GAME OF THE WEEK – THURSDAY NIGHT – San Diego Chargers (5-2) at Denver Broncos (5-1), DEN by 7.5 – Maybe San Diego was looking ahead to Denver last week. Maybe they have just finally been overcome by their ridiculous slate of injuries. But whatever it is, they head into Denver needing to right the ship after a tough loss to a division rival, Kansas City. The Broncos and Peyton are looking full-on regular season Peyton mode right now, which likely means devastation for the Chargers and a sudden two-game deficit behind first place. Broncos 35, Chargers 20
Detroit Lions (5-2) vs. Atlanta Falcons (2-5) in London, DET by 4 – The Atlanta Falcons have far too much talent on that team to have the record they do right now. I’m still trying to get used to the idea of the Lions being a legitimate threat, but playing overseas when the Falcons can barely travel 100 miles and meet their potential, I’m going with the Lions all day here. Lions 33, Falcons 10
Minnesota Vikings (2-5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5), TB by 3 – The Buccaneers have just been absolutely terrible for most of the season, and I’m not entirely sure how they’re favored over a Vikings team that has at least been competitive in a lot of their games. UPSET! – Vikings 23, Buccaneers 13
Chicago Bears (3-4) at New England Patriots (5-2), NE by 6.5 – The Bears go from getting embarrassed on their home turf to having to play the Patriots at Foxboro. Yessss… YEEEEESSSSSSSS. Patriots 34, Bears 21
St. Louis Rams (2-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (3-3), KC by 6.5 – Don’t get me wrong, the Rams had an impressive win over the Seahawks, but they tend to pull out one shocking upset per season and suck the rest of the year. Now that they’ve got that upset out of the way, it’s business as usual for the bottom-of-the-barrel Rams. Chiefs 27, Rams 14
Seattle Seahawks (3-3) at Carolina Panthers (3-3-1), SEA by 4.5 – People probably thought the records for these teams would look a bit different heading into this week, but the fact is that they’ve both greatly underperformed. However, the Panthers seem utterly devoid of talent at the moment and have completely forgotten how to play defense. I can’t see the Seahawks losing three straight, especially given the way the Panthers looked at Green Bay. Seahawks 31, Panthers 16
Buffalo Bills (4-3) at New York Jets (1-6), NYJ by 3 – The Jets put out a good fight against the Patriots and acquired Percy Harvin, but I don’t particularly see either of those facts making much difference against a gritty Bills team. UPSET! – Bills 20, Jets 16
Miami Dolphins (3-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6), MIA by 5.5 – The Jaguars did well in bringing the Cleveland Browns hype train to a halt, but the Dolphins are a superior team and will prove it this week. Dolphins 27, Jaguars 17
Houston Texans (3-4) at Tennessee Titans (2-5), HOU by 1 – A date with the Titans is exactly what the Texans need to turn this four game skid around, and fast. Texans 20, Titans 13
Baltimore Ravens (5-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-3-1), CIN by 1.5 – The Bengals were looking like the best team in the league a few weeks ago, but defensive collapses and an injury to AJ Green stopped that in a hurry. However, this is the AFC North, where nobody beats anyone else on the road, and the Bengals need a win here to get things turned around. I’ll go with the home team. Bengals 27, Ravens 24
Philadelphia Eagles (5-1) at Arizona Cardinals (5-1), ARZ by 2.5 – Another definite game of the week contender here, and possibly harder to predict. The Cardinals are playing some smothering defense, and the Eagles have definitely had some offensive struggles but have put up a lot of points anyway. But with the Eagles coming off a bye, they’ve had some extra time to prepare and I think that’ll show in the result. UPSET! – Eagles 23, Cardinals 20
Indianapolis Colts (5-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3), IND by 3 – The Colts have been absolutely on fire lately, while the Steelers can’t seem to decide whether they’re a playoff team or a doormat. I’m going with the Colts to keep their momentum going. Colts 31, Steelers 27
Oakland Raiders (0-6) at Cleveland Browns (3-3), CLE by 7 – The Browns are a team that’s still molding their identity, which became obvious last week in losing a clear trap game to the Jaguars. They won’t make the same mistake twice in a row. They’ll get a win at home against the worst team in football. Browns 24, Raiders 16
Green Bay Packers (5-2) at New Orleans Saints (2-4), NO by 1.5 – I have a really bad feeling about this game. Aaron Rodgers is balling out, don’t get me wrong, but the Saints have historically played the Packers very tight and are going to be desperate for a victory at home. Plus, the Packers’ D has not matched up well at all against high-level QBs in recent years. While Brees isn’t the same as he’s been in years passed, I don’t like this matchup for the Packers at all. Saints 30, Packers 27
Washington Redskins (2-5) at Dallas Cowboys (6-1), DAL by 9.5 – The Dallas Cowboys have the best record in the NFL after seven weeks. Crazy. They should take care of business at home in prime time on Monday Night. Cowboys 34, Redskins 17
Byes: San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants
