Denver at Atlanta - this could very well be a very, very entertaining game.  The Broncos had to work pretty hard to defeat Cleveland last week, but they did so without having any actual running backs in the game.  It was the kind of game that should make this team feel pretty good about itself.  The trouble is that Atlanta won their divisional game against New Orleans last week, and are feeling pretty high on themselves as well.  This is a strength on weakness game - Atlanta's brutal rushing attack against Denver's feeble defense.  The game is in Atlanta, which will make it even more difficult for Denver to earn a road win.  Denver's one nugget of hope here is that Atlanta - being young and probably not understand everything required to win consistently in the NFL - could be ripe for an upset.  Still, I'm not yet a true believer in the Falcons, but I'm being turned slowly.  And Denver's not been on my high list all year.  Atlanta wins this game.

Detroit at Carolina.  The Panthers are atop the South with a 7-2 record and Detroit is winless and looking all the world like they could be that 0-16 team that's discussed every year.  It's in Carolina and Detroit is just plain awful.  Cats win.

Philly at Cincinnati - the Eagles lost a close one to the Giants, and the Bengals have not put up much resistance this year, especially to teams featuring strong defenses.  The Eagles have their problems - the running game in short-yardage key among them - but they are a much better more complete team than the Bengals.  Philly wins.

New Orleans at Kansas City.  Sure, KC is a tough place to play and win, and yes, the Chiefs have been playing better ball of late.  They've still lost.  The Saints have been up and down all year, and while this is a game that they should win, it's hard to predict this team.  Larry Johnson is returning for the Chiefs, which should help some.  For some reason I'm going with the upset here, and picking KC to win it.

Baltimore at the New York Giants.  A rare 1PM game of the day.  This ought to be brutal, slug-it-out kind of game.  The Ravens are tied for the lead in the AFC North, and have featured Ravens ball all year - with the added benefit of having an improved offense.  The Giants are a dominant squad, especially in the NFC, and this clash of two excellent teams figures to be a very good one.  How the Ravens offense handles the Giants' pressure defense will be the deciding factor I think - the Ravens D can and should be able to play the Giants O to at least a draw - figure the Giants get 21 points.  Can the Ravens find a way to earn at least 22 on the road?  Here's where the Ravens schedule gets very tough - and I think they lose this one to the G-Men.

Minnesota at Tampa Bay.  The Bucs are quietly at 6-3 and the Vikings are in a tie for first with a 5-4 record.  This ought to be a tight, entertaining game if you like defensive football.  Both teams play similar styles - the Tampa/Cover 2 defense and have good, tough running backs.  Tampa has an edge in QB play, so figure the Bucs earn a close, home win by a FG.

Oakland at Miami.  Miami wins, handling the sad sack Raiders with relative ease.  The Dolphins do that and they pull into a tie with the Patriots, and remain in the thick of things in the AFC East and AFC Wild Card in general.

Chicago at Green Bay - the game oldest rivalry renews at 1, and this should be a very good game.  The Bears are solid in all phases, even though their defense is not quite as good as it has been.  The Packers are not as good this year as they were last year, but QB play does have that much to do with it.  Some injuries and some adjustments I think have put the Pack back in the pack (pun intended).  Figure Chicago starts their post-season run now by beating the packers in Green Bay.

Houston at Indy - the Colts are hitting their stride and the Texans are a lost cause again.  Indy wins.

St. Louis at San Francisco.  Only fans of these two teams will watch this game.  Oh, the Niners win 'cuz they're at home.

Arizona at Seattle.  The Cards win this despite not being all that great on the road.  They're learning to win the big, should-win games (like last week's MNF game) and this will be another little step in the right direction.

Tennessee at Jacksonville - yeah, a big game here.  The Jags are on the verge of being out of the AFC Wild Card race, so they have no choice but to win this game.  The Titans are a menacing team, and look all the world like they're going to represent the AFC in the SUper Bowl if things continue on the same path.  I think Jack Del Rio has lost his team a bit, and that makes winning all that much more difficult.  The Titans sweep the season series and win in Jax.

San Diego at Pittsburgh.  The Steelers lost a very winnable game against Indy - their mistakes were critical and to Indy's credit, they took advantage.  Now the Steelers face a very inconsistent team, but one that is easily capable of waltzing into Heinz Field and delivering a nasty, unwelcome beating.  They have the talent.  They're just inconsistent.  They have a good passing game, and the Steelers secondary is depleted due to injury.  How Ben plays will determine this game - his performances this year all together have been not very good.  Unless he improves, the Steelers slide continues.  But I think Ben rights the ship to some degree and the Steelers will win this game.

Dallas at Washington.  Dallas has to win - lose and you can count them among the near-dead in the NFC playoff race.  The Skins have already beaten them, and at 6-3 need this win to try and keep pace with the Giants.  The Cowboys get Romo back, and they should be energized by his return and their week off the bye, but I think that Dallas' lack of overall team character and chemistry will hurt them.  I think the Redskins win this game.

On MNF, the Browns and Bills collide.  Two teams on downward paths, and the Bills can right their ship to some degree with a win.  But the book seems to be out on the Bills, and Brady Quinn obviously game the Browns some much-needed confidence.  If the Browns defense was any better, they'd be in the mix in the North.  I think the Bills win this rare MNF home game and keep pace in the AFC East.