UTTQ Predictions: Week 8

Here's my predictions for the late games which feature marquee match ups in New England-Pittsburgh and Dallas-Philadelphia.

WASHINGTON 17, BUFFALO 27
The Redskins are reeling big time. Tim Hightower and Chris Cooley were victims to IR this past week while Santana Moss will be out for over a month following hand surgery. Combine this with John Beck making his second start against a ball-hawking Bills D that has triumphed over some of the best in the league and Buffalo improves to 4-0 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

DETROIT 42, DENVER 13
Let me start off by saying that Tim Tebow had no business winning last weekend. He played a well below average game for three and half quarters until the Dolphins decided to pack it up early up 15-0 with less then five minutes to go. This weekend, Matt Stafford brings his high powered offense into town who've lost two straight after jumping out of the gate to 5-0. It may be hard to argue that a team absolutely needs at win sitting at 5-2 but these young Lions must win this game to reestablish their swagger. Expect them to get it done and expect Denver to lose like they should have last Sunday.

NEW ENGLAND 28, PITTSBURGH 31
In a clash of two 5-win red-hot titans, Tom Brady brings his aerial assault to the Steel City. The Patriots have looked like a well-oiled machine throughout the season and Brady could potentially be looked at his second consecutive MVP award at season's end. Big Ben and the boys have also looked dominant on both sides of the ball since starting out 2-2. In a match up of strength vs. strength, the Patriots defense just won't be able to match up with the explosive offense of the Steelers while, Pittsburgh's D should be able to slow down Brady and crew just enough to get the W. Wave those terrible towels!

CLEVELAND 12, SAN FRANCISCO 31
The 49ers are sitting pretty at 5-1 as one of the surprise teams of the year. Cleveland on the other hand, is fresh off an ugly win against Seattle in a game which they should have dominated. It's looking like this could be the first time in nearly a decade that San Fran makes it to the playoffs so don't expect the Browns to stand much of a challenge.

CINCINNATI 30, SEATTLE 10
After one of the most embarrassing offensive performances in recent memory, things are not looking good for the 2010 NFC West Champs. Without Tavaris Jackson, this team just can't get it done as Charlie Whitehurst looks less of an NFL-caliber QB then ever before. The Bengals have surprised people so far with their 4-2 record and the impressive play of Andy Dalton and AJ Green. It sure looks like Mike Brown picked the right QB after Carson Palmer's 3 INT debut for the Raiders on Sunday. If Tavaris starts for the Hawks' then they have a shot, but otherwise Cincy will be 5-2. Who woulda thunk it?

DALLAS 35, PHILADELPHIA 38
Now this should be an entertaining game. The Cowboys are fresh off a heart-breaking loss to the Pats, while the Eagles finally got their first win since Week One against the Redskins before their bye. Now if you've been following our staff picks throughout the weeks, you'll know that I've always picked the Eagles to win, and this week is no different. While by no means was Philly dominant against the Redskins, heck they almost blew it in the fourth, one win can change a season completely. The NFC East will be decided by these two teams in one way or another so we should be in for a wild ride on Sunday Night. Look for Michael Vick to play the entire game and for Tony Romo to play a great game but come up a little short.

SAN DIEGO 20, KANSAS CITY 21
It's hard to believe, but the AFC West is now wide open following last weeks games. The once dominant Raiders have fallen back to Earth without Jason Campbell while the Chargers have slipped to 4-2. Then comes the Chiefs who were written off for dead at 0-3 and now enter Monday Night at 3-3 fresh off a shutout of Oakland. Matt Cassel has sure bounced back from a poor start to the season, while Phillip Rivers has struggled mightily with turning the ball over week after week. This match up could easily go either way, but judging off of last week's performance, I'm gonna pick the Chiefs. They're sizzling hot as of late and a win on Monday Night would muddle up the playoff race even more. Good stuff.

UTTQ Predictions: Week 8

I honestly cannot believe we are reaching the midpoint of the season. Every year the NFL seems to go by faster than the previous.... Anyway, here are my picks for this week's early games:

ARIZONA 17, BALTIMORE 27
Baltimore did not manage to escape a disappointing loss against Jacksonville last week, when Josh Scobee single-handedly beat the Ravens and their struggling offense. This week, with a stout defense and improving offense, it only makes sense for this team to bounce back this week, especially at home against the inept Cardinals.

MINNESOTA 24, CAROLINA 30
This one's just a shot in the dark, in all honesty. Minnesota could surprise people with the introduction of Christian Ponder. But Cam Newton has been all that and more over the last half season. I think the Panthers at home will play a factor.

JACKSONVILLE 13, HOUSTON 38
Jack Del Rio's job may be safe for another week, but the Baltimore game was simply a fluke against an inconsistent Ravens team. The Texans are far and beyond the best team in the AFC South, and they will have a chance to prove that this week against the Jags. Imagine how much more damage the Texans could do with their best player in the game.

MIAMI 19, NEW YORK GIANTS 31
Miami has played tough, but just can't get over the hump. The Giants are inconsistent, but after an embarrassing loss to the Seahawks at home, the G-Men will need to prove that the can be a playoff team, especially with all their NFC East foes stumbling out of the gates.

NEW ORLEANS 72, ST. LOUIS 3
St. Louis gets a non-shutout because of their home field advantage. But either way, the Saints should have a game for the ages.

INDIANAPOLIS 28, TENNESSEE 27
Tennessee can avoid falling out of the playoff picture altogether, but first they must beat Indy. This is a must-win for the Titans, but after a recent shellacking by Houston, the Colts could sneak up on the down but not yet out Titans. The Colts should get their first win here, in a shocker.

SAN DIEGO 24, KANSAS CITY 20
San Diego hasn't exactly been dominating this season, while Kansas City has managed to sneak back into the AFC West playoff race. Look for this one to be a close one, although I think San Diego will find a way to resume their domination.

UTTQ Predictions: Week 7

Here are the late slate of games, along with the MNF game. With the season approaching halftime, the only question is...how many more of these will we get right?

WASHINGTON 24, CAROLINA 17
The move has been made. The Redskins are now going with John Beck at quarterback. Beck was originally supposed to have this job, and now that Rex Grossman has had his traditional multi-interception game, look for Beck to show why he should remain entrenched at the starting job for the rest of the season. If anything, Beck and the 'Skins will ride on a supposed "new-found confidence" to earn the first win of the John Beck era (no matter how long it may be).

KANSAS CITY 27, OAKLAND 20
Well well well looks like the Carson Palmer saga is finally over. Now, it will interesting to watch how he does with an emotional Raiders team looking for a playoff berth. The time may not be this weekend, however, considering that Palmer may want to get comfortable in the system, and incumbent Kyle Boller has had much more time than Palmer to learn it. Either way, on the other side of the spectrum, Kansas City is looking to stay competitive in the AFC West race, despite a disastrous start. Kansas City could be right in the thick of things with a win, and the Raiders could suffer from current disarray and may be looking a bit too far ahead.

PITTSBURGH 27, ARIZONA 17
In this Super Bowl 43 rematch, the Steelers enter with a potent passing offense and a stout running game. The Cardinals have struggled all season to get production out of their prized quarterback Kevin Kolb, and their running game has struggled with the loss of second round pick Ryan Williams. The Steelers, in the meantime, have turned into a pass-first offense under the direction of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Numerous injuries to key defensive players like James Harrison, Troy Polamalu, and Casey Hampton have been of some concern.

GREEN BAY 28, MINNESOTA 27
Green Bay has been unstoppable since Day 1 of the NFL season, and with Minnesota's recent change at quarterback, look for Christian Ponder to be tested against one of the league's best teams. Fortunately for the Vikings, Green Bay seemed to have lost a step last week against St. Louis, when their second half offense seemed out of rhythm. The Vikings better hope that the Packers have tapered off, otherwise they could be in for some real trouble.

ST. LOUIS 13, DALLAS 34
The Rams are reeling, but they may have finally found a top receiver in Brandon Lloyd. Unfortunately, Lloyd's first game as a Ram may include catching passes from backup A.J. Feeley. This doesn't bode well against a Dallas team that managed to hang in with New England until the very last minute. The Cowboys also won't be wearing their unlucky blue jerseys.

INDIANAPOLIS 24, NEW ORLEANS 35
Another recent Super Bowl rematch pits the two Super Bowl 44 teams. Unfortunately for Indy, this game's result may seem all too familiar. Even moreso with the Colts stumbling without Peyton Manning, whilst the Saints are trying desperately to keep up with Tampa Bay in the NFC South. The Colts will get a win soon, but the Saints are just too tough a team to consistently matchup with.

BALTIMORE 37, JACKSONVILLE 20
Someone at ESPN must love Jacksonville. Blaine Gabbert is possibly the worst of the early round quarterbacks (save for maybe Jake Locker, who hasn't seen the field much all season). The Ravens defense has been devastating all year, and look for them to harass Gabbert, Maurice Jones-Drew, and a slew of mismatched receivers. Luckily for us, we get to see Jacksonville host another Monday Night game in several weeks.

UTTQ Predictions: Week 7

As we approach the midway point of the season, the elite teams have started to pull away from the pack, while the bad teams flounder in mediocrity. The week's early games feature a slew of seemingly evenly matched teams which should provide us with some entertaining football.

SEATTLE 24, CLEVELAND 17
The Seahawks shocked everyone and their mothers by beating the Giants going into the bye week. Easily forgotten in the upset is the injury to Tavaris Jackson which may hold the QB out of this weeks contest. The Browns seem distracted by the Peyton Hillis drama and unless things get sorted out soon, Cleveland could be picking in the top ten next year once again. Seattle is a confident bunch that shouldn't suffer too much should Charlie Whitehurst get the start. All in all, the Seahawks will come out of the Dog Pound with a W.

ATLANTA 28, DETROIT 27
Upon suffering their first loss of the season, everyone is eager to see how the upstart Lions will respond this week. Matt Stafford and company held the lead throughout most of the game last weekend but couldn't close out the 49ers. To make matters worse, Jahvid Best suffered a concussion in the game and his status for Sunday is iffy. If Best can't go in this one, Maurice Morris will be the Lions primary back as their potential trade for Ronnie Brown was nixed. Not good for a team that was already struggling mightily to run the ball with Best. Atlanta's season has been rocky so far as they strive for consistent play from week to week. In a match up that could easily swing either way, the Atlanta Falcons need this game more and Matt Ryan's gang should squeak this one out.

HOUSTON 30, TENNESSEE 21
In a showdown between the current and past Houston based franchises, both teams are very possible playoff contenders for the first time. Coming off their bye, Matt Hasselbeck and crew will look to get back on track after a tough loss to the Steelers. The Titans need Chris Johnson to get back to form if they hope to make any kind of playoff run should they get there. Likewise, without Andre Johnson out wide, the Texans need more out of Arian Foster who hasn't looked all that impressive since his season debut. Both of these teams sport explosive offenses that are without their top receivers and struggling running games. I think this match up will come down to whichever QB can make the plays that matter down the stretch and I'm picking Schaub to get the job done.

DENVER 13, MIAMI 21
After Monday's nights embarrassment at the hands of the Jets, the Dolphins can officially begin their "Suck for Luck" campaign at 0-6. Unfortunately for the fans that are hoping for their team to tank the season, Denver is in an ever worse state than Miami. The Broncos have finally given into the fans and will start Tim Tebow on Sunday. If that weren't bad enough, Denver traded away top receiver Brandon Lloyd leaving Tebow's offensive options relatively thin. Matt Moore showed signs from time to time that the Dolphins offense can be effective and he will definitely have a better game than Tebow when all's said and done.

SAN DIEGO 14, NEW YORK JETS 17
The Jets got a well needed win over Miami on Monday Night that Rex Ryan hopes will springboard his team towards a playoff run. A much stiffer test comes to town this weekend in the form of the 4-1 Chargers who have looked dominant so far. If Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie can shut down San Diego's wide receiving tandem of Vincent Jackson and Michael Floyd, the Jets should have a good shot at this one. My guess is this game is lower scoring then most think with Nick Folk hitting a last second FG to get gang green the win.

CHICAGO 24, TAMPA BAY 21
Both of these teams are coming off weeks in which they silenced the doubters. Tampa Bay pulled off the upset of the weekend by beating the Saints a week after being completely dominated by the 49ers. Josh Freeman had a big bounce back weekend without LaGarette Blount who could miss this game as well. With a Bears team coming into town that is fresh off a dominating performance over the Vikings, Jay Cutler and company may be too much for the young, banged up Bucs to handle.

BALTIMORE 35, JACKSONVILLE 3
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a mess. Attendance has been embarrassing in past seasons and this year is no exception. Of course when the product on the field is entirely mediocre, fans aren't going to spend their Sunday's watching. Remember those days leading up to the 2011 Draft in which many were claiming that Blaine Gabbert should be the top pick over Cam Newton? They seem like distant memories as Gabbert has been incredibly underwhelming thus far and faces the stout Ravens D who have made much much better QBs look bad. Could we see a shutout on Monday Night? It's very possible.

UTTQ Predictions: Week 6

The late games in Week Six feature a bevy of seemingly uneven matchups that should prove to be more entertaining then advertised. So without further adieu, the picks are in.

PHILADELPHIA 27, WASHINGTON 21
At some point this season, I'm going to have to stop picking these Eagles as they've let me down in the three previous times I've drawn them this season. Michael Vick isn't even playing at half the level that reaffirmed his status as a superstar a year ago and Philly has suffered for it. The Redskins on the other hand are feeling confident in their unexpected 3-1 start. As I've continued to preach from week to week, I still believe the Eagles will find their stride and become that dominant team we all expected to see prior to the season. Simply put, Vick must play better and be the dynamic playmaker that the Eagles offense needs. The losses have been close and this should be the weak that things finally swing their way again. Should the Eagles fall this week, their season for all intents and purposes, will be over.

CLEVELAND 14, OAKLAND 28
In the first home game since the passing of Al Davis, expect the Raiders to be playing with a heightened level of emotion. This combined with the shaky Browns coming into town spells out a W for the Black and Silver. Simple as that.

HOUSTON 24, BALTIMORE 30
In a season that looked extremely promising for the Texans, the injury bug has stripped them of their cornerstone pieces on both sides of the ball. The loss of Mario Williams for the season is devastating to say the least, and the absence of Andre Johnson cripples Matt Schaub's high powered offense. The Ravens on the other hand are a well-rounded bunch despite Joe Flacco's inconsistent play this season. The Texans still have a very legitimate shot at making the postseason for the first time in their history but they'll be back at .500 after this matchup.

DALLAS 34 NEW ENGLAND 31
No player in the NFL is as much of an enigma as Tony Romo who single handily seems to dictate the outcome of each of the Cowboys games so far this season. The Patriots D can be had through the air and if "Good Tony" can show up the majority of the game, the Cowboys have the talent to pull this one out. On the other hand, Tom Brady and company have been machine like on offense and will score a lot on Sunday. The Cowboys certainly have a shot at the playoffs in a NFC West that has underperformed thus far though they need this win to feel confident going forward, and I think Romo will deliver.

NEW ORLEANS 35, TAMPA BAY 17
No matter which way you slice it, Josh Freeman has taken a huge step backwards so far this season. He's already matched his INT total from a year ago and the Bucs offense hasn't shown all that much so far. Coming off an absolute schlacking at the hands of the 49ers, Drew Brees brings his high-powered offense into town in what must look like a nightmare game for Tampa. Not to mention that Freeman and the boys will be without LaGarrette Blount. I do expect Tampa to put up more of a fight than most, though the Saints win this one handily.

MINNESOTA 21, CHICAGO 24
Man, the Bears O-Line looked horrendous on Monday Night yet the one bright spot is that Jay Cutler almost single handily willed Chicago to a win despite being under pressure on every snap. The potential for the Bears to be a great team is there, but in a division with the only undefeated teams in football, their shot at the postseason is dwindling fast. Similar to the Eagles, I've consistently projected Cutler to have huge games and seen his offense come up short. Donovan McNabb saved his job with a 'W' last weekend over the woeful Cardinals, despite playing a subpar game. The question no longer seems to be if Christian Ponder will get the job but when the swap will occur. The Bears should put the final nail in McNabb's coffin come Sunday.

MIAMI 14, NEW YORK JETS 28
The Dolphins are not a good team and their 0-4 record shows it. To make matters worse (or better depending on your outlook) Chad Henne is done for the season and the Matt Moore era will now begin on Monday Night. On the other side, the Jets are an angry team that has underperformed so far this season and will look to vent some frustration. Rex Ryan hasn't had much to talk about to this point, but Monday Night's win should give him some material.

UTTQ Predictions: Week 6

These picks are starting to get tedious, but we will keep on going, no matter what it takes. This week, with another odd slate of games, we are both picking the Monday Nighter again.

SAN FRANCISCO 31, DETROIT 20
This is one of the games of the week. Six weeks ago this game would probably have been a meaningless bout, but now it could be one for the ages. The 49ers have been consistent and tough against pretty good opponents, while the Lions, albeit undefeated, have struggled early against mediocre teams. This would be a trap game for the Lions anyway, coming off a short week and epic win on Monday against Chicago. The Niners will give Detroit their first loss of the year.

ST. LOUIS 13, GREEN BAY 48
A matchup of the best team in the league versus the worst. The only question will be when will Matt Flynn come into the game?

CAROLINA 27, ATLANTA 20
One of the most important games for Atlanta all season. The Falcons shouldn't take the Panthers, who came within a touchdown of the Saints last week, too lightly. Cam Newton has been phenomenal, and his rainbow passes, although unrefined and inaccurate sometimes, are a thing of beauty. If this kid improves on his accuracy, he could be great. Getting a win against Atlanta would definitely be a stepping stone.

INDIANAPOLIS 17, CINCINNATI 23
With Peyton Manning, chalk this up as an easy win for Indy. But with the Colts' season already down the tubes (yes, I'm officially writing them off), look for Cincinnati to extract some firepower from their slowly improving offense. The Bengals have been rejuvenated from the presence of Andy Dalton and his slew of young playmakers, but make no mistake, this team can also be completely inconsistent.

BUFFALO 28, NEW YORK GIANTS 21
An interesting nostalgic matchup that will test the true strength of both franchises. Was the Giants loss to the Seahawks simply a fluke? Are the Bills for real? Some may say both are true, but the results of this contest will surely show which franchise makes it to the postseason. I think that both teams are inconsistent, but the Bills have momentum on their side (or at least, moreso than the Giants).

JACKSONVILLE 20, PITTSBURGH 37
Pittsburgh seems to be finally getting into it's groove, and that could only be Jacksonville's worst nightmare. After having a big day against Tennessee, Ben Roethlisberger should have a fine time against Jacksonville's D, and the Pittsburgh defense should have fun pressuring new quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Perhaps a sound defeat by one of the NFL's elite teams will finally send Jack Del Rio packing.

MIAMI 17, NEW YORK JETS 26
Both of these teams have been particularly underwhelming thus far, but the Jets have much more upside than the 0-4 Dolphins. Miami has been terrible this season, while New York has been a sort of frustratingly inept squad. With Chad Henne gone (and possibly Brandon Marshall too), expect the Jets D to take full advantage of this continuous shifting Miami offense.

UTTQ Predictions: Week 5

Like Insider Access said, with the first bye week comes an odd number of games, so I will be picking the late games as usual along with the Monday Nighter. Here's my picks:

CINCINNATI 23, JACKSONVILLE 17
The Bengals came away with an upset win against the Bills last week, and now they will try to repeat that success against the lowly Jaguars. Andy Dalton still looks shaky in the pocket, but at least he has looked better than Blaine Gabbert. At this point, none of these quarterbacks are ready for the big stage, but at least they are trying to look the part.

OAKLAND 27, HOUSTON 20
An intriguing matchup between two surprise teams, Houston will look to take their potent rushing attack against Oakland's own dangerous running game. The loss of Andre Johnson cannot be underestimated, and undoubtedly Houston will struggle without their best player. Perhaps Houston's defense will be able to step up against Oakland, but I believe the Raiders have the talent and will power to take this game from Houston. The mantra of "Just Win, Baby" will be a strong rallying cry for this Raiders team on a mission.

TAMPA BAY 27, SAN FRANCISCO 30
A battle between two up and coming teams could show if San Francisco can really contend with stronger opponents in the NFC. Although Tampa is coming off a close win against the hapless but hopeful Colts, the Bucs are a dangerous team. They won't let Alex Smith make big plays like Painter did, but the 49ers are a more balanced team, who has all the confidence in the world after a come-from-behind win in Philly.

SAN DIEGO 27, DENVER 17
When will the Tim Tebow experience officially begin? Surely Broncos fans have seen enough to assume their team won't be a factor much this season. The Chargers have been mildly surprising this year, due to their early season success. Could this be the year they get over the hump? Well, first they must take care of their division foes, including the Broncos. The Broncos have kept close against the Raiders and Titans (and at least managed 23 against the Pack), but look for the Chargers to stay determined this game.

NEW YORK JETS 27, NEW ENGLAND 34
Always a tough divisional matchup, the Patriots-Jets pregame bickering has been unusually quiet this year. Sure, Rex Ryan has been humbled by his team's 2-2 start, and may need this win to keep in the division race with the Patriots and Buffalo. The Patriots enter as a slight favorite, but look for them to harass Sanchez much in the same way Baltimore did. The Patriots may not have the personnel that Baltimore does, but Belichick will surely find a way to use his defense creatively. Plus, the offense is led by Tom Brady. 'Nuff said.

GREEN BAY 35, ATLANTA 27
A matchup of last year's NFC Divisional playoff game is all too familiar. But this time, Atlanta isn't the favorite. Green Bay has been unstoppable this season, and there's no reason to think that they will slow down any time soon. Atlanta struggled to keep in front of a pesky Seahawks club, and with the Packers being an all-around stout franchise, the Falcons may stand little chance. If anything, Atlanta has already dealt another club with high aspirations (the Eagles) a devastating blow. But Green Bay is certainly not Philly...the Pack is the real Dream Team.

CHICAGO 24, DETROIT 30
Monday Night Football returns to the Motor City for the first time in years, despite the Hank Williams Jr. controversy that has recently surrounded it. Lions fans are ecstatic, and surely the team is ready as well to take the big stage. But are they really? The Lions narrowly escaped a blunder in Dallas with an epic comeback, and staged one the week before against Minnesota. With Detroit falling behind early in both contests, look for them to play with some ferocity at home on Monday night. Detroit surely has a lot of weight on their shoulders to perform for the home crowd, and the Bears will look to ruin what could be the best night of Detroit football in a decade. My heart says the Lions, but my gut says the Bears...just to make things interesting, I'll go with the former this time.

UTTQ Predictions: Week 5

With Week 5 comes the first wave of byes which present us here at UTTQ with an odd number of games. We'll both be picking the Monday Night game to make up for this so without further delay, the early picks for Sunday's ballgames.

PHILADELPHIA 27, BUFFALO 24
Who woulda thunk it? The 1-3 Eagles bring their three game losing streak into the 3-1 Bills who are fresh off their first loss of the season. Phily's biggest problem has been closing their opponents exemplified by losing to San Fran after leading 24-3 early in the third quarter. The Bills showed their youth a week ago losing their lead late to the Bengals and then giving up the game winning drive to Andy Dalton's crew. Despite how successful and effective Buffalo has been through a quarter of the season, I just can't see the Eagles being 1-4 with all the talent they have. With Andy Reid's job security getting weaker by the week, look for Phily to squeak this one out.

KANSAS CITY 24, INDIANAPOLIS 10
In a match of bad vs. "badder", the Chiefs come into Indy fresh off their first win of the season. Both these teams have been devastated by injuries and after both made the playoffs last year, it wouldn't be surprising to see them picking in the top ten of next year's draft. Curtis Painter will once again get the start for Indy after an okay performance against Tampa Bay. Matt Cassell and crew are still dangerous through the air if they can get into a rhythm and that should lead them to victory come Sunday.

ARIZONA 14, MINNESOTA 21
The Vikings have been hapless through four games this season and Donovan McNabb has been one of their central issues. Brought in to provide stability to a QB situation that was fluid, to say the least after Brett Favre's retirement, McNabb has been a disappointment. On the other side, Kevin Kolb hasn't shown all that much to Cardinals fans with the team's 1-3 start. Kolb has the benefit of being a young inexperienced player while McNabb has no excuses and his job will very much be on the line this weekend. Something tells me that Donovan isn't ready to be benched just yet and combined with a strong showing by Adrian Peterson, the Vikings will pull this out.

SEATTLE 17, NEW YORK GIANTS 28
A year ago, this game was dominated early and often by the Giants in Seattle. The Giants are playing even better on offense then they did a year ago though the Seahawks did make a valiant comeback effort against the Falcons. Tavaris Jackson and company have looked played fairly well at home this season and should make this game closer then last year's debacle. Giants still win this one though.

TENNESSEE 28, PITTSBURGH 27
Another who the heck saw this one coming? The Steelers are struggling mightily this season despite the 2-2 record while the Titans have been dominating their oppositions thus far. Matt Hasselbeck is playing better than he ever did in Seattle and in a weak AFC South, the Titans are eyeing a playoff bid through the first quarter of the season. Big Ben's guys have been beaten up in past weeks and the O Line must play better if the Steelers want to make a run to the postseason. Remember though that these Titans handily beat the same Ravens that absolutely torched the Steelers in Week One. Tennessee is red hot and that should give them just enough of an edge to sneak out of Pittsburgh with a W.

NEW ORLEANS 31, CAROLINA 24
Remember when everyone doubted Cam Newton as the first overall pick? Where are those folks now? Newton has been spectacular and Panthers fans must be ecstatic at what he's shown through four weeks despite the team's 1-3 record. Unfortunately Carolina plays in the toughest division in football and gets the high powered Saints this week. Drew Brees and company have been rolling on offense and should continue that this weekend. But don't expect the Panthers to just roll over. This has the potential to be a shootout that will be closer than many expect. Look for Newton and crew to put up a fight, though New Orleans should come out on top.

Chicago 33, Detroit 30
Man, the Lions offense has looked spectacular so far this season as Matt Stafford has emerged as a star quarterback and Calvin Johnson has established his position as the best receiver in the league. Chicago on the other hand has looked just okay on offense as they haven't been able to get the running and passing games clicking at the same time. Matt Forte ran wild last week and it just feels like Jay Cutler is bound to have a huge game soon. With the stout Lion's D Line in place, I say this is the week where Jay lets it fly. Being entirely realistic, the Lions had no business winning against Dallas last week and don't expect the Bears to have such a dramatic meltdown. Expect a shootout on Monday night with Cutler's Bears getting that last crucial score.