NFL Picks: Week 9

Last week: 9-4
Season record: 69-48

Still staying above the curve, but still lots of goofy happenings in the NFL last week! Here are my Week 9 picks:

Tampa Bay at Atlanta--The Bucs are 5-2 and would make a really impactful statement if they won Sunday. But let's face it...it's not going to happen. Falcons 20, Bucs 16

Miami at Baltimore--The low-scoring special of the week. Ravens 13, Dolphins 9

Chicago vs. Buffalo at Toronto--Kinda funny that the Bills will get their first win on foreign soil. Bills 27, Bears 20

New Orleans at Carolina--The Saints are one of the hardest teams to figure out this year. The Panthers, well, they're not hard to figure out. Saints 30, Panthers 10

New England at Cleveland--The Browns aren't that bad, but bad enough to lose to the on-fire Patriots. Patriots 34, Browns 20

NY Jets at Detroit--You just know Jets' fans are terrified of this game. And the Lions will surely make them sweat on Sunday. Jets 23, Lions 20

San Diego at Houston--I predict that if Antonio Gates does not play Sunday, that Darren Sproles will have 200 all-purpose yards. But the Chargers will lose. Texans 34, Chargers 24

Arizona at Minnesota--Yours truly will be at this game, and looking forward to seeing old man Favre and young man Adrian Peterson in person. Vikings 27, Cards 20

NY Giants at Seattle--Charlie Whitehurst will start at QB for the Seahawks, as Matt Hasselbeck was declared out of this game by HC Pete Carroll. Which begs the question, who is Seattle's third string quarterback? Giants 28, Seahawks 17

Indianapolis at Philadelphia--Michael Vick returns but runs head first into Dwight Freeney. Colts 26, Eagles 24

Kansas City at Oakland--Two teams with a big-time resurgence. Hard to imagine the Raiders stopping Jamaal Charles, but hard to pick against them as a hot home team. Raiders 23, Chiefs 20

Dallas at Green Bay--By the time my flight from Minneapolis lands in Madison, the Packers will be up 17-0. That's how bad Dallas is right now. In fact, Jerry Jones might make Wade Phillips walk home. Packers 38, Cowboys 17

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati--Last season when the Bengals swept their division games? That is a distant memory. Steelers 17, Bengals 13

Bye week banter:
Denver Broncos: Josh McDaniels gets an extra week off to get his resume together
Jacksonville Jaguars: Is it crazy that in this crazy NFL season, the Jags are actually in contention?
St. Louis Rams: A good time to rest a rookie QB who has probably never played more than 12 games in a season
San Francisco 49ers: Mike Singletary saved his job last Sunday, at least for now
Tennessee Titans: Randy Moss' third team in about a five-week span
Washington Redskins: The Albert Haynesworth mess was nothing compared to Shanahan benching Donovan McNabb in the fourth quarter last Sunday.