You know, there’s something ironic about the photo I chose to end the picks post last week and the way that game ended up playing out. I’m not going to say that I’m taking the blame for it. But I certainly didn’t help by tempting fate. On the plus side, I didn’t have a losing week! Going 6-1 in the late and Monday Night games helped boost the weekly record all the way up to… 7-7-1. Yeesh. The yearly mark still stands well below .500, but this is the point of the season where most teams have evolved into what they’re going to be. Helps in the picks when we can definitively say that a team is terrible, terrific, or something in-between. Or at least I keep telling myself that…

Disclaimer: Gambling on sports is illegal unless you are in Las Vegas, Delaware or Atlantic City. Also, if I’m horribly incorrect with these picks – as I have occasionally been in the past – I’m sorry in advance. If you can’t afford to lose, don’t play. John Anthony – “The Million Dollar Man with the Billion Dollar Plan” – is not a real person. All lines from Bodog are accurate as of the time this was typed – 8:00pm Wednesday. Home teams in CAPS. That about covers it.)

Off the top, three lines are completely off the board at Bodog right now: Colts/Ravens, Falcons/Giants and Chargers/Broncos, but a couple of them are posted at other sites. There is NOTHING on Chargers/Broncos right now, and nothing will be there until we hear if Kyle Orton is going to be under center or if we have to endure the Chris Simms Experiment for one more week. So let’s get it out of the way right now: I believe that the Chargers win that game by six. Use that as necessary when a line comes out.

Dolphins (+3) over PANTHERS: Sure, Carolina has won four of six since their bye week. But look a little deeper – In those six games, the only time Jake Delhomme has gone over 201 yards passing was at New Orleans, and he has two games of 90 or fewer yards. The team has been carried by its running game for a month and a half, and now there’s a chance DeAngelo Williams could be out. I’ll take the points.

LIONS (-3.5) over Browns: Every week, there’s one game that makes me rethink being a football fan. This week, it’s Lions/Browns. Ugh.

JAGUARS (-9) over Bills: The Bills just fired their coach and are seriously contemplating Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starting QB this week, on the road. Plus, we haven’t had the annual T.O. implosion yet. So… as much as I hate giving up nine points, I think I’ll do it.

Steelers (-10) over CHIEFS: I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I’m expecting the Steelers to play well now that they don’t have to play a “real” defense. Like the one in… Cincinnati. Nothing about this makes sense at all…

Colts (+2) over RAVENS: So… the Ravens only put up 17 points (including a defensive score) against the Browns, but the Colts hang 35 against the Patriots including fourteen in the final three minutes… and Indy is the underdog? Really? I checked this on three different sites, and they all have some variation of the Ravens as a favorite.

GIANTS (-6.5) over Falcons: Coming off the bye, the Giants should be able to get back on track this week. What the hell happened to both of these teams? They both came out of the gates on fire and have almost completely flamed out to nothing.

PACKERS (-7) over Niners: Not to discount anything the Niners did last week, but c’mon. It was Jay Cutler. He has a tendency to do things like that. And it’s not like San Fran was tearing it up on offense; with four INTs in the bag, the Bears still had a legitimate shot to win the game. I’ll take Green Bay, the Wisconsin weather, and hope that the Packers offensive line can hold it under five sacks this week.

VIKINGS (-11) over Seahawks: Aside from a road trip to Arizona, the Vikings really face no tough challenges the reset of the season. Just imagine if they manage to go 15-1 and have to settle for the #2 seed in the playoffs behind New Orleans? What if the only thing that keeps them from an undefeated season is giving up two defensive TDs in the final five minutes in Pittsburgh? Yikes.

COWBOYS (-11) over Redskins: Washington had no shot in that game last week until Kyle Orton got rolled up on. Maybe this should be the Redskins’ new philosophy – hang around, keep it close, then break the opposing QB’s ankle. I’m sure their fans would enjoy it in the division games at least.

BUCS (+11) over Saints: It’s been awhile since the Saints blew anybody out, and Tampa has kept three of the last four games within reach. It’s a division game, it’s on the road, and it feels like it’s going to be close.

Cardinals (-9) over RAMS: I really feel like Arizona is starting to get it all together again. Last year, they limped to the finish line and made the playoffs with nine wins only because somebody had to win the division. This year, they’ve already got six wins and only have two legitimately tough games the rest of the way; eleven wins isn’t out of the question.

PATRIOTS (-10.5) over Jets: If the Pats don’t win this game by three touchdowns, I’ll be extremely disappointed. Between the Week Two loss to the Jets in New York and the way New England blew the game last week… somebody from the Jets better leave the field on a stretcher.

Bengals (-10) over RAIDERS: No. Oakland beat the Chiefs. Twice. And the Eagles once. I’m not buying them. I’m not falling into the trap. Cincy, big.

Eagles (-3) over BEARS: So, let me tell you a little story. In one of my fantasy leagues, I drafted Donovan McNabb as my QB and Jay Cutler as my backup. Since Week One, I’ve flipped back and forth between the two (with a two week flirtation with Trent Edwards when McNabb was injured, which was actually the right call). Aside from playing McNabb during the Bears’ bye week, I’ve picked the wrong QB every single week. It’s gotten comical – I have no shot at winning the league (I’m 2-8 right now, though in my defense my first four games were against the highest scoring team in the league every week). I’d rather just drop one of them and take away any chance to make the wrong call, but there’s nobody worthwhile to pick up off waivers. At this point, I just don’t want to finish last.

Titans (+5) over TEXANS: Tennessee has been running hot lately. In a division game, when both teams are relatively close, I’ll usually just take the hottest team. Tennessee has no chance at the playoffs – they still have to go through Arizona, Indy, Miami & San Diego after Houston – but they’re playing hard and trying to recover from their disastrous 0-6 start to the year.

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