SUNDAY

Baltimore 23, Cincinnati 20

The battle to see who will finish second to Pittsburgh in the AFC North should be a good one. Ray Lewis and Co. are back to playing old-time Ravens defense, but they will have their hands full with a rejuvenated Carson Palmer. In the end, though, Baltimore will make one more play.

Arizona 17, Chicago 16

The Cardinals have been on and off pretty much every other week. Just when you think they're rolling, along comes a stinker like the one last week. The Bears are an average team right now as the defense has been devastated by injuries. At this point nobody should trust Jay Cutler to make a clutch play when he has to.

Atlanta 27, Washington 3

If there were a restart button in the NFL, the Redskins surely would have already pushed it. They are teetering on disgusting right now and look as though they have no direction from the top all the way to the bottom. The Falcons are just the opposite.

Green Bay 34, Tampa Bay 13

Since the Packers can't seem to beat one group of ship inhabitants, perhaps they'll take their frustrations out here and make the Buccaneers walk the plank. Tampa Bay will start its third quarterback of the season in rookie Josh Freeman, a situation that rarely bears fruit in this league.

New England 37, Miami 23

This is the Dolphins' chance to prove they're in the AFC East to win it. Unfortunately, Tom Brady's resume suggests he doesn't lose all that many statement games, no matter which team is trying to send a message. If the Patriots can continue developing that running game they've got a chance, but the defense is still old and sketchy at best.

Jacksonville 27, Kansas City 17

The Jaguars cannot possibly lose to winless teams on back-to-back weekends, can they? For their sake I hope not. David Garrard is a decent quarterback and Maurice Jones-Drew is an elite back. But the Jags don't have anything else, although that's more than the Chiefs can boast.

Houston 23, Indianapolis 20

Are the Texans ready to take the next step? We're all about to find out. For the last three seasons or so, Houston has been on the brink of something special, so why not kick that door down in Indianapolis. The Colts are unbeaten but have been living on the edge recently and it is bound to catch up with them.

New Orleans 38, Carolina 10

Memo to the Panthers: Drew Brees is not Kurt Warner, so don't be expecting the same type of charity this week. For me, the Saints are the clear-cut favorite - for now - and Carolina certainly won't do anything to change that. The biggest surprise, though, has been the New Orleans defense, which is led by uber-linebackers Jonathan Vilma and Scott Shanle.

Seattle 25, Detroit 12

Now that the Lions have re-taken their rightful place after losing to the winless Rams, they get to go to Seattle to face an angry group of Seahawks. Seattle, like Carolina, has seen its window close and doesn't seem to know how to deal with it. The easy way is starting over, but that can be put off for another week.

San Francisco 22, Tennessee 13

This is the classic trap game if you're the 49ers, who put up a heckuva battle against the Colts in Indy. But coach Mike Singletary had a steely resolve as a player on those great Bears teams and it's obviously still a part of his everyday life.

San Diego 30, New York Giants 20

Nobody in the NFL is spiraling downward any faster than the Giants. Adding insult to injury, the team Eli Manning refused to play for and the quarterback the Giants drafted and traded for him, will walk out of the Meadowlands with a 'W.'

Philadelphia 38, Dallas 34

The winner of this game will go on to win the NFC East, so you can do the math. These clubs are pretty even but what it comes down to is weapons. As in, Donovan McNabb has a couple more toys to play with than does Tony Romo.

MONDAY

Pittsburgh 31, Denver 17

The hope here was that the Broncos be unbeaten entering this game, but we were given one more reason to loathe the Ravens - as if we needed one. The Steelers are in the midst of a run that will put to rest to early myths that they were done. Knowshon Moreno certainly isn't going to be the back that tops 100 yards against the Pittsburgh defense.