Last week: 12-4
Season total: 165-75

The final week of the regular season is upon us, and it is an especially tricky week for making picks. I have gone back and forth over a few of these games, more so than in any other week this season. The reason: motivation.

In some cases this weekend, it is easy to see what the motivating factor(s) will be for some teams, while with others, these factors are not so clear. Some teams are playing for their playoff lives, some are playing to improve their seeding, and some are already locked in to a playoff position and merely want to keep their starters healthy. The non-playoff teams are more difficult to read. Are they playing for pride? To be playoff spoilers? To end a bad season on a positive note? Ultimately, I end up having to ask myself how much of an advantage, if any, does a particular motivating factor give a team, and it has made things tough for me. I will discuss these problems on a game-by-game basis.

Well, here I go, one more time (at least for the regular season):

Titans at Texans

Tennessee needs to win to have a chance at the playoffs, whereas Houston is locked into the third seed in the AFC. This gives an edge to the Titans. However, the Texans have lost their last two games, and I doubt that they want to enter the playoffs riding a three-game losing streak. Winner: Texans

49ers at Rams

San Francisco can lock up the number two seed in the NFC with a win. St. Louis is the worst team in the league. No contest. Winner: 49ers

Lions at Packers

Green Bay is the better team, but they have absolutely nothing to gain here. I expect to see very little of Aaron Rodgers in this game. A Detroit win can help them avoid a trip to New Orleans or San Francisco in the first round of the playoffs. I have not picked against the Packers once this season. Until now, that is. Winner: Lions

‘skins at Eagles

No playoffs for either one of these teams. Philadelphia can at least finish 8-8, and improve upon its dismal home record. Winner: Eagles

Bills at Patriots

New England can wrap up the number one seed in the AFC with a win. Buffalo is coming to the end of season of massive disappointment. Winner: Patriots

Panthers at Saints

This is one of the tricky ones. Carolina is an extremely dangerous team on offence, and Cam Newton has shown that he is not a player who accepts losing happily. New Orleans could grab the number two seed in the NFC, but only in the unlikely event that the 49ers lose to the Rams. Another motivating factor for the Saints is Drew Brees’s hold on the record for passing yards in a season. Tom Brady could overtake Brees with a strong performance, but only if Brees plays sparingly. The Saints are clearly the better team here, but Sean Payton would be crazy to play his starters for too long in a meaningless game, right? Aye carumba! Winner: Panthers

Colts at Jaguars

Two teams with nothing to play for, unless of course you buy into any of the foolishness about Indianapolis wanting to lose in order to secure the number one pick in the draft. Players don’t lose on purpose, and people who root against the teams for which they profess to be fans are idiots. Having said that, the Colts have been playing much better since benching the putrid Curtis Painter. Plus, Indy’s starting QB Dan Orlovsky’s wife had triplets this week, so I’m sure that he’ll just enjoy being out of the house for a while. Winner: Colts

Bears at Vikings

When I think of how horribly wrong Chicago’s promising season has gone, it makes me sad. The Bears have not won a game since Jay Cutler’s injury. I have a good feeling about them this week, though. Winner: Bears

Jets at Dolphins

New York needs to win to have a chance to make the playoffs, while Miami, although they are out of the playoff picture, would like to spoil the Jets’ chances. I was set to pick the Dolphins, until I heard that Reggie Bush has been ruled out for the game with an injury. That, plus the loss of T Jake Long will give the Jets just the edge they need to win a close one. Winner: Jets

Steelers at Browns

The Steelers can grab the number two seed with a win and a Ravens’ loss, and could even move up to the number one seed if the Pats lose. That should be enough to propel them past Cleveland. Winner: Steelers

Ravens at Bengals

There’s lots at stake here. The Ravens could lock up the number two seed in the AFC with a win, and could move up to number one with a Pats loss. However, if Baltimore loses, they could drop to the fifth seed if Pittsburgh wins. For the Bengals, a win puts them in the playoffs, and would finally give them a win against one the top teams in their division (they’re 0-3 against the Steelers/Ravens this season). I don’t trust the Ravens here. They’ve come up small in these types of situations time and again this season. Winner: Bengals

Chargers at Raiders

The Raiders need to win to have a shot at the playoffs, while the Chargers are out. It’ll be a battle. Winner: Raiders

Buccaneers at Falcons

Atlanta still has a shot at the five seed. Regardless, Tampa Bay is no match for them. Winner: Falcons

Chiefs at Broncos

A Denver win puts them in the playoffs. Chiefs QB (and Broncos’ cast-off) Kyle Orton would love to knock Denver out of the playoffs, but he won’t. Denver got rid of him for a reason. Winner: Broncos

Seahawks at Cardinals

These two teams made a heck of a run at the playoffs in the second half of the season, but fell a bit short. Seattle is the better team, and will close out the season on a high note. Winner: Seahawks

Cowboys at Giants

The NFL made a great decision by flexing this game into the Sunday night slot and making it the final game of the season. This is the least-complicated matchup of the week, in that the teams are competing against each other not only in the game, but for their playoff lives as well, as they are playing for the NFC East title and the last possible playoff spot. The one thing that Dallas absolutely must do is stop Giants’ WR Victor Cruz, as the rest of New York’s receiving corps have been inconsistent (particularly Hakeem Nicks, who has shown a propensity to drop passes at key moments). These teams match up well, but, unfortunately for the Cowboys, they are at an extreme disadvantage in one key area. No, I’m not talking about Tony Romo, who is playing extremely well. In a game like this, a team needs coaches that the players can trust to make competent decisions, and who will make the necessary adjustments to give their team the edge they need to pull out the victory. Poor Jason Garrett has done poorly in clutch situations this season, and this, plus having Jerry Jones constantly hanging over his shoulder, has shaken his confidence. Also, Rob Ryan gets way too much credit for the Cowboys’ defensive successes; he’s vastly overrated as a coach. Tom Coughlin is a cool customer who makes in-game adjustments as well as any coach in the league. That should be the difference in this game. Winner: Giants

Thanks to everyone who took the time to check out my football columns this season. It’s been fun. Enjoy the last week of the season, and be sure to check out my playoff picks.

Last week: 10-6
Season total: 153-71

This should be a wild week. There are numerous teams still in the playoff hunt, so a lot of the games have serious playoff implications. At this point of the season, I feel like I’m really flying blind. So many of the games look tricky, but, much like the teams playing for the playoffs or for pride, I want to finish strong. Welcome to football Sunday, Saturday edition.

Here are my picks:

Raiders at Chiefs

The Raiders are sinking fast, while the Chiefs seem to be experiencing another upsurge. Kyle Orton played well last week against Green Bay. The best hope for Oakland in this one is if KC suffers a letdown after their HUGE win over the Packers last week. Winner: Chiefs

Cardinals at Bengals

Arizona is hot right now, while Cincy has been cold, cold, cold. Somehow, I see the Bengals pulling this one out and staying in the race for one more week. Winner: Bengals

Dolphins at Patriots

I don’t care how many yards Reggie Bush has this season. I don’t care how well he’s playing. I don’t care that he ran for over 200 yards last week (even though it was against the Bills, which, at this point, is like 80 yards against another team, really). I think he’s an arrogant little douchebag, and I hate that he plays for the Dolphins. Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I think that Miami could give New England a little bit of grief in this one, but they won’t be able to hold on for four quarters against the war machine that is Brady-to-Gronkowski. Winner: Patriots

Broncos at Bills

I would not be surprised to see Denver rush for 400-plus yards in this one. What, you don’t think that Timmy Tebow is going to be super-pumped that it’s Christmas Eve? Winner: Broncos

Buccaneers at Panthers

Tampa Bay is truly, truly awful. The season can’t end soon enough for them. I see a big day for Cam Newton. Winner: Panthers

Vikings at ‘skins

A battle between two teams that are going nowhere. I see Adrian Peterson getting a little more involved this week, and Minnesota’s offence being the difference in the game as a result. Winner: Vikings

Jaguars at Titans

Tennessee still has faint playoff hopes. If that doesn’t motivate them, then nothing will. Winner: Titans

Giants at Jets

Who’s the visiting team here? I look at this game, and everything about it says that it’s a bad matchup for the Giants. The Jets should win. They won’t. Winner: Giants

Rams at Steelers

I don’t care who’s playing QB for Pittsburgh this week. They are not losing to the worst team in the league. Winner: Steelers

Browns at Ravens

Baltimore is so close to winning the AFC North that they can taste it. I’m sure they’re still plenty pissed about their performance against the Chargers last week, too. Winner: Ravens

Chargers at Lions

Knowing that Vincent Jackson will suit up for San Diego would make me feel a lot better about this pick. I expect a high-scoring game, with somewhere in the neighbourhood of 800 yard passing. San Diego’s ground game will be the difference here. Winner: Chargers

Eagles at Cowboys

Dallas got smoked like a salmon when these two met in Philly earlier this season. It’s going to happen again. Winner: Eagles

49ers at Seahawks

Seattle has played extremely well to get to where they are, but they will not be able to get it done against San Fran’s defence. Winner: 49ers

Sunday Night
Bears at Packers

It doesn’t seem like that long ago that I was looking ahead to this game as the last, best chance to keep Green Bay from going 16-0. Now, not only is the undefeated season no longer in play, but I don’t even see this game as being very competitive. Winner: Packers

Monday Night
Falcons at Saints

The Falcons built their hopes around being able to compete with the Saints this season. They’re not quite there right now. New Orleans’s offence is rolling right now. Drew Brees will, most likely, break Dan Marino’s record for passing yards in a season, in only 15 games. This is a marvellous achievement. However, it’s interesting to note that in 1984, when Marino threw for 5084 yards, there were only 2 other QBs who finished the season with over 4000 yards. This season, there are already 6 QBs with over 4000 yards passing (including Brees), and that there are 4 more who will most likely surpass 4000 yards as well. It’s a different game now, folks. Winner: Saints

Merry Christmas, everybody.

Thursday Night
Texans at Colts

It came up heads, which means Houston. I mean, after all, the Texans’ logo is a steer’s head. That, and I’d have to be out of my mind to think that the Colts could win two in a row, right? Winner: Texans

Last week: 13-3
Season Total: 143-65

Saturday Night
Cowboys at Buccaneers

This is the perfect game for Dallas, after a rough four-game stretch which saw them barely beat Washington and Miami, then lose to Arizona and the New York Giants. Tampa Bay looks about as bad as a team can look right now, having given up 41 points to the anaemic Jags last week. The Cowboys should be able to win this one by a comfortable margin, and everything will be happy and wonderful in Cowboyland, until everyone remembers that there are still two brutal games left on the schedule. Winner: Cowboys

Seahawks at Bears

The Bears couldn’t score against the Chiefs, and they couldn’t score against the Broncos. I don’t expect much of a different outcome against the Seahawks. Winner: Seahawks

Packers at Chiefs

Green Bay continues its inexorable march towards perfection. Winner: Packers

Bengals at Rams

Cincinnati lost a heartbreaker last week, which damaged, but did not extinguish, their playoff hopes. Now they have to win out, and hope for some help. They should have little difficulty with this pitiful Rams team. Winner: Bengals

Saints at Vikings

The Saints have had their troubles on the road this season, but playing indoors, and against Minnesota’s secondary, should take some of the pressure off. Winner: Saints

‘skins at Giants

New York knows that the NFC East title is within their grasp. That alone will keep them focused and will ensure no letdown this week against a Washington team which would love to spoil the Giants’ playoff party. Winner: Giants

Dolphins at Bills

This one’s trickier than it looks. The Bills are desperate to end their losing streak, plus Miami just fired their coach. I was leaning towards Buffalo, until I heard that Matt Moore should start for Miami. I’d be thinking a whole lot differently if J.P. Losman was starting. Winner: Dolphins

Panthers at Texans

Man, is this one resilient Houston Texans team. The injuries keep piling up, and all they do is keep winning. They’ve prevailed in the past few weeks against tougher teams than Carolina, so I have to believe that they will do the same this week. Winner: Texans

Titans at Colts

Tennessee still has a shot at the playoffs, while, in case you haven’t been paying attention, Indianapolis is terrible. Keep an eye on potential Pro Bowl kicker Rob Bironas. He’s quite good. Winner: Titans

Lions at Raiders

The Raiders seem to be running out of steam. I’d give them a decent chance with a few less injuries (paging Darren McFadden). One interesting note: when’s the last time you could say that Oakland was playing against the dirtiest team in the league? Winner: Lions

Patriots at Broncos

New England will try to put Denver away early by building up a big lead and forcing the Broncos to open up on offence. This could get ugly. Winner: Patriots

Jets at Eagles

The Jets are officially in do-or-die mode, and will bring everything they have into this one. The Eagles, believe it or not, are still in the playoff hunt. Well, at least until after this game. Winner: Jets

Browns at Cardinals

Arizona is surging, and still has an outside shot at the playoffs after upsetting the 49ers last week. Expect a low-scoring, defensive struggle. Winner: Cardinals

Ravens at Chargers

I’ve been hearing a lot of talk this week about how Philip Rivers is back to his old self after two consecutive strong outings, but those were against the Jags and the Bills. Baltimore’s defence should bring Rivers back to earth. Winner: Ravens

Monday Night

Steelers at 49ers

Patrick Willis is still out for the 49ers, and James Harrison is suspended, so that’s a wash. Normally, I’d give Pittsburgh the edge because of their offence, but I’m not sure if Ben Roethlisberger can even walk, much less run. The Steelers can’t beat the 49ers defence with a backup QB, or with a gimpy Roethlisberger. Winner: 49ers

I have a splitting headache, so I'll make this as quick as possible:

Jaguars at Falcons

The Jags displayed an anomalous offensive explosion last week, but it came against an extremely poor Tampa Bay team. Jacksonville won't be able to achieve nearly that level of success against playoff-bound Atlanta. Expect the Falcons to score a lot of points, especially since they are facing a Jaguars team with an injury-riddled secondary. Winner: Falcons

Last week: 11-5
Season total: 130-62

Let’s get things under way this week with the AFC portion of “Shake It Like a Playoff Picture.” (Kind of catchy, don’t you think?) As I did with the NFC edition, I’ve ordered the teams based on current seeding (Pittsburgh experiences a temporary jump to number one due to their victory over Cleveland on Thursday night) , and have included current record and remaining opponents. The thing I find to be the most fascinating about the AFC at this point is, because there are four teams with at least 9 wins, and because two of them are in the same division, and because someone has to win the AFC West, it looks to me as though there are several teams vying for one playoff spot.

Steelers (10-3)—at 49ers, Rams, at Browns
If they can beat San Francisco next week, the Steelers would look like a good bet for 13 wins, and would have an excellent shot at ending up the number one seed.

Patriots (9-3)—at ‘skins, at Broncos, Dolphins, Bills
A two-game lead over the Jets, plus an easier schedule than Rexy’s Midnight Runners, equals an AFC East title.

Texans (9-3)—at Bengals, Panthers, at Colts, Titans
These Houston Texans have proven to be resilient in the face of a ridiculous number of injuries to some of their best players. They look good for at least 11 wins.

Broncos (7-5)—Bears, Patriots, at Bills, Chiefs
Doesn’t it just seem like everything is aligning perfectly for them? They get the Bears this weekend without Cutler and Forte, and finish at Buffalo and home to the Chiefs. They look like a 10-win team to me.

Ravens (9-3)—Colts, at Chargers, Browns, at Bengals
All they need to do is keep pace with the Steelers. Baltimore’s season sweep of Pittsburgh means that if they tie, then the Ravens take to division. Can they avoid another costly meltdown?

Bengals (7-5)—Texans, at Rams, Cardinals, Ravens
Three of their five losses have come against division rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and yet the Bengals are still in good shape. Ten wins looks like a strong possibility.

Titans (7-5)—Saints, at Colts, Jaguars, at Texans
A loss to New Orleans this weekend would mean that the best Tennessee could do is 10 wins, which won’t be enough to win the division or grab the last wild card without some help.

Raiders (7-5)—at Packers, Lions, at Chiefs, Chargers
Their remaining schedule looks daunting. Oakland will have to really dig deep, because 9 wins won’t get them anywhere.

Jets (7-5)—Chiefs, at Eagles, Giants, at Dolphins
Their remaining schedule looks daunting. New York will have to really dig deep, because 9 wins won’t get them anywhere. (Where have I heard that before?)

Bills (5-7)—at Chargers, Dolphins, Broncos, at Patriots
Buffalo makes an appearance here only because I had to include two other 5-7 teams, and it seemed wrong to exclude them. The way they’ve been playing, and with their remaining schedule, 5-11 looks more likely than a playoff berth.

Chiefs (5-7)—at Jets, Packers, Raiders, at Broncos
Though below .500, Kansas City finds themselves only two games out of first place. They have an absolutely brutal slate of games ahead, though.

Chargers (5-7)—Bills, Ravens, at Lions, at Raiders
Though below .500, San Diego finds themselves only two games out of first place. They have an absolutely brutal slate of games ahead, though. (Seriously, is there an echo in here?)

So, what does it all mean? The Patriots, Ravens, Texans, and yes, the Broncos, will be in as division champs, with New England and Baltimore grabbing the top two seeds, though not necessarily in that order. The Steelers will slide comfortably into the number five slot. That leaves only one spot. The Bills have no chance. The Chiefs and Chargers will be eliminated before each plays their final game. The Raiders top out at nine wins, which leaves them out of the running. Finishing against the Giants and the Dolphins will doom the Jets. As for the Titans, 10 wins puts them in excellent position. However, they would still lose in a tiebreaker against another 10-win team: the Bengals. Cincinnati grabs the final playoff spot. Hooray for the AFC Black-and-Blue Division!

Now, on to this week’s picks:

Chiefs at Jets

Kansas City only managed 10 points against Chicago last week, with their only TD coming off a fluke play on a Hail Mary toss. The Jets should have little difficulty shutting the Chiefs’ offence down. Winner: Jets

Patriots at ‘skins

New England is on a roll, and should keep the momentum going this week. Winner: Patriots

Buccaneers at Jaguars

A battle between two teams with no playoff hopes. Maurice Jones-Drew has a big day and powers the Jags to victory. Winner: Jaguars

Texans at Bengals

This should be a great battle between two teams that play really good defence. Andy Dalton out-duels T.J. Yates. Winner: Bengals

Falcons at Panthers

As dangerous as Cam Newton is, he doesn’t play defence. Atlanta should have little difficulty putting up points in this one. Winner: Falcons

Vikings at Lions

Detroit should be able to put up some big passing numbers against Minnesota’s injury-depleted secondary. Winner: Lions

Saints at Titans

New Orleans just has too many weapons on offence for Tennessee to handle, and the Titans can’t match the Saints score-for-score. Winner: Saints

Colts at Ravens

Like it or not, Baltimore has a reputation for slacking off against weaker opponents. Knowing that the Steelers have already won this week should help the Ravens keep their focus. Winner: Ravens

Eagles at Dolphins

Interesting matchup between the 4-8 disaster and the 4-8 team that no one wants to play right now. I’ll let you decide which is which. Winner: Dolphins

Bears at Broncos

There’s been lots of talk this week from members of Chicago’s defence about how embarrassing it would be to lose to Tim Tebow and the Broncos. In order to save face, they’ll have to score a couple of TDs, because the Bears’ offence is pitiful. Winner: Broncos

49ers at Cardinals

Arizona has been playing better of late, but the Niners know that they can’t afford a misstep if they hope to hold on to the number two seed in the NFC. Winner: 49ers

Raiders at Packers

Does anyone remember the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds?” For some reason, I thought of it at the end of the Packers-Giants game last week, as Aaron Rodgers ripped the still-beating heart out of the Giants’ inspired comeback. So, who’s beating Green Bay? That’s what I thought you’d say. Winner: Packers

Bills at Chargers

Believe it or not, this might be Buffalo’s last, best chance at ending their interminable losing streak. Pity. Winner: Chargers

Giants at Cowboys

The game of the week. Period. Here’s a thought: if your team had a big game, and you thought that, maybe, the players weren’t exactly confident in the head coach’s ability to make key decisions in pressure situations, and that maybe the players might feel as though they had to do a little bit extra to ensure victory, well, how confident would you be with Tony Romo as your QB? Me neither. Winner: Giants

Monday Night

Rams at Seahawks

How bad are the Rams? Well, they’re really bad. What do you want me to say? I can’t wait to hear the promos for this one. “Welcome to Monday Night Football. Tonight’s game features DIVISION RIVALS. The Seattle Seahawks, still in the playoff hunt, clash with the St. Louis Rams. You know, the team that Howie Long’s kid plays for.” Winner: Seahawks

With the NFL postseason right around the corner, I thought I’d take a look at how things are shaping up as the playoff picture comes into clearer focus. I’m going to do the NFC today, and then the AFC in my regular picks column. Below, you will find the NFC teams that I think still have a shot at the postseason, and my predictions for each, based on remaining games and current record (which I’ve included). I’m not bothering with the teams at 4-8 which, although technically not yet eliminated, will, as far as I’m concerned, not make it (sorry Eagles fans).

 Packers (12-0)—Raiders, at Chiefs, Bears, Lions
The only suspense here is whether or not they can make it to 16-0 (For the record, I think they will). I thought that the Bears had the best shot to beat them, but that was before Jay Cutler’s injury. If the decision-makers in Green Bay are smart, they will not deny their Packers a shot at history like the Indianapolis Colts’ “brain trust” did a few years ago.

49ers (10-2)—at Cardinals, Steelers, at Seahawks, at Rams
They have some tricky games remaining, what with the improved play of Seattle and Arizona (not to mention a tough game against Pittsburgh), as well as Patrick Willis’s hamstring injury. They should still be good for at least 12 wins, and have an excellent shot at the number-two seed.

Saints (9-3)—at Titans, at Vikings, Falcons, Panthers
They have four very winnable games left, and could vault past San Francisco for the two seed if the ‘Niners falter.

Cowboys (7-5)—Giants, at Buccaneers, Eagles, at Giants
Dallas has a must-win game against the Giants this weekend. If the Cowboys lose to New York on Sunday, they are in serious trouble. If the Giants win all four of their remaining games (a real possibility), then Dallas can forget about winning the division, and may find themselves at the mercy of tiebreakers to see if they can get in as a wild card.

Bears (7-5)—at Broncos, Seahawks, at Packers, at Vikings
Three weeks ago, I would have said that Chicago was a lock to make the playoffs as the number-five seed. Now, when I look at their schedule, without Jay Cutler and Matt Forte, I see at least three more losses. They only managed three points last week at home to the Chiefs. The Bears are hanging by a thread.

Falcons (7-5)—at Panthers, Jaguars, at Saints, Buccaneers
Atlanta looks good for 9 or 10 wins, at least. That should be enough, if the tiebreakers go their way.

Lions (7-5)—Vikings, at Raiders, Chargers, at Packers
I had Detroit missing the playoffs, but the disastrous injuries to the Bears’ two best offensive players has helped the Lions out tremendously. Detroit looks good enough for 9-10 wins.

Giants (6-6)—at Cowboys, ‘skins, at Jets, Cowboys
The two games left against Dallas are huge. If the Giants sweep those, then they look like a lock for 10-6, and would be NFC East champs.  If they split with the Cowboys, then it’s to the tiebreakers they go.

Seahawks (5-7)—Rams, at Bears, 49ers, at Cardinals
If they can upset San Francisco, then they have a real shot at 9-7. They’re a long-shot, but they have a chance.

Cardinals (5-7)—49ers, Browns, at Bengals, Seahawks
The longest of the long-shots. Arizona would have to upset San Francisco and Cincinnati. Wouldn’t it be something if the week 17 game against Seattle was for a playoff spot?

So, after all of that, what’s my verdict? The Packers and 49ers are already in. The Saints take the NFC South. The race between San Francisco and New Orleans for a first-round bye should be intriguing. The New York Giants will run the table and win the NFC East. As for the wild cards, I’m not sure how the tiebreakers play out exactly, but it looks to me like, when the dust settles, it will be the Falcons and the Lions (Yes, I’m actually picking the Lions to make the playoffs). The Seahawks and Cardinals look like 8-8 teams, at best. The Bears can’t win if they can’t score. And as for the Cowboys, well, when Jason Garrett butchered the end of last week’s game in Arizona, he opened the door for the Giants and put Dallas’s season in serious jeopardy. The Cowboys-Giants game is the one I’m looking forward to the most this weekend. It is, without a doubt the biggest game of the season for both teams, and is arguably the most important game being played this weekend.

Now before I go:

Thursday Night

Browns at Steelers

I know that the Bengals’ fans will be rooting hard for an upset. So will I. Unfortunately, Colt McCoy is in for a miserable night at the hands of the Pittsburgh pass rush. It’s been a few weeks since anything bad has happened to Peyton Hillis. Was that the calm before the storm? Winner: Steelers

Last week: 13-3
Season total: 119-57

I know I shouldn’t waste time with a long intro this week, so I’ll get right to the picks:

Titans at Bills

I know I shouldn’t think that Chris Johnson is back to normal based on one good game last week. I also know that it’s dangerous to trust Matt Hasselbeck on the road. The Bills have just been so terrible lately, and the Titans have to know that this might be their best chance to make a move on Houston in the AFC South. Winner: Titans

Chiefs at Bears

I know I shouldn’t trust Chicago QB Caleb Hanie, especially after he basically handed Oakland a victory last week. I think that he settles down this week, and lets the defence and his running game do their thing against the Chiefs. Winner: Bears

Panthers at Buccaneers

I know I shouldn’t trust the porous Carolina defence to be able to stop Bucs’ RB LaGarrette Blount. That being said, Tampa Bay’s defence is nothing to write home about either. Cam Newton is due for a big passing day.  Winner: Panthers

Raiders at Dolphins

I know I shouldn’t be picking a team that started 0-7 to beat a division leader. However, Miami has won three of their last four, and came close to beating Dallas last week, while Oakland was fortunate to pull out a victory against the Bears. This should be a close one. Winner: Dolphins

Colts at Patriots

I know I shouldn’t start thinking that all of New England’s defensive problems are fixed because they’ve spent the past three weeks beating up on inferior competition. However, this week they’re playing Indianapolis, the closest thing to a guaranteed win there is these days. Winner: Patriots

Falcons at Texans

I know I shouldn’t pick against the formidable Texans’ defence at home. The way I see it, though, is that if Atlanta can’t beat a Houston team that is down to its third-string QB, then they don’t deserve to be in the playoffs. I’ve been hearing a fair bit about Texans’ QB T.J. Yates’s big arm this week. If he’s overly anxious in his first start, don’t be surprised to see one or two tipped interceptions if he’s a bit wild with his throws. Winner: Falcons

Broncos at Vikings

I know I shouldn’t pick Denver for the fourth-straight week, especially on the road and with Von Miller questionable after thumb surgery. Minnesota is banged up on defence too, though, and will be without Adrian Peterson again this week. Who would have thought that the Tim Tebow-led Broncos could be tied for first-place in the AFC West after this weekend? Winner: Broncos

Jets at ‘skins

I know I shouldn’t be betting on Mark Sanchez on the road. He’s so inaccurate it’s almost painful to watch at times. I keep expecting one of his receivers to get decapitated or broken in half trying to catch his off-target throws. For at least another week, though, the Jets are still in the playoff hunt, and should be able to take care of business against Rex Grossman and company. Winner: Jets

Bengals at Steelers

I know I shouldn’t think that the Bengals can beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh, after losing to them in Cincinnati just three weeks ago. Losing close games against the Steelers and Ravens has shown the Bengals that they can compete. I can definitely see this game being close again, with the balanced Cincinnati offence and strong defence pulling out the victory. Winner: Bengals

Ravens at Browns

I know I shouldn’t start thinking, yet again, that the Ravens are the class of the AFC after their impressive victory over the 49ers last week. Baltimore has established a disturbing pattern this season of following up a big win with a loss to a vastly inferior team. Enter the lowly Browns. The Ravens have to start proving that they can put out a consistently good effort every week, regardless of the opponent. Winner: Ravens

Rams at 49ers

I know I shouldn’t worry too much about San Francisco, after they got pummelled by Baltimore last week. They should bounce back nicely against the dreadful Rams. Winner: 49ers

Cowboys at Cardinals

I know I shouldn’t trust Tony Romo against a team that has given Dallas plenty of trouble in recent years. This is a game that the Cowboys should win easily. That’s what’s scary about it. Dallas needs to focus on beating Arizona, and not get caught looking ahead to more difficult matchups. The NFC East is the Cowboys’ to win or lose. Winner: Cowboys

Packers at Giants

I know I shouldn’t pick the struggling Giants to upset Green Bay. So I won’t. Winner: Packers

Lions at Saints

I know I shouldn’t count Detroit out yet, but I’m starting to like my preseason prediction of them not making the playoffs more and more each week. Drew Brees should be able to light up the Detroit defence like a Christmas tree, but he’d better keep his head up, as the Lions have more dirty players than suspended DT Ndamukong Suh. Speaking of Stompy the Clown, after losing the appeal of his suspension, and with no defenceless football players around, he must be mad enough to do something crazy like drive his car into a tree. Winner: Saints

Monday Night

Chargers at Jaguars

I know I shouldn’t think that even Norv Turner could figure out something this simple, but I’ll take a chance: Jacksonville has a terrible offence, and if you focus on stopping Maurice Jones-Drew, then the Jags can’t score. Surely not even ol’ Norville could screw up that simple formula for success. Right? Winner: Chargers

Eagles at Seahawks

A tale of two very different 4-7 teams. For the Eagles, 4-7 represents a major disappointment, while for the Seahawks, 4-7 shows a team that has improved and shows promise for next season. These teams have some things in common. Neither will make the playoffs this year. Both are dealing with key injuries. I was leaning toward Seattle, but without Sidney Rice, they lose the big-play threat to take advantage of Philadelphia’s depleted secondary. When I found out that Shady McCoy might not play tonight, I hesitated in picking the Eagles, but now that it appears that he is ready to go, I feel better about Philly. The crowd noise in Seattle can give opposing offences fits, but with the way that the fans in Philadelphia must be feeling about their team’s lost season (there were chants of “Fire Andy” last week), the best thing for the Eagles right now is probably a road game. Winner: Eagles