Top pick

1. New England Patriots vs. NYJ – The NFL scheduling gods didn’t do the Jets any favors with their hellacious schedule to start the season. 1-5 will become 1-6 when they head to Foxboro tonight. The defense is trying to give NYJ a chance to win but the offense is non-existent.

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2. Cleveland Browns vs. Jax – The Jaguars made it interesting against the Titans but ultimately lost. The Browns are playing good football and will roll again here.

3. Buffalo Bills vs. Min – The Vikings are lacking in talent and bringing along a rookie QB. The Bills feature a strong defense whereas the offense does just enough to win a few games. This is one of them.

Top pick

1. Detroit Lions vs. Buf – The Lions hot start looks for real and they are very tough at home. This week they’ll get the Bills who are turning to journeyman QB Kyle Orton to kickstart their offense. That’ll be a tall order against a defense that is playing very well.

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2. Green Bay Packers vs. Min – Short week, heading to Lambeau and the Vikings will likely be down to their 3rd string QB, Christian Ponder. The odds don’t look good for Minnesota. Expect Aaron Rodgers and Co. to control things offensively and for the Packers D to force turnovers on TNF.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Jax – For those who weren’t burned by the Steelers a week ago THIS is the week to select them. They’ll be angry, embarrassed and facing the worst team in the league. Hands down. Look for Big Ben and Co. to roll to a double digit victory and easily win in Jacksonville.

Top pick

1. Green Bay Packers vs. NYJ – They can’t afford to fall to 0-2. Lucky for them, they face the Jets in their home opener. Expect the Packers to get back on track and win by a TD.

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2. Tennessee Titans vs. Dal – There is just too many negatives on the defensive side of the ball for  Dallas now. Ken Whisenhunt will move to 2-0 as the Titans move the ball at will.

3. Denver Broncos vs. KC – It’s going to be a long season for the Chiefs. They’ve lost a few key defenders for the season after week 1 and enter Denver shorthanded. Look for the Broncos to roll the Chiefs by two TDs.

1. Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) vs. SF – If the 49ers win, it will come as no surprise. They enter hot, having won eight in row (including two in the post season) and the defense is playing spectacular. But, it’s hard to overlook the last two games in Seattle between these teams. The Seahawks have won by a total of 55 points.

Now, Russell Wilson comes into this game playing his poorest ball of the year, but look for the run game, defense, Wilson’s timely passes and the 12th man to be the difference on Sunday. Seattle will cover the point spread and advance to the Super Bowl.

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2. Denver Broncos (-5) vs. NE – Everyone will remember the miraculous comeback by the Patriots on November 24th. Denver blew a 24-0 halftime lead to lose 34-31 in OT. That’s not going to happen again. The Patriots enter this game riding the legs of Legarrette Blount and the running game, but that will not be enough to keep pace with the Broncos offense.

The weather will be mild and look for Manning and Co. to win by a TD and advance to New Jersey. Tom Brady just doesn’t have the firepower left in the passing game with Rob Gronkowski out.

Top pick

1. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Mia – The Dolphins are scrappy and their D is good enough to keep them in most games, but, they’ll find Pittsburgh a tough place to play. The Steelers are still very much alive for that 6th seed and will be playing on 10 days rest. Look for them to pull out the win on Sunday.

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2. Detroit Lions vs. Phi – The Eagles have been receiving a lot of hype and are playing well behind Nick Foles, whose numbers have been stellar. The issue for the Eagles is they tend to let teams back in the 2nd half and the Lions have the type of offense to overcome a 1st half deficit. Expect Stafford and Co. to win on the road in Philly.

3. Chicago Bears vs. Dal – Two evenly matched teams that are both hurting on D. Go with the home team this week. The game should remain close throughout, but weather is expected to take a turn for the worse and Dallas’s defense, even with the return of LB Sean Lee, will have trouble stopping the Bears offense.

Note – we are past the point of picking big favorites or sure things by Week 14.

Top pick

1. Cleveland Browns vs. Jax – Aside from now being the 2nd worst team in the league,  the warm weather Florida team does not like traveling to the cold. The Browns have a decided advantage this week and look for them to easily cover the point spread and win by double digits.

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2. Arizona Cardinals vs. Phi – The Eagles were on a long losing streak at home until the hapless Redskins came to town two weeks ago. However, while people are feeling good Philadelphia, this is a sterner test than they’ve faced over their three game winning streak. The Cardinals have won four in a row and look for that to move to five this week.

3. New York Jets vs. Mia –  The bad QB Geno Smith which has appeared the past two weeks will disappear vs. the Dolphins. This one is at home. Look for the Jets front seven to overpower the Fins beleaguered O-Line and pull out the close divisional win.

Top pick

1. Detroit Lions vs. TB – The Bucs are on an impressive two game winning stretch after starting 0-8. The good times will unfortunately stop in Detroit. The Lions, coming off a bad defeat in Pittsburgh, will beat the Bucs by at least a TD.

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2. Baltimore Ravens vs. NYJ – It’s been a disappointing season for the Ravens who find themselves sitting at 4-6. They’ll reach their 5th win on Sunday. Although this is the week when Geno Smith typically plays well, look for his struggles to continue in Baltimore. It’s an extremely difficult stadium for QBs to play – especially rookie QBs.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cle – The Browns are favored in this one, but look for Pittsburgh to pull out the close win. They are playing better defensively and will have just enough firepower on the offensive side of the ball to get the job done.

Top pick

1. Detroit Lions vs. Pit – This game will be competitive, but the Lions will end up with the W. Something is missing from this year’s version of the Steelers and its D is a shell of its former self. The Lions are atop the NFC North and recognize the opportunity to win the division with QB Aaron Rodgers sidelined.

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2. Arizona Cardinals vs. Jax – Lightning won’t strike twice for the Jaguars. They’re back at home where they’ve been terrible so far, and that trend will continue against a Cardinals team with a talented D.

3. Houston Texans vs. Oak – The return of HC Gary Kubiak will energize this team and propel them to a win against a feisty Raiders team. However, QB Terrelle Pryor is dealing with a knee injury and if he’s asked to win by throwing the ball, that’s not going to happen at this time.

Note – if you’ve managed to keep the better teams around this late in the season, locks this week are Seattle, Cincinnati and Denver, although Kansas City comes in with a 9-0 record.

Top Pick

1. New Orleans Saints vs. Dal – The Saints are a much different team at home than on the road. While the Cowboys are likely to get DE / LB DeMarcus Ware back, they’re still banged up defensively and that will be their undoing on Sunday Night. Look for the Saints to win by a TD.

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2. Arizona Cardinals vs. Hou – The Cardinals are well-rested coming off the bye and get the Texans after a crushing loss to the Colts. Look for a close game, but one that the Cardinals will win thanks to its aggressive defense.

3. Tennessee Titans vs. Jax – The Jags very likely will not win a game in 2013. And they’ll get crushed by the Titans this week.

1. Oakland Raiders (+3) vs. Pit – See money line bet.

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2. Cincinnati Bengals (-6) vs. NYJ – The loss of CB Leon Hall for the year is a big blow, but the Bengals D is deep and has a lot of quality in the front 7. Offensively, QB Andy Dalton and Co. are clicking and that will continue when Rex’s crew comes to town.

3. Minnesota Vikings (+9.5) vs. GB – Divisional match-ups are tricky, and the Packers are severely beat up at the skill positions offensively for this one.

4. San Francisco 49ers (-16.5) vs. Jax – This is a terrible match-up to showcase the NFL to London, and will be an easy win for the 49ers.

Rounding things out

Kansas City Chiefs (-9) vs. Cle – The Browns are down to QB Jason Campbell, which is bringing smiles to the Chiefs attacking defense.

New York Giants (+5) vs. Phi – The last contest wasn’t as lopsided as the final outcome indicated. New York is better defensively now and there is question marks surrounding QB Michael Vick’s health.

Denver Broncos (-13) vs. Was – The Skins defense is atrocious, and will be worse playing in the thin air of Denver. Look for Peyton and Co. to overwhelm this unit and win going away.

Money Line Bet

Oakland Raiders (+115) vs. Pit – Pittsburgh has reeled off two straight wins but hardly in convincing fashion. The team is playing better and now has a running game to rely on, but there are still a lot of issues. The Raiders are better than most would think at home – especially on defense – and will pull out the W coming off the bye.