Weekend Forecast (NFL)

NFL
Minnesota v. Chicago: The Vikes are fresh off a victory against the lowly Cardinals, while the Bears last week came out on the losing end of a low-scoring TurnoverFest in Foxboro. Chicago's defense will surely maintain its intensity at home, but no one knows what to expect on the offensive side of the ball. Still, even if Grossman continues to struggle, expect Urlacher and crew to carry the day.
[20-10, Chicago]

Kansas City v. Cleveland: The Chiefs' season began with a scary episode involving Trent Green, and with two tough opening losses against Cincinnati and (at) Denver. Since their bye week, however, Herm Edwards and company are 7-2, having logged wins over Seattle, San Diego, and Denver (all at Arrowhead). With successive critical games against Baltimore and San Diego coming up, the Chiefs can ill afford a slip-up against the miserable Browns. Expect K.C. to improve to .500 on the road.
[27-17, Kansas City]

San Diego v. Buffalo: Ahh, no one--and I mean no one--is developing a bandwagon quite like the Buffalo Bills! OK, so maybe that's an exaggeration. Still, the Bills have won two straight, and were mere minutes away from beating the Colts in Week 10, which would have put their current streak at four. J.P. Losman, Willis McGahee, and Lee Evans (stud!) are beginning to mature together, and could very well evolve into a dangerous offensive core. As much as I'd love to pick Buffalo--especially since they are playing at home--I simply cannot bet against the San Diego... actually, forget trendy sensibility! Call the family! Tell the kids! It's a HUGE Upset Special!
[24-21, Buffalo]

Indianapolis v. Tennessee: Vince Young has compiled a 4-4 record as a starter, which includes last week's miraculous comeback against the tailspinning Giants. He appears poised to put to rest his many naysayers and their misgivings about his technique and how he "fits" in the NFL. Nonetheless, Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning, and he's likely looking to resume his aerial assault on the NFL record books. After all, Joseph Addai loudly claimed the spotlight for one game--and enough is enough. We can't let the Colts suddenly decide to develop a running game!
[31-20, Indianapolis]

New York Jets v. Green Bay: The Jets are 3-2 on the road; the Packers are 1-4 at Lambeau. The Jets have five winnable games left (and could potentially go 11-5), with their most difficult remaining contest coming in Week 16 at Miami; the Packers are... done. Expect the Jets to bring their A-game as they look to win back-to-back games for only the second time this season.

Atlanta v. Washington: The hard-to-figure Falcons, who have matched road victories against Carolina and Cincinnati with losses to Detroit and Cleveland, are mired in a four-game backslide. If they are to salvage any degree of respectability for this season, they must find a way to right the ship and win should-be gimmes at Washington and at Tampa Bay. If they drop one or both of these games, they run the risk of ending the season on an epic losing note, with tough games against the Cowboys and Panthers yet to be played. Washington managed to steal a win last week at home against Carolina, but are otherwise thoroughly mediocre; there's simply little to say about the 'Skins.
[14-10, Atlanta]

Detroit v. New England: While this may not be Belichick and Brady's most talented squad, the '06 Patriots stand at a relatively quiet 8-3. Their remaining opponents--Detroit, Miami, Houston, Jacksonville, and Tennessee--pose little threat to a potential 13-3 season. Heck, even 12-4 might end up being good enough for a #2 seed in the AFC. Under such circumstances, N.E. would only need to win one road playoff game to make it to the Super Bowl. Does this sort of scenario ring a bell? The seemingly third- or fourth-best Patriots hit their stride at the right time and make an impressive playoff push, much to the bewilderment of fans and pundits who could have sworn that the "system" had finally fallen flat on its face. Hmm.
[31-10, New England]

Arizona v. St. Louis: Rams, by default.
[28-10, St. Louis]

San Francisco v. New Orleans: San Francisco, while much improved, has won only once on the road--and that victory came in Detroit. At 5-6, the lovable Niners have several difficult games left, including road journeys to Seattle and Denver. An 8-8 season would certainly make for an impressive feat, but there are just too many roadblocks for Mike Nolan's guys. The Saints, who have surrendered 125 points in their four losses, could arguably be the best team in the NFL if they had even a halfway respectable defense. Fortunately for them, the 49ers also give up lots and lots of points.
[33-21, New Orleans]

Houston v. Oakland: Hmmm.
[17-10, Houston]

Jacksonville v. Miami: Jacksonville = ?!%$. Miami has won four in a row, including consecutive triumphs over Chicago and Kansas City. Look for Saban's team to keep the streak alive against the road-challenged Jaguars (who, by the way, = !@#^&).
[17-10, Miami]

Dallas v. New York Giants: This NFC East showdown, along with Seattle @ Denver, perhaps stands to be the week's most interesting game. The Giants' organization has become a well-covered circus, with coach Tom Coughlin and star defensive end Michael Strahan among the most recent figures to have thrown team members under the proverbial bus (and rather publicly, I might add). Add this to Eli's ongoing struggles, and it's easy to see that the Giants absolutely cannot afford to fall to 6-6, which would put them a full two games behind Dallas in the NFC East. (Fortunately for the G-men, and unfortunately for fans, the Wild Card spots in the pathetic NFC may well go to teams who are 8-8 or worse, so even with a loss New York will still have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs.) While I haven't yet climbed aboard the Tony Romo Super Bowl bandwagon, I can't see the Giants beating a streaking, confident Cowboys team.
[28-20, Dallas]

Tampa Bay v. Pittsburgh: This is a battle between the NFC team that I predicted would reach the Super Bowl and the AFC team that numerous pundits picked to repeat as conference champions. Boy, were we dead wrong or what? The Bucs and Steelers sit at a combined 7-15, which includes a shameful 1-10 road record. I'll give the edge to Pittsburgh, solely because they are playing at home.
[20-7, Pittsburgh]

Seattle v. Denver: This Sunday Night game provides an intriguing matchup of 7-4 teams that are looking to define their seasons. Mike Shanahan and his recently humbled Broncos, losers of two straight, will place this year's hopes on the arm of rookie QB Jay Cutler. With games still to play against the Chargers and Bengals, Denver's '06 campaign could easily turn from riches to rags. The newly healthy Seahawks, meanwhile, appear ready to climb the depleted NFC standings in hopes of potentially earning the #2 seed. Look for Matt Hasselbeck (injured finger and all), Shaun Alexander, and crew to wield their opportunistic swords and pull off an upset in Denver.
[20-14, Seattle]

Carolina v. Philadelphia: Without McNabb, the Eagles (sadly) are toast. The Panthers have yet another chance to prove themselves--but don't expect too much, lest you be greatly disappointed.
[13-10, Carolina]