JC's Take: Stars, Goats & Notes From Week 8 Of The NFL

Team of the Week: Denver Broncos
Denver took control of the AFC West this week with a very convincing win over the Saints. Denver's defense has had some problems stopping good offenses this year but they did a good job of shutting down Drew Brees and the Saints offense. And Peyton Manning looked like the Peyton Manning of old the entire game. Yes it was against the Saints defense, but it was still a very impressive performance. Denver has established themselves as the top dogs in the AFC West. They've shown they can put teams away early and also come from behind late like they did two weeks ago against San Diego. Denver is the most stable team in that division. If their defense can keep putting up performances like they did Sunday night, then they could be a threat in the AFC. That will be the key for Denver going forward.

NFL Off-Season Preview: AFC East Edition

After Week 3 this year it appeared that the AFC East may have a new dog on top. The Bills beat the Patriots for the first time since 2003. But the Bills faltered down the stretch, and the Patriots won the AFC East for the 8th time in nine years. The Patriots offense by the end of the year was a machine that couldn't be stopped. They have a duel threat at tight end with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez and the always pesky Wes Welker at WR. The Jets took a step backward last year, failing to make the Playoffs for the first time under Rex Ryan. And there is dysfunction in the locker room. The Bills finally looked ready to make the Playoffs for the first time in a decade, but they faltered down the stretch. The Dolphins started the season 0-7 and appeared poised to draft Andrew Luck first overall, but they finished strong going 6-3 in their last nine games. This is a strong division that only appears to be going up with teams like the Bills and Dolphins getting stronger.

NFL Week 17 Picks

Last week of regular season picks. I will do a preview for each round of the Playoffs as well, then more than likely an off-season preview in March and April, along with a Draft preview as well.

Last Week's Record: 10-6
Year to Date Record: 153-87

Carolina Panthers vs New Orleans Saints
This is a match-up of two offenses that are fun to watch for different reasons. For Carolina, they have the always entertaining Cam Newton for them at QB. Newton's big arm and play making abilities on the ground make him a duel threat under center. Along with Johnathan Stewart and DeAngleo Williams, the Panthers have one of the best running attacks in the league. The Panthers are going to be a popular playoff pick next year, and this match-up could be a bigger game next year for both teams. The Panthers need to get healthy on defense and if they do that, watch out. The Saints offense is fun to watch because they have Drew Brees at QB. Brees has one of the best football minds in the game. He finds his open WR every play. It doesn't matter if it is his first option or fourth option, Brees finds him. Brees just broke Dan Marino's single season passing record, so he doesn't have that to play for this game. But the Saints are still fighting for a 1st round bye, but that seems unlikely with the 49ers easy match-up. But the Saints will play hard here. The Panthers almost knocked off the Saints earlier in the season, but a late Saints TD drive stopped that. I think the Saints pull out a close one here. Brees will pick apart a weak Panthers secondary.

New Orleans 35  Carolina 24

NFL Week 16 Picks

Not a good week for me last week, maybe I can rebound.

Last Week's Record: 7-9
Year to Date Record: 143-81

Houston Texans vs Indianapolis Colts
Could this be another trap game for the Texans? The Panthers went up early on the Texans last week and didn't look back. T.J. Yates didn't play terrible, but he didn't do enough to help his team win, and that could be a problem come playoff time. The Texans pass defense, which had been strong all year, was beaten by Cam Newton. Maybe it was Wade Phillips not being there, but the Texans defense just seemed a bit off last week. The Colts finally won last week, and it was their defense that made some plays. Surprisingly, the Colts shut down Chris Johnson last week. The Colts have been playing hard the last few weeks, and it finally paid off for them last week. You bet the Colts remember the beating the Texans gave them in Week One, but I don't know if the Colts have enough to pull off an upset for the second week in a row. I think the Texans right the ship this week and win a close one.

Houston 21  Indianapolis 17

Oakland Raiders vs Kansas City Chiefs
The slow collapse of the Raiders continues. Losers of three in a row, the Raiders once bright Playoff chances now appear to be dim. The Raiders had a win in their sights last week, but they let the Lions drive 96 yards downfield to take the lead. A lot of the poor play can contributed to the defense, which has given up 34, 46, and 28 points during this three game losing streak. But a lot of the blame can be given to Carson Palmer as well, who hasn't been playing as well as he did during his start with the Raiders. He sure doesn't look worth a 1st round pick right now. The Chiefs, meanwhile, pulled off the upset of the year last week when they handed the Packers their first loss. The team played hard under interim coach Romeo Crennel, who made a strong case to get the permanent head coaching gig. The defense stepped up big time for the Chiefs, holding the Packers to their lowest point total of the year. If the Chiefs can hold the Packers to 14 points, I think they can keep the Raiders in check. Give me the Chiefs here.

Kansas City 23  Oakland 13

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Tennessee Titans
What else is their to say about the Jaguars at this point? Blaine Gabbert continues to look terrible, the defense got shredded by the Falcons last week.This is an organization in need of a complete overhaul in the off-season. The Titans lost a crucial game last week against the then winless Colts, pretty much crushing their playoff chances in the process. The Titans have looked better the last few weeks with Jake Locker in at QB and not Matt Hasselbeck. I think Locker is the QB next year for sure, but who gets the nod this week? It's Hasselbeck if he is healthy, but does he give the Titans the best chance to win? I don't think so. I would start Locker, but I'm sure Coach Munchak thinks the veteran gives him the best chance. Either way, the Titans should take care of the lowly Jags here. The Titans playoff hopes stay alive.

Tennessee 20  Jacksonville 10

Miami Dolphins vs New England Patriots
The Dolphins are doing just enough to make sure they aren't in position to get a top QB in the draft next year. Matt Moore is playing well enough to warrant a chance at the starting next year, but he did the same thing when he was with Carolina, and it didn't work out as well as they hoped. The good news for the Dolphins is that Reggie Bush is surprising everyone with his performance as the featured back in Miami. I never thought Reggie Bush would be a featured back, but he's proving me wrong. The Patriots showed last week again why they are the constant class of the NFL. Going into Denver against a red hot Broncos team, the Pats put up 41 points against a good Broncos defense. Tom Brady relied on some of his secondary options in the game, specifically Aaron Hernandez and Chad Ochocinco. The defense did enough to help its team win. They still aren't all the way there, but if the offense can put up 30+ points on a constant basis, then the defense's flaws can be hidden. The Pats win here. They are the better football team.

New England 38  Miami 24

Arizona Cardinals vs Cincinnati Bengals
All John Skelton does is win. The Cardinals are now 7-7 and are clinging to their playoff lives. I don't think they make it, but they definitely showed signs of improvement towards the end of the year. I don't think Skelton is the QB of the future either, but it definitely shows that the Cardinals may have made a mistake in trading for Kevin Kolb this off-season. Beanie Wells is finally living up to his potential at RB, and the defense has played better in recent weeks. And Patrick Peterson is turning into the next Devin Hester of punt returns. The Bengals are in a tie for the last playoff spot in the AFC with the Jets. The Bengals play their last two games at home, but that may not even help considering no one shows up for those games. The defense will face a big test with Larry Fitzgerald coming to town. Skelton looks his way often, and the Bengals pass defense has been shaky the last few games. I expect a heavy dose of Cedric Benson from the Bengals in this one, especially with A.J. Green a bit banged up. The Cardinals are playing good football right now, but I'm not a fan of teams going from west to east coast to play early games. Give me the Bengals here.

Cincinnati 24  Arizona 21

Denver Broncos vs Buffalo Bills
TebowMania was brought back down to Earth last week. Tebow himself didn't play bad, but the defense did not hold up its end of the bargain. If the Broncos expect to make the Playoffs and compete, then they need to put up a better showing then they did against New England. The good news for the Broncos is that they face an easy rebound game here against a down and out Bills team, losers of seven straight. Their run defense is still awful, so expect a lot of Tebow and Willis McGahee here. With Von Miller and Elvis Dumervill rushing Ryan Fitzpatrick, expect a lot of bad throws leading to turnovers. The Bills may already be regretting Ryan Fitzpatrick's contract. The Broncos know a win here could clinch the AFC West for them, so they give their all and take down the Bills.

Denver 28  Buffalo 17

St. Louis Rams vs Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers don't know if Ben Roethlisberger can play this week, but does it really matter? A Charlie Batch lead team should be able to beat this lowly Rams squad. All they have to do is take advantage of cornerbacks number 11 and 12 who are starting for the Rams this off-season. And they can do that when they pound the ball with Rashard Mendenhall, setting up the play action. I don't know if Kellen Clemons can lead the Rams into the end zone in this one. Steelers win easily.

Pittsburgh 27  St. Louis 6

New York Giants vs New York Jets
It's the Battle of New York, and both of these teams are coming off horrible losses. The Giants, after going to Dallas and winning, lost to the Redskins at home last week. That's a bad thing to do. The Giants looked like they had all of the momentum headed down the stretch, but they just hit a serious road block. It was the Giants second bad home loss of the season, with this loss going with their Seattle loss. The Giants offense was shut down by a defense that gave up 30+ points to the Patriots and Jets the last two weeks. The secondary, which was burned by Tony Romo two weeks ago, was burned again by Rex Grossman. The Giants can still make the playoffs if they win out, but they are facing a just as hungry Jets team in this one. The Jets were embarrassed in Philadelphia. They were never even really in the game. Mark Sanchez looked awful. The defense was burned by Mike Vick constantly. The Jets just looked like they didn't show up to play. The Jets have played well against bad teams this year, but have only beaten one team with a record over .500, and that is the Cowboys in Week 1. This one really is toss up, but I think the Giants are the slightly better team, and they win this one.

NY Giants 27  NY Jets 23

Minnesota Vikings vs Washington Redskins
The Redskins have shown signs of life in the last few weeks, and it makes you wonder why Mike Shanahan ever switched to John Beck during the season. The Redskins improved play can also be contributed to the emergence of Roy Helu in the backfield. Helu has become the centerpiece of the Skins offense, and it is allowing the passing game to open up with Santana Moss, and Brandon Banks throwing trick passes.The Vikings are also showing fight on offense, but the defense is so banged up that it is tough for them to stop anybody, especially in the secondary. The Vikings offense is better because everyone is finally healthy. Percy Harvin is now a duel threat and just as dangerous as Adrian Peterson. I'm still going with the Vikings here. They are playing the better overall football right now.

Washington 31  Minnesota 24

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Carolina Panthers
Tampa continues falling, falling falling. They didn't look like they cared last week against Dallas. Just like Jacksonville, there is nothing new to write about this team. It looks like the Bucs have packed it in and are ready to hit the off-season. The Panthers are coming off of a big road upset last week against Houston. I said during my Week 15 Review that the Panthers are a team to watch next year, especially when they get healthy on defense. Cam Newton is the next Mike Vick at QB, and the running game has finally emerged after a slow start. They also have a duel threat at TE with Greg Olson and Jeremy Shockey. The Panthers are the better team, and they win here.

Carolina 34  Tampa Bay 23

Cleveland Browns vs Baltimore Ravens
The bad Joe Flacco showed up last week for Baltimore, and that is a bad thing if he is going to play like that on the road in the Playoffs. The good news for the Ravens is that they may only need to go on the road once during the Playoffs. But they also steered away from Ray Rice too early in last Sunday's loss to San Diego. Rice should be getting 30 touches a game through the air and ground. It takes the pressure off of Flacco. But you also have to be worried about the defensive effort of the Ravens last week, giving up 34 points to the Chargers. They shouldn't do that against the lowly Browns this week. Seneca Wallace, Colt McCoy, Bernie Kosar couldn't help the Browns now. They could be the least relevant team in football. The Ravens win here.

Baltimore 28  Cleveland 10

San Diego Chargers vs Detroit Lions
To me, this is a more intriguing game then the Battle of New York. The Chargers are riding a 3 game winning streak and are one game out of the AFC West and the last AFC Wild Card spot. Phillip Rivers has lost only two games as a starter in December. There's something about this month that he likes. The Chargers running game has also come alive, with Mike Tolbert and Ryan Matthews complementing the other very well. The Chargers defense, which had been shaky all year, has given up 14, 10, and 14 points the last three weeks. And in the week they gave up 10 points against the Bills, the one touchdown was scored by the Bills defense. The Lions are one win away from clinching the team's first playoff berth in a decade. The Lions had a great come from behind win last week against Oakland. The Lions offense has done a good job of adjusting to the double and triple teams on WR Calvin Johnson. Matthew Stafford is spreading out the ball more to WRs Titus Young and Nate Burleson, as well as TE Brandon Pettigrew. The Lions defense is still a liability in the secondary, and that could be a problem with the Chargers coming to town. Even if the Lions shut down Antonio Gates, they still have to worry about all of the other Chargers weapons at WR. I've been switching my pick for this game all week. The Lions know they go to Green Bay next week, so they need the win. But the Chargers are red hot right now, and I don't think I can bet against them.

San Diego 35  Detroit 31

Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones said that he is scared of the Eagles. And he should be. Mike Vick and the Eagles offense has come alive in the last few weeks. It is the way they should have been playing all year. The Cowboys have had problems in the secondary this year, and you know Mike Vick and Co. will take advantage of it. If the Eagles played like they did all year the last two weeks, maybe they would actually be leading the NFC East right now. The Eagles three headed trio will look to shut down the Cowboys three headed trio of WRs. But they also have to worry about Jason Witten. The Cowboys passing attack, and offense hasn't been the problem this year. The defense, specifically the secondary, hasn't improved much under Rob Ryan. Tony Romo doesn't play the best all the time, but the secondary has been constantly bad all year. The loss of DeMarco Murray hasn't slowed down the Cowboys offense with Felix Jones playing his part well. This game has high scoring affair written all over it. The Eagles whipped the Cowboys in Philly, but it will be closer here. But I still like the Eagles to pull off a mild upset.

Philadelphia 35  Dallas 30

San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks
The 49ers fought through two separate power outages on Monday night to beat a very good Pittsburgh Steelers team. It keeps the 49ers hopes of a first round bye alive. It also showed just how dominant the 49ers defense is. They shut down the Steelers offense. Now sure Ben Roethlisberger was hurt, but it still takes a lot to shut down the Steelers. Alex Smith did just enough to help his team win. He still missed a couple of throws, but as long as he doesn't make mistakes then he will be fine. Seattle's hot streak continued with their third straight win last week in Chicago. They essentially ended the Bears playoff hopes while strengthening theirs. It will still take a lot for Seattle to get in. The only way Seattle gets in is with two straight wins and two straight Lions losses. It isn't out of the realm of possibility, especially with the Lions difficult schedule. The 49ers haven't given up a rushing touchdown all year, and Marshawn Lynch has scored a TD in 10 straight games. Something gives here, and I think Lynch finds his way into the end zone. I'm giving the edge to Seattle in a close, low scoring affair.

Seattle 16  San Francisco 13

Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers
This Christmas night game looked way more appealing about a month ago. Now the Bears are starting Luke McCown at QB after Caleb Hanie has looked terrible the last three weeks. It isn't all his fault, if Matt Forte was still in the backfield I think the Bears offense would be better. But Hanie also threw a couple of bad interceptions last week which were inexcusable. The Bears playoff hopes are on life support at this point, and they are getting an angry Packers team in Lambeau. The Packers suffered their first loss of the season last week at Kansas City. The offense finally met its match with a very good Chiefs defense. The Bears defense is just as good, but the Packers also put up 27 points on the Bears in Week 3. Aaron Rodgers should be able to pass the ball on the Bears. The Bears have a good run defense but the Packers don't rely on the run, so that doesn't matter too much. The Packers defense also should rebound nicely after last week. They didn't play terrible, but they also couldn't get the Packers offense the ball back when they needed to stop the Chiefs. The Packers clinch the #1 seed in the NFC with a win, and they get that here against a bad Bears offense.

Green Bay 34  Chicago 14

Atlanta Falcons vs New Orleans Saints
We all remember what happened the last time these two teams played. In over time, the Falcons went for a 4th and 1 at their own 28 yard line and they were stopped. Many people questioned Mike Smith's tactics. Did he not trust his defense to stop Drew Brees? Hell, I wouldn't trust the 85 Bears defense to stop Drew Brees at this point. Atlanta has won four of five since that game, and they still have a shot at winning the NFC South if they win in New Orleans. The Saints defense hasn't been that intimidating in recent weeks, and Matt Ryan has been playing very well. His WRs, Roddy White and Julio Jones, have played very well in recent weeks. While the Falcons offense has been playing well, the Saints offense is on another level. Drew Brees is trying to force his way into the MVP discussion. Brees has so many targets that it is almost too easy for him. He also has Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas at his disposal in the back field. The Saints offense is just too difficult to focus on one person to stop. You have to get pressure on Drew Brees, but even then, he can still get rid of the ball in a quick and timely manner. I think this game is high scoring, but the Saints pull out the win. Just too many weapons all around.

New Orleans 31  Atlanta 27

My Vegas $$$ Picks
Last Week's Record: 0-4 (Not So Money Huh?)
Year to Date Record: 34-25-1

Denver -3 at Buffalo: Bills can't score, and the Broncos defense is better than they showed last week.

NY Giants +3 at NY Jets: I think the Giants have more talent and have a better offense.

Pittsburgh -14 vs St. Louis: Rams might not score 14 points.

Green Bay -13 vs Chicago: The Bears offense is BAD.

Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka

NFL Week 11 Picks

NFL Picks Time! Woo Woo Woo, You Know It!

Last Week's Record: 7-9 YUCK!
Year to Date Record: 91-55

New York Jets vs Denver Broncos
Just when it looks like the Jets are about to become the team to beat in the AFC East they go and lay an egg against the Patriots. It looked like the same Jets team I thought had problems earlier in the year. Mark Sanchez struggling, the run game not going, and the defense looking confused a bit at times. Now the Jets have to go to Denver to face a Broncos team that has won three of their last four games. They beat the Chiefs by only completing two passes, and only attempting eight! No matter how much we try to deny it, Tim Tebow has brought new life to this Broncos team. Now, I don't think the Broncos can beat the Jets throwing only eight passes and running 54 times. But the Jets may have problems stopping the Broncos new option offense on such a short week. But if there is one guy that can do it, it may be Rex Ryan. I think this game is close, and the Broncos may very well pull off the upset. But the Jets have more talent and win in a very close affair.

NY Jets 20  Denver 16

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Green Bay Packers
And the Packers just keep rolling rolling rolling. They just swept the Vikings under the rug on Monday night. That passing offense may be one of the better passing attacks in the league history. Aaron Rodgers is winning the MVP award, end of story. There are some other nice stories but it is Rodgers award to lose. The Packers still have some flaws in their pass defense, but their front seven makes up for it with a great attack. Can they go undefeated? Absolutely. In order for a team to beat them, they need a great front seven that can pressure Rodgers. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, they do not have that. Tampa looked terrible in their loss to Houston last week. It's frightening to see how much the offense has regressed this year. And the defense was exposed big time by Houston. I would expect Green Bay to do much of the same to Tampa. They will shut down LaGarrette Blount and force Josh Freeman to beat them, which is not happening. Packers win.

Green Bay 34  Tampa Bay 21

Carolina Panthers vs Detroit Lions
Both of these teams are coming off losses they would like to forget. I thought the Panthers would be a good second half spoiler, but the Titans may have demoralized them last week. They came up with a great defensive strategy that shut down Cam Newton. The Panthers special teams was also burned big time for a couple of plays. The Lions, meanwhile, were absolutely trounced by the Bears in Chicago. Matthew Stafford can't throw the ball 60+ times and be expected to win. The lack of a running game for the Lions is disturbing. They really miss Jahvid Best, and he may not be back for the rest of the year. That could hurt the Lions when it comes to their playoff chances. Their secondary is also weak and that could be a problem this week. Steve Smith could be in line for a big game. The Panthers could easily walk into Detroit and steal one, but I think the Lions are a better team and they will win a close one.

Detroit 28  Carolina 23

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cleveland Browns
This may be a game between the two worst offenses in the NFL. Neither team seems able to eclipse the 24 point mark this year. Blaine Gabbert has shown some signs of improvement the last few games, but he still is just an average QB at best for Jacksonville. The Browns can't get anything going at all on offense. They were only able to score 12 points last week against St. Louis. It's almost like they are afraid to go into the end zone. Both teams have some strengths on defense. Jacksonville can stop the run, whereas Cleveland can stop the pass. But Cleveland has problems stopping the run, so Maurice Jones-Drew should have a nice game. Jacksonville wins a game no one watches.

Jacksonville 19  Cleveland 9

Oakland Raiders vs Minnesota Vikings
In the weekly "Favorite to Win the AFC West" contest, Oakland has taken a one game lead over everyone else in the division. Carson Palmer finally looks comfortable under center. He should look more comfortable here as the Vikings have one of the worst pass defenses in the league, and they just lost CB Antoine Winfield for the year with a broken collarbone. Darren McFadden is likely to miss this game, but the Raiders shouldn't miss a beat with Michael Bush, who had a breakout game last week. The Vikings struggled Monday night against the Packers. Hopefully it wasn't too deflating for them. Christian Ponder was pressured a lot by the Packers defense. Expect another game with a heavy dose of Adrian Peterson from the Vikings. The Vikings will improve eventually, but the Raiders are the better team right now and are playing the better football. Carson Palmer has a big game and the Raiders roll.

Oakland 27  Minnesota 17

Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins
Where have everyone's Lovable Bills gone. After scoring 30 points with ease their first few games, the Bills have scored a combined 18 points in their last two outings. They have steered away from handing off the ball to Fred Jackson, which is what they should be doing more often. The loss of Center Eric Wood for the year will hurt, as he was arguably their best offensive linemen. The defense, especially the secondary, has also been pushed around the last few weeks. Tony Romo was nearly perfect against them. While the Bills have lost two in a row, the Dolphins have won two in a row. Reggie Bush has looked like a feature back these last two games. Matt Moore looks comfortable in the pocket. The defense is also playing much better. A few weeks ago this looked like a very winnable game for the Bills. Now? It could be much worse. If Brandon Marshall keeps up his hot play, it could mean trouble for the Bills. But the Bills are the more talented team, and they should pull out a close victory here.

Buffalo 28  Miami 24

Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins
The Cowboys looked like the team everyone thinks they are last week. Tony Romo looked like Aaron Rodgers, and DeMarco Murray continues to run all over any defense he faces. And the defense looks like they have finally come around after getting smoked by the Eagles a few weeks ago. The Cowboys have a very soft schedule left. Their only tough games are against the Giants. The Redskins, well, who knows. They probably hope that the Dolphins and Seahawks continue to win so they can get a higher pick the Draft next year. It is pretty clear Mike Shanahan doesn't care for either Rex Grossman or John Beck. Grossman started last week and looked almost as bad as Beck did. The offense is right up there with the Jaguars and Browns as far as bad offenses go. How did they win 3 games? They don't win this one. The Cowboys walk all over the Redskins.

Dallas 34  Washington 17

Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens
Another huge AFC North showdown. The Bengals were brought back down to earth a bit last week with their home loss to Pittsburgh. They competed the whole game which was a good sign. Andy Dalton made a couple rookie mistakes, including that interception had the end of the game. The Bengals may be without WR AJ. Green for this game. That would be a huge loss for the Bengals, as it takes away their main offensive threat. The Bengals also lost CB Leon Hall for the rest of the year with a torn ACL. That's a big loss for a good Bengals defense. Hall was their best corner, and now teams may be able to throw on them more often. The bad Ravens showed up again last week, getting beat by the Seahawks in Seattle. How do you only give Ray Rice five carries? He is your best offensive weapon, he should be touching the ball 20+ times a game. Joe Flacco shouldn't carry your offense, Ray Rice should. The Ravens defense should stack the box and force Dalton to beat them. I think the Ravens will re-focus on Ray Rice here. If they don't, the Ravens may start to question the thinking of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. Ravens in another close one.

Baltimore 21  Cincinnati 20

Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers
Don't look now, but the Cardinals have won two in a row with John Skelton at QB. He even threw for 3 touchdowns last week against a pretty good Eagles secondary. Do they even go back to Kolb when he gets healthy? The Cardinals suspect defense also shut down Mike Vick last week. If they can shut down Vick, can they do the same to Alex Smith? The 49ers have won eight in a row and seem poised to lock up the NFC West by the beginning of December. Frank Gore may sit out this game, but they wouldn't drop too far off with Kendall Hunter in the backfield. Hunter already proved he can handle the workload in the backfield. Expect Smith to look for Vernon Davis a lot in this game. The 49ers defense shouldn't have a problem shutting down an injured Beanie Wells, but Larry Fitzgerald may have a good game with the 49ers secondary playing just average. I like the 49ers here to get to 9-1.

San Francisco 23  Arizona 17

Seattle Seahawks vs St. Louis Rams
The Seahawks shocked everyone last week with an upset of the Ravens. Marshawn Lynch is finally running like the feature running back everyone thought he could be when he was traded to Seattle. Lynch's moves to get the first down to seal the game for Baltimore were great. Expect another heavy dose of Lynch from the Seahawks in this game. Seattle may be without WRs Sidney Rice and Doug Baldwin, as both men suffered concussions last week. The Rams picked up an ugly road win last week at Seattle. The Sam Bradford-Brandon Lloyd connection looks like it could be a good one in the future. The Rams should do everything they can to sign Lloyd in the off-season. Those two combined with Steven Jackson could form a nice trio for the Rams. The Rams defense has stepped up its game recently, so expect them to do everything they can to shut down Lynch and make Tavaris Jackson beat them. I like the Rams to win here. They're finally getting healthy on offense.

St. Louis 30  Seattle 20

Tennessee Titans vs Atlanta Falcons
This may actually be the biggest game of the week as far as playoff implications go. Both of these teams are 5-4 and hanging on to their wild card lives. The Falcons are coming off an OT loss to New Orleans which saw them go for a 4th and 1 at their own 29 and not convert. I defended Mike Smith and still do, but a lot of people are questioning that decision. The Falcons are still a good team. They have the talent to make the playoffs, but they need to figure out who the primary threat is on offense and focus on that. This game, the Falcons should focus on their passing attack and take advantage of a weak Tennessee secondary. The Titans keep winning and sticking around in the playoff race despite no one talking about them. Chris Johnson has played surprisingly well the last couple games, but he faces a stiff test here in the Falcons front seven. And if that front seven can pressure Matt Hasselbeck it could be a long day for the Titans offense. I think the Falcons are the better team and they pull out the win here.

Atlanta 27  Tennessee 21

San Diego Chargers vs Chicago Bears
Talk about two teams heading in opposite directions. Lets start with the Chargers, losers of four straight after a hot 4-1 start. The Kansas City debacle may comeback to be the turning point of the season. Or you could go back to the week before where the Chargers lost a double digit second half lead against the Jets. Philip Rivers isn't the same Philip Rivers of recent years. Sure he's putting up big stats, but he's also making some bad throws and questionable decisions. The defense is also having problems stopping anything through the air, and the run defense was torched by Michael Bush last week. The Bears, meanwhile, have won four in a row and have looked like the same team that won the NFC North last year. Jay Cutler is getting time to throw and Matt Forte is arguably the best running back in the league this year. And Devin Hester is a serious threat on special teams. And with the problems the Chargers have on special teams, they may find it best to just punt away from Hester in this one. The Bears front seven will pressure Rivers and force him into the same mistakes he's been making. Bears win in a high scoring affair.

Chicago 35  San Diego 30

Philadelphia Eagles vs New York Giants
The Eagles are the drama darlings of the NFL. Last week DeSean Jackson was benched for missing a team meeting, and the offense struggled without the threat of his big play ability. Then Mike Vick suffered broken ribs during the game. When it happened remains a question we probably won't ever find out. And then there is the defense. The Big $$$ secondary was burned by a QB named John Skelton. This team may have packed it in already for all we know. The players may cost Andy Reid his job. The Giants lost on the road last week, starting their tough stretch 1-1. They hung around and were driving late but they couldn't find a way to get into the end zone. Eli Manning looks good when he has all of his weapons at his disposal. They held San Francisco in check early, but couldn't keep them contained the whole game. This is a big game for the Giants and a needed win. They have New Orleans and Green Bay back to back coming up, a loss here would hurt their division chances. But the Giants are the more complete team, are in better shape mentally, and have already beat Philadelphia in Philly. And with Mike Vick not likely to play, the Giants should roll rather easily here.

NY Giants 30  Philadelphia 17

Kansas City Chiefs vs New England Patriots
A few weeks ago this game looked promising after Kansas City won three straight and looked like a good team on offense again. But the last two games? They scored a combined 13 points and look like the same bad team that started the season. And now they lost Matt Cassel for likely the rest of the year with a hand injury. The defense got shredded by the Tim Tebow option. They won't have to worry about that this week, as Tom Brady will just throw the ball at will on them. The Patriots once again looked like the favorite in the AFC East last week against the Jets. They still don't have much of a running game to speak of, which could hurt later on. The defense looked improved last week and will gain more confidence this week playing a bad Chiefs offense. No reason to think the Patriots won't role here.

New England 41  Kansas City 17

My Vegas $$$ Picks
Last Week's Record: 1-3
Year to Date Record: 23-16-1

Buffalo +2 at Miami: Bills are the more talented team.

Chicago -3.5 vs San Diego: Bears are playing much better than the Chargers right now.

NY Giants -4 vs Philadelphia: No Vick pretty much means no chance for Philadelphia.

New England -15 vs Kansas City: Chiefs may not score 15 points.

Survivor Series Preview up probably early Saturday.

Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka

NFL Week 10 Picks

All 32 teams are playing this week. Plus we have our first Thursday night game of the year. Another solid set of games as well. Lets get to it.

Last Week's Record: 8-6
Year to Date Record: 84-46

Oakland Raiders vs San Diego Chargers
Two teams on big slides here. Ever since the Raiders lost Jason Campbell they've been on a slide. The Raiders have lost two games in a row since losing him, both to AFC West opponents. The Raiders swept the AFC West last year but haven't won a single game in it this year. And now, people are starting to question if the power Hue Jackson has received since the passing of former owner Al Davis has gone to his head. Jackson pretty much benched WR Darieus Heyward-Bay and TE Kevin Boss last week. Jackson said the offensive packages but in place for the game didn't fit their strengths. Yeah sure. Plus Carson Palmer didn't look to great in his debut. The Chargers have lost 3 games in a row and there appears to be something getting to Philip Rivers. He's having one of the worst years of his career and it's affecting the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers actually had a chance to beat the Packers last week if it wasn't for Rivers two pick-6's. Both of these teams need this game. I think the loss of Darren McFadden for another week hurts the Raiders more than they think, and there is too much questioning of Hue Jackson going on. Chargers win a close one.

San Diego 26  Oakland 24

Arizona Cardinals vs Philadelphia Eagles
This was suppose to be Kevin Kolb's big return to Philadelphia. But Kolb is unlikely to play due to a foot injury. The Cardinals won their first game since Week 1 last week against St. Louis thanks to an amazing Patrick Peterson 99 yard punt return for a touchdown in overtime. But the Cardinals still looked bad offensively with John Skeleton at QB. Philadelphia was upset by the Chicago Bears at home on Monday night football. That loss put the Eagles at 3-5 and all but shut the door on their playoff chances. It's going to take at least 10 wins to get into the playoffs in the NFC, and I don't know if this Eagles team can win 7 of their last 8. They have all the talent in the world but can't seem to mesh together as a team. But they start a potential comeback with a win here. Mike Vick should tear a poor Cardinals secondary to shreds and the Eagles defense will double Larry Fitzgerald and pressure John Skeleton all day long.

Philadelphia 31  Arizona 13

Tennessee Titans vs Carolina Panthers
Tennessee just can't seem to put everything together for an extended period of time. They beat Baltimore at home in Week 2, but they haven't beaten any other team that is better than them this year. They are the classic definition of a mediocre team. They beat the bad teams but can't beat the good teams. And of course, Chris Johnson is playing terrible. Johnson had his first decent game last week, getting over 100 yards from scrimmage in defeat. It's sad that that is considered good now for Johnson. The guy used to run for over 100 yards a game on a regular basis. The Titans pass defense got beaten badly by Andy Dalton last week, giving up 3 touchdowns to 3 different WRs. That's bad news heading into this week's match-up with the Carolina Panthers. Cam Newton spreads the ball around a lot. Plus he runs the ball a lot. Newton should be able to find open WRs all day. The Panthers are my pick for "Late Season Spoilers" in the NFL. They could be the team that squashes playoff hopefuls chances in the second half. Their offense is legit and their defense can hang with offenses. It won't shut teams down but it can limit them. The Panthers win here with Cam Newton running wild on the Titans defense.

Carolina 34  Tennessee 27

Houston Texans vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Texans seem to be coming together. After losing two in a row, they've reeled off 3 straight wins. The offense is still going even without star WR Andre Johnson. And that's because of their new two-headed monster at RB in Adrian Foster and Ben Tate. It's a smart move by Texans Coach Gary Kubiak. Foster has been a bit injury prone in his short career, and having Tate help share the work load will keep Foster healthy and limit his touches heading into the playoffs. And trust me, the Texans will make the playoffs. There is no one else in the division that is better than them. The defense is a bit shaky and it may hurt them come playoff time, but no one can compete with the Texans in the AFC South. The Buccaneers have struggled a bit this year after high expectations coming into the season. The young Tampa team is 4-4 and not playing as well as they did last year during their 10-6 season. Josh Freeman isn't playing as well, and Mike Williams has hit a wall. The defense took a big hit losing DT Gerald McCoy for the year. They signed Albert Haynesworth, but you have to question if he has anything left after being cut by New England. I don't think Tampa has the same magic that they had last year. Houston wins here because of their offense.

Houston 27  Tampa Bay 21

Washington Redskins vs Miami Dolphins
It seems that these are two teams headed in opposite directions. The Dolphins have played hard the last few weeks and it finally paid off with a big win against Kansas City last week. They shut down a red hot Chiefs team. Reggie Bush has looked really good, and Matt Moore looked competent under center last week. Plus the defense came alive and pressured Matt Cassel into bad decisions. The Redskins, meanwhile, have looked terrible offensively since handing the reigns to Jon Beck. They've scored a combined 44 points in the last 4 weeks, including getting shut out by Buffalo. The only bright spot has been youngster Roy Helu who played well last week against San Francisco. You have to wonder if the Redskins will even win another game this year because they are so bad on offense. You know both of these teams want Andrew Luck, especially Mike Shanahan. Maybe they will just take knees and intentional safeties all game? Who knows. But the Dolphins are playing the better football of the two, and they win their second in a row here.

Miami 20  Washington 12

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Indianapolis Colts
If the Colts have a chance to win a game this year, this game is it. The Colts have looked downright dreadful the last 3 weeks. Before the New Orleans blowout games were at least being kept close. Now it doesn't even look like the Colts care anymore. But if they have any pride, they should be able to compete here. Jacksonville's defense has improved in recent weeks so the Colts might have some difficulty moving the ball. While Jacksonville's defense has improved, their offense is still stuck in neutral. Blaine Gabbert still hasn't improved too much since becoming the starting QB. The offense still hasn't scored more than 20 points with Gabbert under center. Maurice Jones-Drew should be able to run free here against a shabby Colts defense. While many think the Colts have packed it in, I like their chances to win here before the bye week.

Indianapolis 21  Jacksonville 19

Denver Broncos vs Kansas City Chiefs
Don't look now, but Tim Tebow has the Broncos one game out of first place in the AFC West. Tebow again didn't have great stats or look good against Oakland, but he did enough to get the job done against the Raiders. Now Tebow faces another road test against the Kansas City Chiefs, who were just picked apart by Matt Moore and the Dolphins. The good news for Tim Tebow is that Willis McGahee looked really good in his return from his hand injury, running for 163 yards and two scores. The defense also picked off Carson Palmer three times, an improvement after getting torn up by Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions a week earlier. The Chiefs were embarrassed at home by Miami after a big win the week before on Monday night against San Diego. The Chiefs were lucky to win that game, and they couldn't carry the momentum over to the next week. Poor Todd Haley had to shave his beard off, and now he has to get this Chiefs team refocused for this big division showdown. The Chiefs have a BRUTAL five game schedule after this: at New England on Monday night, home to Pittsburgh on Sunday night (although this could be flexed), at Chicago, at NY Jets, home to Green Bay. They need this one bad, but they don't get it. The Broncos keep winning, and the media keeps praising Tim Tebow.

Denver 30  Kansas City 23

Buffalo Bills vs Dallas Cowboys
The Bills received a big butt kicking last week at the hands of the NY Jets. They were out matched in every aspect of the game last week against the NY Jets. Ryan Fitzpatrick made some bad throws, the offense couldn't get going, and the defense couldn't get off the field. The Bills are still a good football team, but these next two weeks will show just how far they have come this year. The Bills next three games are all on the road, where they have struggled this year and are only 1-2. But Ryan Fitzpatrick should find more openings against Dallas. The Cowboys don't have the same personnel the Jets do to stop the Bills offense. The Cowboys are coming off another one of those games where they beat a weaker team, this time Seattle, and face a good team the next week in the Bills. After the Cowboys beat the Rams easily, they were then demolished by the Eagles. After they beat the Redskins they blew a big lead late against Detroit. Tony Romo will be without Miles Austin for the next few weeks, but Romo should focus on handing the ball off to DeMarco Murray here and looking for Jason Witten, as the Bills have struggled to stop the run and tight ends in coverage. This one is close to the end, but I'm still not sold on the Cowboys. The Bills rebound after last week's ugly loss.

Buffalo 28  Dallas 27

New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons
This should be a good game. The winner takes the lead in the race to win the NFC South. The Saints have struggled a bit in recent weeks. Take away the Colts blowout, and all of their recent games have been close. They were beaten rather easily by the Rams, which is a bad thing. Tampa Bay kept last week's game close throughout and Tampa also beat the Bucs in Tampa a few weeks ago. Drew Brees still has plenty of weapons at his disposal, but he's been struggling a bit. The Falcons, meanwhile, have won three straight heading into this match-up. Rookie WR Julio Jones returned from injury last week and finally scored his first two touchdowns of his career in a breakout game for him. Jones give QB Matt Ryan another weapon to look for in his arsenal. The defense is also playing much better. I thought the Falcons were going to struggle after a poor start, but they rebounded nicely and seem to be back to last season's form. The Falcons are playing really good football, the Saints are not. Give me the Falcons here.

Atlanta 31  New Orleans 21

St. Louis Rams vs Cleveland Browns
The Rams looked brutal again last week against Arizona after lighting up the Saints the week before. Sam Bradford threw for a lot of yards, but couldn't get his team in the end zone. The Rams continue to disappoint this year after having high expectations. Injuries have been a major reason, as well as a brutal early schedule. Expect a heavy dose of Steven Jackson here, as the Browns have one of the worst run defenses in the league. The Browns are also disappointing on offense. The "Madden Curse" has taken down Peyton Hillis, and he's become a bigger distraction then he needs to be with his contract situation. Colt McCoy isn't playing well either. This could be an ugly game. I think the Rams have more talent, so I'm picking them to win.

St. Louis 17  Cleveland 16

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals
Well, time to find out what these Bengals are really made of. Their first division test against the main stays at the top of it. The Bengals just won't go away. They beat the Titans last week to improve to 6-2 overall and a tie for first atop the AFC North. Andy Dalton isn't playing like a rookie. If it wasn't for Cam Newton, he would be the Rookie of the Year in the NFL hands down. And the defense is playing great football as well. They haven't allowed more than 24 points all year in a game, which is outstanding considering some of the high scores we've seen in the league so far this year. The Steelers are coming off a disappointing home loss to Baltimore which saw them blow a lead with less than 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter. You have to think that this will motivate the Steelers a bit here. Ben Roethlisberger, no matter who he plays, has found his WRs with ease and that should continue here. There are just too many weapons at Pittsburgh's disposal for Cincinnati to stop, so I'm taking the Steelers here. The Bengals downfall begins.

Pittsburgh 27  Cincinnati 20

Baltimore Ravens vs Seattle Seahawks
Just when you think the Ravens are falling apart, they rebound and beat the Steelers for the second time this year. You have to now consider them the favorites in the AFC North, especially since they have the tiebreaker over the Steelers. Joe Flacco looked terrible for two weeks, then he lead a game winning drive to win the game against Pittsburgh. Ray Rice should still be the focal point of the offense, but if Flacco continues to improve the Ravens may become the favorites in the AFC again. Seattle has pretty much lost all of their home field advantage with their terrible play this year. They have no NFL QB on their roster. No WRs, and the defense can't stop the pass. This should be an easy one for Baltimore, even though they struggled against Jacksonville and Arizona. But the Ravens have turned a corner starting with last week's win.

Baltimore 38  Seattle 21

New York Giants vs San Francisco 49ers
The Giants started the rough stretch of their schedule exactly how they needed to, with a win at New England. Eli Manning lead another late comeback and the Giants continued to maintain a two game lead in the NFC East. The defense pressured Tom Brady and there's no reason to think they can't do the same against Alex Smith. The Giants also beat the Patriots without RB Ahmad Bradshaw and WR Hakeem Nicks. Both of those men may be out again this week, and they may actually hurt the Giants because the 49ers have a much better defense than the Patriots do. San Francisco has matched every challenge thrown at them this year, with their only loss coming in overtime to Dallas. The 49ers are for real, and not just a by-product of the terrible NFC West. Jim Harbaugh has lit a fire under these players and they seem to be taking to his coaching style. But Frank Gore has been limited in practice all week with an ankle injury. If he doesn't play because that hurts the 49ers, because then the Giants can focus even more on shutting down Alex Smith. I really like how the Giants have come together and think they pull off another big win on the road here.

NY Giants 24  San Francisco 20

Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears
Just when you think the Bears are done, they come back and win a big game in Philadelphia. The Bears are playing some good football in recent weeks. They've won 3 in a row since losing to Detroit in Detroit on Monday Night Football. The offensive line has done a better job of protecting Jay Cutler in recent weeks, and the team continues to rely on Matt Forte who leads all NFL players in yards from scrimmage. I didn't think the Bears would be good at all this year, but they are quickly proving me wrong. The Lions had a bye week to rest up and prepare for this big game. They dismantled the Broncos the week before their bye, which is something they needed after losing two straight home games. Matthew Stafford continues to rely on Calvin Johnson the most, but he has also spread the ball out more to some of his targets. The Lions defense, specifically their pass rush, is also improved. This game is a real toss up to me. The Bears are riding the momentum of their huge win in Philly, but the Lions have had two weeks to prepare for this one. I think the Lions are the better team, but the Bears win here because they have played the better football in the last month.

Chicago 23  Detroit 20

New England Patriots vs New York Jets
How the tides have turned since these teams last match-up. The Jets had lost two in a row while the Patriots were 3-1. Now, the Jets are on a three game winning streak and the Patriots have lost two in a row. This is not the same Patriots team we have seen in recent years. Sure, they still have Tom Brady and Bill Bellicheck, but the defense is nothing like it was during the Championship years. They can't stop anything in the secondary at all. The organization has missed on several of their defensive draft picks in recent years. Tom Brady can't do everything for this team. Lots of people know that the offense is now one dimensional. Defenses don't need to worry about stopping the run game because they don't have won. You can't win games in January with no running game. The Jets have rediscovered their run game in recent weeks and that has helped ease the pressure on Mark Sanchez. Sanchez has played better in recent weeks and so have his WRs, specifically Plaxico Burress. This has helped ease the pressure on their defense. The defense didn't have to worry about staying on the field long against the Bills as the offense was able to continue drives and not go with quick 3-and-outs. It's rare that the Patriots lose three games in a row, but I think it happens here. The Jets are the better team and the Patriots are struggling. Hell, they may MISS the playoffs.

NY Jets 31  New England 28

Minnesota Vikings vs Green Bay Packers
The Vikings have had two weeks to prepare for this one. Christian Ponder had one week last time and almost beat the Packers. Of course that was at home. This one is in Lambeau, on Monday night. Aaron Rodgers is throwing touchdown passes at will and is easily the favorite for MVP. Rodgers just has so many weapons at his disposal and defenses have a hard time focusing on just one to stop. Teams can beat Green Bay if they have a good secondary and pass rush, which is something the Vikings do not have. They also need to have an offense that can put up points in bunches, which is again something the Vikings don't have. Adrian Peterson will score a couple touchdowns, but this one is all Packers.

Green Bay 42  Minnesota 23

My Vegas $$$ Picks
Last Week's Record: 3-1
Year to Date Record: 22-13-1

Buffalo +5.5 at Dallas: Cowboys aren't that good, Bills aren't that bad.

Green Bay -13.5 vs Minnesota: Packers are two TDs better than Minnesota, especially at home.

Carolina -3.5 vs Tennessee: Titans offense can't hang with Panthers.

Indianapolis +3 vs Jacksonville: If the Colts don't win this week, then they might not at all.

That's it from me today.

Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka

NFL Week 9 Review

Quite possibly the best week of NFL action so far this year. Close games, teams stepping up, and teams faltering a bit. Lets get to it.

Team of the Week: New York Giants
-This could have gone to a handful of teams: The Jets, Dolphins, and Ravens all had arguments to get this spot. But I decided to give this one to the Giants for a couple of reasons. Reason 1: They went into Foxboro and beat the New England Patriots. That doesn't happen too often. The Giants for the most part shut down Tom Brady and kept the entire Patriots offense in check. Reason 2: The Giants gave Tom Brady a dose of his own medicine. After Brady put the Patriots up with under 2 minutes to go, Eli Manning got the ball back and drove his team right down the field. Eli's TD pass to Jake Ballard with 16 seconds left sealed the win for New England. It was the first game of a brutal stretch for the Giants and they passed with flying colors. It doesn't get easier with their next stop at San Francisco. But if the Giants play like they did Sunday then there's no reason they can't survive this brutal stretch.

Game of the Week: Baltimore 23  Pittsburgh 20
-When in doubt, go with the game that is the better rivalry. It was another dog fight between the Ravens and Steelers, but the Ravens came out on top for the second time this year. You have to give the Ravens credit. I don't know if anyone gave them a chance after their two poor outings this year. But just like the Giants, the Ravens were handed the ball with time running low and drove right down the field on the Steelers. I'm sure the Steelers were thrilled that Joe Flacco was getting the ball at the 8 yard line with his poor play the last two weeks. But Flacco didn't fold, and threw a beautiful TD pass to Torrey Smith with 26 seconds left. The Ravens now have the tiebreaker edge on the Steelers and stopped all the momentum the Steelers had going into this game.

Dog of the Week: Pittsburgh Steelers Defense
-Up 4 with about 2 minutes to go. You give Joe Flacco the ball at the 8 yard line, forcing him to go 92 yards for a touchdown. And you let him? Joe Flacco has struggled mightily the last 2 weeks and you would think the Steelers could shut him down. But they let Flacco go right down the field on them, and lost the game in the dying seconds on a beautifully thrown ball by Flacco to Torrey Smith. The game should have ended earlier on a similar pass to Smith, but Smith dropped it. Now the Steelers lost both games to Baltimore and are looking up at them in the standings. That was a game the Steelers had to have. Now they face another stiff test in Cincinnati next week.
Other Week 9 Notes
-Do we have to consider the Jets the favorites in the AFC East now? They absolutely dominated the Bills in every aspect of their game Sunday. They shut down the Bills offense and wore down their defense in the second half with their ability to convert on 3rd downs. The Jets have now won 3 in a row and have a reeling New England team coming to New York on Sunday night. This is the perfect opportunity for the Jets to kick the Patriots while they are down. The Jets defense kept Tom Brady in check for the most part in their first meeting, no reason they can't do it again. And you still can't count out the Bills either. They have a big 3 game road trip ahead. Games at Dallas and Miami are both winnable, and you know they will have revenge on their mind when they go into New York in 3 weeks. This may come down to the final week of the season, when Buffalo goes to New England while Miami tries to play spoiler against the Jets. Basically, I think 4 AFC Playoff Spots will come down to the Bills, Jets, Patriots, Ravens, Bengals, and Steelers.

-The Bears may be the team no one talks about in the playoff hunt in the NFC, but they may just as well sneak in come the end of the season. The Bears took care of the Eagles in Philadelphia Monday night and now sit at 5-3 in the NFC. They also have a head-to-head tiebreaker over Atlanta. Matt Forte may be the best running back in the NFL right now. He leads the league in yards from scrimmage. The biggest improvement in the Bears game is the protection their offensive line is giving Jay Cutler. Cutler has more time to throw the ball and is finding his open WRs much easier. Other than a Christmas Day trip to Lambeau, the Bears schedule isn't that daunting. They have a huge opportunity next week against the Detroit Lions to get a win back from their loss a few weeks ago to them. If the Bears win next week, they'll be serious contenders.

-And all of the sudden, the AFC West is a four team race again. The Raiders, Chiefs, and Chargers are all tied at 4-4, and the Broncos sit one game back at 3-5. Everyone likes to say the NFC West is the worst division in football, but that crown this year may belong to the AFC West. The 49ers make the NFC West respectable again. Every team in the AFC West has taken a step back in recent weeks. The Chargers are on a 3 game losing streak. The Raiders have lost 2 straight home division games. The Chiefs just got thumped by the Miami Dolphins at home. The Broncos have won 2 of 3 but neither of their wins have looked pretty. We should get some answers this week, as Oakland takes on San Diego Thursday night while the Broncos go to Kansas City. Every team still has a somewhat brutal schedule ahead, so the winner of this division may be the team that gets to 9 wins.

-We will find out just how for real the Bengals are in the coming weeks. It starts with a pissed off Steelers team coming to Cincinnati next Sunday. Then the Bengals travel to Baltimore the following Sunday. If they can win one of those games, then I think they will be in good shape. But two losses sends the Bengals to 6-4. I think 10 wins is the minimum to make the playoffs as a Wild Card this year in the AFC. The Bengals also have a visit from Houston coming. Two straight losses could be deflating to such a young team like the Bengals. Can they overcome the two top dogs in the AFC North? They have the talent, but they need to stay focused all week and not let the hype get to them.

Hey I'm Just Sayin...
-Did anyone even watch the Rams/Cardinals game this week?

-Who's the favorite in the AFC?

-Do the Colts even care anymore?

-Are the Texans that good? Or is their division and schedule that bad?

-I hope Todd Haley didn't cut himself shaving.

-I can't believe the Dolphins took themselves out of the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes.

-If the Denver Tebows win the AFC West, I'm not watching Sportscenter during the playoffs.

POWER RANKINGS!!!
1. Green Bay Packers (8-0, #1 last week)- Yeah you know the story. Next.

2. San Francisco 49ers (7-1, #2)- Big test against the Giants this week. Can Alex Smith beat a good Giants defense?

3. New York Giants (6-2, #4)- I guess you can't spell Elite without Eli. Great win to start their brutal schedule ahead.

4. Detroit Lions (6-2, #5)- The bye week accused them of playing dirty as well.

5. Baltimore Ravens (6-2, #9)- Joe Flacco shut up his critics for one week.

6. Atlanta Falcons (5-3, #8)- If Julio Jones has finally arrived, then the Falcons just got a lot more dangerous.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3, #4)- The defense let Joe Flacco drive 92 yards in 2 minutes. That is not Steelers football.

8. New York Jets (5-3, #11)- They're playing the best football in the AFC East right now, and they have a chance to put down the Patriots next week.

9. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2, #12)- I want to put them higher but I don't know if they are better than the teams above them. We will find out the next two weeks.

10. New Orleans Saints (5-3, #10)- The offense has been slowed down a bit in the past few weeks.

11. Chicago Bears (5-3, #14)- Jay Cutler looks like a good QB when he has time to throw.

12. Buffalo Bills (5-3, #6)- Can they rebound after their first butt kicking of the year? Time for this young team to show if they're for real.

13. Houston Texans (6-3, #13)- Still don't know if their record is a by-product of their schedule and weak division, or if they really are that good.

14. New England Patriots (5-3, #7)- That pass defense could keep them out of the playoffs. It's that bad.

15. Dallas Cowboys (4-4, #21)- Only reason for the big jump is because everyone above them looked bad in defeat. Loss of Miles Austin for a few weeks might hurt.

16. Philadelphia Eagles (3-5, #15)- This team isn't unified enough to win 7 of their next 8 games.

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4, #18)- Only move up because they didn't look terrible in defeat. Offense has regressed though.

18. San Diego Chargers (4-4, #17)- If it wasn't for Philip Rivers, they might have actually beaten the Packers.

19. Tennessee Titans (4-4, #19)- The most stagnant offense in the NFL. You can thank Chris Johnson for that.

20. Kansas City Chiefs (4-4, #16)- You follow up your big Monday night win with that? Talk about a deflater.

21. Denver Broncos (3-5, #29)- I don't think they are this good, but no one below them is either.

22. Oakland Raiders (4-4, #20)- Apparently Hue Jackson is getting power hungry in Oakland. Maybe he should focus more on the games rather than making personnel decisions.

23. Minnesota Vikings (2-6, #23)- Christian Ponder had two weeks to prepare for Green Bay. Can he pull out an upset this time?

24. Cleveland Browns (3-5, #22)- Looks like the Dawg Pound got neutered.

25. Carolina Panthers (2-6, #25)- Looking for a spoiler in the NFC? Look no further.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6, #26)- How did they get 2 Monday night games?

27. Washington Redskins (3-5, #24)- Mike Shanahan dreaming of Andrew Luck during games too.

28. Arizona Cardinals (2-6, #30)- John Skeleton or Kevin Kolb? Does anyone even care?

29. Miami Dolphins (1-7, #31)- Playing better football then everyone else down here.

30. Seattle Seahawks (2-6, #27)- Wishing they still played in the AFC West.

31. St. Louis Rams (1-7, #28)- Disappointing follow up to their upset of the Saints.

32. Indianapolis Colts (0-9, #32)- If Peyton still has some years left, they could always trade #1 overall pick for a lot of assets.

Three Games I'd Like to See Next Week
NY Giants vs San Francisco 49ers: Giants looking to keep hot streak going.
New England Patriots vs NY Jets: Can the Jets bury the Patriots even further?
New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons: Winner has inside track on NFC South crown.

That's all from me today.

Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka

NFL Week 9 Picks

Big week ahead in the NFL. Lots of meaningful games and big time match-ups.

Last Week's Record: 12-1 (DAMN YOU NEW ORLEANS!)
Year to Date Record: 76-40

Miami Dolphins vs Kansas City Chiefs
The Dolphins may be winless, but you can't deny the fact that they are playing hard. They went into New York and had the Giants beat for 3 quarters. Problem is, football is a 4 quarter game. The Dolphins lack of depth and experience was exposed late in their loss to the Giants. Matt Moore fizzled after a hot start, and Reggie Bush was shut down in the second half. I think they'll get a win by the end of the year, but it will be tough to get that win this week. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have won four in a row and are now in a 3 way tie atop the AFC West. The last two weeks have seen the Chiefs take out division rivals Oakland and Kansas City. All of the sudden Matt Cassel looks like a competent NFL QB, and whatever differences he has had with Coach Todd Haley seem to be a thing of the past. And the defense has stepped up huge, lead by Tamba Hali and Brandon Flowers. The Chiefs can be tough to beat in Arrowhead, and I see them winning their fifth in a row here. Dolphins will keep it close though.

Kansas City 31  Miami 20

Atlanta Falcons vs Indianapolis Colts
One bye week later, and the Atlanta Falcons look like the favorites in the NFC South. The Saints haven't looked like the Saints of old in recent weeks, and Tampa Bay is easily the most inconsistent team in the NFL. The Falcons are coming off a bye and a big win on the road in Detroit that saw the defense shut down the Lions vaunted offensive attack. And there is no reason to think the Falcons will struggle here. Michael Turner should carve up the Colts run defense and Matt Ryan should be able to find Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, and a returning Julio Jones with ease. The Colts have just looked terrible recently. The veterans on the team, specifically Reggie Wayne, have looked discouraged and uninterested late in their losses. I think they just want the season to be over. They won't get any relief here. Falcons win with ease.

Atlanta 34  Indianapolis 17

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints
Um, what the hell was that last week New Orleans? That might have been one of the worst games of the Drew Brees Era in New Orleans. He was sacked six times and was hurried in the pocket. Other than their win over Indianapolis, the Saints have been struggling to put teams away recently. They let the Rams defense get 6 sacks, and Tampa's pass rush is much better than St. Louis. The pass defense has struggled in recent games as well. Tampa Bay meanwhile is coming off a disappointing trip to London which saw them lose to Chicago. Tampa has been wildly inconsistent this year as the young team has failed to put together a string of good games. Tampa beat New Orleans by 6 in Week 5 after stopping the Saints late. You have to think the Saints still have last week's game stewing in the back of their mind. I think that plus the home crowd rallies the Saints and lifts them to victory here.

New Orleans 27  Tampa Bay 23

New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills
This is a big game for both teams. The Jets are 4-3 and are coming off two straight wins, including a 2nd half come from behind win against San Diego. I'm still not entirely sold on the Jets. Mark Sanchez is wildly inconsistent and the defense has had problems stopping some teams this year. In this game, the Jets need to put the bulk of the workload in the hands of Shonn Greene and LaDanian Tomlinson. Despite a good performance last week, the Bills still have a soft run defense. With the Bills offensive line still not 100%, expect a heavy pass rush from the Jets. Problem is, Ryan Fitzpatrick has a very quick release and can find his hot receiver quickly. The Bills also have Fred Jackson who refuses to go down after the first hit. He's on pace to break the Bills record of total yards from scrimmage in a season. While the defense has struggled, they had a breakout performance against Washington. They had nine sacks and two interceptions in the game. They came into the game with four sacks on the season. Marcell Dareus was a force at nose tackle and may have found a permanent home their. The Bills will have to pressure Sanchez and force him into mistakes. This is going to be another close one, but I'm leaning Bills. It may be my blind homerism, it may not. But the Bills are the more stable, consistent team.

Buffalo 23  NY Jets 19

Seattle Seahawks vs Dallas Cowboys
Both of these teams are coming off ugly losses last week. The Seahawks were man-handled at home against Cincinnati. They started Charlie Whitehurst at QB, an he played just as bad as he did against Cleveland. Tavaris Jackson entered the game and threw for over 300 yards, but it wasn't enough to help Seattle comeback and win. The Seahawks are stuck in a quandary on offense and just can't seem to get anything going. The Cowboys were embarrassed by the Eagles on Sunday night. The offense was barely on the field, and the defense couldn't slow down Mike Vick and the Eagles offense. I guess the game against St. Louis wasn't really indicative of anything. The Cowboys get another cupcake home game here, so expect them to look strong and rebound from their bad Sunday night performance.

Dallas 28  Seattle 16

Cleveland Browns vs Houston Texans
The AFC South is the Texans division to lose. They've already beaten every other team in the division by 10+ points and have shown they are the team to beat. Now that's not to say the Texans don't have some flaws, especially on defense. They still struggle a bit to stop the pass. They lost another linebacker last week, already adding to the loss of Mario Williams. They may get Andre Johnson back this week, which would be a huge boost for that offense. Houston only has 3 games left against teams with a winning record, so to say they have a soft schedule might be an understatement. The Browns continue to struggle on offense under new coach Pat Shurmur. The new coach was suppose to help the offense, but they can't get anything going. Now they lost Montario Hardesty for a few games. The defense can't score points for them. The Browns should be able to get some points against the Texans, but not enough to help them win. Houston wins here.

Houston 24  Cleveland 14

San Francisco 49ers vs Washington Redskins
Are the 49ers the second best team in the NFL? That's an interesting question to ask right now. Their record, 6-1, is the second best but the talent doesn't necessarily say that. On offense, Alex Smith has had a career resurrection under Jim Harbaugh. He's still not a Pro Bowl player, but he is doing enough to help his team win and not making dumb mistakes. The defense is what has been the story. Lead by Patrick Willis, they are shutting down opponents with ease and getting pressure on the QB. They also do a great job starting the run. They have a four game lead in the NFC West, and could realistically clinch the division by Thanksgiving. Not like Jim Harbaugh would care, he would still run up the score. The Redskins are coming off an abysmal performance against the Bills. Zero points on offense and ten sacks later and I don't think Mike Shanahan still has any answers. I think it is pretty clear that their 3-1 record was a bit over-hyped, and they really don't have a NFL QB on their roster. The offense is too banged up and bad to beat a good 49ers team. San Fran wins easily.

San Francisco 27  Washington 13

Cincinnati Bengals vs Tennessee Titans
I'm officially a believer in the Bengals. A bad team probably would have faltered on a road trip to Seattle, but instead they dominated the Seahawks. The Andy Dalton-A.J. Green connection is here to stay for a long time. If it wasn't for Cam Newton's stellar play, Dalton would be getting more praise for his performance and team's 5-2 record. The defense has stepped up huge as well. They've scored a defensive touchdown in 3 straight games. They put pressure on the QB, which in turn leads to turnovers. The Bengals still have a tough schedule down the stretch, but the defense will keep them in most games. The Titans rebounded off a bad loss to Houston with a win against the NFL's punching bag known as the Indianapolis Colts. Problem is, Chris Johnson still couldn't get anything going on the ground. And Coach Mike Munchak said Javon Ringer may get more touches this week as Johnson continues to struggle. Maybe Johnson is just happy to have his money and doesn't care anymore? I think the Titans keep it close, but the Bengals defense gets to immobile Matt Hasselbeck and forces some turnovers, allowing Cincinnati to pick up another road win.

Cincinnati 26  Tennessee 21

Denver Broncos vs Oakland Raiders
I'm guessing Tim Tebow is on a short leash in this game. He looked atrocious against Detroit and John Fox was hesitant to give Tebow his blessing for this game. But Tebow gets one more opportunity to show he can play QB in the NFL, and I'm sure he knows that a bad first half means that he could be on the bench in the second half. Tebow's mechanics are just all over the place and not there yet. Now of course this isn't all on Tebow, the defense couldn't stop the Lions at all. They've been a big let down this year as far as Broncos fans are concerned. The Raiders have had two weeks to let Carson Palmer get more adapted to the playbook and to wash the taste of their shutout against Kansas City out of their mouth. The Raiders may be without Darren McFadden, but it is not too big of a drop off to Michael Bush. I'm sure the defense will be licking their chops for the opportunity to get after Tim Tebow. With Carson Palmer fully adapted to the playbook, I expect the Raiders to pick up the win here.

Oakland 24  Denver 13

New York Giants vs New England Patriots
A Super Bowl rematch. This begins a brutal portion of the schedule for the Giants. If they're for real, they should get through the schedule with at least 5 more wins the rest of the year. They barely came away with a victory last week against Miami at home. If the Giants fall behind early to New England, Tom Brady and Bill Bellicheck won't let them back into the game like the Dolphins did. Eli Manning, if he continues his good play, should be able to pick apart the Patriots terrible secondary. Anybody could pick apart the Patriots secondary at this point. It's amazing to see a Bill Bellicheck coached team struggle so badly on defense, especially against the pass. And the Giants have a 3 headed monster at WR that will be tough to stop. The Giants need to hope Ahmad Bradshaw is healthy, because Brandon Jacobs looked bad against Miami. The Giants pass rush needs to get to Tom Brady in this one. If they can, I can see the Giants forcing some turnovers and putting their offense in good position. The offense actually struggled at times against Pittsburgh, and they don't have any kind of running game to speak of. I really like the Giants defense, and I think they do enough here to help New York pull off a mild upset.

NY Giants 31  New England 27

St. Louis Rams vs Arizona Cardinals
I don't know if anyone saw the Rams win against New Orleans last week coming except for maybe the players of the Rams. They dominated the Saints in every aspect of the game. Steven Jackson looked like the Steven Jackson of years past where he was considered one of the best running backs in the league. A.J. Feely actually looked good at QB, and the defense put pressure on Drew Brees and forced him into a couple of turnovers. I don't know if this will be a turn around for the Rams season, but it was a nice victory nontheless. The Cardinals on the other hand gave up a huge lead against the Ravens and lost on a last second field goal. Kevin Kolb has looked terrible, and the defense can't stop anything. Ken Wisenhunt may be on the hot seat if he can't get some wins at the end of the year. The Cardinals have the better talent, but the Rams seem more motivated. I'll take the Rams here.

St. Louis 35  Arizona 34

Green Bay Packers vs San Diego Chargers
The Packers have had two weeks to, well, continue being the Packers. They weren't banged up and they haven't struggled anywhere, so it's not like they needed the bye week to fix things. Aaron Rodgers is the leading MVP candidate as he continues to have one of the best seasons an NFL QB can have. There are just so many weapons on offense at his disposal. If they could get a consistent running attack going, they would be unstoppable. The Packers pass defense has been a bit of an issue, but their offense is so good that they mask it. The Chargers are coming off a horrible loss at Kansas City. They had the game won before Philip Rivers fumbled a kneel down snap late in the 4th quarter. The offense still struggled and are now dealing with injuries at running back. The Chargers just seem a bit off this year and it is showing in their performance. The offense shoud be able to score against the Packers, but this game will be on the defense to stop the Packers offense. I don't think the Chargers defense is good enough to stop the Packers offense. I'm taking the Packers in a high scoring affair.

Green Bay 38  San Diego 31

Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers
These two teams have taken opposite directions since the Ravens Week 1 blowout of Pittsburgh. The Ravens have struggled the last couple of weeks, losing at Jacksonville then barely coming back to win at home against Arizona. The Ravens can't afford to fall behind early against Pittsburgh, because they won't Joe Flacco and Company back in the game. I'm really surprised how much Flacco has regressed this year. I also don't know why the Ravens aren't leaning more on Ray Rice. Rice should be the workhorse of this team but offensive coordinator Cam Cameron seems to get too cute and try to get Joe Flacco involved too much. The defense hasn't really struggled unless the offense puts them in bad postions. The Steelers are on a 4 game winning streak and coming off a big win at home against New England. The defense is playing well after struggling early, but they may be without Lamar Woodley and James Farrior in this game. They are already without James Harrison, so losing those two linebackers would be a big blow. The offense, specifically the passing game, is playing well. Antonio Brown finally has broken out in the last couple of weeks after all of the pre-season hype. Normally these two play a low scoring game. I think it is in the middle here as far as scoring goes. But I'm going with Pittsburgh here. They are playing better football right now.

Pittsburgh 23  Baltimore 20

Chicago Bears vs Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are finally looking like the Eagles team everyone expected them to be this year. The offense looked like an unstoppbable machine against Dallas. Mike Vick found open WRs with ease and they keot the Cowboys defense on the field for extended periods of time. LeSean McCoy isn't getting enough praise for his great play. McCoy has a touchdown in every game this year. The defense also shut down the Cowboys star studded WR duo. The Bears are coming off a bye and a win in London against Tampa Bay. Last year the Bears shut down Mike Vick in route to a win. I don't know if the defense will be able to do that again, but they will need to in order to stop Phialdelphia's offensive attack. The Bears should pound away with Matt Forte in order to keep the ball away from Philadelphia. I think the Bears keep this game close for a bit, but Philadelphia wins it late.

Philadelphia 31  Chicago 28

My Vegas $$$ Picks
Last Week's Record: 3-1
Year to Date Record: 19-12-1

St. Louis +3 at Arizona: Rams are playing better and more inspired football right now.

NY Giants +8.5 at New England: Giants aren't as bad as they showed against Miami.

Cincinnati +3 at Tennessee: Bengals are the better team overall.

Atlanta -7 at Indianapolis: Falcons have had 2 weeks to prepare for bad Colts.

That's all from me.

Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka

NFL Week 7 Review

Yep, it's that time! NFL Review time!

Team of the Week: Atlanta Falcons
-I had my doubts about these guys the last few weeks. I thought they would lose to Atlanta at home but they pulled off a win. Then I thought they would lose to Detroit on the road, but they pulled off a nice win. Things looked scary for a second when Matt Ryan got his ankle stepped on, but he came back and the Falcons sealed a victory late. The defense has stepped up its game big time in the last two weeks. Sans one big play from Calvin Johnson, the defense pretty much shut him down all day. The Falcons are determined to make it a 3 team race in the NFC South, and they probably will. Michael Turner looks back to his old form the last two games. If the Falcons rely on Turner first and Ryan second, they should be in it at the end.

Game of the Week: Green Bay 33  Minnesota 27
-There really weren't any stand out games this week, so I'm giving it to this game by default. I thought about giving it to San Diego/NY Jets, but gave it to this game instead. The Vikings gave the Packers everything they could handle yesterday, and they almost pulled off a huge upset. The Vikings looked like an inspired team under new rookie QB Christian Ponder. Ponder showed promise in his first game, taking it to the Packers in 3 plays on the Vikings first drive. But the Packers showed their strength late in the game, pulling away and capitalizing on the Vikings mistakes. The Packers have some flaws that were exposed in this game, and that will probably keep them from going 16-0 in the long run.

Dogs of the Week: Ndamukong Suh  & Cliff Avril, Detroit Lions
-Look, I know there is no way to prove that these guys said anything. But to have a handful of Falcons players say that they were trash talking an injured Matt Ryan Sunday means a couple things. It means something was definitely said. That many players don't come out and say something without that. It also adds to Suh's reputation of being a "dirty player" around league circles. There was already a problem earlier in the game when the Lions wouldn't let the Falcons come out of the tunnel. Add all of this together, and America's darling Detroit Lions teams may not be such darlings after all. Suh is a great talent, but his reputation around the league is probably at an all time low at this point.

Other Week 7 Notes
-I think when it is all set and done, the 2011 Rookie QB Class may go down as one of the best ever. Number 1 Overall Pick Cam Newton is the playmaker everyone thought he would be in Carolina even though their record doesn't show it. There's no reason he can't be the next Mike Vick. Andy Dalton in Cincinantil has the Bengals at 4-2 and right in the thick of the AFC Playoff Race. The Dalton-A.J. Green connection will be a formidable one in years to come. Christian Ponder showed a lot of promise in his first start yesterday against Green Bay. He made some rookie mistakes but that is to be expected in your first career start. Blaine Gabbert should improve given time with Jacksonville. And we've yet to see what Jake Locker (Tennessee), Ryan Mallet (New England), and Colin Kapernick (San Francisco) are capable of. This QB class shows a lot of promise and the future of that position in the NFL looks bright.

-Speaking of the QB position, TEBOWMANIA IS RUNNING WILD IN DENVER! Broncos fans wanted him, and they got him this week. And until the final 3 minutes of the game, Tebow was showing why people questioned if he good play in the NFL. Over-thrown/under-thrown passes, mis-reads, and poor mechanics plagued Tebow. Then something changed, and Tebow lead the Broncos on two straight scoring drives and a wild OT comeback win over Denver. Broncos fans need to expect more of this with Tebow at the helm. There will be a lot of ugly moments, but there will also be those moments when Tebow looks like the true winner everyone knows he is. And hey, at 2-4, the Broncos aren't out of the AFC West race yet. That division may be wide open for the taking.

-Are the wheels starting to fall off in Detroit. I don't think so, but I'm sure a lot of their fans are worried. The Lions lost their second straight home game against Atlanta. The offense has slowed down the last two weeks. Teams are doubling Calvin Johnson more often than not, and they are without RB Jahvid Best. And now, QB Matthew Stafford has an ankle sprain and may not play this week. The secondary is getting burned for big passes, and the offensive line is doing a terrible job protecting Stafford. At 5-2, there is still no reason to go into full blown panic mode yet. However, a road loss next week at Denver would change that.

-After all the hype the Oakland Raiders had coming into this week's game, they sure did put up a stinker. Kyle Boller looked terrible in the first half, throwing 3 interceptions. So what did coach Hue Jackson do? Switch to Carson Palmer. Only Palmer played just as bad as Boller, throwing 3 interceptions as well. Palmer admitted after the game that he probably only knows 10% of the playbook. Sure Boller was playing bad, but if Palmer knew so little about the playbook why put him in? That might have hurt the Raiders more than keeping Boller in. The Raiders allowed the Chiefs to come into their house and rub their face in the dirt. They also let the Chiefs back in the AFC West race. Hopefully Palmer knows at least 50% of the playbook when the Raiders play again in two weeks.

-Are the Jets back? They were left for dead yesterday, down 21-10 at halftime. But the defense held the Chargers to zero points in the 2nd half, and the offense woke up in the 2nd half leading a comeback to a much needed Jets victory. Sure they beat the Dolphins last week, but anyone can beat the Dolphins. Mark Sanchez finally found Plaxico Burress, three times in fact. Just when I was ready to write off the Jets, they show they can still compete. If the Jets play like they did Sunday, then they may very well find a way to get back into the playoffs. But that depends on how much Mark Sanchez continues to grow. The Jets will only go as far as he does.

Hey I'm Just Sayin...
-That was a perfect collapse by the Dolphins. No one suspected it was intentionally done in their race for Andrew Luck.

-I think the Saints may have just scored again.

-Cleveland 6  Seattle 3. Yeah, lets move on. Nothing to see here.

-Chris Johnson says he is not the problem in Tennessee. He's right, he's only half.

-Rumors are surfacing that an 80 year old woman with a cane ran through the Rams defense at the airport.

-Maybe Joe Flacco really can't lead a team to the Super Bowl.

POWER RANKINGS!!!
1. Green Bay (7-0, #1 last week)- Some of their defensive flaws were exposed this week. But you have to wonder if anyone can hang with them offensively.

2. New England Patriots (5-1, #3)- They are now the class of the AFC by default thanks to Baltimore's horrendous showing Monday night.

3. San Francisco 49ers (5-1, #4)- They could clinch the NFC West by the end of November.

4. New Orleans Saints (5-2, #7)- Dying for a rematch with the Packers come last January.

5. New York Giants (4-2, #8)- I hate moving teams up that didn't play, but so many other teams struggled this week. Giants are still class of NFC East.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2, #10)- The offense showed up this past week. Now they need to show up with a huge showdown against New England ahead.

7. Detroit Lions (5-2, #5)- Offensively, they need to find a way to score when teams double team Calvin Johnson.

8. Baltimore Ravens (4-2, #2)- That was about as ugly as you could get Monday night. Joe Flacco needs to find his game and fast.

9. Buffalo Bills (4-2, #9)- They're still banged up coming off the bye, but they get a wounded Redskins team in Toronto Sunday.

10. Atlanta Falcons (4-3, #16)- Big jump because of a big time performance in Detroit. Matt Ryan showed a lot of guts coming back after that ugly ankle injury.

11. New York Jets (4-3, #20)- They may be back after all. Big time second half performance.

12. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2, #11)- They start a rough part of the schedule coming up. Going to the west coast to Seattle is no easy matter.

13. San Diego Chargers (4-2, #6)- Zero points in the 2nd half is not common for this team. Philip Rivers is not on his game this year.

14. Chicago Bears (4-3, #15)- Jay Cutler showed that he can be a solid QB if given time in the pocket.

15. Houston Texans (4-3, #19)- They're still the class of the AFC South this year. Remember, that was 41 points without Andre Johnson.

16. Dallas Cowboys (3-3, #22)- Huge game at Philadelphia this week. Can Romo not choke away this one?

17. Philadelphia Eagles (2-4, #17)- Did the bye week finally right the ship completely?

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3, #13)- This young team is regressing more then they would like.

19. Kansas City Chiefs (3-3, #24)- Suddenly, the Chiefs are right back in the AFC West race.

20. Oakland Raiders (4-3, #12)- Maybe they should have let Jason Campbell play with that broken collarbone last week.

21. Tennessee Titans (3-3, #14)- If Chris Johnson keeps talking, he will become a distraction more than anything else.

22. Cleveland Browns (3-3, #22)- Weren't they suppose to grow on offense this year?

23. Carolina Panthers (2-5, #25)- If they could get their running backs going they could be a dangerous threat come December.

24. Washington Redskins (3-3, #18)- Tim Hightower, out. Santana Moss, out. Playoff hopes: Non-existent.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5, #27)- See what happens when your defense shows up?

26. Denver Broncos (2-4, #26)- TEBOWMANIA is growing faster than Hulkamania.

27. Seattle Seahawks (2-4, #21)- I guess Charlie Whitehurst is worse than Tavaris Jackson.

28. Minnesota Vikings (1-5, #28)- Christian Ponder showed promise. All you could ask for in his 1st game.

29. Arizona Cardinals (1-5, #29)- Larry Fitzgerald might be regretting that big contract now.

30. St. Louis Rams (0-6, #30)- Run defense is as thin as a super model.

31. Indianapolis Colts (0-7, #31)- Peyton Manning probably wishes he wasn't on the sidelines.

32. Miami Dolphins (0-6, #32)- Countdown to the Cowher/Luck Era starts now.

Three Games I'd Like to See Next Week
New England vs Pittsburgh: Could be battle of the two top dogs in the AFC.
Dallas vs Philadelphia: Can Romo finally win a big game?
San Diego vs Kansas City: Suddenly, a huge game in the AFC West race.

Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka