Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham missed practice on Friday with a left shoulder injury. He suffered the injury on the final play of practice on Thursday. "They thought it was better if he just not work today," coach Tom Coughlin said of holding him out on Friday. "So I'm going to list him as questionable, but hopefully he will make it." Manningham has started six of seven games this season, catching 28 passes for 439 yards and four touchdowns.

Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw will continue to play despite a cracked bone in his right foot. Bradshaw, who has 455 rushing yards, has apparently known of the injury since the spring. A specialist confirmed the injury on Wednesday. "I just plan on going out there and giving it my all and if it breaks, it does," Bradshaw said. "I'll get surgery. If not, I'll wait to the end of the season and hopefully at the end I won't need it, but more than likely I plan on having surgery."

The Giants put a picture of Donovan McNabb picking up a telephone on their sideline during last year's playoff game on their bulletin board this week. On a conference call with Giants media, McNabb didn?t apologize for the spur of the moment act. ?I don?t have any regrets for doing it,? McNabb said. ?But in this game, do you really need any psychological motivation? I don?t think so. If you need any little thing that happened during a game last year or years before, then really you?re not truly focused on week in and week out trying to be the best at what you do.? Giants coach Tom Coughlin denied the bulletin board story adding, ?I don?t have anything to say about it.?

Ahmad Bradshaw traveled to North Carolina to visit with noted foot and ankle specialist Dr. Robert Anderson for another opinion on how his injuries are being managed. The result of that examination was not known as of Wednesday night. While it is a concern, a visit to Anderson does not automatically mean a surgical or season-ending option. In 2007 it was Anderson who examined Plaxico Burress and recommended rest and therapy.

The scoreboard is where games are officially won and lost, but they are largely decided by the team that wins the battles of yards per pass, yards per carry, penalty yards lost, first downs, and turnovers. For this reason, I created the following formula called the ?Trench Counter? to look at which team truly controls the game: (2x Yards per pass) + (2x Yards per carry) + (.5 First downs) - (Penalty yards/10) - (2.5 Turnovers) - (Opposing Team's Trench Counter) Click here for more information on the Trench Counter For the 2009 season, our weekly team rankings will be based solely off this formula. 1. New Orleans Saints: 17.6 The Saints are +9 in the takeaway/giveaway category this season, which is a testament to their improved defense. Darren Sharper alone has five interceptions, two of which became TDs and 275 in interception return yards. 2. Indianapolis Colts: 11.4 The Colts again are excellent against the pass, giving up just 4.6 yards per attempt and have improved to the middle of the back against the run with a 4.1 net average. 3. Denver Broncos: 11.0 Correll Buckhalter is still leading the NFL in yards per carry with a mark of 6.7, which is a full two yards better than his career average. 4. New England Patriots: 9.8 The Patriots have only allowed one touchdown to be scored against them on the ground. 5. New York Giants: 9.2 Opposing teams have only attempted three field goals giants the Giants. 6. Minnesota Vikings: 7.8 While Percy Harvin gets a ton of deserved press for his abilities on kickoff returns, Darius Reynaud is averaging 17.3 yards per return. 7. Green Bay Packers: 6.7 The Packers have been very effective defending the pass, allowing a passer rating of 70.1. 8. Pittsburgh Steelers: 6.3 Ben Roethlisberger threw for 417 yards on Sunday, as the Steelers become almost unrecognizable from their traditional offensive selves. 9. Philadelphia Eagles: 5.7 Penalties have hurt the Eagles' defense, as they have allowed 11 to 1st downs to come via the penalty. 10. Baltimore Ravens: 2.9 Ray Rice leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage with 766, over 200 more than fellow second-year man Steve Slaton. 11. Houston Texans: 2.9 The Texans have struggled mightily to sack opposing quarterbacks, with only seven of them occurring through their first six games. 12. Dallas Cowboys: 2.4 If only they could all stay healthy.. Dallas running backs Marion Barber, Tashard Choice and Felix Jones each have yards per carry averages over 5.0, while the latter is at 10.1 in his 21 attempts. 13. San Francisco 49ers: 1.9 The 49ers intend to use Michael Crabtree on the field at the same time as Isaac Bruce and Josh Morgan during Sunday's game at Houston. 14. Chicago Bears: 0.7 Injuries to the Chicago defense continue to pile, with Pisa Tinoisamoa now down for the season. 15. Atlanta Falcons: 0.6 The Atlanta defense has come along this season and impressively denied the Bears from scoring during three of their four red zone opportunities. 16. Seattle Seahawks: 0.6 Seattle trails the 3-2 49ers and Cardinals in the NFC West, but their +9 season point differential is only five and 11 points behind those two teams respectively. 17. Arizona Cardinals: 0.3 Larry Fitzgerald leads the NFL in receiving touchdowns with five, but is a co-leader due to the presence of Minnesota's Visanthe Shiancoe. 18. New York Jets: -0.1 The rise and fall of Mark Sanchez was swift; he now has a 56.7 passer rating, which puts him only above JaMarcus Russell and Derek Anderson. Rex Ryan will need to have a short hook with Sanchez if his play continues to be costing his team as it did against Buffalo. Kellen Clemens is one of the NFL's better backup QBs. 19. Jacksonville Jaguars: -0.1 Mike Sims-Walker is second in receiving yards per game with an average of 99.5. 20. Buffalo Bills: -0.7 The concussion to Trent Edwards creates even further uncertainty in an uncertain situation for Dick Jauron. 21. Cincinnati Bengals: -1.1 The Bengals have had very little success in getting to the quarterback if it hasn't been Antwan Odom, who is now out for the remainder of the 2009 season. Jonathan Fanene will be expected to be more successful, but they will need to get creative with their linebackers. 22. Washington Redskins: -1.3 Sherman Lewis' system isn't too complicated and I wouldn't be floored if they somehow got it together well enough to knock off an Eagles' team that just loss to the Raiders. 23. San Diego Chargers: -3.1 Once a great strength of the Chargers, the team is averaging just 2.9 yards per rush and 57.6 yards per game, both of which are last in the NFL. 24. Miami Dolphins: -3.1 Given the Saints propensity to score in bunches, the Dolphins will likely have to abandon their bone-crushing running game and give Chad Henne's arm another big test. 25. Kansas City Chiefs: -5.6 Dwayne Bowe has gotten back into shape and the tough love from the new regime seemed to pay off in Washington when he had his first 100-yard game of the season. 26. Carolina Panthers: -6.8 The Panthers have an unmanageable interception perception of 7.3%. 27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: -7.9 Josh Johnson will make his fourth NFL start on Sunday and gets to do so at Wembley Stadium against a New England team that just destroyed the Titans. 28. Detroit Lions: -8.7 In terms of net yards allowed per defensive play, Detroit is last with an average of 6.2. 29. Tennessee Titans: -11.5 The Vince Young calls will continue for as long the Titans remain inept and winless. It really wouldn't hurt at this point and it will make their offseason decision on him far less complicated. 30. Cleveland Browns: -13.3 The Browns draw the Packers this Sunday, which may trigger their floundering pass rush. 31. St. Louis Rams: -13.8 Steve Spagnuolo had to answer questions about his time management this week, which is a good problem to have when you're winless. 32. Oakland Raiders: -15.0 JaMarcus Russell was an efficient 17-for-28 for 224 yards, despite the two interceptions in Oakland's 13-9 win over the Eagles. They were 4-for-14 on 3rd down compared to Philadelphia's 2-for-16.

Last week: 9-5, pushing the season forecast to 66-24. Unless you are a Titans fan, or perhaps a Patriots hater, you had to love seeing the first snowy game of the season last Sunday. It?s always an unpredictable experience how younger players respond to the unfamiliar elements. I believe that?s a hidden factor into why the Patriots, and to a similar extent the Giants and Steelers, can sustain their success. Their veteran players have played in the wind, cold, rain, snow, ice, and they know how to adjust. Contrast that with Titans rookie CB Ryan Mouton, a Houston native who played collegiately at Hawaii. At least part of his problem was his inability to adjust his footing to the snow and his body to the cold. Same with Mark Sanchez in cold, windy Buffalo; the SoCal lifer hadn?t ever played in elements like that before, and it showed. It?s not a major factor in games most of the time, but keep an eye on youngsters from the SEC and southern Pac-10 schools making their first trips to the cold, windy, wet conditions that constitute fall in the North and East. That means Percy Harvin, Clay Matthews Jr., Rey Maualuga, and Mohammad Massaquoi could all be in for disappointing weeks this week. Game of the Week Minnesota (3) at Pittsburgh (13): Points are going to be critical in this game, and that turns my attention to the red zone capabilities of both teams. Want to know a good reason (besides Favre, Peterson, and Jared Allen) that the Vikings are undefeated? Check out their red zone play; first in offense, 2nd in defense. Perhaps just as impressive is that they rank 4th (tied) in the league in red zone opportunities on offense and a respectable 14th (tied) on defensive chances. Pittsburgh ranks #2 on offense (thanks Heath Miller!), but their defense ranks just 24th. That means the Vikings are more apt to cash in for touchdowns where the Steelers might have to settle for a FG or two. Still, it?s Pittsburgh in late October, which means temps in the 40s, wind, and perhaps some light rain, not to mention the incredible confidence and energy the Steelers draw from their faithful Terrible Towel wavers. I think the Minnesota luck runs out here. Pittsburgh 24, Minnesota 21. Best of the Rest Arizona (10) at NY Giants (5): The Giants have one real weakness: pass defense. The Cardinals have one major strength: pass offense. The Giants feature a great rushing offense, while the strength of the Cardinals is run defense. In short, one team is well-positioned to exploit the other?s weakness, and they simultaneously are also well-positioned to stop the other team?s strength. Normally I don?t put much faith in matchup comparisons, especially when the Cardinals are playing in the east. But there is a tendency to over-correct for past week?s sins, and the Giants cannot afford to do that even though the Cardinals sport the league?s most anemic rushing attack. The Meadowlands has been a house of horrors for Kurt Warner, but I think he gets a little redemption here. Cardinals 30, Giants 24. Atlanta (7) at Dallas (17): Atlanta really impressed me with the toughness of their defense in the win over Chicago, something that was largely missing last year. They roughed up a Bears OL that is both immobile and fractious, i.e. similar to the Cowboys. Dallas has struggled with the pass rush despite stellar play from NT Jay Ratliff, a uniquely skilled difference-maker. I would like to think that being pushed to overtime by the inferior Chiefs would spark the Cowboys, but that has not been the case in the past for Tony Romo and friends. I always beware the dreaded 3-point favorite at home, which the Cowboys are here, because that essentially means the game is a push (handicappers invariably give three points to the home team). What that says to me is, Dallas is probably better but we don?t really trust them. When you consider the Cowboys usually give an extra point or two on the line anyways due to their popularity, it can be read that Atlanta is probably more apt to win, and certainly to cover. Falcons win 28-27. Chicago (14) at Cincinnati (12): Losing Antwan Odom really hurts the Bengals in games like this one, where the opposing QB is good at avoiding sacks even under heavy pressure. Odom was finishing those types of sacks as well as anyone, and the Bengals don?t have anyone who can fill that hole. The woeful left side of the Bears OL lends hope to the Bengals, but that is predicated upon Matt Forte running with more vision and authority. His legs look tired, which will happen when you get 900+ touches in a little over 2 years. I like the concept of Ced Benson putting it to the team that (rightfully) gave up on him, but the Chicago front has been playing real well in terms of gap integrity. I sense a tight field position battle, and that favors the Bears despite their propensity for idiotic gaffes and bad penalties. The cloud formations read Chicago, and I?m not about to argue with Gilgus Thunderhead. Bears 26, Bengals 24. San Francisco (15) at Houston (18): All the attention here will focus on 49ers rookie WR Michael Crabtree making his debut. But there is another rookie who is quietly putting up monster numbers at a position of dire need, and that is Texans LB Brian Cushing. Houston hasn?t had a worthy starting SLB since their inception, but the USC product has changed that. He already has 48 tackles and five passes defended, both of which represent a year?s worth of production from that spot. That sort of impact is critical to Houston, and it?s precisely matchups such as this one where the fruits of that investment should really pay off. The Niners struggle to sustain drives--they rank 31st in 1st downs per game and dead last in percentage of 3-and-out drives, and players like Cushing help guard against the big play that the Niners rely upon so heavily. Texans string two wins in a row together, something they have rarely done. Houston 27, San Francisco 17. Upset Special New Orleans (1) at Miami (16): The Saints are clearly the best team in the league after their demolition of the Giants. But strange things happen to undefeated teams in Miami, and all those bitter old 72 Dolphins still refuse to let their perfect season rest in peace. I suppose it?s pretty cool if you?re a Dolphins fan to see Mercury Morris, Nick Buoniconti, et al pop champagne on the sidelines when the last undefeated team falls in Miami, but to the rest of us it?s akin to seeing a fading starlet get naked on camera to try and keep the spotlight just a little longer. Enough of Meg Ryan?s nudity and enough of sponging off a feat that took place before any players on either team were born. That doesn?t mean that the upset magic is gone, however. Miami somehow shocks the Saints 27-24. The Rest San Diego (19) at Kansas City (27): What appeared to be a mismatch before last weekend suddenly becomes a very compelling game. No team does less with more than the Chargers, and the Chiefs have played pretty well against underachievers. One of my favorite NFL axiomatic clich?s is that good teams don?t just beat bad ones, they rout them. San Diego is just not a very good football team, and this game should provide the final spike in that coffin. The Chiefs pull the upset 24-20. New England (6) at Tampa Bay (30) in London: Anyone else find great irony that the New England Patriots are heading to Wembley Stadium to play a game? This battle should go a lot better for the Patriots, as the British were a much more game opponent than the hapless Buccaneers. Not even an army of Frenchmen can help Tampa win this game, and the NFL ?treats? the good people of England to a lopsided whipping that could be over as fast as last weekend?s Patriots pummeling of Tennessee. New England rolls in Old England, 38-13. Green Bay (9) at Cleveland (29): When watching the Packers-Lions game last week, the entire packed bar I was at all came to the same conclusion: if the Packers had even Detroit?s mediocre OL, they might not need to keep a punter on the active roster. But that Green Bay OL is full of holes that Swiss cheese-makers can only dream about; it?s easily the worst in the league. That leaves them vulnerable and puts more pressure on a defense that is still finding its way in the new scheme. The moribund Browns provide a good chance to build more confidence in both areas, though Shaun Rogers has an alarmingly productive history against the Packers: 7.5 sacks, eight other tackles for loss and a blocked FG in his last six games against them. Alas, his teams have lost every one of them. Green Bay 36, Cleveland 17. NY Jets (23) at Oakland (24): For all the talk about the ?Heidi? game, you?d think these two teams play infrequently, thus not letting that game some 36 years ago fade away. In fact, they?ve played every year but two in the last 10, including twice in both 2001 and 2002. How about some memories of the 2001 Week 17 matchup, which the Jets pulled off on a late TD to qualify for the playoffs (against Oakland) and keep the defending champion Ravens out? Or the following season, where the Raiders ended the Jets? playoff run (after the Jets shocked the Colts) by sitting on short routes and forcing Chad Pennington to beat them deep--a strategy that other teams copied and led to a downer season for the Jets the following year? I know it?s fun to reminisce about a strange historic event, but enough is enough already! Enough of another thing too: The New York Jets rank dead last in sacks, so can we shut up already about the awesome pressure of the Rex Ryan defense!?! Oh yeah, the game...the Jets threw six INTs in eight possessions and still darn near beat the Bills. The Raiders team that showed up against Philly will win here too, but you simply cannot trust that passion and warfare to pervade. Mark Sanchez gets comfortable in his return to California, and the Jets win 20-17. Indianapolis (2) at St. Louis (31): Just what the winless Rams need: a high-powered Colts team coming off a bye week to get healthy. That near-miss in Jacksonville could prove the nadir of the St. Louis season. A glimmer of hope: the Colts tend to show rust in the first half of games after byes; they?ve trailed at the half in four of their last six. Of course they only wound up losing one of those...Colts 31, Rams 10. Buffalo (25) at Carolina (22): Bad news for Buffalo: Carolina finally got the run game cooking. Last year it also took a few games before DeAngelo Williams found his groove, and then he ran for 18 TDs in their last 11 games. He finally got the wake-up call in 2009, and with the Jets coming off a dismal effort in trying to stop Thomas Jones, he is the running free (shameless Coheed & Cambria reference) this week. The Bills barely won despite getting six INTs and losing starting QB Trent Edwards to another concussion. Those sorts of fortuitous wins happen about once every three years, not two weeks in a row. Caroline quietly evens their record and re-enters the playoff race with a commanding 30-13 win in my survivor fantasy pick of the week. Philadelphia (11) at Washington (28): The Eagles have played one game against a team that currently has a winning record, and the Saints blew their doors off 48-22. The Redskins, meanwhile, face a team that enters the game with even one win for the first time all season. That?s pretty much the only way they have garnered any wins, because the Washington offense has been pathetic. It won?t improve with LT Chris Samuels shelved, certainly not against an attacking defense like Philly uses. The Eagles continue to get fat on the easiest 6-game opening schedule ever concocted. Philadelphia 20, Washington 6. Byes: Detroit (26), Seattle (21), Denver (4), Baltimore (8), Tennessee (32), Jacksonville (20) Drinking in the Dorm Room Games: 4-1 last week, 23-12 on the year. Kansas 26, Oklahoma 24 Miami FL 32, Clemson 20 TCU 20, BYU 17 Notre Dame 36, Boston College 31 Penn State 33, Michigan 24 Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com

Peyton Manning loves watching his brother Eli play, but winces when FOX commentator Joe Buck is assigned to New York's games. "Of course Joe Buck's just ripping Eli, just because that's what he seems to enjoy doing," Peyton said during an interview with NBC's Bob Costas. "So I'm yelling at Joe Buck, 'Just call the play-by-play, Joe. Let [Troy] Aikman do the commentary!' " Buck says that the "feud" has become a running joke. "I thought it was great," Buck said of Manning bringing his name up on NBC. "I've never been that flattered in my life. It's probably the greatest thing a player ever has said about me, that he's aware of what I do. He and I have talked about it before in a joking manner ... "Any time they want to mention me on NBC, it's fine."

Brandon Jacobs will play in the Superdome on Sunday for the first time since he was in high school. The Giants' running back has underperformed his previous numbers through the first five weeks of the 2009 season. "I see myself as a tone setter; yes, I do," Jacobs said, raising his voice. "I?m going out, and I'm just running into people with my 6-4, 265 pound frame. Doing what I?m supposed to be doing, running into people for two-yard losses. Happy?"

Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was asked on Thursday how much Eli Manning has improved this season. "A lot," said Williams. "I was going against him from the time he was a rookie until now. You see so many similarities in the body mechanics and the body mannerisms between both he and Peyton. You can see they talk ball and talk football a lot in the offseason among each other. He?s grown quite a bit. Kevin Gilbride and Chris Palmer are trusting him more with making the decisions that a quarterback has to make at the level and putting him in the right kind of play selection. He?s grown a bunch. He?s playing well."

Last week: 10-4, pushing the season mark to 57-19. I was also within three total points on three different games last week, including the Monday nighter that took way too many by surprise. The weather is starting to be more of a factor in games. Last week?s Cleveland/Buffalo game was marred by strong winds, and this weekend features games in Green Bay and Cincinnati, where cold temperatures and higher winds could put a damper on offenses. It looks like rain in Oakland and the Northeast, which helps out teams with power running games and slows down teams that like to blitz on defense. It?s also the time of year that many professional sports gamblers start to ease back on the wagering. There is enough baseline information on every team that the preseason notions and assumptions are now history. That is reflected in the lines for Tennessee, Buffalo, and Cincinnati; no more free points based on faulty assumptions. This is also when freak upsets tend to start popping up on a weekly basis. The best candidate this week: Kansas City over Washington, even though that?s not my game pick. Game of the Season So Far New York Giants (2) at New Orleans (1): I could go in about 20 different directions breaking this one down, but the one battle to which I always return is the Saints DL vs. the Giants OL. If the Saints D that we?ve seen in their past two games is the one that shows up at home off a bye, New Orleans should win. It helps New Orleans that Brandon Jacobs isn?t running with his usual fervor and Ahmad Bradshaw is dinged up. I think the Giants back-seven is better equipped to handle the Saints high-powered offense than any other team, but ?handling? them means keeping the score in the 20s. Can the G-Men put up that many points on the Saints? That?s the great debate, but something tells me the Giants? red zone woes aren?t going to end here. In order to beat New Orleans they cannot settle for field goals. New Orleans 27, New York 24. Best of the Rest Baltimore (9) at Minnesota (4): Baltimore is reeling after consecutive last-minute losses, but this is probably the toughest test yet for their revamped offense. The key matchup here is Vikings DE Jared Allen going against rookie backup LT Michael Oher. Allen gets sacks off pretty much everyone, so expect Baltimore to shift protections to help out Oher. That frees up Kevin Williams to do a lot of damage as a pass rusher, and it?s already near impossible to run between the tackles against Minnesota. That is true of Baltimore too; they rank near the top in all rushing defense metrics. But they showed vulnerability in the last two weeks with powerful inside runners that can cut. No back does that better than Adrian Peterson, and the Vikings don?t alter their plan of attack just because the opponent has a strong run D. Expect Peterson to still get a lot of cracks, and though he might take more 1-yarders than normal, he has the ability to break a couple. The Ravens? penchant for ridiculous penalties doesn?t help them, certainly not on the road against a QB that, like Tom Brady, cannot be touched without drawing a flag. Vikings 27, Ravens 17. Chicago (10) at Atlanta (12): Chicago comes in fresh off their bye week, a week they spent trying to plug the holes in their pass defense. Interestingly, these teams allow almost the exact same passing yards per game and yards per attempt. What that tells me is that the team that can run the ball and protect their own QB more effectively should win. The Bears defensive ends have been a major bright spot, but I see John Abraham & Co. having more success getting to Jay Cutler--a function of the Falcons? better OL and Chicago?s sputtering run game. That should be enough when paired with the prime time home game. Atlanta 30, Chicago 24. Arizona (14) at Seattle (16): This shapes up to be a highly entertaining affair, with the caveat that nobody has any idea which teams will show up on either side. These two are the toughest teams to forecast because they are so wildly inconsistent. I could lay out various victory scenarios for either team, but the plain truth is that I have no clue if Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde will show up on either side. Arizona is better equipped to handle those bad hair days, but Seattle at home can blow that hat off. If you lay money on this game, you probably have a gambling problem. Arizona 33, Seattle 30. Denver (5) at San Diego (18): This is one of those games where you have to trust the sports books. Denver is undefeated and is the best 2nd half team in football, certainly on defense. San Diego?s defense has largely disappointed, and they have the least-effective rushing offense in the league. All that, yet the bookies have set the Chargers as early four-point favorites. That screams out ?bet the farm on the Broncos?, which is precisely what they want you to do...which is why you should trust them on this one. The casinos make money every season, and it?s a game like this one where they suck you in that the bookmakers earn their paychecks. Take your empirical evidence that Denver should win and throw it out the window. San Diego triumphs off the bye, 24-20. Houston (23) at Cincinnati (8): The Bengals are in first place after sweeping their AFC North brethren, yet they almost certainly will be blacked out in their home market. That is karmic retribution to the Brown family for being frugal and continuing to employ too many people that get arrested too often. In other places, this lack of fan support would be a real downer. But Marvin Lewis and his coaches have fostered a very tight brotherhood that should thrive off the perceived slight. I also like their under-appreciated defense being able to slow down a Houston team that clearly lacks confidence in the red zone. So long as Carson Palmer?s thumb is okay, the Bengals will be too. Bengals 31, Texans 19. The Rest Detroit (24) at Green Bay (17): The Packers are always a tenuous pick with their simply unacceptable offensive line, but these Lions are the resistible object to that movable force. Even the ?good? Lions teams have struggled in the Land of Beer and Cheese, having won just once in their last 20 trips across Lake Michigan. Give the Lions some credit for playing a brutal schedule thus far and generally acquitting themselves as being vastly improved, but there?s a huge jump from being ?not bad? to winning divisional road games against a team coming off a bye. Expect a big week for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers pass offense in a 40-24 Green Bay victory. Kansas City (27) at Washington (21): Whenever the Chiefs play the Redskins, I cannot help but recall my childhood. I had one of those electric football tables where the players glided hopelessly out of control and there was no way to figure out plays. My favorite matchup was the Battle of the Indians between the Chiefs and the Redskins, with my baseball cards of Bert Blyleven and Rick Manning (Cleveland Indians, of course!) perched on the sides as head coaches. For some reason the John Riggins model could always run straight and the Art Monk model was always open, and the Redskins always won. I saw one of those tables the other day in an antique toy store and probably should have bought it. Oh well. Redskins find some offense in a 30-17 win. Carolina (25) at Tampa Bay (29): This is probably the best chance the Bucs have to win a game this season. Unfortunately for them, the Panthers are coming off a confidence-building win over Washington where the Carolina defense thoroughly dominated the line of scrimmage. Greenhorn QB Josh Johnson provides some spark for Tampa Bay, but that defense has little chance to slow down DeAngelo Williams or a revitalized Jake Delhomme. My Bucs fan cousin Brett is convinced his beloved will pull this one off, but he?s too easily distracted by his Yankees this time of season. Carolina 28-17, but be wary of the upset. Cleveland (28) at Pittsburgh (12): Clevelanders can depend on three negatives in life: orange barrels on the freeways, lake effect thunder snow, and the Browns losing in Pittsburgh. Derek Anderson might improve upon his 2-for-17 rate from last week, but they?ll need someone besides punter Dave Zastudil (Ohio U. product!) to be their best player. The Steelers are going to miss Aaron Smith a whole lot, but it?s probably not going to show up this week. Cleveland has just one win in Pittsburgh since their return to the league, a 33-13 pasting of Tommy Maddox in 2003, aided by a fumbled punt and 3 INTs. The irony here is that the QB that Derek Anderson is most historically similar to is one Tommy Maddox. My prediction here is for Pittsburgh to win by the average score of the last five home games vs. Cleveland: Steelers 32-16. St. Louis (32) at Jacksonville (22): Here?s the hangover effect of last season?s Lions actually completing a perfectly winless season. In years past, you could always assume that every team was going to win at least one game no matter how hopelessly they appeared to suck. But Detroit changed that, and it makes this winnable game for the Rams seem less likely. Jacksonville is way too up and down, and they take those to extremes. The Jags followed up a dominating win over Tennessee with the worst game played by any team this year in the loss to Seattle. The Jaguars team that showed up in Seattle last week will lose this game, but you just cannot accurately forecast which one will show up. Jacksonville is the pick, but not nearly as confident a pick as you would expect for playing a team that?s inferior to those historically inept Lions. Jacksonville 30, St. Louis 27. Philadelphia (6) at Oakland (31): I already used the Eagles (last week vs. the Bucs) in my survivor fantasy league, but if you haven?t yet, this is a great spot to do it. Philly in a 36-10 laugher. Buffalo (30) at New York Jets (13): Beware an angry Rex Ryan defense at home. Couple that with the Bills getting worse, not to mention more injury-ravaged, every week and this doesn?t look pretty. The intriguing side plot here is the diva WR battle between TO and Braylon Edwards. Methinks Braylon played his one good game this month on Monday night, but TO just doesn?t have the QB to get him the damn ball. J-E-T-S roll 35-13. Tennessee (26) at New England (7): One of the big topics on sports radio this week is, ?Why isn?t Jeff Fisher playing Vince Young?? The answer: Coach Fisher gets to see Vince Young in practice everyday and knows that Kerry Collins provides his team with the best chance to win. Collins hasn?t been great but he also hasn?t been the problem. That pass defense is flat-out terrible, and it?s hard to be a team that wants to run, run, run when you?re losing 17-3 by the end of the 1st quarter because your safeties can?t cover at all and your defensive front can?t get much pressure. That is a nightmarish but likely scenario again while facing Tom Brady, Randy Moss et al., especially considering the Titans/Oilers franchise has one win in Foxboro in the last 33 years. Patriots 41, Titans 20. Byes: Indianapolis (3), Dallas (15), Miami (19), San Francisco (20) Drinking in the Dorm Room games Last week: 4-1, raising the season tally to 19-11. Texas 24, Oklahoma 20. Texas really showed me something in how they responded to playing terrible in the first half against a terrible Colorado team. They can build off that and beat a dinged-up Sooners offense. Virginia Tech 26, Georgia Tech 25, perhaps in overtime. Alabama 31, South Carolina 16. Ohio U. 29, Miami OH 10. A sweet Homecoming victory for my alma mater. If you?re in Athens this weekend, head to the Junction and have a quad for me. USC 33, Notre Dame 27. Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com