Cardinals -6.5 vs. Seahawks – If I could put my entire season on one game, this would be it. The Cardinals have been stinking up the joint and certainly don’t want to limp into the playoffs following a thumping by the Patriots. They want to get back on track and will do so against the Seahawks. Expect big numbers offensively for the Cardinals as they cover this line.

Cowboys +1.5 vs. Eagles – I could be wrong here, but I can’t see the the Cowboys having their season come to an end in week 17. Maybe in the playoffs, but I don’t see them losing this one. It won’t be the shootout it was in week two but the Cowboys will still come out on top. They won’t be giving up a few 77+ yard runs this time.

Broncos +8 at Chargers – Eight points is an awfully thick line. Sure, with Jay Cutler and his propensity for picks sixes no line is safe, but eight points seems just like too much for me. The Chargers may be on a roll and the Broncos heading the opposite direction, but that doesn’t mean they’ve already lost. And it also doesn’t mean that they’ll lose by more than eight. This is just too thick of a line for a game of this significance.

Pick time.

Lions +7 vs. Saints – Everything about this game spells upset to me. The Lions will play their hearts out knowing they have just two weeks left to save themselves from eternal embarrassment. New Orleans’ season is practically over, and their defense hasn’t been great. Detroit will have tons of motivation and they played the Colts tough last weekend. They should give the Saints all they can handle.

Buccaneers -3.5 vs. Chargers – The weather in Tampa should be the best on the schedule, which is what I’m looking for. In a straight up game without gimmicks, Tampa Bay is much better than San Diego. Even if Jeff Garcia is slower moving around the pocket with his calf injury, he’ll make the big plays like he usually does. If not, the defense will do the rest. They need a win badly and will get one.

Redskins +4.5 vs. Eagles – The Redskins have certainly flamed out this year in a grand fashion, I’m well aware of that. But in a divisional battle with pride at stake and a home game on hand, I can’t envision the Skins losing by more than a field goal. They’ll play well enough to keep it close and could even ruin Philly’s season with a surprise win. They’ll be ready.

Pick time.

Patriots -6.5 @ Raiders – I fully expect to see Matt Cassel playing and prepared for this one. Don’t you fret about seeing any Kevin O’Connell or whatever his name is. The Pats have been in the Bay Area all week to get ready for this one so they don’t have to make any timezone adjustments. They should be well-prepared physically and mentally to destroy the crappy Raiders team.

Giants +3.5 @ Cowboys – The pendulum has swung in favor of the Cowboys despite all their soap-opera madness. The Giants looked human for the first time all year last week against the Eagles. Plax may be hurt and Jacobs might be too, but the offensive line is healthy. That’s all that really matters for the G-Men and I expect them to control the game on the ground pushing around the Dallas D-line. Getting points is a luxury.

Seahawks -2.5 @ Rams – OK, so there could be something wrong with taking three road teams, two of which are favored, but even though both teams in this game are 2-11, one is much better than the other. The Seahawks are much more competitive than the Rams and much better in every phase of the game. The Rams are so bad that even Seattle will be able to beat them soundly. When you’re giving up points at home to a 2-11 team you know you’re bad.

Strong picks to come.

Dolphins pick ‘em vs. Bills (in Toronto) – This isn’t exactly a home game for the Bills, so I give Miami the edge. I just think the Dolphins are the better all-around team and less-prone to making mistakes. Buffalo’s turnovers have been killing them lately. Could be another field goal game, and I’ll give the nod to Miami.

Seahawks +6.5 vs. Patriots – Seattle’s much more competitive at home, especially with Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback instead of Charlie Frye or Seneca Wallace. They’re not a great team and I’m not expecting them to win, but I think they’ll keep it at a one possession game. It’s not easy for any team to travel cross-country to a loud environment and have success.

Colts -13.5 vs. Bengals – I just cannot imagine a scenario in which the Bengals turn this into a reasonably close ballgame. Their offense stinks, their defense stinks, and the Colts are rolling. Indy will probably score in the 30s, and I highly doubt the Bengals make it into the 20s. It’s a thick line, but I don’t think you’ll have to sweat.

Picks to follow.

Steelers +1.5 @ Patriots – The Pats offense is starting to click, but I think they come back down to Earth this weekend against one of the top defenses in the league. Roethlisberger finally has his crap together, and it looks like Fast Willie is going to play, too. That Steelers pass rush is vicious and will make life difficult for Cassel.

Broncos +7.5 @ Jets – Either Favre’s gonna throw an interception to help win this bet, or Cutler will. It’s a tough way to live. But seriously, after two extremely tough games at New England and at Tennessee back-to-back, I expect the Jets to have a let down. The Broncos should sneak up there and make it a close game. They’ve already proven in Atlanta that they can win on the road, too.

Bears +3.5 @ Vikings – The big factor here is the health of Kyle Orton. His ankle must be better judging by last week’s game, so I like the Bears in this one under his leadership. The Vikings just don’t have the passing game to take advantage of a weak Bears secondary, so I expect it to be a close game.

Winners to follow.

Ravens -1.5 vs. Eagles – Baltimore may have been eatin up last week but you can’t really fault em when they’re facing the Giants. You have to remember that Baltimore’s a ball control team and if they’re not controlling the ball, they’re not doing well. Since Brian Westbrook is injured more than he’s letting on, the Eagles won’t be as explosive on offense. I expect the Ravens to shut them down and control the game.

Cowboys -10.5 vs. 49ers – The buck stops here for Singletary’s crew. Dallas is charged after their big win last weekend and should be poised for another run. Tony Romo completely changes the dynamic of that offense and makes the running game potent once again. Blowout city.

Falcons -1.5 vs. Panthers – It’s like a general rule — Falcons at home this year are a good play. Except for last weekend when they blew it against the Broncos. Still, Atlanta’s has a two-dimensional offense and should be able to move the ball against the tough Carolina D that’s made their name holding down the league’s worst. Doing it against a pretty good offense on the road is a different story. Let’s see how they do this time.

Pick time.

Redskins +1.5 vs. Cowboys – Both teams should be well-prepared for the game since they’re coming off byes, but each team still has key players injured: Portis for the Skins, and Romo amongst others for Dallas. Though Romo will be playing, I don’t believe he’ll be close to 100% and I don’t think that will be enough to win the game. Tony’s even said he’s having trouble handling snaps under center. I’ll take Jim Zorn’s extra week of prep over Wade Phillips’ and give the nod to the Skins.

Dolphins -10.5 vs. Raiders – They keep sharing stats about West Coast teams being like 0-13 when they fly cross country to play an East Coast team. There’s a reason for it — most of the West Coast teams suck while the East Coast teams are good. This particular West Coast team is horrendous, and this particular East Coast team is good enough to bury them significantly. The Raiders will have no chance against the unstoppable Wildcat offense!

Steelers -5.5 vs. Chargers – Everyone keeps waiting for the Chargers to make their run like last year. Funny, I think this is the game that knocks them out of Wild Card contention. Big Ben practiced all week and so did Fast Willie. I think the Steelers will be steamed about blowing last weekend’s game and come out with a vengeance in this one. Too bad for San Diego they happen to be on Pittsburgh’s hit list at the wrong time.

Here come the winners.

Jags -6.5 @ Lions – I don’t care how dysfunctional the Jags may appear to be, they’re taking on a team that is either starting a Daunte Culpepper at quarterback who’s been with the team like four days, or Drew Stanton who would be making his first career start. Mike Peterson problems or not, you have to like the Jags’ chances of posting a blowout here.

Chiefs +15 @ Chargers – Kansas City may be a bad team, but I don’t think they’re 15 points bad. They’ve put up some good numbers their last two games and had strong chances of winning the last two weeks before blowing late leads against the Jets and Buccaneers — two good teams. Clearly they haven’t packed it in, and Tyler Thigpen has shown signs of life at QB. If there’s any defense that any quarterback can have success against in the passing game, it’s San Diego’s.

Giants +3 @ Eagles – The Eagles would have to make a heck of a statement to get a win here, and they very well may do it. Until it happens however, I’ll take my chances with the Giants who are playing the best football and sporting the most well-balanced attack in all phases of the game. They can run, pass, pass rush, and defend the pass. Philly has quite the challenge ahead of them and I see them as more prone to make the critical 4th quarter mistakes in what will be a close game.

Pick time.

Broncos -3.5 vs Dolphins – Give Shanahan a week to prepare and Cutler two weeks to recover from his hand injury and I think that spells trouble for Miami. The Dolphins sure could run on that porous Denver defense and will probably use the “Wildcat” formation to punch in a few touchdowns, so I’m expecting a shootout. I just expect that the Broncos with the extra week of rest to heal up will be on the winning end of things.

Falcons -2.5 at Raiders – Atlanta already has a strong running game that can pound the Raiders. They also have a good passing game too in case they fall behind. Most importantly, they have that winning attitude and I trust Matt Ryan leading a team more than JaMarcus Russell. We already know he can make the key plays down the stretch.

Now, for your weekly winners.

Jaguars -7 vs. Browns – Cleveland’s defense has played well lately, but that’s all about to change now that the Jacksonville coaching staff has had two weeks to scope them out and gameplan for this one. I expect the Jags’ offense to click. On the other side of the ball, the Jags have some good corners that will make it tough for the Browns to throw against. Not having to worry about Winslow is a major plus as well.

Titans -4 vs. Colts – This game is tailor-made for the Titans: one of the best running teams against one of the worst run-defense teams is always a formula for success. Tennessee will be able to dictate the pace of the game and keep it away from Peyton just sucking up clock by pounding the ball. On the other side, the Titans defense will be able to pressure Peyton into mistakes as well, not to mention clamp down on the run. The matchup is ideal.

Redskins -7.5 @ Lions – Their offense has been quietly lately, but there’s nothing like Detroit’s defense to cure those ills. Actually, what made Washington so great the first part of the season was their ability to protect the football. As long as they stay away from the turnovers, they should put up some points. Their defense has been solid all year too, so I expect no different in this one.