Blowout Central

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Philadelphia Eagles: Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook will be back for the Eagles after some added rest from the bye week. Their services may not be required for the duration of the game as they go up against a win-less Tampa Bay team. Philadelphia has gotten solid performances from their reserve players and should be able to handle anything the Josh Johnson led team brings at them. (Eagles win 31 – 13)

Dallas Cowboys @ Kansas City Chiefs: Dallas couldn’t have wished for a better opponent after last weeks debacle. Tony Romo has his chance at redemption and the Dallas ground game should be in full force. The Romo-Witten connection on its own should be good enough to keep the Chiefs playing catch up all game. (Cowboys win 28-10)

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Detroit Lions: Rashard Mendenhall had his coming out party last week and should continue to cause havoc against the Lions rush defense. Ben Roethlisberger should have plenty of time in the pocket as well against a Lions team that has given up the most points in the NFL to date this season. The Lions may still be celebrating that victory from a week 3 but this game will prove to be a reminder as to where they belong. (Steelers win 24-9)

Underdog Victories?

New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos: The Broncos are 4-0. Kinda crazy and this week they have a chance to upset the Patriots who have shown weaknesses in past weeks. Brian Dawkins has emerged big time on the defensive end for the Broncos and his unit may just be able to rattle Tom Brady enough to slip a few times. Kyle Orton is far from the cream of the crop when it comes to QB’s but he is getting the job done and has won over the fans in the mile high city for now. (Broncos win 28-24)

Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans:The Titans are 0-4. The surprise team from last season has fallen back to earth but things have to turn around soon right? How about this week in a shootout of sorts? I expect this one to be close Titans are going to need to clean up the kinks and come together under the lights. (Titans win 34-31)

New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins:Intriguing game this Monday night. The Dolphins showed some sign of life last week and maybe they build on that enough to hand the Jets a second loss in a row. Rookie QB Sanchez was exposed last week against the Saints who are hardly known for their defense and may not be fully recovered from that. (Dolphins win 21-17)

The Others…

Minnesota Vikings @ St Louis Rams: Vikings win 34-14
Washington Redskins @ Carolina Panthers: Panthers win 21-9
Oakland Raiders @ New york Giants: Giants win 20-10
Cleveland Browns @ Buffalo Bills: Bills win 17-14
Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens: Ravens win 24-21
Atlanta Falcons @ San Fransisco 49′ers: 49′ers win 28-21
Houston Texans @ Arizona Cardinals: Cardinals win 24-17
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Seattle Seahawks: Jaguars win 24-20

Pittsburgh Steelers Prediction (14-2): The Champs didn’t change much from last season and should be the team to beat once again. It would take some pressure off from Big Ben if Willie Parker can stay healthy and contribute consistently. Defensively this team is as sound as it gets and it doesn’t hurt that the schedule this year for the Steelers creates an easier path to the post-season.
Cincinnati Begals Prediction (8-8): Carson Palmer’s elbow looks good but its a matter of “will it hold up”. They lost T.J but the combo of Laveranues Coles and Chad Ochocinco’s is very potent and if they can keep things focused on the game rather than off the field antics they should get a chance to make it to the playoffs.
Baltimore Ravens Prediction (7-9): They always look good on paper but it never translates. The Ravens success will rely heavily once again on the performance of Joe Flacco who has a year of experience under his belt. The departures on defense will hurt but this team has a chance to repeat last seasons success.
Cleveland Browns Prediction (4-12): The only good news for this team is that the schedule is favorable which should get them a few wins. Eric Mangini has discarded the Browns best player – Kellen Winslow, created a possible QB controversy and has no offensive weapons to work with.

New England Patriots Prediction (13-3): He’s BAAAAACK! The team barely missed the playoffs last year and with the additions of Shawn Springs, Leigh Bodden, Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis, they instantly become contenders again. As a result, the Patriots could pick up where they left off in 2007, blowing out opponents for much of the season. If Brady returns to 2007 form, anything less than a division championship appearance should be considered a letdown.
New York Jets Prediction (8-8): The Jets are working with a new QB and a new coach – they are probably studying what the Raven’s did last season and hope to have similar success. On the positive though, the team is sound on D and have a reliable ground game. If they manage to find some receivers to help out the QB they should be able to make some noise this season.
Miami Dolphins Prediction (6-10): With the return of Brady, and the Jets looking better than expected, there is no chance in hell the Dophins can duplicate last season’s success. A brutal schedule will negate the positives the team added over the off-season. Essentially the team could be equal or better than last season but still finish with half the wins and no post season in sight.
Buffalo Bills Prediction (5-11): They are solid at WR with Terrell Owens and Lee Evans, while Marshawn Lynch has shown he can run with the big boys. A major weakness still lies on the O line which will make using the running game very challenging and the QB is going to face quick pressure from breakdowns. The team has no stellar defensive lineup to put on the field and will rely heavily on trying to put up big offensive numbers.

Indianapolis Colts Prediction (11-5): As far as coaching changes go, this one should be a smooth transition since Jim Caldwell is not a totally new face. Peyton Manning may have lost his favorite receiver but still has Reggie Wayne, Anthony Gonzalez, rookie Austin Collie and TE Dallas Clark to connect with. Add in an upgrade on the offensive line along with a better running game should have the Colt’s back on top of this division.
TennesseeTitans Prediction (9-7): The loss of Haynesworth will hurt and their schedule to the start the season may send the team stumbling. Kerry Collin’s is the QB of choice for this team and needs to build chemistry quick with new WR’s on the team to take some heat off from RB Chris Johnson. They surprised people how good they were last season but this year people are watching and with a weaker defense, the Titans may be the surprise “disappointing” team.
Houston Texans Prediction (8-8): Going into the season under the radar, I expect the Texans to have a successful season. Add on a win or two playing behind a solid defense and they could see themselves playing in January. Andre Johnson is one of the best WR’s in the game right now and with a light schedule for the first part of the season, the team is well positioned to finally make some noise in the AFC.
Jacksonville Jaguars Prediction (4-12): The running game is fine with Maurice Jones Drew but David Garrard is no Tom Brady. The team plays in a tough division and the schedule isn’t doing them any favors. There are just not enough weapons on offense to offset the weak defense for this team to improve over last season. 

San Diego Chargers Prediction (9-7): I am assigning this as the worst division in the AFC and the Chargers should be a lock to finish on top. Philip Rivers will continue to do his thing but Tomlinson’s star is fading. If Gates, Tomlinson and Merriman all manage to stay healthy this team will be as dangerous on the field as they look on paper.
Denver Broncos Prediction (7-9): The Cutler drama may be in the past but Kyle Orton is no savior. With a new coach, a QB who threw 3 interceptions in his first season game and a disgruntled WR, the Bronco’s are going to struggle to put together a winning season.
Oakland Raiders Prediction (5-11): The Raiders are set at the RB spot and have one of the best corner backs in Asomugha. They may surprise and finish ahead of the Broncos at the end of the season but the usual drama that follows this team makes me believe something will go wrong before things fall into place.
Kansas City Chiefs Prediction (3-13):The Chiefs are in full rebuilding mode and that means a whole lot of L’s in the loss column. A weak O line and a QB who has no one to throw to when the season starts, this team is going to take a beating from the rest of the league.