Week 7 Picks, Part II

"Don't be hasty!" admonished Treebeard the hobbits.

That's been a big problem this season for me. Pressed for time, I've made picks off the cuff. Friday night caught me by surprise again. Not that I didn't know it was coming, but the 7 o'clock start really caught me off-guard. I appear to have escaped unscathed, even predicting the final score to within 3 points. That's a good continuation from last week, a breakout week after a solid month of mediocrity. Let's see if we can keep the ball rolling.

The Pats are on a bye, so it's not like a real week of games anyway.

Sunday, Oct. 23
Detroit (2-3) at Cleveland (2-3), 1 p.m.
Tough one. Both teams' QBs are struggling. Detroit coach Steve Mariucci tried to light a fire under starter Joey Harrington by having Cleveland castoff Jeff Garcia take half the snaps in practice. Neither offense is doing anything (Detriot ranked 30th, Cleveland 26th), and the defenses aren't much better. Detroit's starting RB Kevin Jones is nursing a shoulder and fullback Corey Schlesinger has a hurt leg. I'll give the edge to the team with -- at the very least -- a health running back in Reuben Droughns.
Prediction: Browns, 17-14.

Green Bay (1-4) at Minnesota (1-4), 1 p.m.
Remember that scene in Titanic when the ship is tipping up in the water and it cracks in half? That's about where the Vikings are.
Prediction: Packers, 24-13.

Indianapolis (6-0) at Houston (0-5), 1 p.m.
Are the people in the NFL front office serious when they make up these schedules? (Yeah, I know they're made up years in advance. Then again, that figures.)
Prediction: Colts, 38-7.

New Orleans (2-4) at St. Louis (2-4), 1 p.m.
St. Louis is against the ropes. QB Marc Bulger is out, WR Isaac Bruce is questionable, and WR Tory Holt is nursing a knee as well. They don't have a running game. New Orleans has a slew of players listed as questionable. Old friend Antowain Smith is filling in for the injured Deuce McAllister. New Orleans has proven pretty tough for all they've been through.
Prediction: Saints, 24-10.

Pittsburgh (3-2) at Cincinnati (5-1), 1 p.m.
Cincinnati? 5-1? Oh, the next easiest schedule (after Indianapolis). That explains it. Fortunately, they're catching Pittsburgh at the right time, and they're playing at home, which should help. Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger (hyperextended knee) is expected to play after watching from the sideline last week. He's still undefeated by any team but New England. Counterpart Carson Palmer has been shredding mediocre defenses and should be at least somewhat tested (Pittsburgh passing defense ranked 17th). If Cincinnati wins, they'll have a significan't grip on the AFC North division, but their second half's not so easy. Too many injuries on Pittsburgh's defense, particularly in the secondary.
Prediction: Bengals, 21-20.

San Diego (3-3) at Philadelphia (3-2), 1 p.m.
Both teams need a win to keep pace in their respective divisions. Philadelphia is 6-0 with Andy Reid coming off their bye. San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson had the game of his life last week. Philly can't run and can't stop the run, but they lead the league in passing and San Diego has had trouble defending. It's almost that simple. Philly needs to stop LaDainian. San Diego needs to stop Donovan. Philadelphia's kicker David Akers is still out; backup Todd France is 4 of 5 on field goals.
Prediction: Chargers, 24-21.

San Francisco (1-4) at Washington (3-2), 1 p.m.
Earlier in the season, I really wouldn't have cared about this game. Come to think of it, I don't now either. Joe Gibbs could be atop the NFC East by Sunday night. Weird stuff.
Prediction: Redskins, 31-6.

Dallas (4-2) at Seattle (4-2), 4:05 p.m.
Dallas RB Julius Jones is questionable with a bad ankle. No running game for Drew Bledsoe equals 4-3 for Dallas. Dallas rookie WR Patrick Clayton is also out, replaced by Peerless Price. Dallas has the No. 7 defense in the league, though. They'll need it, because Seattle has the top-ranked offense (didn't see that coming, did you?). Seattle RB Shawn Alexander is coming of a 141-yard performance, but Dallas is tough against the run. Bledsoe gets sacked.
Prediction: Seahawks, 26-17.

Baltimore (2-3) at Chicago (2-3), 4:15 p.m.
Here's one of those instances when win-loss records mean nothing. Baltimore is in last in the AFC North. Chicago is first in the NFC North. Baltimore might end up close to .500. Chicago might not win another game. Safety Ed Reed is out, and LB Ray Lewis is probable. To win, Baltimore will have to score. Games like this are pretty good to watch, but not fun at all to write about. Or predict.
Prediction: Ravens, 13-10.

Buffalo (3-3) at Oakland (1-4), 4:15 p.m.
Randy Moss is questionable. That means things on many levels, but really it's because he bruised his ribs last week against San Diego. Buffalo could be all alone in first in the AFC East with a win. Oakland's only chance is to get the benefit of every judgment call in the game at their home field. All the stats add up to Buffalo claiming first place.
Prediction: Bills, 23-10.

Denver (5-1) at N.Y. Giants (3-2), 4:15 p.m.
Two fairly evenly matched teams, but Denver's defense -- or New York's lack thereof, will be the difference. Denver QB Jake Plummer has been playing well, and New York is 31st against the pass. Plummer's success is partially due to Denver's No. 3 rushing offense. New York WR Plaxico Buress is questionable with back spasms.
Prediction: Broncos, 27-24.

Tennessee (2-4) at Arizona (1-4), 4:15 p.m.
Someone has to win this game.
Prediction: Cardinals, 10-9.

Monday, Oct. 24
N.Y. Jets (2-4) at Atlanta (4-2), 9 p.m.
Significant injuries keep piling up for New York, but RB Curtis Martin broke out for 148 yards last week. Meanwhile, Atlanta gave up a zillion yards to New Orleans before stealing a game last week, and Michael Vick is almost back to "normal." Atlanta shouldn't need the officials' help this week.
Prediction: Falcons, 28-13.

Bye week: Carolina, Jacksonville, New England, Tampa Bay

Last week: 12-2.
Season: 51-37.
Those 12-2s really help, eh?

Enjoy the games.