Fall is in the air, so Eileen and I are going to attempt to go apple-picking tomorrow. Due to the crazy late-spring freezes this year, the apple crop is supposed to be very limited, which explains why apples at the grocery store have been more expensive than gasoline. Hopefully they haven't jacked up the U-Pick prices also, since we'll be providing the labor and transportation.

HOU at ATL: Houston almost won my upset special last week, but something tells me they're about due for a bad game. King Kaufman on Salon.com has his "what the heck" pick of the week where he arbitrarily picks a team to win that he thinks will lose, and I think I'll take that stance here. ATL in an Upset Special

NYJ at BUF: The Bills were a spoilerish team at the start of the season, but injuries have totally destroyed any chance of them being competitive against most NFL teams. (Note to Ron Jaworski: See how I just referred to it as the "NFL"? It's not that hard, I know you can do it. It doesn't have to be "The National...Football...League" every time.) NYJ

BAL at CLE: The Ravens would win the award for most overrated defense this year if the Bears didn't absolutely blow them out of the water. For the past few years the "defense I'm most scared when the Patriots play" would be one of these two teams, but now that they're playing so craptastically it's time for someone else to step up. It sure won't be the Browns, though. BAL

STL at DAL: I really want to pick agains the Cowboys since everybody is slurping them so badly, but the Rams? The 'Boys have a bad pass defense but the Rams are just too 1-dimensional. DAL

CHI at DET: Griese, Grossman, it doesn't matter. I can't believe I'm picking Detroit to beat a team that just went to the Super Bowl and it's not even an upset. DET

OAK at MIA: Ugh, avert your eyes people, this will be ugly. I guess I'll go with the mini upset special. MIA

GB at MIN: My gut says go against the hyped-up Packers, but my brain says "Tarvaris Jackson! Kelly Holcomb! No pass defense!". Fine, brain, you win this round. GB

SEA at SF: I will show my east-coast bias in saying that I do not care a lick about either of these two teams and have nothing worthwhile to say about them. SEA

TB at CAR: Tampa is 2-1? Really? Who have they beaten? Oh, New Orleans and St. Louis. CAR

DEN at IND: So 'Dre Bly is a shutdown corner now? When did that happen? I keep waiting for the Colts to revert back to their bad-defending ways, but the Broncos are not nearly good enough to be 3-1. IND

PIT at AZ: I love how everyone is ignoring the fact that the Steelers have played possibly the easiest schedule of the season so far. Luckily for them, their schedule continues. PIT

KC at SD: Nothing makes me happier than seeing the loudmouth Chargers continue losing. So at what point to we stop referring to LaDainian Tomlinson as the classiest player in the NFL, after he takes shots at the Patriots organization or after he shouts at his own QB on the sidelines? SD

PHI at NYG: It's the battle of the schizophrenic teams with no consistency or identity. Unfortunately for the Giants, they lose out because part of their identity is Whinin' Eli. PHI

NE at CIN: OK everybody who says this will be a close game, here are the facts. Last year the Pats completely dismantled the Bengals and scored about 44 points against them with Reche Caldwell's hands, Doug Gabriel's inability to run routes, and Troy Brown's aging body. The Pats have upgraded their offense significantly since then, while if anything the Bengals have gotten worse. I know you're desperate for a close, exciting Monday night game, but this won't be it. NE