And then there was two… weeks that is.  Our resident pickatologist takes his stab at the NFL’s second to last week of the regular season as teams begin jockeying for playoff positioning, or in the case of the NFC West, hopefully someone’s 7th win

MIKE KAYE

Last Week: 10-5 / Season: 113-83 / Guest: (last week 1-0) 8-6

Panthers @ Steelers- The Pick: Steelers. I know that Carolina got the win last week but that will be the first and last wins of Jimmy Claussen’s starting career in a Panthers uniform. While Claussen is destined for a career as a backup, Big Ben looks focused on another Superbowl win. This Steelers team is not happy that they lost to the underwhelming Jets last week so this could be the ugliest game of the season. I think the Steelers win by 28 points minimum.

Cowboys @ Cardinals-The Pick: Cowboys. I think this battle in the desert is just what NFL fans want on Christmas, a game that features two teams playing for pride with their coach’s futures pretty much on the line in this one. The Cowboys almost let the Skins win last week with Rex Grossman so this game could really go either way but I like Dallas simply because of the Quarterback battle. Say what you want about Jon Kitna but he is one of most consistently average starting QB’s of the decade and against the likes of John Skelton, mediocre at this point in his career, I like Kitna’s odds. I also think this will be a huge opportunity for Tashard Choice to breakout in a big way and make a huge name for himself.

Jets @ Bears-The Pick: Jets. Last week’s win over the Steelers could be just what the cocky Jets need to right their ship and it comes at no better time as they play a pretty good Chicago team. I am a fan of the way both of these teams play defense and while their styles are completely different (Bears run a 4-3 Tampa 2 and the Jets run a 3-4 with a lot of DB help) both force an ungodly amount of turnovers. For the aforementioned reason, I believe this game will be tight, especially playing on the abomination of a field at Soldier Field. I think the Jets win because the Bears’ receivers are matched up poorly against the Jets’ extraordinary pair of Corners. Jets by 3.

Patriots @ Bills-The Pick: Patriots. I like how Chan Gailey has his team playing harder than half the playoff contenders in NFC West. This matchup is simple, the Patriots are a Superbowl contender and the Bills are contenders for Superbowl celebrity guest passes. While I think the Bills home advantage will help them in the point differential between the two teams, I do believe the Pats will enjoy a win.

Titans @ Chiefs-The Pick: Chiefs. The Chiefs are the best running team in the league by a large margin and with Titans’ starting DT Tony Brown on the IR, Tennessee’s defense could have a lot of trouble. I think Matt Cassel has been brilliant his season, in large part to Charlie Weiss’s offense, and this could be a defining game for former USC backup. Dwayne Bowe will add to his pay dirt collection in this game, guaranteed.

Redskins @ Jaguars-The Pick: Jaguars. While the Jags blew a great opportunity with AFC South, they can still gain back the division if they win-out so look for this home team to pounce on a weary Rex Grossman. Sexy Rexy returns to an area close enough to UF that he will have a lot of people in the audience that he will want to impress and after last week’s performance, I think he may accomplish that. The problem for the Skins is the problem most teams have against Jacksonville, Maurice Jones-Drew. He has been phenomenal this year as he is 2nd rushing and is close to overtaking Arian Foster if he can continue his dominance. If the Jags win this division, he should be Offensive Player of Year.

Lions @ Dolphins-The Pick: Lions. I think last week, the Lions proved they can win and look impressive on the road. The win over the Bucs is what I think will be a turning stone for Detroit and will help establish this team for next year. With that said, I think the Lions come out firing on their return trip to Florida and give the Fins a ton of problems. On the other side of this game, the Dolphins need Brandon Marshall to show up for the whole game and they also need Sean Smith and Vontae Davis to stick to Calvin Johnson. No matter, who starts at QB, I think the battle between Detriot running back Maurice Morris and Fins inside linebacker Channing Crowder will be very interesting to watch.

49ers @ Rams-The Pick: Rams. I originally picked the Niners because out of sheer selfishness I want a team to win this division with a 7-9 record so that the competition committee can have an example of why the current playoff seeding is awful. A division winner should definitely get a playoff spot but home-field advantage over a 10-6 or 11-5 team when the division winner is 7-9 is a bit ridiculous. I think Spags will have a great opportunity here against a misguided and poorly managed, Niners team. Look for Bradford to emerge from his funk but Niners’ inside linebacker may take out the rookie’s favorite target, wideout Danny Amendola (you may know him from Cowboy’s hardknocks, he was signed off the Eagles practice squad last year and currently have 70 catches on this season). This will mean others will have to set-up. Enter: Brandon Gibson. He is a wideout that is considered to be the best route runner of last year’s draft class which is perfect for Bradford’s intelligent way of making reads.

Ravens @ Browns-The Pick: Ravens. As much as I have grown to respect Eric Mangini, this game will unfortunately be the beginning of the end for him in Cleveland. The Ravens are simply too talented to lose this game and not destroy Colt McCoy. While I think this game will be closer than a lot of national pundits will predict, I think Baltimore will be victorious and their secondary will make a statement to the league with at least two interceptions.

Texans @ Broncos-The Pick: Texans. If reports are true about Gary Kubiak going to Denver after he is fired in Houston, this game could serve as his job interview. While I think the fact that a guy has never coached a playoff game or won more than nine games as a head coach is indicative of him going back to being a coordinator, Kubiak’s familiarity with the area and knowledge of the QB position should help him in this game and if he is the future Mr. Bronco. Anyway, I think Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub can tear apart the old and (in some cases) delinquent secondary.

Colts @ Raiders-The Pick: Raiders. I like the upset here, because without a few lucky special teams’ plays, Indy loses the division last week. The Raiders are still very much playing for their playoff-lives and the Colts still seem in a funk and going out west will not help that. I believe this one will be close but I think Darren McFadden will have the juice to destroy an already horrible run defense that the Colts provide. I think this game, in turn, establishes Tom Cable as a long term head coach for the Raiders and their nation. Ditto for Jason Campbell.

Chargers @ Bengals-The Pick: Chargers. I know T.O. just went on injured reserve, but I believe this whole team needs to be put on ice. The Chargers are on a mission to make up for the big hole they created at the beginning of the season and the Bengals will not be a road block. Chargers will win in a big way in front of the 12 people that show up in Cincy.

Seahawks @ Buccaneers- The Pick: Buccaneers. While the Bucs are essentially eliminated from the playoffs they are still a more promising team then the NFC West leading Seahawks. While I believe Marshawn Lynch will have a huge day against the Gerald McCoy-less Tampa Bay defense, I think Bucs QB Josh Freeman and WR Mike Williams will fight back from last week’s adversity. This will give the Rams the division for the time-being.

NY Giants @ Packers-The Pick: Packers. This is probably the biggest game of the week as both of these teams are fighting for the last wildcard spot in the NFC. Aaron Rodgers should be back and Eli Manning will most likely be ready to lead his team after last Sunday’s embarrassment. I think home-field advantage and the excess wind and possible snow in Wisconsin will definitely be a factor in this game. If this is in Jersey, the Giants win this one convincingly but at Lambeau, the Packers have weather on their side, something that Eli isn’t great at handling. This game will be a game of the year candidate and prove that the Giants are a good team but unfortunately the Packers will sneak out with a winning field goal.

Vikings @ Eagles-Guest Pick: Scott.  The Pick: Eagles.  After the Miracle at the Meadowlands, I’m convinced more than ever that this Eagles team is a team of destiny.  That combined with the absolute nightmare of a season that Minnesota has had makes this the easiest pick of the weekend.  Favre is likely finished, which means Joe Webb will likely get the start. If you watched the MNF game against the Bears you saw a guy that couldn’t move the ball through the air to save his life.  His legs may make a few plays, but at the end of the day, nothing short of a rout would surprise me.

Saints @ Falcons-The Pick: Falcons. This game is odd as the Falcons have all but locked up home field advantage in the NFC and the Saints need a win to stay afloat in the competitive NFC wildcard. I think the Falcons need to win this game because if they lose out and the Eagles win out then the Eagles own the tie-breaker over ATL and that could provide problems if they meet up in the NFC title game (as Matt Ryan does not lose at home). Ryan’s away record isn’t as pretty so I think the Falcons have to beat the Saints for that reason along with the fact that New Orleans is the reigning champs and a division rival. Make a statement Matty Ice. The Saints seem lukewarm and even if they win this game and make the playoffs I think they will have a lot of problems come January.

Photo: Reuters

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