NFL Week 6

We were 7-5-2 in Week 5 to bring the 2008 record to 37-34-2. And without much further ado, we get right to the games this week.

SUNDAY
JETS -7.5 Bengals: Spread keeps moving up due to Carson Palmer not starting. Had a feeling Bengals could pick up a win here, but have zero faith in Ryan Fitzpatrick. Favre looked like he had the offense figured out in the blowout of Arizona before the bye and should be able to light up the Bengals. Jets 34-13

SAINTS -7 Raiders: New Orleans gift-wrapped Monday Nighter to Vikings and should take out frustrations on Oakland and the new coach, whoever he is. Al Davis is a joke. Saints 37-14

Ravens +4 COLTS: Colts are fortunate to be 2-2 and haven't won at home yet and I figure the Ravens defense should be able to keep this within shouting distance. Baltimore made news this week by naming their starting QB as QB for the remainder of the season. What, a slow news day? Colts 20-17

Panthers +1.5 BUCCANEERS: Carolina quietly emerging as a force in the NFC. Tampa, as usual, has quarterback issues. Panthers 16-13

VIKINGS -13 Lions: Yes, I know, Gus Frerotte is the Minnesota starter. But so what? After last week it may be a long while before I even consider picking the hapless Lions. Vikings 41-21

FALCONS +3 Bears: I'm not that impressed with the Bears yet and Atlanta is a surprise if only because they already have as many wins as in 2007. A good risk as a home dog. Falcons 27-24

TEXANS -3 Dolphins: Houston also winless but has been competitive against strong teams. Miami on a bit of a roll now after beating New England and San Diego, but the Texans are desperate. And overdue. Memo to Sage Rosenfels: You're not John Elway. Texans 30-24

Redskins -13.5 RAMS: You might think the Skins are due for a letdown after huge wins at Dallas and Philly. But like with the Lions, Rams haven't won or even covered yet, so ride that train against them. Washington looks like a top 5 teams right now, and the Rams are that bad. Redskins 31-6

Jaguars +3.5 BRONCOS: I think Denver, while 4-1, is suspect defensively and Jags are staring at 1-4 if they lose here. They've won some big games in Denver in their short history and should make Jay Cutler miserable. Jaguars 23-20

49ERS +5 Eagles: Eagles already banged up, no Westbrook and they're favored by five on the road? OK, it's the 49ers, but they've shown some life. Have to think they scare the daylights out of Eagles, if not win outright. Eagles 21-20

CARDINALS +5 Cowboys: Hey Jerry Jones, how's that Pacman Jones thing working out? Not hearing much Super Bowl chatter around suddenly vulnerable Cowboys. Tony Romo, who for some reason people think is a great quarterback, has been picked in eight straight games. Shootout. Cardinals 34-31

Packers +2 SEAHAWKS: Green Bay suddenly in trouble at 2-3, but after seeing last week's evisceration by the Giants, the Seahawks have huge problems. Packers 30-27

SUNDAY NIGHT
CHARGERS -5 Patriots: I instituted The Olbermann Rule for Sunday night affairs because that contemptible douchebag belongs nowhere near a football studio. On cue, the moron made some snide comment last week at halftime, yukking it up over a clip where a player suffered a concussion. Nice. SO another reminder: You can watch the games, but skip the pregame and halftime. You'll better about yourself. Oh, and San Diego has a lot of past frustrations to take out on the Patriots, which they will. Chargers 31-20

MONDAY NIGHT
Giants -7.5 BROWNS: Giants lead the league in yardage per game, scoring per game, rushing and are third overall in defense. Outside of that, Tom Coughlin this week said they have a lot of work to do. Uh, that Super Bowl doesn't look like much of a fluke right now and, in fact, they're better than last year. Giants 38-17