelphia at NY Giants     8:20 PM         NBC      MetLife Stadium

MON, NOV 21                    TIME (ET)        TV          LOCATION
Kansas City at New England 8:30 PM         ESPN     Gillette Stadium

Week 10 NFL Picks-The Season Begins For Cincinnati

After what I thought was one of the best Sundays of football in the NFL's long illustrious history the saying, "That is a tough act to follow," is apropos. Teams like Baltimore, NY Giants, and Arizona proved "It ain't over till it's over." San Diego fell short of putting their game into overtime against Green Bay, but it was entertaining. The Chargers stand at a crossroads in their division. Cincinnati continues to surprise, but will be tested when they faceoff with Pittsburgh. Chicago exstinguished the fires of Philadelphia on Monday Night Football, but will be jumping into the frying pan against Detroit this Sunday. The line up looks good.

The Bengals success this year covers the huge mistake they made last year, and that was putting Noshow-Cinco and TOed-Owens in the same lineup. Enough said about that. Two rookies have taken center stage in Cincinnati, Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. They have been the catalyst for the offense, but have been supported by a good defense. It has been said their schedule for the first half of the season might have something to do with it, but their first 8 games may have given them the time to prepare for what's coming.

The Pittsburgh game will test whether they can cut the mustard. Pittsburgh had victory snatched away from them by Baltimore and will be looking for redemption or someone to hit. It will be a good game, but in order for Pittsburgh to lose this one, they will have to seriously stumble.

San Diego is in a three way tie in their division. Philip Rivers doesn't like to lose. No suprising revelation in that statement. He puts his heart and soul into every game and when he does lose, you see the disappointment written all over his face. Mistakes have plagued his game play. He has been trying to force the ball into passing situations that backfire. San Diego takes on Oakland Thusday night. Injuries have been disruptive, but good teams overcome. Well, maybe if your not Indianapolis. What may help the Chargers cause, Ryan Matthews is expected to play.

San Diego's injuries will be offsetting because Oakland has injuries of its own in key positions, like running back Darren McFadden, who was having a great year. Michael Bush has been filling in very nicely. Carson Palmer is now calling the plays and is listed as probable. Despite San Diego's woes, the only way I see Oakland winning this one is by their defense stepping up and creating mistakes.

Detroit destroyed Denver before their bye, but Denver is not Chicago. The Lions are a dominate passing team with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. Chicago's defense just shut down Michael Vick and company on Monday. So, Stafford and company will have their hands full, hopefully footballs. If their defense plagues Jay Cutler like they did Tim tebow, half the battle will be won.

Chicago's challenge will be to shut down Stafford and cover Johnson. The easier of the two would be to strike at the point of attack, Stafford. Chicago has the defense that can harrass and disrupt the quarterback via Julius Peppers, and Brian Urlacher dropping back into coverage. Jay Cutler has a rifle arm and if he is in rythmn with his receivers, Detroit will be looking from behind. All in all, if both teams live up to their expectations, it will be a good game. Maybe, one of those down to last minute thrillers.

I don't know what to say about the cleveland Browns. Luckily, they are playing St. Louis in Cleveland. At least they won't be in a hostile environment, but that could change. The Browns defense will have to control Steven Jackson, the Rams main offensive weapon. Unfortunately, they couldn't stop Arian Foster and Ben Tate last Sunday. Both Houston backs had a hundred yard plus day. Jackson will be like a fired up thoroughbred race horse waiting for the gates to open. The Browns coaching staff has finally wised up to using Joshua Cribbs at wide receiver. It's about time. This week the Browns are even giving consideration to using him at the running position.

THU, NOV 10                      TIME (ET)   TV     LOCATION
Oakland at San Diego             8:20 PM     NFL    Qualcomm Stadium

SUN, NOV 13                      TIME (ET)   TV     LOCATION
Arizona at Philadelphia          1:00 PM    FOX    Lincoln Financial Field
Tennessee at Carolina            1:00 PM     CBS    Bank of America Stadium
Houston at Tampa Bay           1:00 PM    CBS    Raymond James Stadium
Washington at Miami             1:00 PM    FOX    Sun Life Stadium
Jacksonville at Indianapolis   1:00 PM     CBS    Lucas Oil Stadium
Denver at Kansas City            1:00 PM    CBS    Arrowhead Stadium
Buffalo at Dallas                     1:00 PM    CBS    Cowboys Stadium
New Orleans at Atlanta          1:00 PM    FOX    Georgia Dome
St. Louis at Cleveland            1:00 PM    FOX    Cleveland Browns Stadium
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati          1:00 PM    CBS    Paul Brown Stadium
Baltimore at Seattle                4:05 PM    CBS    CenturyLink Field
NY Giants at San Francisco   4:15 PM    FOX    Candlestick Park
Detroit at Chicago                  4:15 PM    FOX    Soldier Field
New England at NY Jets        8:20 PM    NBC    MetLife Stadium

MON, NOV 14                    TIME (ET)   TV    LOCATION
Minnesota at Green Bay         8:30 PM    ESPN   Lambeau Field

It Was A Great Sunday Of NFL Football Games-Maybe The Best In Its History

The Browns are fading fast in the brutal, hotly contended AFC North. In a division where the Brown legacy is written all over it, the Cleveland Browns seem to be comfortable at the bottom year after year. Cincinnati Bengals, the Browns sister team, is riding high on two rookies, and the former Browns, the Baltimore Ravens, are sitting on top. Going into the final stretch of the season there is alot of football left to play between these teams, but after beating the Steelers it appears Baltimore is emerging as the favorite, for now at least. Stay tuned, that could change in a blink of an eye. Sunday's lineup produced a boat load of down to wire thrills.

Baltimore had been leading through most of the game until Mike Wallace came across the field to snag a Ben Roethlisberger pass that was meant for Antonio Brown in the end zone. It surprised Roethlisberger and stole a moment of glory from Brown. You take'em anyway you can get'em. The touchdown put the Steelers up 20-16 with alittle under 5 minutes left. The ball exchanged hands once more and then with 2:17 left on the clock it was Baltimore's possession.

Unflappable Joe Flacco faced the daunting task of taking it down field from his own 8 yard line. He was up to the challenge. The fans of Pittsburgh cringed and watched helplessly as the Ravens marched up the green methodically, but time was favoring the Steelers. Flacco, from Pittsburghs 37, went for it all. Torey Smith was streaking into the end zone wide open. The crowd gasped as the pass was right on target, but Smith had the familiar case of butter fingers, and the crowd cheered in relief.

Flacco's receivers would let him down a second time in the end zone when David Reed dropped a perfectly delivered pass. Flacco shook off the disappointment. He had to. There were only seconds left between him and defeat. The next play Flacco took the snap and set himself, the opportunity presented itself a third time and it was Smith in the right side of the end zone. Did Flacco on seeing Smith, for a brief moment in his mind, hesitate to throw the ball to a receiver who had previously let him down? We will never know. If he did, it went unoticed as the ball landed into the arms of a sliding Smith. Redemption is sweet. Victory is sweet. Baltimore defeated the Steelers for a second time 23-20.

Green Bay and San Diego traded scores throughout three quarters. When the Packers thought they delivered the final blow, San Diego would come storming back. Green Bay scored two touchdowns in the fourth and were comfortably in the lead at 45-24. Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson hooked up for two quick scores and the Chargers were suddenly back in the game at 45-38. With 1:05 left, the ball was back in the hands of Rivers at his own 31. A San Diego score would possibly throw the game into an overtime shootout. A pass to Antonio Gates put it at the 50 yard line. Now the end zone was in view and within Rivers reach, but a familiar Rivers nemesis reared its ugly head, the dreaded interception. A pass in the direction of Jackson fell short and it was over.

St Louis and Arizona, two teams with identical losing records faced off in Arizona. The two teams traded field goals for three quarters with the Rams in the lead 9-6. The world proceeded to fall apart for Skelton and the Cardinals. It began to rain safety's, two to be exact. St Louis was now winning 13-6. Arizona would finally tie the game in the fourth on a Skelton pass to Larry Fitzgerald. It wasn't over even though there was 51 seconds left on the clock for the Rams to do something. In football time, 51 seconds is alot, especially when you only need a field goal to win.

St Louis got that chance. From Arizona's 42, the ball left Josh Brown's foot, but we will never know if it would have been good because it was blocked. End of quarter. Now comes OT. It didn't last long, one possession to be exact. Patrick Peterson took a Donnie Jones punt 99 yards for a touchdown, Arizona 19-13 over St Louis. The sad thing about it, Jones had an opportunity to easily stop Peterson, but muffed it.

New England and NY Giants game ended with the Patriots being totally stunned. The NY Jets and Buffalo Bills traded blows with the Jets getting the better of the Bills. It was an exciting day of NFL football, maybe one of the best in its history. The Bears and Eagles are next on Monday Night Football. Will it continue?

Week Nine NFL Picks-The Upstarts Are Making Their Presense Known

The NFL season is headed into the back stretch. It is good to see some new upstarts leading the pack going towards the playoffs. Will these new presumptuous contenders be able to keep up their winning ways and if and when they finally reach that playoff pinnacle, be able to dislodge deeply entrenched playoff greats like Green Bay, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and New England, assuming they will acheive it? Detroit is on a bye this week. Buffalo faces defensively tough New York Jets. Cincinnati will be hosted by Tennessee.

Buffalo is riding high in the hotly contended AFC Division. They have been winning games with their offense. The Bills ace-in-the-hole is Fred Jackson. Jackson has been doing it all, running, catching, and scoring. I hope he continues putting up huge numbers because he is one of my fantasy players. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been steady with 14 passing touchdowns thus far this year. It is somewhat humorous he has five interceptions in the games he has won and only two in those he has lost. Go figure. He will be facing a Jets defense that goes after quarterbacks, so he will have to be on his toes and rely on the toes of Jackson. Keep you eye on the bouncing ball.

The Jets cannot afford to lose another game. The obvious key to preventing that from happening, their defense will have to control Jackson. Recently, a tire on my car has been annoyingly losing air and every morning it would be half flat. The only way to remove that annoyance was to plug the hole up.
When it comes to the run, the Jets defensive line have been like that leaky tire and the only way to stop Jackson is to plug the hole. Good luck with that one.

Shonn Greene will have to match Jackson yard for yard, score for score. Accomplish that, and then it will come down to Fitzpatrick verses Sanchez, Yosemite Sam verses Elmer Fudd. Which one is better at hitting their target?

Tennessee is neck and neck with Houston. Matt Hasselbeck has been carrying the Titans while Chris Johnson has not been playing up to potential. When Hasselbeck has a bad game, the Titans lose. That pretty much is an obvious conclusion. Johnson faces a tough front four of the Bengals defense. If he has a breakout game, it will be a surprise.

Andy Dalton and A.J. Green are building into a deadly combination. Green will be matched against a physical cornerback in Cortland Finnegan. Dalton may have to find an alternative target, but I am sure he will be looking for that one opportunity for the big play to Green. Like Tennessee, Cincinnati's running game has been a tade weak. Cincinnati's true test will come when they play divisional rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Two games to watch this weekend are Baltimore at Pittsburgh on Sunday vevening and Chicago at Philadelphia on Monday night. The Baltimore at Pittsburgh game will be defensively brutal. There will be alot of head banging in this one with Lewis and Polamalu. Roethlisberger and Wallace have become a formidable tandem. They seem to hook up at least one time each game for the big yard buster and touchdown.

Philadelphia is coming off a decisive win over Dallas. The Eagles offensive line opened up holes for LeSean McCoy and gave Vick the time to do his work of inflicting damage on the opponent's secondary. On the other side, Matt Forte has been putting up large numbers and Cutler has been avoiding the costly mistake. The Eagles surmounting task, take Forte out of the equation. Its anybody's guess.

Sunday November 6
Time (ET)	Visiting Team	Home Team	TV	Weather	Tickets
1:00 pm	New York Jets	Buffalo Bills	CBS		Buy Now
1:00 pm	Seattle Seahawks	Dallas Cowboys	FOX		Buy Now
1:00 pm	Cleveland Browns	Houston Texans	CBS		Buy Now
1:00 pm	Atlanta Falcons	Indianapolis Colts	FOX		Buy Now
1:00 pm	Miami Dolphins	Kansas City Chiefs	CBS		Buy Now
1:00 pm	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	New Orleans Saints	FOX		Buy Now
1:00 pm	San Francisco 49ers	Washington Redskins	FOX		Buy Now
4:05 pm	Denver Broncos	Oakland Raiders	CBS		Buy Now
4:05 pm	Cincinnati Bengals	Tennessee Titans	CBS		Buy Now
4:15 pm	St. Louis Rams	Arizona Cardinals	FOX		Buy Now
4:15 pm	New York Giants	New England Patriots	FOX
4:15 pm	Green Bay Packers	San Diego Chargers	FOX		Buy Now
8:20 pm	Baltimore Ravens	Pittsburgh Steelers	NBC		Buy Now

Monday November 7
Time (ET)	Visiting Team	Home Team	TV	Weather	Tickets
8:30 pm	Chicago Bears	Philadelphia Eagles	ESPN		Buy Now

Week 8 In The NFL Highlights Some Surprises And Follies

Denver got t-boned by Detroit. Pittsburgh stole the show from New England. Buffalo buffaloed Washington. Cincinnati clawed their way to victory over Seattle. Philadelphia soared over Dallas. Whoopsy San Diego made a late game mistake that cost them a victory. But, the shocker of all shockers was St Louis ramming New Orleans into the wall of shame.

The Rams going into their contest with the Saints were 0-6. The previous Sunday they were pummeled by inconsistent Dallas. Meanwhile. the Saints thoroughly embarrassed Manningless Indianapolis, scoring 62 points. So, what the heck happened to the Saints, who I would not have picked to lose in a million years against the Rams? The answer is quite obvious, Steve Jackson and a relentless defense. The Ram defense took Drew Brees out of his usual rhythm. While on the otherside of the ball, Jackson ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns. The rest of the NFL teams, take note.

Detroit rebounded in a big way. They needed to reaffirm their legitimacy. Sure, it was just Denver, but a win is a win. Matthew Stafford had a career day. He threw three touchdowns on a total of 267 yards with a rating of 130.8. Tim Whoop-tee-do Tebow didn't have a bad day, running for 63 yards and throwing for 172 yards and one touchdown. His one huge blunder was a pick that went for a hundred yards and a touchdown. Tebow runs out of necessity because he gets easily flustered and can't find the open man. Running quarterbacks just don't go to the Super Bowl.

Buffalo is one of the surprises of the year. They are staying on pace with New England. One of the reasons, Fred Jackson is having a great year. He didn't score a touchdown in this one, but he accumulated a total of 194 yards of offense. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdowns to Scott Chandler. Buffalo faces a tough, opportunistic Jet defense that raise havoc a a quarterback. Jackson will be their ticket to victory.

Their were alot of borderline penalty calls that went against the hard luck Chargers in the Monday Night Follies. It was raining yellow flags from the beginning to the end. Game altering official calls that took scores away from the Chargers. That been said, San Diego shot themselves in the foot on numerous occassions. They could only get the ball across the goal line once. All the other times they entered the red zone, penalties and mistakes forced them back. Kansas City didn't fair much better, but came away with the win on an overtime field goal. The Chargers are looking eerily like the Browns of old.

Pittsburgh handled the Brady Bunch quite nicely. New England fought right down to the final seconds of the game when their final possession ended up sailing in the wrong direction and out the back of the end zone, courtesy Polamalu, after a Brady fumble. The result was a safety. The offense can't advance the ball on a fumble, but there is nothing ruling against the ball going backwards 25 yards after being slapped. Roethlisberger and Company controlled the ball twice as long as the Brady Bunch. Ouch. Now Pittsburgh faces a gauntlet of AFC North teams in the back stretch. Though, I don't think they need to worry too much about the touchdownless Browns. Unless, the Browns coaching staff gets their heads out of their keisters about the wide receiver dilemma. And that's another story.

Week 8 NFL Picks-Game Of The Week Patriots vs Steelers

The onetime "Kardiac Kids" are looking like the "Kouch Potato Kids." No touchdowns scored in their last game. Four quarters of zero, zip, zilch, and pass me the popcorn, nothing else is happening, and what other games are on. I have to admit, they did win. Only one other game looked worse and that was Jacksonville against Baltimore, and that was a Monday Nighter. Even embarrassed-off-the-charts Indianapolis scored a touchdown. New Orleans showed them no mercy. Green Bay found themselves in a bit of a tussle with Minnesota, but figured things out to win. Kansas City shut out a McFaddenless Oakland. Denver's whoop-tee-do Tebow led the Broncos to victory and Cam-not win a game finally won for Carolina. That's pretty much a wrap for last week in the NFL. My picks looked as bad as the Colts, 6-7. The worst I have ever done. Time to use the throw the dart at the schedule system.

Cleveland will be going to San Fran this Sunday at 4:15. I have said it over and over, the Browns need to get Joshua Cribbs involved in the offense and use him like Pittsburgh uses Wallace. They are waisting a wide receiver in a position where kickoffs have been taken out of the equation because of the new rule. Shurmur or whomever needs to get off the couch on this one. Defense will not be enough to win against a prolific 49er offense led by Frank Gore. Jim Harbaugh won't be getting too excited about beating Cleveland like he did Detroit.

New England will be facing the Steelers in Pittsburgh. This will be a good game to watch. Tom Brady will have to be at his best and he usually is against the Steelers. You can be sure the Steelers defense will be going after him in a big way. The Brady Bunch will score despite the Steelers efforts. Look for the Pittsburgh offense to make an attempt at establishing a running game from the start to keep the Brady Bunch off the field. If that should fail, Ben Roethlisberger has been on fire as of recent with a deep threat in Wallace, so the running game is of no consequence. Will Roethlisberger and Company be able to match the Patriots point for point? This question will be answered Sunday.

Arizona will be at Baltimore. Baltimore can't afford to lose another one like they did against Jacksonville. The Ravens are looking to rectify the embarrassment they suffered at the hands of the Jaguars. The Cardinals are the unfortunate ones to be next in line on their schedule. The Ravens defense is breathing fire and the Cardinal offense is going to get burned. Kevin Kolb won't have anywhere to hide and he better have his dancing shoes on. Joe Flacco and Ray Rice will definately have a better day in comparison to last week, and that is not saying much.

New Orleans will be at St Louis. Could be another 60+ outing for the Saints. Cincinnati faces Seattle. You never know what Seahawk team will show up, but you do know what Bengal team will be there. Denver will host Detroit. Detroit has to get back on track. Tim whoop-tee-do Tebow will be facing a Lion defense stronger against the pass, so he will have to think about running and that would be no surprise. Minnesota gave the Packers a scare last week and seeing it is Halloween, Carolina should be also, scared that is. That's a wrap for now. I held off using the darts. I anticipate doing better in my picks this week.

SUN, OCT 30                       TIME (ET) TV       LOCATION
Arizona at Baltimore W            1:00 PM  FOX      M&T Bank Stadium
Minnesota at Carolina W          1:00 PM  FOX      Bank of America Stadium
Jacksonville at Houston W       1:00 PM  CBS      Reliant Stadium
Miami at NY Giants W             1:00 PM  CBS      MetLife Stadium
New Orleans at St. Louis L       1:00 PM  FOX      Edward Jones Dome
Indianapolis at Tennessee W     1:00 PM  CBS      LP Field
Detroit at Denver W                  4:05 PM  FOX      Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Washington at Buffalo W         4:05 PM  FOX      Rogers Centre
Cincinnati at Seattle W             4:15 PM  CBS      CenturyLink Field
Cleveland at San Francisco W  4:15 PM  CBS      Candlestick Park
New England at Pittsburgh L   4:15 PM  CBS      Heinz Field
Dallas at Philadelphia L           8:20 PM  NBC      Lincoln Financial Field
MON, OCT 31                    TIME (ET)  TV      LOCATION
San Diego at Kansas City L    8:30 PM  ESPN     Arrowhead Stadium

Week 7 NFL Picks-Some Good Matchups And Some It's Over Before It Starts

Week Six Monday Night Football saw a game that was pretty much even across the board when it was over. Darrelle Revis and Brandon Marshall battled all night in the end zone. Marshall had several scoring opportunities foiled as well as dropped. Matt Moore was pummeled by the Jets rush, forcing him to come up short on some of his passes. Revis picked off one of those passes and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. Its those little things that make a difference in winning and losing and it was the Jets who ended on top. The Week 7 lineup is probably split between obvious wins and it's anybody's guess.

Detroit's game against Atlanta this Sunday will be a crucial one since they are coming off a loss. It will be a test of their resilience and ability to overcome a setback. Playing at home is one on the plus side for them, although they are 3-0 on the road. The Lions had a problem stopping Frank Gore and will be facing another tough runner in Michael Turner. It is a glaring statistic that when Turner has a 100+ game and scores, Atlanta wins. Detroit's defense must stop Turner and put the ball into Matt Ryan's hands, which if Detroit is not careful could be tricky. Matthew Stafford has proven his ability to put it the endzone with Calvin Johnson. It didn't happen in the San Fran game because the 49er's did a good job checking Johnson in the endzone. Atlanta isn't San Fran defensively, so Stafford will be looking that way.

The Jets are playing for their playoff life. One thing in their favor is they have a defense that can tear the opposing team apart and create crucial mistakes, as they did in the Miami game. San Diego is not Miami when it comes to offense. Philip Rivers has only 6 passing touchdowns for the season, but the Chargers find a way to win despite, usually with the help of Nick Novak. The Chargers can move the ball offensively, but without Antonio Gates they are missing an important part of their scoring attack. There is a possibilty Gates will play, so watch out Jets. Revis will have to step it up again and the defensive line will have to apply the pressure. For the Jets offensively, Sanchez will have to avoid the critical mistake and Shonn Greene must have a good running game, San Diego's weak spot. If Santonio Holmes has a touchdown, the Jets will be competitive.

Seattle Seahawks shocked the Giants this past week. The Cleveland Browns are on the bottom in their division again after being bested by Oakland. This is an anybody's guess. The Browns will no doubt be missing Hillis, maybe, and continue to play silly games with the wide receiver position. Joshua Cribbs is still used sparingly in the passing attack, which baffles me. The Browns just need to let it all hang out and use Cribbs like the Steelers use Wallace. Colt McCoy can win if he is given the green light and a go to guy. The Seahawks will be without Tarvaris Jackson, weakening their offense even more. This is an opportunity for the Browns to get on the winning road. Whether they stay on it depends on their willingness to go for broke and do the obvious, out of the ordinary, move to Cribbs at wide receiver permanently.

Baltimore needs to take Jacksonville seriously even though it may look like a cake walk. Can Cam-do or Cam-not, that is the question? Stay tuned Sunday. Green Bay at Minnesota, not like it used to be with Farve, Minnesota that is, not Green Bay. The battle of the Titans against the Texans, a possible shoot out. I'm looking for a 100 percent pick this week with no surprises.

SUN, OCT 23                           TIME (ET) TV       LOCATION
San Diego at NY Jets L               1:00 PM  CBS    MetLife Stadium
Chicago at Tampa Bay L             1:00 PM  FOX    Wembley Stadium
Washington at Carolina W           1:00 PM  FOX    Bank of America Stadium
Atlanta at Detroit L                      1:00 PM  FOX    Ford Field
Seattle at Cleveland W                 1:00 PM  FOX    Cleveland Browns Stadium
Denver at Miami L                       1:00 PM  CBS    Sun Life Stadium
Houston at Tennessee L               1:00 PM  CBS    LP Field
Kansas City at Oakland L            4:05 PM  CBS    Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Pittsburgh at Arizona W              4:05 PM  CBS    U of Phoenix Stadium
Green Bay at Minnesota W         4:15 PM  FOX    Mall of America Field
St. Louis at Dallas W                  4:15 PM  FOX    Cowboys Stadium
Indianapolis at New Orleans W  8:20 PM  NBC    Superdome

MON, OCT 24                         TIME (ET)  TV     LOCATION
Baltimore at Jacksonville L        8:30 PM  ESPN   EverBank Field

Some Stunners On Sunday And A Monday Night Game To Go

The question whether Detroit would remain undefeated was answered with an strong affirmitive. The Steelers game was fury unleashed and the poor Titans were the recipients of that fury. Maybe, Rothlisberger should play with a special shoe all the time. But the big difference for the Steeler offense was the protection of Rothlisberger, giving him an opportunity to pick his targets and pick his targets he did. San Fran pummeled Tampa Bay. New Orleans and Green Bay continued their winning ways. New York Giants were viciously stung by Seattle. I was 8-5 in a topsy-turvy weekend of football.

Will Baltimore remain on top of the AFC North? The Ravens will be taking on a tough opponent from the Lone Star State, Houston Texans, who was bested by Oakland in their past outing. The drought has appeared to have affected the Texans, who look good one week and mistake proned the next. Against a tough Baltimore defense, mistakes can prove to be costly.

This is how I would have begun my picks for Week 6, but an important circumstance arose this past week and I had to make a trip to Ohio, so I didn't get the opportunity to finish my article. Detroit no longer stands on top with Green Bay as the only undefeated teams. They lost to a revived San Fran team, who is making a run for the playoffs. New Orleans was stunned by one of San Fran's previous victims, Tampa Bay. Baltimore remains on top of the AFC North and the Cleveland Browns sunk lower into the abyss. The Brady Bunch mounted an end of the game drive and handed the Cowboys a heart breaking loss. Carolina Panthers still Cam not win a game. The Bills got skinned by the Giants and Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta all won.

There is one game left I can make a pick on. It looks to be a fairly easy pick, considering one of the opponents hasn't won a game yet this year, Miami. Their opposition is the New York Jets, who Miami seems to find a way to beat. Not likely this time, not even remotely likely. Miami will have Matt Moore tacking snaps in place of Chad Henne, and Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas just haven't been doing it for the Dolphins. The Jets can be mistake prone at times, but that won't be the case against a weak-on-the-pass Miami defense. Look for Santonio Holmes to have a good game.

MON, OCT 17	TIME (ET)	TV	RESOURCES	LOCATION
Miami at NY Jets	8:30 PM		Tickets	MetLife Stadium

Week 5 NFL Picks-Will Detroit Lions Remain Undefeated

The Steelers got drubbed in a game where the final score should have been worse than it was if it wasn't for Houston mistakes. The Lions overcame a deficit in the fourth quarter against the Cowboys to remain undefeated. Trying-to-figure-out Cincinnati handed Buffalo its first loss. Baltimore defense manhandled the Jets and Sanchez. Green Bay, New england, New Orleans, and New York Giants all won their games. Last but not least, surprise Tennessee easily took the Browns down. I was 10-6 in Week Four. This is a bye week for some teams, which includes the Browns. There are only 10 games scheduled.

Tennessee at Pittsburgh will be interesting. First, Ben Roethlisberger is going to play despite the foot injury and Mendenhall is out, but that is of no consequence. The big problem with the Steelers last week, Wallace, their go to guy, did not figure into the passing attack. It seemed Roethlisberger favored Brown throughout the game. Now, whether that mistake was by design or Wallace was flat out covered, in order to win against the Titans, the Steelers will have to find a way to get the ball to Wallace. Tennessee's defense is tough and they will be going after Roethlisberger, who is lacking protection. Matt Hasselbeck will be tested in this game by a Steeler blitz attack, and if he overcomes it, I will be a believer.

Cincinnati will be at Jacksonville. Jacksonville is a one dimentional offense and the Bengals have a steady defense. Cincinnati's defense needs only to control Maurice Jones-Drew and the rest will be up to their offense. Blaine Gabbert will have to avoid the big mistake when the game comes to rest on his arm if they should fall behind in the score, which probably will be the case. Andy Dalton has proven he can win, Gabbert has yet to notch number one.

Green Bay has been cruising along and will be hosted by Atlanta. Green Bay just has too many weapons with a quarterback and receiving core that run like a well oiled turbo charged engine. Atlanta's defense will need to step it up a notch by putting pressure on Aaron Rodgers and hope their offense can match whatever Rodgers puts up. The Packers defensive secondary is vulnerable and if the offensive line gives Matt Ryan the time, that could be a possibility. The Falcons will have the home crowd behind them, which should help out alittle, hopefully.

The big game will be Chicago at Detroit. Detroit has proven their legitimacy as a contender and their win against Dallas substantiated that. After years of losing, this is a welcomed change for the steady Detroit fan. Monday night, Detroit and its fans will be in the spotlight. Stafford and Johnson are a deadly combo. Eight of Stafford's 11 touchdowns have been to Calvin Johnson. Chicago's task will be to break that combo up. It is their only hope. They are in a division with two undefeated teams and a must win stuation. Matt Forte and Devon Hester are Chicago's impact players, but if Detroit stuffs the run Jay Cutler, who has only 5 touchdown passes for the season, will have to win it, unless the defense scores some touchdowns.

The playoff picture is beginning to take some shape. There are a few teams who need to win this weekend or they will fall seriously behind with little hope of recovery. The only division that is still wide open is the AFC North. Baltimore and Cleveland are on a bye week.

SUN, OCT 9                          TIME (ET) TV  LOCATION
Tennessee at Pittsburgh L          1:00 PM CBS  Heinz Field
Seattle at NY Giants L               1:00 PM FOX  MetLife Stadium
Cincinnati at Jacksonville W     1:00 PM CBS  EverBank Field
New Orleans at Carolina W       1:00 PM FOX  Bank of America Stadium
Oakland at Houston L                1:00 PM CBS  Reliant Stadium
Philadelphia at Buffalo W          1:00 PM FOX  Ralph Wilson Stadium
Kansas City at Indianapolis L    1:00 PM CBS  Lucas Oil Stadium
Arizona at Minnesota W            1:00 PM FOX  Mall of America Field
Tampa Bay at San Francisco L  4:05 PM FOX  Candlestick Park
NY Jets at New England W       4:15 PM CBS  Gillette Stadium
San Diego at Denver W             4:15 PM CBS  Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Green Bay at Atlanta W             8:20 PM NBC  Georgia Dome

MON, OCT 10                      TIME (ET) TV  LOCATION
Chicago at Detroit W                 8:30 PM ESPN Ford Field