NFL THANKSGIVING GAME PREDICTIONS

Week 12 Record: 6-7 (.462)
Total Record: 109-65 (.626)

1. Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions

Thoughts: No Aaron Rodgers for the Packers, but the last time Matt Flynn started against the Lions, he threw for elevendy-billion yards. But that was at Lambeau and the Pack's coming off of a short week and a long, exhausting game. Detroit being at home will likely help them, even though they've been completely lackadaisical the last couple weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if Green Bay wins, but I don't expect it.

Pick: Lions

2. Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys

Thoughts: This game could either be really fun or really horrible (it'll likely be both at the same time). The Raiders are decisively mediocre, but the Cowboys are, well, decisively mediocre. I'm going with Dallas and they should win, but the Raiders, if they're anything, they're spunky. So I wouldn't be shocked if the Raiders make a game of it.

Pick: Cowboys

3. Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

Thoughts: Both of these teams are mediocre at best (noticing a trend?), but I think home field will play a part in the result. Plus the Ravens already lost to the Steelers this year, and it's very difficult to sweep a division opponent. This will likely be a defensive minded game.

Pick: Ravens

NFL WEEK 12 PREDICTIONS

Total Record: 104-58 (.642)
Byes: Bills, Bengals, Eagles, Seahawks

Note: This is the last week for byes in the NFL. Starting next week and continuing until the 17th and final week, everybody plays.

1. New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens

Thoughts: The Jets have won every other game they've played this season and are coming off of a loss. Unfortunately for them, only one of those victories happened on the road (taking the Falcons game out of the equation, they are 0-4 on the road and have lost by double digits all but once). The Ravens might be improving at the right time. Don't be surprised if they challenge for a wild card spot in the coming weeks.

Pick: Ravens

2. Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns

Thoughts: The Browns are at home, so if Jason Campbell plays well, they should win. Either way, this is a pick 'em situation. I don't know why I keep going with Cleveland in these predictions, but I do (I don't think the Steelers' offensive line will have a lot of success against the Browns' under the radar defense).

Pick: Browns

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions

Thoughts: The Bucs are hot, the Lions are not, but the Lions are at home which I think will tilt the game in Detroit's favor.

Pick: Lions

4. Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

Thoughts: I think after ten games it's been well established that the Vikings are terrible, but the Packers without Aaron Rodgers are honestly not much better (how sad is it that Detroit has the best defense in that division?). This is so tough because the Packers are at home and their running game has been great. But I think Scott Tolzien will make the difference (in a bad way).

Pick: Vikings

5. Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans

Thoughts: A less than compelling match-up of teams that have won a combined 15% of their games. Houston is the comparatively less pathetic team at this point so I'll give them the nod.

Pick: Texans

6. San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

Thoughts: The Chiefs are coming off of a loss but the Chargers haven't won a game since they came off of their bye week. The Bolts also have only beaten one team this year that currently has a winning record. A road game in Arrowhead probably won't cure their ills.

Pick: Chiefs

7. Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins

Thoughts: The Dolphins' offensive line against the Panthers' front seven? I wouldn't want to be Ryan Tannehill this week.

Pick: Panthers

8. Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams

Thoughts: The Rams are coming off of a bye and a drubbing of the Colts. Plus they're at home and have played well the last few weeks. As much as it pains me, I'm going with the Rams this week.

Pick: Rams

9. Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals

Thoughts: Andrew Luck and Bruce Arians get reacquainted with each other this week. I think Arians' knowledge of Luck and what he does well/not so well will give the Cardinals a tremendous advantage. Plus, that Cardinals defense is pretty damn good.

Pick: Cardinals

10. Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

Thoughts: The Giants are red hot. I don't think they'll get swept by the Cowboys this year.

Pick: Giants

11. Tennessee Titans at Oakland Raiders

Thoughts: This is a pick 'em if ever there was one, so I'm going with the home team.

Pick: Raiders

12. Denver Broncos at New England Patriots

Thoughts: The Patriots' defense won't have Brandon Spikes, so Denver's run game will likely have a strong outing. Even though Peyton Manning usually struggles in cold weather games, I think the running game and defense can take care of things this week.

Pick: Broncos

13. San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins

Thoughts: Say what you will about the 49ers' offensive struggles, but their defense is still playing well. Washington's locker room might be coming apart at the seams and I don't think they have the leadership to overcome that kind of adversity (they certainly don't have the leadership to avoid crap like that in the first place).

Pick: 49ers

WEEK 12 THURSDAY GAME PREDICTION

Week 11 Record: 9-6 (.600)
Total Record: 103-58 (.640)

Game: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons

Thoughts: This could be a tricky game simply because it's in Atlanta. I've said it for weeks now but it remains true: the Falcons' O-line and defense are terrible. The Saints' are always great on offense and their defense has played well (it's not great, but compared to last year's bunch, they're like the '91 Eagles). The Falcons' two wins this year came in the Georgia Dome. Steven Jackson will play and is, presumably, healthy. But Drew Brees playing in a dome- any dome- is the biggest factor for me.

Pick: Saints

NFL WEEK 11 PREDICTIONS

Total Record: 95-52 (.646)
Byes: Cowboys, Rams

1. New York Jets at Buffalo Bills

Thoughts: The Jets are coming off of a bye week and the Bills haven't had a break since the season started. Besides the fact that the Bills haven't played well, the fatigue factor is probably going to tilt the game in Gang Green's favor.

Pick: Jets

2. Baltimore Ravens at Chicago Bears

Thoughts: The Ravens haven't been consistent on offense this year, but their defense has played very well. The Bears' defense isn't good, but I think the fact that they're at home will help them considerably.

Pick: Bears

3. Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals

Thoughts: Speaking of teams that aren't consistent on offense, the Bengals everybody! The Browns are coming off of a bye and Jason Campbell has played well. The battle of Ohio will go to the eastern side of the state in this tilt.

Pick: Browns

4. Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans

Thoughts: Terrell Pryor is out, which makes an already flawed Raiders team that much more vulnerable. Case Keenum will get his first win as a Houston Texan.

Pick: Texans

5. Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars

Thoughts: The Jaguars got their first win an promptly lost their best player on defense, Paul Posluszny, for at least a week with a concussion. Even when something goes right for the Jags, something else punches them in the balls.

Pick: Cardinals

6. San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins

Thoughts: The Dolphins are imploding, so even though the Chargers have to travel to the east coast, I don't think that's going to hurt them much with a revitalized Philip Rivers at the wheel.

Pick: Chargers

7. San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints

Thoughts: Colin Kaepernick has returned to Twitter to find inspiration. Unfortunately for him, he picked a bad week for it. The Saints are damn near unbeatable in the Super Dome.

Pick: Saints

8. Green Bay Packers at New York Giants

Thoughts: Aaron Rodgers still isn't ready to come back, and the Packers have had trouble in the last few seasons against the G-Men even with number 12 under center. The Giants have won three in a row and will likely make it four this week.

Pick: Giants

9. Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles

Thoughts: Tough call, what with Washington playing poorly and the Eagles having yet to win a game at home. Nick Foles has been great since taking over the starting job, so I have to think that the bird's home losing streak will likely come to an end with a sweep of their division rivals.

Pick: Eagles

10. Detroit Lions at Pittsburgh Steelers

Thoughts: Speaking of streaks that will likely be snapped this week, the Lions haven't beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh since 1955 (!). If I'm Ben Roethlisberger, I'd be incredibly rich. But I'd also be worried about facing the Lions' D-line with an offensive line as bad as the Steelers'. Also, you may have heard, but Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush are really good.

Pick: Lions

11. Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks

Thoughts: Never bet against the Seahawks at home.

Pick: Seahawks

12. Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Thoughts: If this game was in the Georgia Dome, I'd probably go with the Falcons. But Atlanta's on the road this week and they don't play well in the open air. Two in a row for Tampa Bay.

Pick: Buccaneers

13. Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos

Thoughts: I already gave my thoughts on Peyton Manning here, and that leads in to what I feel will be the deciding factor. The Chiefs' defense is going to get to Manning, hit him, and likely cause a good number of turnovers. The Chiefs' offense doesn't make many mistakes. Plus, Andy Reid's teams are an astounding 13-1 coming off of byes. Even though they're on the road, advantage goes to Kansas City.

Pick: Chiefs

14. New England Patriots at Carolina Panthers

Thoughts: The Panthers are actually favored in this game, which could be good news for the Pats. But probably not against that front seven of the Panthers. I predict a long night for Tom Brady.

Pick: Panthers

ADRIAN PETERSON WON'T GO FOR 2,000 YARDS; HE'S STILL HAVING AN AWESOME YEAR

The Minnesota Vikings are one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL this year. As of this writing, they're 2-7 on the year and are all but guaranteed to finish the year in the NFC North's basement. How much of a difference a year makes; they eked out a playoff spot last season with a 10-6 record. They got those ten wins in no large part thanks to Adrian Peterson having one of the single best seasons a running back has ever had in the history of the game.

These are Peterson's numbers for the 2012 season: in 16 games he ran 348 times for 2,097 yards (second most all time), with 12 touchdowns. He averaged 6.0 yards per attempt, 131.1 yards per game and 21.8 attempts per game. A phenomenal year if ever there was one. Going into this season, Peterson felt he could be even better, to put it lightly.

Trough the first nine games, Peterson's numbers look like this: 173 ATT, 786 YDS, 9 TD (leads the league), 4.5 Y/A, 87.3 Y/G, 19.2 A/G. He's not exactly on pace for 2,500 yards. He's also nearly 200 yards behind his numbers from last year after the same number of games. This is actually pretty common for running backs that rushed for over 2,000 yards; the next year tends to be a down one in comparison to their greatest triumphs. I profiled every 2,000 yard rusher back in this article, but let's expand on the analysis. Here are all of their total stats for those years:

O.J. Simpson*, 1973, Buffalo Bills, 332 ATT, 2,003 YDS, 12 TD, 6.0 Y/A, 143.1 Y/G, 23.7 A/G
Eric Dickerson, 1984, Los Angeles Rams, 379 ATT, 2,105 YDS, 14 TD, 5.6 Y/A, 131.6 Y/G, 23.7 A/G
Barry Sanders, 1997, Detroit Lions, 335 ATT, 2,053 YDS, 11 TD, 6.1 Y/A, 128.3 Y/G, 20.9 A/G
Terrell Davis, 1998, Denver Broncos, 392 ATT, 2,008 YDS, 21 TD, 5.1 Y/A, 125.5 Y/G, 24.5 A/G
Jamal Lewis, 2003, Baltimore Ravens, 387 ATT, 2,066 YDS, 14 TD, 5.3 Y/A, 129.1 Y/G, 24.2 A/G
Chris Johnson, 2009, Tennessee Titans, 358 ATT, 2,006 YDS, 14 TD, 5.6 Y/A, 125.4 Y/G, 22.4 A/G
Adrian Peterson, 2012, Minnesota Vikings, 348 ATT, 2,097 YDS, 12 TD, 6.0 Y/A, 131.1 Y/G, 21.8 A/G

*O.J.'s the only one on the list to accomplish these feats in a 14 game schedule. Like the others, he played every game that year.

Now here are their stats for their followup seasons:

O.J. Simpson*, 1974, Buffalo Bills, 270 ATT, 1,125 YDS, 3 TD, 4.2 Y/A, 80.4 Y/G, 19.3 A/G
Eric Dickerson*, 1985, Los Angeles Rams, 292 ATT, 1,234 YDS, 12 TD, 4.2 Y/A, 88.1 Y/G, 20.9 A/G
Barry Sanders, 1998, Detroit Lions, 343 ATT, 1491 YDS, 4 TD, 4.3 Y/A, 93.2 Y/G, 21.4 A/G
Terrell Davis**, 1999, Denver Broncos, 67 ATT, 211 YDS, 2 TD, 3.1 Y/A, 52.8 Y/G, 16.8 A/G
Jamal Lewis^, 2004, Baltimore Ravens, 235 ATT, 1,006 YDS, 7 TD, 4.3 Y/A, 83.8 Y/G, 19.6 A/G
Chris Johnson, 2010, Tennessee Titans, 316 ATT, 1,364 YDS, 11 TD, 4.3 Y/A, 85.3 Y/G, 19.8 A/G
Adrian Peterson^^, 2013, Minnesota Vikings, 173 ATT, 786 YDS, 9 TD, 4.5 Y/A, 87.3 Y/G, 19.2 A/G

*Played in 14 games.
**Played in 4 games.
^Played in 12 games.
^^Season in progress, 9 games completed.

As you can see, all of their numbers were down, in some cases significantly. But that doesn't mean that they necessarily had bad years. In fact, with the exception of Terrell Davis, who destroyed his knee four games into his 1999 season and was never the same after that, they all had what can be classified as good seasons at the very least. Peterson is no different. In fact, he's actually on pace to have one of the best followup seasons for a 2,000 yard rusher ever.

Let's assume that Peterson continues to average 4.5 Y/A, 87.3 Y/G and 19.2 A/G through the last seven games of the season. He would finish the year with 1,397 yards on 307 attempts. He's also averaging a touchdown a game at this point, but for the sake of sanity, I'll say he'll run in another four. Let's bring back the followup stats and see how a projected season like that would shake out in comparison with the others.

O.J. Simpson, 1974, Buffalo Bills, 270 ATT, 1,125 YDS, 3 TD, 4.2 Y/A, 80.4 Y/G, 19.3 A/G
Eric Dickerson, 1985, Los Angeles Rams, 292 ATT, 1,234 YDS, 12 TD, 4.2 Y/A, 88.1 Y/G, 20.9 A/G
Barry Sanders, 1998, Detroit Lions, 343 ATT, 1491 YDS, 4 TD, 4.3 Y/A, 93.2 Y/G, 21.4 A/G
Terrell Davis, 1999, Denver Broncos, 67 ATT, 211 YDS, 2 TD, 3.1 Y/A, 52.8 Y/G, 16.8 A/G
Jamal Lewis, 2004, Baltimore Ravens, 235 ATT, 1,006 YDS, 7 TD, 4.3 Y/A, 83.8 Y/G, 19.6 A/G
Chris Johnson, 2010, Tennessee Titans, 316 ATT, 1,364 YDS, 11 TD, 4.3 Y/A, 85.3 Y/G, 19.8 A/G
Adrian Peterson, 2013, Minnesota Vikings, 307 ATT, 1,397 YDS, 13 TD, 4.6 Y/A, 87.3 Y/G, 19.2 A/G

As you can see, Peterson's numbers look great. If these numbers shake out, he'd finish with the best Y/A average for a 2,000 yard followup season. He'd also have the second most rushing yards and the most touchdowns.

Why am I going through this rigamarole in the first place? I guess just because I'm fascinated by just how good Adrian Peterson is. I mean, he could go down as one of the best running backs ever when it's all said and done. He's already well on his way as far as forcing himself into the conversation with his play. Hell, he only needs 365 more yards before he reaches 10,000 for his career. That all but guarantees that unless something goes terribly, horribly wrong, he's going to be in the hall of fame in about 15 or so years.

So don't assume Adrian Peterson is having a bad year. He's on a bad team, yes, but he's having a great season nonetheless. He compares quite favorably to some of the most impressive running backs in the game's history. So no, he's not going to reach 2,000 yards this year. But don't think that failing to reach 2,000 means that he's having a disappointing season.

PEYTON MANNING IS GETTING OLD

I was formulating my thoughts for my predictions for this week's slate of games, and came to the Chiefs/Broncos game. I had a lot to say about it, mostly pertaining to what I've noticed about Peyton Manning this year. So I'm spinning that off into its own column, and hopefully, it'll be coherent.

Peyton Manning is having one of the best seasons, if not the best season of his career. He already has 3,249 passing yards. He's already thrown 33 touchdowns to just six interceptions. His 71.0 completion percentage is the best of his career. But I've seen signs that he's slowing down.

I read Jeff Peralman's book on Walter Payton (which you should all read by the way), and in the last couple years of his career, Payton had a real problem securing the football. After more than a decade of playing in the NFL at a high level, I don't think Walter Payton suddenly forgot how to properly hold on to a football. I just don't think he had the ability anymore. Pearlman attributed the fumbling problem for Payton to the fact that his body had taken a real beating throughout his career and it was beginning to catch up with him. Payton was also not as strong as he was in his younger years (he was in his thirties when his fumbling problem began, and that's when just about every running back in football history starts to fade fast), so the problem with ball security was also due to his fading power.

Now what does this have to do with Peyton Manning? Manning's career high for fumbles in a season is seven back in 2001. He has seven already this year, after just nine games. I've also read numerous articles and listened to a bunch of analysts during Broncos games (I think I've seen all but one Broncos game this year), and almost all of them have mentioned that Manning isn't throwing the ball with quite the same zip as in years past. This all points to Manning losing some strength, just like Walter Payton before him. Now obviously, Peyton Manning and Walter Payton played different positions in different eras. But they share an important similarity: they were both fortunate enough to play at such a high level, that they were allowed to get old.

Manning is 37. This is technically his fifteenth season (he missed all of the 2011 season due to his offseason neck surgery). My point is, he's been around the block a few times. He isn't as strong as he was in his prime, nor is he as durable. One of the big storylines going into the Chiefs/Broncos game is that Manning is coming off of an ankle injury from his game against the Chargers. He's sat out of practice a couple times this week. When was the last time you remember reading about Peyton Manning being hurt? Barring that season-ending-before-it-began neck surgery, he's been freakishly durable. Manning has played every possible game of his career (233 as of before week 11), again, barring his lost 2011 season. But now, the signs are all there that he's not as spry as he was. Again, that points to his age.

And yet, he's having maybe the best season of his entire slam dunk, hall of fame, one of the best of all time career. This reminds me so much of Brett Favre's 2009 season. Favre, in case you were wondering, is also one of the best to ever play. He was in his nineteenth season and turned 40 in the middle of it. And yet, he threw 33 touchdowns, just seven interceptions (!) (the only time in his career where he started a significant number of games and threw single-digit picks). He threw for the third most yards of his career (4,202) with a career high completion percentage (68.4) and passer rating (107.2). He led the Vikings to a 12-4 record and came within a last minute interception from leading the Vikes to their first Super Bowl appearance in over thirty years.

The next year, after much hemming, hawing, and cajoling from teammates, Favre decided to come back for a twentieth season. And the wheels came off. A year after having the best season of his career, Favre had, without question, the worst season of his career. He had an 11/19 TD to INT ratio, his vaunted consecutive games started streak came to a pitiful end, and the Vikings missed the playoffs with a 6-10 record. He was both staggeringly ineffective and distressingly brittle during the lost campaign.

Favre admitted later to only coming back due to the money and the camaraderie of the locker room. But another aspect that contributed to his miserable final season was the fact that he was 41, wasn't as strong as he once was, and the durability he was lauded and respected for was gone. He was just some weird old guy playing football poorly, not one of the best of all time, which is what he was/is. His career ended, as T.S. Elliot once wrote, not with a bang but a whimper.

I'm not saying Manning's career will end in a similarly disappointing fashion. But the signs are there that he's not the same player he was even three years ago. His stats are jaw-dropping, but his arm and his body aren't nearly as impressive. Even if the Broncos go to the Super Bowl, they don't even have to win it, the 2014 season will likely not go well. This Broncos team is great, but the flaws are there. The defense is playing decisively meh and ever since Ryan Clady went on injured reserve, the offensive line has been the opposite of sturdy. Manning's historic play is covering up some of these deficiencies, but next year he will be another year older and another year closer to the dreaded four-oh. He's already showing signs of slowing down, another season will likely exasperate those signs into full blown flaws. He'll likely retire after either this season or the next. All this is inevitable. It is for every athlete, even the greatest. They all get old, and eventually, they all walk away.

That's the most depressing thing about these signs. It just reminds me that I won't be seeing Peyton Manning throw the football for much longer. And that makes me sad.

NFL WEEK 11 THURSDAY GAME PREDICTION

Week 10 Record: 7-7 (.500)
Total Record: 94-52 (.644)

Game: Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans

Thoughts: The Titans are moderately talented, but the Colts are coming off of a humiliating loss. Never play a good team a week after they got owned.

Pick: Colts

NFL WEEK 10 PREDICTIONS

Total Record: 87-46 (.659)
Byes: Browns, Chiefs, Patriots, Jets

1. Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons

Thoughts: This is a scary game only because the Falcons are at home for this one. I know the Falcons have a bad defense and a bad offensive line. But that advantage in the Georgia Dome is palpable. Both of their wins this year have been at home and they haven't lost by more than a touchdown at home this year. The Seahawks also struggled at home against the Bucs. I'm still going to go with Seattle, but this game is going to be very close. I won't be surprised if the Falcons pull an upset.

Pick: Seahawks

2. Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

Thoughts: The Ravens are a mediocre team. The Bengals are coming off of a mini-bye and despite the loss to the Dolphins (in fairness, they were on the road), they're still one of the best teams in the AFC.

Pick: Bengals

3. Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

Thoughts: Cutler should be back for the Bears, which is good. The Lions are coming off of a bye, which is bad. The Bears' defense isn't that great and will still be without Lance Briggs. That's bad. The Lions' offense is really good. That's also bad. But the Lions are on the road. That's... probably good. Screw it, I'll go with the split.

Pick: Bears (sorry for last week)

4. Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers

Thoughts: This is another scary game. The Packers will be without Aaron Rodgers for the foreseeable future and Nick Foles had a great game against the Raiders last week (you can argue he had the best game he could possibly have against another team). I know the Raiders' defense isn't good, but the Packers' defense isn't exactly great shakes either, Clay Matthews or no Clay Matthews not withstanding. But that Lambeau advantage... (they've lost a whopping three games there since 2010 and have won 25).

Pick: Packers

5. St. Louis Rams at Indianapolis Colts

Thoughts: Indy's gonna win.

Pick: Colts

6. Oakland Raiders at New York Giants

Thoughts: I think the Raiders could be competitive again as soon as next year, but this year is going to be very up and down. Their D-Line doesn't get a lot of sacks (Lamarr Houston has four sacks, and he leads the team), so the Giants' O-Line might have a chance to look like a professional unit this week. Eli's still one of the better quarterbacks in the league and Victor Cruz is one of the better receivers. Plus, the Giants are at home. I think that will be the biggest advantage.

Pick: Giants

7. Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers

Thoughts: E.J. Manuel returns for the Bills, and their defense has actually played fairly well. But I think Pittsburgh will pull one out.

Pick: Steelers

8. Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans

Thoughts: Do I really have to justify picking the Titans?

Pick: Titans

9. Houston Texans at Arizona Cardinals

Thoughts: This is another worrying game. Case Keenum has a lot of potential and has played extremely well in two Texans losses. But the Cardinals are a scrappy team. They've played only two games this year where they were completely outmatched (at the Saints and vs. the Seahawks for those of you wondering). Whenever it's a pick 'em, almost always go with the home team.

Pick: Cardinals

10. Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers

Thoughts: A surprisingly scary game. I think the 49ers' defense will be too much for the Panthers' offense, but I'll be very interested in seeing how the 49ers' offense plays against the Panthers' extremely good front seven.

Pick: 49ers

11. Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers

Thoughts: Lots of scary games this week. The Chargers aren't going to the playoffs, but Phillip Rivers is having a comeback year. The Broncos' defense is also extremely flawed, but as long as Peyton Manning isn't slowed down considerably, I think they can win in a shootout with the Super Chargers.

Pick: Broncos

12. Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints

Thoughts: Saints at home equals bad news for the Cowboys.

Pick: Saints

13. Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Thoughts: The Dolphins are the more talented team, but they're also dealing with the fact that their locker room is imploding. The Bucs played very well against the Seahawks (for one quarter, but still, they made it count) and are at home. I'm going with the upset.

Pick: Buccaneers

NFL WEEK 10 THURSDAY GAME PREDICTION

Week 9 Record: 9-4 (.692)
Total Record: 87-45 (.659)

Game: Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings

Thoughts: Another marquee Thursday night game pitting teams with a combined 4-12 record. Washington is getting hot, and after quickly perusing their remaining games, I wouldn't be shocked if they finished the year at 9-7 (I also won't be surprised if that record ultimately wins them the NFC East as well). The Vikings quarterback situation is a mess. Their defense is a mess. And with all of those factors working against them, don't be surprised if they win this game. I'm still going with Washington.

Pick: Redskins

NFL WEEK 9 PREDICTIONS

Total Record: 78-42 (.650)
Byes: Cardinals, Broncos, Lions, Jaguars, Giants, 49ers

1. Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills

Thoughts: I can't foresee a scenario that doesn't end with the Chiefs clinching a winning record. There's not a whole lot I can add to that.

Pick: Chiefs

2. Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers

Thoughts: Atlanta is in free fall, but if any consolation can be gleamed from that statement, I also said the Dolphins were in free fall. But the Falcons' offensive line blows, and the Panthers have one of the best front sevens, which means bad times for Matt Ryan. The Falcons' defense also blows, which likely means good times for Cam Newton.

Pick: Panthers

3. Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys

Thoughts: Let me put it like this- Christian Ponder has been so bad, that he's going to make the Cowboys' defense look good.

Pick: Cowboys

4. New Orleans Saints at New York Jets

Thoughts: This is a tricky one since the Jets are at home and the Saints generally don't play well in the open air. Then again, against that secondary, it'll look like the Saints are playing in a dome this week.

Pick: Saints

5. Tennessee Titans at St. Louis Rams

Thoughts: This is Jeff Fisher's first game against the Titans (whom he coached for almost 17 seasons). It's also a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIV. This game won't be nearly as fun as that Super Bowl. The Rams are a mess (which probably means they'll win). Jake Locker has actually played very well so far this year.

Pick: Titans

6. San Diego Chargers at Washington Redskins

Thoughts: Washington is also a mess, but the Chargers are playing at 1:00 PM EST. I think that'll work out in Washington's favor.

Pick: Redskins

7. Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns

Thoughts: In hindsight, Ozzie Smith probably shouldn't have traded away Anquan Boldin. Even though the Browns haven't won since the beginning of October, I think they'll have the edge at home against a lackadaisical Ravens team.

Pick: Browns

8. Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots

Thoughts: The Steelers aren't good. The Patriots aren't the same, but the defense is playing very well (although they've lost seemingly everyone on that side of the ball this year) and Bill Belichick is an amazing coach. I think they'll punch the Steelers in the soul.

Pick: Patriots

9. Philadelphia Eagles at Oakland Raiders

Thoughts: Look at Terrell Pryor playing decently! The Raiders are pleasantly a middle-of-the-road team, which is a marked improvement from a mostly God-awful team they've been for much of the last decade. The Eagles are decisively meh.

Pick: Raiders

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks

Thoughts: Never bet against the Seahawks at home. (And even though I don't like to demand for jobs to be lost, can the Glazer family just get it over with and dump Greg Schiano already? What is gained by having him continue to keep his job? Really, can you give a credible answer to that question? I can't. Okay, rant over.)

Pick: Seahawks

11. Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans

Thoughts: This is such a tricky game. The Texans have won three straight home games against the Colts, but have been playing badly. The Colts have been on a roll for the most part, but haven't won in Houston since 2009. Left is right and up is down. Screw it, I'm going with Indy.

Pick: Colts

12. Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers

Thoughts: No Jay Cutler. No Lance Briggs. Depleted defense. On the road at Green Bay. Do. Not. Like.

Pick: Packers

That'll do it. I'm gonna go take a nap. I've been sleeping a lot lately. Sleep is good. So is football. I'll wake up in time for football. Sounds good! Bye.