SUNDAY
New Orleans Saints (6-3) at Atlanta Falcons (5-3)
NEW ORLEANS minus 1
The inside track to the playoffs awaits the winner of this tussle.
The pick FALCONS
Washington Redskins (3-5) at Miami Dolphins (1-7)
WASHINGTON plus 4
After nine losses, Redskins quarterback John Beck is still awaiting his first win as a starter. He'll have to look elsewhere.
The pick DOLPHINS
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)
PITTSBURGH minus 3
Steelers have won eight of past nine in the Queen City, and will certainly need the W here after being swept by Baltimore.
The pick STEELERS
St. Louis Rams (1-7) at Cleveland Browns (3-5)
ST. LOUIS plus 3
The Browns boast the No. 1 passing defence and No. 30 rushing defence. The Rams are Nos. 12 and 32, respectively. Run, run, run!
The pick BROWNS
Denver Broncos (3-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-4)
DENVER plus 4
Broncos QB Tim Tebow's up-and-down season should take a down turn in Arrowhead Stadium against a K.C. defence that was embarrassed last week by Miami.
The pick CHIEFS
Arizona Cardinals (2-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-5)
OFF
The status of Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb (foot) had the odds for this game undetermined as of press time.
Tennessee Titans (4-4) at Carolina Panthers (2-6)
TENNESSEE plus 4
One of these weeks, the light will go on for Titans RB Chris Johnson.
The pick TITANS
Houston Texans (6-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4)
HOUSTON minus 4
The Texans offence keeps plugging along just fine without WR Andre Johnson (hamstring). Bucs QB Josh Freeman hasn't looked great and faces the No. 2 pass defence.
The pick TEXANS
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) at Indianapolis Colts (0-9)
JACKSONVILLE minus 3
The Jags have the lowest-scoring offence in the NFL, but should scrape up enough to top a Colts team that would take a death grip on the top 2012 draft spot with a loss.
The pick JAGUARS
Baltimore Ravens (6-2) at Seattle Seahawks (2-6)
BALTIMORE minus 7
The Ravens silenced a lot of critics by beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh last week. Will they again be caught napping against a weak opponent, à la the Jags in Week 7?
The pick RAVENS
Buffalo Bills (5-3) at Dallas Cowboys (4-4)
BUFFALO plus 6
Buffalo tailback Fred Jackson gets his homecoming – literally. He grew up in a house located where Cowboys Stadium now stands.
The pick COWBOYS
New York Giants (6-2) at San Francisco 49ers (7-1)
NEW YORK plus 3
Frank Gore has a franchise-record five consecutive 100-yard rushing games. Don't expect any different against a Giants squad giving up 127.1 rushing yards a game.
The pick 49ERS
Detroit Lions (6-2) at Chicago Bears (5-3)
DETROIT plus 3
With Green Bay disappearing over the horizon, these teams are vying for second place in the NFC North. Expect a squeaker.
The pick BEARS
New England Patriots (5-3) at New York Jets (5-3)
NEW ENGLAND plus 1
New England can't pressure the quarterback or match up in the secondary. And even QB Tom Brady's presence is unlikely to make the difference here.
The pick JETS
MONDAY
Minnesota Vikings (2-6) at Green Bay Packers (8-0)
MINNESOTA plus 14
Green Bay might not run the table, but it'll take more than Vikings rookie QB Christian Ponder to derail the defending champions.
The pick PACKERS
Last week 6-7
Season 59-63-7
Paul Attfield