Thursday
Denver 20, N.Y. Jets 16
Keep it coming, Tim Tebow haters. I've told you from the beginning this guy finds a way - always - to win. You may not like it and it may not be pretty, but it's all that counts. Ask Mark Sanchez if he would like to win ugly.
Sunday
Green Bay 61
Tampa Bay 14
The Packers express carried on in relatively easy fashion last week, and there's no reason to believe it will stop. While it's true their defense leaves something to be desired, you have to first stop Aaron Rodgers to have a chance. Well, good luck with that.
Oakland 25, Minnesota 24
The Vikings ran into a Green and Gold buzzsaw last week, but they shouldn't feel bad because that's happening to everyone. This matchup is more winnable, though it certainly won't be easy. Carson Palmer is the franchise quarterback the Raiders have been waiting on for decades.
Detroit 40, Carolina 12
Boy, neither of these teams bothered to show up last week. The Panthers simply aren't that good, so that's to be expected now and then. But there's absolutely no excuse for the Lions falling flat in that manner. Thanksgiving is getting near, so it's about time for Stafford and Megatron to heat back up.
Dallas 27, Washington 6
The Cowboys may be getting untracked. For sure, they're getting healthy. Not sure many people saw Tony Romo's performance coming, and even less likely had this kind of confidence in DeMarco Murray. The Redskins are slowly sliding into oblivion.
Jacksonville 2, Cleveland 0
Hide the women and children, because this one is going to get U-G-L-Y. Honestly, this may set football back centuries. Neither team has a QB or receivers, and the defenses are average at best.
Cincinnati 28, Baltimore 21
You really can't help but laugh at the crybaby Ravens. We don't want to play at night. The Steelers called Joe Flacco a girl. And you know what? All that comes from the head coach, who constantly makes excuses for his underachieving team. Guess what? Steelers all alone in first.
Buffalo 22, Miami 19
Remember when we were talking about how amazing the Bills were? Well, they are 5-4. Remember how we were talking about how awful the Dolphins were? Well, they're now showing life. None of that matters here, though.
San Francisco 17
Arizona 13
I'm telling you now - if you put money on the 49ers in Vegas you're an absolute fool. I'm trying to think, but can't come up with a bigger farce of a 'contender' in recent seasons. This kind of game doesn't translate over the haul. This week, they're OK.
Seattle 12, St. Louis 9
There's seriously no way to determine who will win this game. But since the Seahawks did the Steelers a favor last week, they rate the nod. Look for another inspired performance by Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch.
Chicago 36, San Diego 14
Where are all the experts who picked the Chargers to go to the Super Bowl? How many times do we have to see the same story before we learn San Diego will never get to the big game, let alone win it. Man, the Bears have been absolutely mashing folks lately.
Atlanta 35, Tennessee 23
Hey, Mike Smith: would you like to revisit that overtime fourth-down call. How you can take the possibility of winning away from your team and not be fired on the spot, is beyond me. The Titans looked pretty good last week - as they do about once every three - but I can't see it continuing here. A must for the Falcons.
N.Y. Giants 34
Philadelphia 17
There's virtually no way the Eagles make the playoffs with six losses. Now, it could happen if about 5,347 things go there way, but how likely is that? They need to start by running the table, which is something they are just not set up to do.
Monday
New England 28
Kansas City 3
Counting next week against the Steelers, it's going to be two straight in prime time for the Chiefs. Unfortunately for them, each is against one of the top-2 teams in the AFC. Maybe last year ... .
Shawn Rine can be reached via e-mail at Rine@theintelligencer.net
