Colts -9
Jets +9
The Jets are playing at home but I’m not quite sure it will matter. Reggie Wayne will play this Sunday, returning after the death of his brother. This will aid Peyton Manning in his assault, because Wayne is averaging 20+ yards per reception so far this year. Neither team has effectively run the ball, especially the Jets who are among the worst in the league. Meanwhile rookie Joseph Addai has been running decently for the Colts, averaging 4.7 yards per carry on 26 attempts. Look for a good offensive performance by both teams but I think that the Colts would be the safe pick, seeing how they have covered in every game so far this year.
Chargers -2.5
Ravens +2.5
This should be a down to the wire game, well on paper anyway. The Chargers have had two weeks to prepare and are the favorite but I smell an upset. Philip Rivers, the starting QB for the Chargers has been limited on what he has been allowed to do so far this year, mainly because of the great running of LaDainian Tomlinson and Michael Turner. But that was against Oakland and Tennessee, two teams that have no defense. This week the Chargers face a Ravens defense that has allowed only 20 points so far, and they are the top rated defense in the NFL. The Ravens have home field advantage and momentum on their side and starting quarterback Steve McNair is becoming more fluid with his offense. Look for the Ravens to win it outright.
Vikings +1
Bills -1
The Vikings have had each of their games decided by 3 points so far this year and two of them were wins. One win at Washington and the other against a stout Carolina team should be evident that this team is tough. Sure they lost by three last week against Chicago, but Chicago is a good team. The Bills have the home field advantage but that won’t be enough. The Vikings defense will cause young Bills QB J.P. Losman to make errors and they should sneak away with another win. If nothing else, Minnesota has covered in every game so far this year. Minnesota with the upset in Buffalo.
Cowboys -9.5
Titans +9.5
The Titans cannot seem run the ball, their quarterback, Kerry Collins cannot seem to quit making mistakes and the defense cannot seem to stop anyone. This should bode well for Dallas, who probably will not have Terrell Owens but they still have plenty of weapons. They have a good tandem at running back and a nice selection of receivers. The defense for Dallas is strong up front and their secondary is led by all pro safety, Roy Williams who has been a monster thus far. Dallas is coming off of two weeks worth of rest and who knows, maybe we will see a little bit of Owens. Dallas should cover on this one easy.
49ers +7
Chiefs -7
It’s almost scary to say that the 49ers have a good chance in this one. The Chiefs have not scored but one touchdown so far and it wasn’t Larry Johnson. Unless Chiefs coach Herm Edwards lets backup QB Damon Huard go out and throw, I don’t think that the Chiefs are such a sure thing. The 49ers have shown signs of light but they have lost starting rookie tight end Vernon Davis for four weeks and starting running back Frank Gore is banged up. With the Chiefs defense putting up such good numbers against the Broncos, it’s fairly safe to say that this will be a home win for the Chiefs. I would look for them to cover, but I’m not sure that I would bet on them.
Saints +7
Panthers -7
The Saints looked dominant last week against Atlanta, and they are undefeated. Now it’s time for them to lose, for they are overachieving. I’m not saying that they are a bad team, but they aren’t as good as we have been seeing. The Panthers have their star back, WR Steve Smith came out last week and went for over a hundred yards. The Panthers have a nice defense and a talented, veteran offense that should help control the tempo of this game. The Panthers will cover at home.
Cardinals +7
Falcons -7
At sometime or another, Michael Vick will have to throw the ball. Last week, the Saints stopped him time and time again and it’s no wonder. They forced Vick to beat him with his arm and he couldn’t deliver. This week however, they will meet a Cardinals defense that has not been able to stop anyone on defense. Atlanta should be able to move the ball fairly easily against the Cardinals, since everyone else has so far. Look for Atlanta to cover due to a strong running game.
