No more bye weeks is awesome if you like football because you are almost always guaranteed a good game. There are lots of good games this week so lets get straight to it. Home teams will be in CAPS, line is from www.sportsbook.com

DOLPHINS (-2) Over Bears

This is how much I hate the Bears. Tyler Thigpen, the Dolphins third-string quarterback, is starting off of a short week and I still like him better than Jay Cutler. Credit where credit is due, Cutler has been playing better and the Bears played a good game against Minnesota. That being said its time for me to get off the Minnesota is good bandwagon. It seems like I am the last person to get off. This game will be ugly, very short week and a third string quarterback almost guarantees it but outside of Buffalo this is Miami’s first easy game all season and I expect them to take advantage. Somehow the ‘phins aren’t out of it and they continue to make the AFC picture very murky.

Ravens (-10.5) Over Panthers

High number? You betchya. Should you lay it? Absolutely. Lock it down before it goes up. Clausen is Concussed they have no running backs and the Ravens had a long break. Easy money. FYI a St. Pierre was just named the starter. Feel even better now.

Bills (+5.5) Over BENGALS

Like I predicted the Bengals covered the spread against the Colts. It doesn’t mean they are good, it means they are lucky and sometimes that is more important than being good. Palmer continues to put up deceivingly decent numbers even though he is anything but and the Bengals can’t run. They should win this game but it won’t follow their normal game plan as the Bills won’t drive to a huge lead. It may seem incredible but this could be Carson Palmer’s worst game because they won’t need to throw the ball so much because they will be playing with the lead. Bills keep games close and they will keep this one as well.

Lions (+6.5) Over COWBOYS

I didn’t like the Lions last week because I thought that Shaun Hill was coming back from injury a little too early. This week I think he will be better and I am not sure how good the Cowboys actually are. I thought that Cowboys would play well last week. You always get a nice boost from switching coaches but they did out perform my expectations. I just don’t trust Jon Kitna. The Lions are something like 7-1 against the spread this year. They, like the Bills, manage to keep games close.

JAGUARS (-1.5) Over Browns

Oh the poor Browns. I’m not convinced they deserved to lose that game last week. Just a terrible way to lose. That being said, the Jaguars will win this game. They had a miracle win, literally a miracle win and should build momentum off of it. I like them this week more-so because they are at home. The Jags are a fluky team and you’re never sure which team will show up but when they come to play they come to play. They need this game if they are to stay in the AFC playoff picture.

CHIEFS (-8) Over Cardinals

Are the Chiefs really that bad? I don’t think so. The Broncos were off a bye and McDaniels is good after the bye. Is the Cardinals defence that bad? I tend to think they are. With a way more horrible quarterback than last year they can’t hide their mistakes as easily. Ugh Seattle now leads that division. Wake me up when the NFC West is annexed and sent to the UFL or the CFL. The games might be more interesting then.

Packers (-3) Over VIKINGS

Packers are a better team but if Sidney Rice comes back this game could be close. I said earlier I was off the Vikings bandwagon. Watch them win this game and suck me back in. Whatever you want to say about Brett Favre at least he’s interesting. I’ll be watching this game and I guess that you will be as well. There are not any other interesting games on the early schedule. Weird.

JETS (-7) Over Texans

The Jets are over-rated. They have been barely beating teams that they should be destroying. I wonder if they will ever be exposed or if they will just coast to the playoffs. We shall see. I do like them over the Texans this week. The Jets defence should shut down Matt Schaub who so far has failed to live up to pre-season hype and Sanchez will have a Sanchez like game. Be decent but win and really that matters more than statistics.

Raiders (+7) Over STEELERS

Pittsburgh is now a good team that has lost its “elite” status in my mind. Hines Ward is questionable with a concussion and Ben Roethlisberger makes questionable decisions (wow I walked into that one). But the main reason they have lost their “elite” status is because their offensive line is so battered and injured that the just can’t protect Big Ben like they used to. Side note Roethlisberger is ridiculously difficult to take down in the pocket he’s just a monster back there. The Raiders are not a bad team and I like their defence. They should be able to get at Ben as well as the Patriots. I still think that the Steelers pull this game out but the spread is too large for a team as good as the Raiders. Plus the Raiders are coming off the bye week.

TITANS (-7) Over Red Skins

Pathetic effort by the Red Skins Monday night, really pathetic. Twice this season 59 has been put up. Once was Monday night at home. The best part about the game is the fact that the Red Skins have committed to McNabb for another 5 years. Welcome to mediocrity Washington. Welcome to Mediocrity. Titans have to get their act together. Screw Randy Moss they just have to keep going back to Chris Johnson to win. The man is really a superstar. Run Titans Run. This is definitely a pick against Washington and not a pick for the Titans which is always a dangerous proposition.

SAINTS (-11.5) Over Seahawks

I can’t believe that Seattle won the last game and has a chance to make the playoffs. This team is terrible and there is no reason for them to get better. They did play better than Arizona which is a pat on the back for them but the Saints are coming off the bye week, playing at home and rounding into form. If the saints do not absolutely crush the Seahawks you’ll get a full refund on this blog post. Promise.

Buccaneers (+3.5) Over 49ERS

Troy Smith is showing that he can be a decent quarterback. He has performed above Alex Smith’s level and 49ers fans have to be happy because of this. I think that the Rams should have had the game last week but the 49ers found a way to win. That being said, the Bucs are the masters of finding a way to win. Josh Freeman is a good quarterback and will find a way to lead the Bucs to victory. I am actually really surprised how good the NFC South is. It is a very sneaky good division outside of Carolina. They may, may bring three teams to the playoffs which would be ridiculous. Tampa could easily get to 10 wins. How crazy is that? Their over/under at the beginning of the year 5.5, which they have already passed! The only other team to have its over/under settled? Dallas with the under. I originally thought that the 49ers were underdogs which makes sense based on their record but no they are favoured… feel even better about the Bucs pick now.

Falcons (-3) Over RAMS

I really like the Rams and they have won some good games this year but the Falcons are one of the teams to beat in the NFC. Pass interference on offensive non-call aside the Falcons played really well against Baltimore on both sides of the ball. They totally dominated the first half. The extra rest will serve them well and they should cruise over the competitive but not as talented Rams. Surprisingly the Rams still have a chance to win their division. That only highlights the weakness of the NFC West. How are the Falcons only three point favourites? They had ten days and just beat the Ravens, I am perplexed I must admit.

Colts (+4) Over PATRIOTS

Not going to lie I flipped a coin. Came up heads that meant Manning. This game will come down to quarterbacks in my estimation. The one thing I worry about for the Colts is that Manning may be distracted given that he is coaching and playing at the same time because lets face it, he is calling the plays every time he goes to the line. Also, thank you Pats for crushing the Steelers, not only did I get to bed early but I made a decent amount of change on the +5 line. That was great.

EAGLES (-3) Over Giants

I thought that the Giants might have been over-rated from an easy schedule and might have been a touch cocky for that game. Turns out they were. The Eagles have a tremendous amount of talent. Just tremendous. Michael Vick is making an argument for MVP and is making a number of teams regret not taking a chance on him. The PR job by Philadelphia around the Vick situation has been fascinating and he has repaid their flyer in spades. How do you stop him? Washington isn’t great but he put on a clinic against them. New York may have a good defence (jury is still out) but they’ll need their A-game to stop Vick and I don’t think it will happen.

CHARGERS (-9) Over Broncos

Warning don’t be fooled by the Broncos win against the Chiefs. There are wins like that every year and the Chargers are warming up. They are gearing up for their annual December push. Phillip Rivers will slice Denver’s secondary to shreds. Shreds.

Good three team parlay for this week is the Chargers, Saints, and Ravens. I like them all to win for sure.