I'm back in my familiar chair doing NFL picks, so maybe this will at least pull me back above Peter King.

AZ at MIN: The Minnesota Meltdown finally ends, although not for long unless the NFL gives them Arizona again next week. MIN

CAR at WAS: Note to Washington: the new guy at QB doesn't look that great either. CAR

CIN at CLE: Let's see, either the Bengals will walk all over the inferior opponent or they'll overlook them and lose. I'll save my upset special for another game. CIN

HOU at NYJ: So much for the rejuvenated Jets. Looks like their win over the Pats was more the now departed natural grass at Foxboro than their own competence. Luckily it doesn't take much competence to beat the Texans. NYJ

JAX at BUF: They're horribly inconsistent and they're on the road. Lost in their big win over the Giants was that the Jacksonville receivers were just god-awful. They're approaching Detroit Lions territory in terms of WR busts. BUF

NO at ATL: OK, I'll say it now. Maybe the Texans were right to pass over Reggie Bush. ATL

PIT at BAL: The Ravens are 8-2? I know I'm giving them more credit than they deserve, but the Steelers should be able to show some pride here and knock off the worst 8-2 team in recent memory. Upset Special. PIT

SF at STL: I'm with Lucas on this one. When you go from under the radar to chic playoff pick, you often find yourself reverting to form. Just ask the 4-1 St. Louis Rams. STL

OAK at SD: This is one game where I won't underestimate the Chargers, since they could let Tomlinson play QB and still win. SD

CHI at NE: I'll go with my heart and pick the team with the great pass rush now that their field problems are presumably in the past, especially since a competent AFC team will beat any NFC team. NE

NYG at TEN: I can't help but smile as Philip Rivers looks like a star and whiny Eli Manning, whose father engineered his draft day trade to the Giants, looks like Peyton circa 1998. NYG anyway

PHI at IND: I'd love to see them lose two in a row, but sadly the Peyton Manning Prime Time Commercialpalooza wins out here. IND

GB at SEA: Packers, you can join the Bengals and Vikings in the "teams exposed by the Pats as frauds" lounge. Enjoy your 3 game losing streak. SEA