Wow, already the last week of the regular season. Starting tomorrow, we start rolling the Jim Mora clips. First, time for the picks…

As always, home team in caps:

BILLS (+3) over Colts
Seems like based on what we saw last week, the Colts plan to rest their stars. That means a lot of Painter at QB, which likely does not bode well for the Colts. Bills win by default.

Jags (+1) over BROWNS
The Jaguars are one of those up-and-down teams, and after the 35-7 loss to the Patriots last week, it might be time for them to bounce back. I especially like the Jaguars offense against the Browns D, which teams like to light up on a weekly basis (though maybe not as much of late, but if those guys want Mangini gone, they might lay down–yeah, that’s a joke).

Bears (-3) over LIONS
The Bears have been a disappointment this year, but against the Lions, they should be able tog et soemthing going on the ground and through the air. The Lions will have some fight in them, but I doubt it will workout for them this week.

Falcons (-2.5) over BUCS
Tampa is coming off a win over the Saints, but I don’t think they will have the same type of game. Matty Ice and the rest of the crew should be able to squeeze one out in Tampa.

Niners (-7) over RAMS
Rams lose and they lock up the #1 pick in the draft…

Steelers (-3) over DOLPHINS
Nobody is sure how much Ricky Williams will play this week, and the Dolphins offense hasn’t been as good without him. This might be a close game, but I think the Steelers pull it out late.

VIKINGS (-9) over Giants
The Vikings have looked awful of late, but maybe this is when they end their losing streak and attempt to take the #2 seed in the process. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Favre throws 4 picks and has a fumble.

PANTHERS (-3) over Saints
The Saints are about to lose their third straight, especially since Brees is expected to play limited minutes.

TEXANS (-8) over Patriots
I like what I saw from the Patriots last week, but I don’t expect them to play injured players for an entire game, that includes Tom Brady. Look for Schaub to go nuts in this one.

Packers (+3.5) over CARDINALS
I picked Green Bay to win that division at the start of the year (bad pick I guess), but they are playing for playoff seeding now, as are the Cardinals. Given injury history for Kurt Warner, he may not play the whole game. In any case, I like the Packers defense and the evolution of Aaron Rodgers. The Packers are a dangerous team going forward.

CHARGERS (-4) over Redskins
Rivers isn’t expected to play a whole game, but it’s the ‘Skins. I can’t possibly pick that team to win a game.

Titans (-4.5) over SEAHAWKS
VY and Chris Johnson against the Seahawks D sounds like a tough day for the ‘Hawks.

Ravens (-10.5) over RAIDERS
The Ravens need a win to make the playoffs, so I don’t expect them to lose their focus against a team like Oakland. Ravens defense, coupled with the solid offense they have, should be enough to stop whoever the heck the Raiders are playing at QB.

COWBOYS (-3) over EAGLES
Easily the game of the week (on paper). I like both of these teams, but I just have a feeling this will be one of those days when people think Wade Phillips is a good coach and Tony Romo is a good quarterback. Both teams have a chance at the #2 seed as well.

BRONCOS (-13) over Chiefs
Josh McDaniels against the QB he coached previously sounds like a win for him. However, both of these teams have played poorly this season (Broncos 2-7 in the last 9 after starting 6-0). Broncos find a way to win this game, but still miss the playoffs.

Bengals (+10) over JETS
The Bengals are playing for playoff seeding and they probably want to go into the playoffs with a win. The Jets need a win to get in to the tournament, but the Bengals defense is good enough to make Sanchez make mistakes, which should be enough to help the Bengals pull one out, even if they decide to have Palmer ride the pine at the end of the game.

The Patriots have morphed into a “grind it out” team (read: team struggling to score points), which, coupled with their lackluster defense, does not bode well for the end of the season or for the playoffs (assuming they make it). Against the Jaguars, run stopper Vince Wilfork is out for the Patriots, which means Maurice Jones-Drew should be able to run at will against the depleted Patriots D-line, the same way Fred Jackson did early in the game against Buffalo (before the Bills showed us why there were the Bills with stupid coaching). That said, with decent weather conditions in New England, Tom Brady should be able to bounce back against the Jags’ sub-par pass defense. I’ll take the Patriots (-7.5) over the Jaguars.

Now the rest of the Week 16 Picks:

Chargers (+3) over TITANS
FALCONS (-9) over Bills
BENGALS (-13.5) over Chiefs
BROWNS (-3) over Raiders
PACKERS (-14) over Seahawks
Texans (+3) over DOLPHINS
GIANTS (-7) over Panthers
SAINTS (-14) over Bucs
STEELERS (-3) over Ravens
CARDINALS (-14) over Rams
NINERS (-12) over Lions
EAGLES (-7) over Broncos
Jets (+6) over COLTS (more of a hope than a prediction)
Cowboys (-6.5) over REDSKINS
BEARS (+7) over Vikings

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 11-5
Season: 101-43 (Picks not made for all weeks)

Some interesting reports on the news wire today that are worth noting:

Red Sox:

Nick Cafardo reports that the Red Sox worked in an option to Lackey’s contract that would pay him the league minimum at the end of his contract, should he miss time due to an elbow injury (a pre-existing condition)

WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reports that the Red Sox may still be considering signing Jason Bay.This report comes one day after the Boston Herald’s Michael Silverman suggested that Jason Bay or Matt Holliday could “fall into the Red Sox’ lap.”

The Globe 10.0 discusses the Mike Lowell situation

Patriots:
ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss has an updated injury report for the upcoming game against the Jaguars

The Boston Globe’s Tony Massarotti has five burning questions for the 2009 Patriots

Fred Taylor commented on the possibility of the Jaguars moving to LA

Tom Brady indicated the Patriots are still in search of an identity on offense

Celtics

Paul Pierce is out with a knee infection

Bruce Bowen breaks down the Celtics-Magic matchup

Bill Simmons expects plenty of NBA trades this season

Bruins

The Globe 10.0 debates the goalie situation in Boston

Fourth and two. What else is there to say? Fourth and two. Up 17 in the 4th. Fourth and two. Really? That’s how it happened? Fourth and two on your own 28? In Boston, “Fourth and Two” will be remembered similarly to Boone, Dent, Buckner, and the “Super Bowl That Never Happened.” Let’s remember, though, that this was a week 10 game, all of those incidents were playoff games. Phew. The Patriots do have seven games to play, seven games to go on an “Eff You Tour” following “Fourth and Two”. I’m still in shock. Fourth and two.

This week the Patriots take on the Jets, who, by defeating the Patriots earlier this season, embarrassed all of New England. How can a team that terrible be worthy of win over the mighty New England Patriots. Oh, was it Brady’s second game back from reconstructive knee surgery that caused him to miss an entire season. Did he have his binky, Wes Welker? Oh, he didn’t? Wait, didn’t they run into the punter twice in one play and not have anything called? Oh, all right, that’s how that team got a win over the mighty New England Patriots.

The teams are playing at totally different levels now than they did in Week 2. The Patriots passing game is better, their defense (if healthy) is better, and they’re pissed off. The Jets have been in a downward spiral: losing five of their last six games after starting 3-0. I’ll take the mighty Patriots over the Jets coming off an inexcusable loss in Indianapolis. They’ve got something to prove.

Fourth and two.

Now for the rest of the Week 11 picks (as always, home team in CAPS):

CAROLINA over Miami

I like what I’ve seen from Carolina of late.  They look a lot better overall and Miami will have trouble if Ronnie Brown’s injury is serious.  In other news for this game, former Bentley University football star Mackenzy Bernadeau, from my hometown of Waltham, MA, will start tonight at left guard for the Panthers.

DALLAS over Washington

Washington got a win last week.  Good for them.  I like Dallas in this one even if they don’t play particularly well.

DETROIT over Cleveland

GAME OF THE WEEK! These are two of the worst teams in the league, and they’ll probably show it.  If Calvin Johnson is playing, I really like Detroit’s ability to shred the Cleveland defense.  Cleveland’s situation is virtually impossible to fix, I don’t think it’ll be any different this week.

San Francisco over GREEN BAY

Green Bay isn’t that good, plain and simple.  The 49ers have had their moments, and with Frank Gore running in Lambeau, I like their chances in what could be cold Green Bay temperatures.

Pittsburgh over KANSAS CITY

The Steelers struggled against the Bengals last week, but they’re the obvious favorite against the Chiefs.

NY GIANTS over Atlanta

This is a little tough to call since we haven’t seen anything good from the Giants of late. However, they are coming off of a bye week and something tells me they’ll have some things corrected.  If not, their season might be over. On the Atlanta side, Turner suffered an injury in their last game and if that hampers him this week, Atlanta is in trouble.

New Orleans over TAMPA BAY

The Saints haven’t exactly played that well of late, but they’ve found ways to win… and this week, they play the Bucs.  ‘Nuff said.

JACKSONVILLE over Buffalo

Sounds like MJD is getting ready to run a while.  The Bills run defense isn’t good, neither is Trent Edwards.  They also just fired their head coach.  Let’s go ahead and put this one in the loss column (undoubtedly, the Bills will win the game now that I’ve given them zero chance).

Indianapolis over BALTIMORE

How poorly can Indy play this week before the Ravens blow the game?  I want Indy to be beat as often as possible the rest of the way, and at the very least, once.  16-0 belongs to New England… then again, I wouldn’t have any problem with the Colts going 16-0 and getting embarrassed at home by the last 16-0 team… (ok, fine, that’s wishful thinking…what’s this blog called again?)

MINNESOTA over Seattle

Oh the agony. I’m picking the team Favre plays for. The Vikings have played very well all year, I don’t see why that would change against a terrible Seahawks team.

Arizona over ST. LOUIS

Warner makes his return to St. Louis… I wonder what Rams fans will be thinking during the game.  Remember that 1999 Rams team known as “The Greatest Show on Turf”? Warner won multiple MVPs in St. Louid and led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory (and a defeat against New England), and now, the Rams are at the bottom of the league, while Warner is proving to the league that he is still a very good quarterback in this league.  I’m taking the Cards in a landslide.

Cincinatti over OAKLAND

A year ago, this might have been one of the worst matchups of the year.  Now, the Bengals, who returned to Bungals status after signing Larry “The Malcontent” Johnson.  Now, the Bengals are making a push for a first round bye, and a win over Oakland will put them at 8-2 with six games to play.  They’ll at least be .500, even if Cedric Benson is hurt this week.  You have to consider the Russell Factor*.

*The Russell Factor: adjective meaning pure suckitude.

San Diego over DENVER

Denver has lost three in a row and with Chris Simms at the helm in place of the injured Kyle Orton, it will likely move to four in a row.  The winner of this game takes sole possession of the AFC West lead.  Phillip Rivers and the now-not-so-good-Denver-offense should win the game for the Chargers.

Philadelphia over CHICAGO

How many INTs will Cutler throw this week?  I’m going with two. Look for the Eagles to bounce back against a struggling Bears team behind the arm of Donovan McNabb and the legs of LeSean McCoy.

HOUSTON over Tennessee

This is a different Titans team with Vince Young. It’s still hard to believe.  This is a must win for the Texans if they have any hopes in making a run for a wild card spot.  With four losses already, they’ll need to string together several wins in a row.  I’m looking for Matt Schaub to be Schaubtastic this week.

Last Week: 8-7 (Season low)

Season: 79-33

In Week 10, the Patriots battle the 8-0 Indianapolis Colts in Indy. The Colts have won 4 of the last 5 matchups between the two teams, including a 3-point win last season when Brady was out for the year. The Patriots defeated the Colts in 2007 en route to a perfect regular season.

This game is bigger than one might think. If the Colts can beat the Patriots, they’ll put themselves in the driver seat for the #1 seed in the conference and home field throughout the conference playoff games. The Patriots would also fall to 5-3, which too many teams with 2 losses to jump over, essentially meaning that they might kiss their hopes of a first-round by in the playoffs goodbye if they lose tonight.

The matchup indicates a close game of between two of the elite NFL franchises of this decade and features of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history in Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Interestingly enough, in the 4 Super Bowls that the two teams have won this decade, the two teams have played each other in the playoffs en route to the Super Bowl. Interestingly, the Colts and Patriots are first and second in the NFL in defensive points allowed per game,and both teams have a top ten offense.

The fan in me has me picking the Patriots because the Colts have lost Bob Sanders and will be starting two rookies in the secondary. This should give BRady a couple of opportunities down the field with Randy Moss, and perhaps even with Wes Welker on one of his complicated patterns. Additionally, I like the play of the New England defense so far this season and I think they’ll be able to hold off the Colts just enough for the Patriots to squeak out a victory.

And now the rest of the Week 10 picks:
As always, home team in CAPS, and picks made outright

NINERS (-3) over Bears
Well, as of this post, that game already happened, so I won’t count it, I guess.

Falcons (-1.5) over PANTHERS
I’m surprised the Falcons are only favored by 1.5 points. They have three losses on the season, all against some of the top teams in the league (New Orleans, Indianapolis, New England), which indicates they aren’t in the league’s top tier, but they are still better than the Panthers. The Panthers will probably find a way to score with their running game and perhaps keep it close, but I think in the end, Matt Ryan and Michael Turner will be too much for the Panthers.

DOLPHINS (-10) over Bucs
The ‘Fins have a great running game, while the Bucs can’t stop anyone on the ground. They also don’t have a strong passing game. That said, Miami should be able to control the clock with their running game and make it will probably be difficult for Tampa to score quickly.

VIKINGS (-16.5) over Lions
The Vikings are playing excellent football this year and the Lions simply are not. That might be an understatement.

Jaguars (+7) over JETS
I just don’t believe in the Jets offense scoring enough points. They would need to cause the Jags to make mistakes to get away with a victory, especially if they’re playing form behind. I like the Jaguars running game and their ability to mix it up with long and short throws offensively. THat should be enough to keep Sanchez from being able to lead the Jets to victory. I hope so, anyway.

TITANS (-7) over Bills
Apparently, VY is good enough to win games in the NFL again. The Bills also stink.

STEELERS (-7) over Bengals
The Steelers lost in Cincinnati earlier this year in a close game. Pittsburgh now has their biggest defensive weapon, Troy Polamalu, back in the lineup and that should be able to help contain the Bengals offense.

Saints (-14) over RAMS
The Rams are terrible. The Saints have gotten off the slow starts the last few weeks, but this is a different story. They should have no problem getting through this game with a win.

Chiefs (+2) over RAIDERS
These teams both so bad that I really don’t know who to pick. I’m going with the Chiefs because Kolby Smith is back after being out with an injury for the last year and Matt Cassel might be able to use a good running game to his advantage. Though, he still has nobody to throw to.

CARDINALS (-9) over Seahawks
The Seahawks can’t really beat teams better than them, plus it’s in Arizona where the Cards are significantly better offensively.

Broncos (-3.5) over REDSKINS
It would take a lot for the ‘Skins to win this game. They haven’t really shown anything on the offensive side of the ball and the Broncos have a good pass defense. If the Broncos lose this one, we can probably go ahead and start jumping off of their bandwagon.

Eagles (+1.5) over CHARGERS
These are two evenly matched teams going at it. In the end, I don’t like the SD running game that much (since they’re averaging the fewest yards per carry in the league) and if it turns into a shootout, I think the Eagles have more weapons.

Cowboys (-3) over PACKERS
Green Bay really hasn’t been that good. This game is in Lambeau, but it isn’t supposed to be 30 degrees so the Cowboys should be OK. They need to stick with the running game though and keep the pressure off of Romo.

Ravens (-10.5) over BROWNS
Cleveland stinks.

Last Week: 9-4
Season: 71-26

Quick picks column as the end of the college semester nears and time fades..

Home team in caps:

PATRIOTS (-10) over Dolphins

Finally, The Pats are back in action!  Tough matchup against the Dolphins today, as the ‘Fins always seem to give the Pats trouble.  I’m gonna take the Patriots in this one, but it won’t be pretty. The line on this game has the Ptas favored by 10.5, I’m taking the ‘Fins on that.

FALCONS (-10) over Redskins

Falcons are obviously the better team.  Might not be as easy as it should be, but that said, I’d pick this one against the spread too.

Cards (+3) over BEARS

It’s time for a “Kurt Warner Comes Through” game.  I just feel it.  I just do.

BENGALS (+3) over Ravens

Call me crazy, but I think this one is going to be an upset that sinks the Ravens season and makes the Bengals the talk of the NFL.

COLTS (-9) over Texans

Colts will win this game for sure, but it’ll be close, and maybe, just maybe the Texans make a run.  This is the biggest game of the Texans franchise, I don’t think they’ll win in the end, but they’ll look good.

JAGS (-6.5) over Chiefs

The Chiefs are in disarray and they have no running game.  The passing attack has also been sub-par.  I like the Jags in this one, mainly because they have Jones-Drew and as long as Garrard doesn’t do anything stupid, they should win it.

BUCS (+9.5) over Packers

Yeah, I know the Bucs are winless.  The Packers only have trouble against teams with a pass rush, something the Bucs don’t have.  The Bucs are starting a rookie at QB.  I know all of this.  Yet, I think this is the week that something goes the way of the Bucs.  If they don’t win this game, I’m not picking them again all season. But hey, I got the Titans last week, maybe I can get this one too?

NINERS (-4) over Titans

Sorry Vince, I can’t count on you two weeks in a row.

SAINTS (-13) over Panthers

The Saints have struggled of late, but they’ve found ways to win.  I think this another one of those games.  OK, fine, I’m picking them in the hopes that they’re 10-0 against New England in a couple weeks.

Lions (+10) over SEAHAWKS

I hear Calvin Johnson might be back in this game.  If that’s the case, the Lions actually become a decent team and maybe they can beat the ‘Hawks. Why not?

Chargers (+4.5) over GIANTS

I hate the Giants.  I don’t think they’ll lose 4 in a row, but I also think they’re not nearly as good as we thought they were earlier this year.  Manning is obviously hurt, or maybe he’s just gone back to being the ‘tard on the field before that lucky break in that Super Bowl That Never Happened.

EAGLES (-3) over Cowboys

Romo’s due for a stinker.

BRONCOS (+3) over Steelers

It’s hard to pick the Broncos in this one, but I am anyway.  They’ll have a tough time beating the Steelers, but if they pull it off, they’ll really make the NFL know they are the real deal.  Plus, I love seeing Pit lose games. I really do.  I think it’s Yankees 1, Lakers 2, Steelers 3, Mannings 4, on the “I love seeing these teams/people lose” list.

Last Week: 9-4
Season: 62-22

No Patriots this week, so it’ll be a quick “picks only” post.

Home team in caps, picks not made against the spread

Broncos (+3.5) over RAVENS

Doubtful that the Ravens lose four straight games, but the Broncos are finding ways to win games.  Denver plays great defense, forces turnovers, and the coaching staff has been able to adjust to anything thrown at them.  I could see this going the other way, but it’s hard to pick against Denver right now, even if Kyle Orton is their QB.

Texans (-3.5) over BILLS

The Texans blew a 21 point lead to the 49ers last week, but this is the Bills.  Even if Schaub struggles in the cold Buffalo air, I don’t think Ryan Fitzpatrick can score enough points. Though, that said, this looks like one of those “the team that isn’t supposed to win does win” kind of games.

BEARS (-13) over Browns

It’s the Browns.  Need I say more?

Dolphins (+3) over JETS

The Jets had a world of trouble with the wildcat a couple of weeks ago and I think the whole Jets team has played worse the last few weeks.  Their defense has proven to be overrated and the QB play has been subpar.  If Miami can score in this game, they’ll win it.

COLTS (-12.5) over Niners

The Colts look great right now.  They likely will have another Jim Sorgi fourth quarter.

COWBOYS (-9.5) over Seahawks

The Cowboys have been iffy, but the Seahawks aren’t exactly playing well.  The ‘Boys are also coming off a huge win against the Falcons and they’re at home.  They have a great running back tandem with Barber and Felix Jones, with Tashard Choice also in the mix. Poor play from Romo could swing the outcome, but if he’s just average, the Cowboys should be fine.

LIONS (-3.5) over Rams

Both of these teams are terrible.  If the Rams lose this one, they’re likely going 0-16 and the Lions will be forever embarrassed if they lose this game — worse than their own 0-16 season.  This will be probably be a close game, but in the end I think the crappy Lions beat the really crappy Rams.

Giants (-1) over EAGLES

Giants have lost back-to-back so I can’t see them losing three in a row.  Westbrook is also out for Philly.  Look for Manning and the Giants to bounce back after a couple tough losses.

CHARGERS (-16.5) over Raiders

No comment necessary.

TITANS (-3) over Jags

I don’t why, but I have the Titans getting a win today.

CARDINALS (-10) over Panthers

Arizona generally plays well at home and they’ve been playing well of late.  The Panthers can’t score at all and their defense is no where near what it used to be, even with Peppers out there. Have to go with Warner and the Cards here.

SAINTS (-11) over Falcons

The last few weeks have shown us that the Falcons aren’t anything special, and the Saints can score on anybody.  I definitely like Brees at home in the dome, much like anybody would have taken Warner on turf in ‘99.

Vikings (+3) over PACKERS

I don’t really understand why the Packers are favored in this one.  The Vikings are a dropped ball away from being undefeated and the last time they played Green Bay Jared Allen dropped Aaron Rodgers to the ground countless times.  The only argument the other way would be that the Packers are at home in Lambeau and Favre would have a lot of pressure on him.  Here’s the kicker though, the Vikings can just run it all day with Adrian Peterson.
Last Week: 10-3

Season: 53-18

Wembley Stadium, England

This week the Patriots and Buccaneers face off across the pond, as the NFL looks to tap into the UK market. The Patriots, coming off of a 59-0 win against the winless Tennessee Titans square off against an 0-6 team from Tampa that may well be the worst team in the NFL. The Bucs have a first-year head coach in Raheem Morris and also have a first-year GM in Mark Dominik. The last thing they want to do is go across the Atlantic to play a game, given they’re just trying to get their act together on their native continent. The Patriots probably weren’t too interested in making the trip either, but it is an effort to put the NFL first and help expand the brand of the NFL, as well as the Patriot name. That said, I wonder if people in England would be able to root for a team called the “Patriots.”

The players understand why they are playing this game in London.

“I wasn’t totally excited with it, but it’s one of those things the NFL wants us to do,” left guard Logan Mankins said.

“I’d rather stay in the States and stick to our normal routine that we do every week. It’s one of those things where you just have to deal with it and go play the game.”

Others, such as RB Laurence Maroney, shared the same sentiments, but making the trip to England is a similar flight to one to the West Coast, and sure, it helps they get to play a terrible team.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell indicated that the league has “tremendous interest” in having a permanent NFL franchise in England to take advantage of the British market.

“The interest and the enthusiasm for our game continues to grow, and we want to feed that,” Goodell said. “We want to respond to that by hopefully bringing more to the UK.”

“I expect that sometime in the next couple of years, we could be playing multiple games here,” Goodell said. “If we brought more than one game here, and it continues to have the same kind of enthusiasm and growth of interest, I think that is about as good of an indicator you can get that it could successfully support a franchise. And that’s what we’re looking at.”

Is it a good idea to have a team in England? Only time will tell, but on the surface, it seems like a logistical nightmare. For one thing, there would be 33 teams unless a current US franchise moved overseas, but that’s a whole different story. On the surface, I think it’s a terrible idea. Which teams will have to make the trip each year? What division would the London team be in? The London team would make 8 trips a year across the ocean and would deal with a large time difference. It really doesn’t make much sense. I suppose they could have an entire division in Europe, but even then, I don’t think there would be much interest, as shown by the failure of NFL Europe.

In any case, I don’t care what continent this game is being played on, the Patriots should have no problem taking care of the Bucs.

Now for the rest of the Week 7 picks:
(As always, home team in caps; picks not made against the spread).
Chargers (-4.5) over CHIEFS
TEXANS (-3) over Niners
Colts (-13) over RAMS
STEELERS (-4) over Vikings
Packers (-7) over BROWNS
PANTHERS (-7) over Bills
Jets (-6) over RAIDERS
BENGALS (-1.5) over Bears
Falcons (+4) over COWBOYS
Saints (-6.5) over DOLPHINS
GIANTS (-7) over Cardinals
Eagles (-7) over REDSKINS

Last Week: 10-4
Season: 43-15

Home team in caps:

JAGUARS over Rams
Giants over SAINTS
Panthers  over BUCS
VIKINGS over Ravens
PACKERS over Lions
Texans over BENGALS
STEELERS over Browns
Chiefs over REDSKINS
Cardinals over SEAHAWKS
Eagles over RAIDERS
JETS over Bills
PATRIOTS over Titans
FALCONS over Bears
CHARGERS over Broncos

Last Week:9-5

Season: 33-11

What a week this will be.  Among the matchups, we have the Patriots going to Denver, Belichick vs. McDaniels — the student is now the teacher.  McDaniels knows all of the nuances of the Patriots offense and the  weaknesses of every player he coached, but at the same time, Belichick knows what McDaniels likes to do on offense.

For this one, I’ll take the Patriots over the Broncos.

Now for the rest of the week 5 picks (home team in caps, picks made outright):

Vikings (-10) over RAMS

The Vikinbgs are coming off a big win against Green Bay and are playing a team in St. Louis that is really just terrible.

Cowboys (-8) over CHIEFS

The Cowboys aren’t as good as America thinks they are, but I think they should be able to beat the Chiefs.  The Chiefs aren’t exactly scoring on teams, nor are they stopping teams.

PANTHERS (-3.5) over Redskins

The Panthers haven’t started off well, but the Redskins have looked horrible all season long.  THey only put up 9 points on a terrible St. Louis team, I think Carolina can muster enough to beat the soup in Jason Campbell.

EAGLES (-15) over Bucs

C’mon, Tampa is terrible.

RAVENS (-8.5) over Bengals

Right now Carson Palmer is being asked to do a lot as the QB of the Bengals.  Look for the Ravens to use blitz schemes to get pressure on Palmer and shut down the Bengals offense.

GIANTS (-15) over Raiders

The Giants have been one of the best teams in football this season.  With or without Eli Manning, they should be able to beat the Raiders as long as Russell is their “quarterback.”

Steelers (-10.5) over LIONS

Culpepper will make is first start since last season for the Lions as Stafford is out with an injury.  The Steelers are also due for a good game.  They should be able toput enough pressure on Culpepper, and Big Ben and the rest of the offense shouldn’t have a problem scoring on the Lions.  Brees lit them up for 6 TDs, I’m sure the Steelers can do at least half of that.

BILLS (-6) over Browns

Tough call, but it seems like the Browns are in complete disarray, I wouldn’t be shocked though if either team won this game with a fluke play.

Falcons (+3.5) over NINERS

Are the 49ers as good as they’ve looked?  I don’t think so.  Atlanta has too much talent to lose to San Francisco.

SEAHAWKS (pk) over Jags

My gut tells me to pick the Jags int his one, but I just don’t have faith in that team week-to-week.  This is the type of game they will lose.  It looks like Hasselbeck will be playing with two broken ribs.  Whichever team screws up less should be winning this one.

Texans (+5.5) over CARDS

Arizona is hit-or-miss.  Sometimes Warner is on, sometimes he’s not.  This looks to be a high scoring shootout and will probably be fun to watch.  Ultimately, I like the Texans offense better than I like Arizona’s offense.

Colts (-3.5) over TITANS

The Colts are probably the best team in football, but nobody is talking about them.  The Titans have struggled mightily and started 0-4.  They will likely fall to 0-5 and kiss any chance of making the playoffs goodbye.

Jets (-1.5) over DOLPHINS

The Jets blitz schemes will probably be too much for Chad Henne.  Ultimately, this will be a battle of the defenses with two good defenes on the field against quarterbacks starting for the first time.

Last Week: 11-3

Season: 24-6