JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
For all those interested in submitting their picks, please email patrick.mckenna@afncr.af.mil by Sunday at noon.
Houston @ Cincinnati - Cincinnati is no longer a walking punch line. Their passing attack is back where it was a few years ago and they are getting a pro bowl caliber season out of Cedric Benson. Houston has plenty of aerial fire power as well, but they are lousy defending the run. Look for Benson to break 100 yards again and give the Bengals the edge.
Pick: Bengals
Detroit @ Green Bay - The Packers are coming off a bye and appear to be healthy and ready to go. The Lions on the other hand could very well be without their best offensive weapon, Calvin Johnson. Even if Johnson manages to suit up, he won't be 100 percent. Look for the Packers to be sharp offensively and get out to a comfortable lead by halftime.
Pick: Packers
Cleveland @ Pittsburgh - The outcome of this game is pretty much a no brainer. The only question is: will Ben Roethlisberger even have to take a snap in the fourth quarter?
Pick: Steelers
New York Giants @ New Orleans - Eli Manning is still not 100percent with a heel injury and whereas last week he had the luck of playing the Raiders and sat out the second half, this week he'll have to play at a high level the entire game. The Saints can do more than just pass as they've shown with their last two victories. Pierre Thomas is capable of rushing well against any team and the Saints defense has been better than expected. There's a good chance these teams will meet again in the playoffs, but I'll take the Saints at home in this one.
Pick: Saints
Baltimore @ Minnesota - Can the Ravens really lose for a third consecutive week? They gave up 120 yards to Cedric Benson last week and now get to try and redeem themselves on the road against the best running back in football. Baltimore does have the edge defensively and while both feature excellent rushing attacks, the Vikings have a clear edge at wide receiver.
Pick: Vikings
Carolina @ Tampa Bay - Carolina is coming off a big win last week against the Redskins and should follow it up with a win on the road this week. Look for Deangelo Williams to come out of hiding with a nice game on the ground for the Panthers.
Pick: Panthers
Kansas City @ Washington - The Redskins have completely wasted a ridiculously easy schedule to start the season by going 2-3. This week is their last "cupcake" game before they hit the meat of their schedule. Washington should be able to take care of the Chiefs, but then again most thought the same thing when they played the Lions.
Pick: Redskins
St. Louis @ Jacksonville - Make no mistake, this will not be a good game to watch. If you have family in either of these cities, I'd suggest to them they catch up on some yard work or TiVo instead of watching this one.
Pick: Jaguars
Arizona @ Seattle - Who would have thought the NFC West would be a three team race? Arizona won a shootout last week against Houston and the Cards' passing attack appears to finals be clicking. Meanwhile, Seattle has been a surprise, but will only go as far as Matt Hasselbeck's back can stand up. The Seahawks have a lousy running game which will cost them this division game.
Pick: Cardinals
Philadelphia @ Oakland - The Raiders are a disaster from top to bottom and have shown no signs of life since their week two victory over the Chiefs. With this game more than likely being a blowout by halftime, this could very well be the game Mike Vick gets some actual playing time.
Pick: Eagles
Tennessee @ New England - While both of these teams are coming off of losses last week, the Pats will be motivated to get back in the win column while the Titans don't appear to have motivation for anything. With the Titans giving up almost 300 passing yards a game, this will be the game Tom Brady shakes off the rust and lights up the scoreboard.
Pick: Patriots
Buffalo @ New York Jets - The Jets defense is going to pressure Trent Edwards every snap. If Buffalo wants to keep this game close they'll need to slow down the game by giving the Jets a heavy dose of Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson. The Jets are coming off back to back losses and I don't see them losing to the weakest team in their
division.
Pick: Jets
Chicago @ Atlanta - This has all the makings of a great game. Both teams have fantastic young quarterbacks and very good rushing attacks. So who has the edge? Neither defense is all that impressive, but the Falcons have better weapons on offense and are playing at home. That's good enough for me.
Pick: Falcons
Denver @ San Diego - The Broncos are improving each week and their offense has the potential to be lethal if Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal continue to mesh with Kyle Orton. The Chargers are coming off a bye and have a little too much firepower for the Broncos.
Pick: Chargers
Last week's record: 8-6
Season record to date: 47-28