It?s officially Autumn now, and the passing of the sun over the equator on its way to warm the Southern Hemisphere is very apropos for the NFL. After two weeks, some teams are feeling unnecessarily cold and need a change of season to break the bad weather. Others are blazing hot, but don?t have the water supply of talent to maintain such a scorching pace. Week 3?s in the NFL have a way of bringing equality and order back to the league. Equinox, the meteorological term for the sun being directly over the equator, is a really cool phenomenon. Strange things happen; you can balance an egg on its end. Strange things can still happen this weekend in the NFL too, but by and large this is the end of the flukiness. Last week?s forecast was 11-5, taking the overall season tally to 23-9. That gives me enough confidence to break out the power poll, which is indicated by the number in parentheses following the team name. Game of the Week San Francisco (15) at Minnesota (2): This game decides if it?s really time to drink the 49ers-flavored Kool Aid, or if it?s just some funky punch that starts out tasty, then leaves you hunched over the toilet begging for water. Minnesota is a major test, and the Vikings are licking their chops at the prospect of playing a team that might actually beat them after the appetizers of Cleveland and Detroit are now done. A confident Niners team is starting to believe in what Coach Singletary is preaching, and a road win over a marquee team (see: Favre, Brett) is a great bulls eye. I think the Vikings defense is the key here. Their run defense hasn?t been as stout as in previous seasons, but it?s still quite good. Their completely underrated secondary has the potential to blank out the 49ers passing game when paired with the pass rush. Joe Staley & Co. will have to be at the top of their games all day up front for San Fran, and I just don?t see them being able to sustain long drives. Frank Gore can hit the home run, but can he hit two or three again? Brett Favre is salivating at seeing Dre Bly (who has been quite good so far) playing corner for the 49ers, and I like how the Vikings pass offense has been given time to grow up before really needing to play sharp. I just don?t see San Francisco being able to outscore the Vikings, not in Minnesota with that defense. Vikings 27, 49ers 10. Atlanta (7) at New England (12): One of the 282 ESPN football analysts (Cris Carter maybe?) stated a very keen observation regarding Tom Brady. He said Brady looked like he was playing afraid to get hit, that he doesn?t trust his knee yet. I went back and watched the game (thanks to NFL.com) and while I see merit in that point, it looked more to me to be a function of a lousy offensive line and perhaps the worst RB package in the league. They clearly missed Wes Welker, and they lack anyone else at WR that can take coverage off Randy Moss. In many ways, that?s worse than Brady being a little skittish. The Falcons defense has played well, though they will miss rookie DT Peria Jerry, who immediately became their best run stuffer. This game is going to be decided on whether the Patriots OL can take care of business against John Abraham & Co. I don?t really see how they?ll do it, but I trust Bill Belichick enough that they?ll somehow find a way. Make no mistake: if this New England team makes the playoffs with this porous line and underwhelming rushing attack, this is the greatest coaching job Belichick has ever done. Atlanta is (gulp!) the better overall team, but New England somehow wins 28-27. Green Bay (11) at St. Louis (32): You might be wondering why I have St. Louis rated dead last, what with Detroit, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, and Kansas City all just completely lousy football teams. Why are the Rams the worst? All those other teams have at least one thing that they do fairly well, something that you can point to and say, ?They can win a game or two because of that.? The Rams, alas, have no such visible strength at this time. Maybe Steven Jackson makes that statement look stupid and runs wild, and maybe the Packers league-worst OL is a great way for the Rams anemic pass rush to get going. Maybe my 4-year old son will grasp thermodynamics, too. Green Bay cruises 27-10. Cleveland (31) at Baltimore (1): I firmly believe that one of the worst sports clich?s is the guaranteed victory. It was cool for Joe Namath and Mark Messier all those years ago, but now it?s just tired and meaningless. Having said all that, I?ll guarantee you that Baltimore beats Cleveland. This is my survivor fantasy game pick of the week. Ravens 30, Browns 3. Tennessee (19) at New York Jets (4): I love Jets fans. The complete lack of long-term memory and the inevitable devastation that comes along with it is setting up like a beautiful disaster. Right now Coach Ryan is the toast of the town with his bombastic style, his aggressive defense, his breath of fresh air following Eric Mangini. Flash back a couple of years to Mangini?s first season, when his low-key intensity and hyperactive attention to minute details were lauded and he could do no wrong. Much like Mangini?s stint, I think Ryan is going to have some very good short-term success (probably better), and Jets fans would be wise to savor every last drop while it lasts. When it starts to go, it?s going to be ugly and sudden. The milk gets spoiled a little this week by the desperate Titans, who are simply too good to be 0-3. These Jets have staying power though, and the Titans secondary has to play better to pull this one off. Tennessee 24, New York 16. Jacksonville (25) at Houston (13): I?m very interested to see how the Texans handle their emotional comeback win against the reviled Titans last week. The Jaguars pass rush has been dreadful, and last week proved that when Matt Schaub gets time he can eviscerate any secondary. It?s about time for Steve Slaton to break out against a JAX team that sure seems to be playing uninspired ball for a lame-duck-to-be coach. Texans 34, Jaguars 20. Kansas City (28) at Philadelphia (21): This year?s Eagles are finding the injury bug that plagues Seattle last season. McNabb is iffy, Westbrook is chronically questionable, their line is testing the bottom end of their depth already, and they?re calling Crazy Eddie for more hot tubs. This is a good week for them to get mentally healthy, and I think Michael Vick?s debut gives them a spark at home. The Chiefs are game but just aren?t very talented in too many spots, and Matt Cassel is clearly not right yet. Eagles 31, Chiefs 10. Washington (22) at Detroit (30): My fellow Lions fans, this is the week! Seriously. As long as the turnover margin isn?t worse than -1, Detroit will break the streak at home against a Redskins team that appears thisclose to mutinying their coach. Dan Snyder might make Jim Zorn walk the plank, or at least walk back to Ashburn VA, after Detroit pulls the 20-17 stunner. New York Giants (6) at Tampa Bay (29): These are the two teams that Dallas has played this year, and just a quick study of those two games tells you all you need to know about this one. Tampa ran the ball well and played about as well as they could, but couldn?t pressure Romo, couldn?t cover in the back end, and got drubbed. The Giants struggled running the ball, extensively used their #6 WR, had an injury-ravaged secondary, got outplayed by a talented Cowboys unit...and still won the game. In short, Tampa?s ?A? game wasn?t even close to Dallas, while the Giants ?C? game was good enough to beat the Cowboys. Expect a good fantasy week for Eli Manning in a 36-13 Giants rout. Chicago (14) at Seattle (17): Matt Hasselbeck?s gimpy status seals the deal for this pick. I was already leaning towards the Bears, as their rejuvenated pass rush is a major mismatch against a Seahawks OL that has not played well. Jay Cutler might have found a new Eddie Royal in rookie Johnny Knox, though I?m still waiting for a Bears wideout to make an actual block on a running play. Still, the work in progress keeps working, and a nice road win over a Seattle team that doesn?t appear to have found any identity keeps it progressing. Chicago 28, Seattle 17. Denver (23) at Oakland (24): The fact that Denver could open up a 2-game lead in the AFC West by winning here just blows my mind. I think water finds its level here for the Broncos, and I bolster that assertion with how Oakland got thoroughly outplayed last week and still found a way to win. The X factor here is the vastly upgraded Denver secondary, which has perhaps the best 1-3 CB package in the league and a rejuvenated Brian Dawkins rubbing off his savvy to his mates. Raiders fans kvetch about JaMarcus Russell?s inaccuracy, but in this game it might actually be a positive; he?s so wildly off that his errant throws aren?t going to get picked off. Raiders win in the Black Hole 20-17. Indianapolis (5) at Arizona (16): You cannot get a more divergent experience as a defense than what the Colts are getting here. Going from Miami to Arizona--on a short week no less--is as antonymic and difficult as it gets. All that time spent on the field hurts them this week, and those chageups that Chad Pennington threw to Ted Ginn are now laser-armed Kurt Warner gunning to Larry Fitzgerald. And Anquan Bolden. And Steve Breaston. The Cardinals defense has played very well for 6.5 quarters this year and can bring pressure from multiple sources. I would never bet against Peyton Manning, who proved Monday night that he?s the best QB of my football lifetime, which dates back to the late 70s. But there are just too many ways that Arizona can win this game. Cardinals 37, Colts 33. New Orleans (3) at Buffalo (27): I have a sneaking suspicion that Buffalo?s defense slows down Drew Brees & Co. more than expected, but I still think New Orleans finds enough points to outscore a Buffalo OL that is signing guys off Green Bay?s practice squad just to have enough bodies to practice. There is upset potential here but that?s more for the gamblers than the straight-up players. Saints 30, Bills 20. Miami (20) at San Diego (10): In two games this year Shawne Merriman has as many tackles as you and I. I?m not suggesting that going off steroids has anything to do with it--he is coming back from a bad knee injury--but I?m not not suggesting it either. Whatever they need to do to get Merriman his mojo back, they?d better do it quickly. I?m incredibly frustrated by San Diego once again sputtering out of the blocks, because it makes forecasting their games near impossible. On paper they should roll here, as much as anyone can roll over a ball-control team with a decent pass defense. But the Chargers are prone to sleepwalking through too many stretches. Miami tweaked the Wildcat just enough to make it a legit weapon again, and Ricky Williams is running with confidence and attitude. Still, I think home cooking and pride will carry San Diego here, but this would be my lowest value on confidence game picks for the week. Chargers 23, Dolphins 20. Pittsburgh (8) at Cincinnati (18): The early weeks of the season are great for chicken/egg arguments, and last week?s Bengals game brought up a great one. Did Antwan Odom get six sacks because he has dramatically improved, or was it the Packers? patchwork line that led to an awesome performance? No disrespect to Mr. Odom, who has played very well in both Bengals games this year, but he was greatly aided by playing against a sub-par backup guard playing tackle, so the egg wins despite it being a pretty tasty chicken. This week Odom gets another team that struggles in pass protection, and with the way the Cincy secondary has been playing, he and his mates could make a very long afternoon for Big Ben. I like the matchups for the home team, and the Bengals pull off the surprise. Cincinnati 29, Pittsburgh 27. Carolina (26) at Dallas (9): Frequent emailer Jason Butchock presented a very well-conceived argument that the coach of the losing team here will not be employed come Thanksgiving. I wouldn?t go that far, but I?ll boldly proclaim that the coach that loses this game will not be coaching the team next year. Of course, the winning coach here is probably still feeling some flames under his chair too. The Carolina defense has been one of the biggest disappointments of the young season to me, and the Dallas offense is strong enough to continue that, even sans Barber. Jerry Jones gets his inaugural home win in his wondrous palace to himself, as the Cowboys run to a 33-17 win on Monday Night Football. Drinking in the Dorm Room Games 4-1 last week, taking the tally 10-5. Penn State 27, Iowa 13 Houston 41, Texas Tech 33 Virginia Tech 20, Miami 17, and ACC detractors should note that this is the third ranked opponent for each team, or exactly as many as the entire SEC East has played so far. California 30, Oregon 24 Clemson 17, TCU 16, thus ending any non-BCS school argument for the year. Well, except Houston?s...

Despite connections to Kansas City, Bill Belichick said he never inquired about trading for tight end Tony Gonzalez, as the Falcons did in April. A month earlier, the Patriots had signed Chris Baker. ?And we have (Benjamin Watson [stats]),? Belichick said. ?We didn?t get into that. I never talked to Scott (Pioli) about Tony Gonzalez.?

The Atlanta Falcons are focused on business when they travel for road games, even avoiding staying at hotels that are hosting weddings. Coach Mike Smith has major input into the travel plans. He decides if the team is staying close to the stadium or close to the airport. The team hotel must have ample meeting space for the team and be free from distractions. If there?s a wedding scheduled for that weekend, the Falcons will look for another place to stay. ?Weddings are tough,? the team's logistics director Spencer Treadwell said. ?I can?t have our meetings being interrupted by a celebration.?

Falcons rookie defensive lineman Peria Jerry will miss the rest of the 2009 season with a knee injury. The tackle tore up his left knee in the fourth quarter of Atlanta's 28-20 win over Carolina on Sunday. "It's very unfortunate for Peria," coach Mike Smith said. "It's a very, very violent game on the offensive and defensive lines. We're going to miss him, but we've go to move forward." The Falcons took Jerry with the 24th overall pick in April.

Falcons running back Michael Turner was limited by the Dolphins in Week 1, but things should change on Sunday. Atlanta will face off against Carolina, who struggled mightily against Philadelphia last week. ESPN's Pat Yasinskas points out the the Panthers lack a true top-flight run stuffer.

The Falcons practiced in their red helmets Wednesday. They will be part of the ?throwback? uniforms they wear Sunday. The emblem and stripes will be added to practice wear Friday. RealGM Note: The Falcons switched to a black scheme when Jerry Glanville became their head coach in the early 1990s.

The Falcons have acquired cornerback Tye Hill, a former first-round pick, from St. Louis. In return, the Rams received a seventh-round selection in next year's draft. Hill was originally the 15th overall pick in the 2006 draft, and has four career interceptions in his three NFL seasons in St. Louis. He missed the final eight games of the 2007 season with a broken bone in his back. Last season, a knee injury forced him to miss the final 12 games.