Week 6 Review/Week 7 Preview:

For the Week/Season:
vs. W/L: (11-2)/66-24
vs. ATS: (6-7)/50-40
vs. Aggregate: (7-6)/55-38

vs. ATS:
CBS Judge 54-36-0
CBS Brinson 50-40-0
Postcards 50-40-0
ESPN Simmons 45-40-5
USAT Saraceno 44-43-3
CBS Prisco 44-46-0
CBS Richard 42-48-0
Walter Football 42-42-6
CBS Freeman 41-49-0

vs. W/L:
Postcards 66-24-0
ESPN Golic 66-24
ESPN Hoge 64-26
ESPN Accuscore 64-26
ESPN Pick 'em 64-26
PFT Rosenthal 63-27
USAT Nate Davis 63-27
ESPN Schlereth 63-27
USAT Pete O'Brien 63-27
ESPN Wickersham 62-28
ESPN Schefter 61-29
USAT Jon Saraceno 61-29
USAT Jarrett Bell 61-29
USAT Gary Mihoces 60-30
USAT Jim Corbett 60-30
USAT Tom Pedulla 59-31
ESPN Allen 59-31
USAT Robert Klemko 58-32
PFT Florio 57-33
ESPN Mortensen 54-36

Week 7 Preview:

This week Buffalo, Cincinnati, New England, NY Giants, Philadelphia and San Francisco are off. It’s got to be the longest Sunday of the year when your favorite team is off. No Patriots this weekend creates a giant hole in Sunday afternoon.

Chicago -1.5 Tampa Bay (At London) 43

The Bears and Bucs are this year’s lucky winners of the London trip as both are coming off of big wins. On Sunday night, the Bears simply demolished Minnesota while the Bucs had a hard fought win over New Orleans. The Bucs are old hands at the London trip and that’s a big advantage here, though they were whalloped by the Pats the last time they visited London. Gerald McCoy’s also due back from an injury and he’ll wreak havoc on the Bears woeful O-Line. But the Bucs have to go without LeGarrette Blount, who’s still out with a knee injury. While the Bears may be tempted by the sights and sounds, the Bucs will be preparing for a football game.

Projected Final Score: Tampa Bay 23, Chicago 21

At Carolina -2.5 Washington 44

When Rex goes bad, he’s really bad (as in four interceptions). Rex was benched in the ‘Skins home loss to Philly last week in favor of Beck. This week Coach Shanahan confirmed that Beck will be the starter. The Panthers hung in there for awhile in Atlanta before being totally overwhelmed at the end. In a major blow, the Panthers have lost Jeff Otah to IR and he’s one of Newton’s primary protectors. Last week, Cam Newton’s bright star fell back to earth. He was on an unprecedented pace for a rookie quarterback. The question is whether last week’s performance was an outlier or more of a trend for a rookie who’s learning the trade.

Projected Final Score: Carolina 24, Washington 23

At NY Jets -2.5 San Diego 45

This is a big game for both teams as the Chargers are coming off of a bye and are well rested and prepared for their second trip east in a month’s time to face a Jets’ team that is coming off a short week after playing well in the second half against Miami. There have been rumblings of dissension within the Jets’ locker room as the receiving corps has turned to the media to vent their frustrations. One of the grumblers (Derrick Mason) was shuffled off to Houston last week for a late draft pick. This week, the Jets know that they have to put forth a much better effort against a highly talented group. Gates will probably be a no-go this week which puts much more stress on Rivers to get the offense in gear.

Projected Final Score: NY Jets 27, San Diego 24

At Cleveland -3.5 Seattle 40

After coming off of a bye, the Seahawks travel to the heart of the rust bowl to face the Browns, who lost to the Raiders by only a touchdown. The Seahawks quarterback situation is a mess, to put it mildly. But they did have a big road win against the Giants. For the Browns, their best weapon on offense (Peyton Hillis) is injured and Colt McCoy’s ability to move the chains is seriously hampered without Hillis pounding the rock. The Browns put forth a valiant effort last week in Oakland and one can only wonder if they’re drained coming back home.

Projected Final Score: Cleveland 24, Seattle 20

At Tennessee -3.5 Houston 44.5

The Titans had an extra week to prepare for the Texans, who were handily dispatched by the Ravens last week. This is a tough game to figure as the Titans were on somewhat of a roll before getting squashed in Pittsburgh two weeks ago. Houston is without their top performers on offense and defense (Johnson and Williams) and the Titans’ D-Line can get after the quarterback. The Titans simply need to get back up and perform as they did prior to last week. They need Chris Johnson to get his act in gear.

Projected Final Score: Tennessee 27, Houston 24

At Miami -2.5 Denver 42.5

After Kyle Orton proved to be ineffective as a starter, Coach Fox decided to placate the Broncos’ Faithful and put Tim Tebow out there two weeks ago without much success. Tebow returns to Florida to face a Dolphin team fresh off Monday night’s thrashing in the Meadowlands. The Broncos traded Brandon Lloyd to the Rams and he was Denver’s top wideout. The Dolphins will also honor Tebow’s national championship Florida Gators during the game, and that’s got to be ironic as there will probably be more Gator fans on hand to cheer Tebow than Dolphins fans. We learned that Matt Moore is about as effective as he was in Carolina, which isn’t a whole lot. That pass he threw to Marshall that Revis scooped for a 100-yard pick six was brutal. Even Henne would’ve made that pass. In short, this is a bad game featuring two lousy teams.

Projected Final Score: Denver 20, Miami 17

At Detroit -3.5 Atlanta 48

There was gloom in Motown last week as the Lions finally lost a close game to San Francisco. The ‘Niners spotted Detroit a 10-0 lead and the Lions figured that Coach Harbaugh’s team would fold. But they hung in there and took the crowd out of the game effectively running the ball down Detroit’s throat. The Lions look to avenge that loss with their third straight home game against Atlanta, whose home vs. road splits are like Jekyll and Hyde. The Falcons had a nice 31-14 win over Carolina last week, but the question is whether they can duplicate the feat on the road. The question about Detroit is now back on the table as to whether last week’s defeat had the effect of bursting their bubble. They’re a young team and the manner in which they lost may have a deleterious effect on the collective psyche. They’ve earned the right for another shot.

Projected Final Score: Detroit 27, Atlanta 23

At Oakland -3.5 Kansas City 42

The Raiders honored Mr. Davis in fitting style on Sunday with a 21-14 win over Cleveland. The bad news is that Jason Campbell went down with a broken collarbone and he may be out for the balance of the year. That was a really tough break for the Raiders as Campbell was competitive at quarterback. The Raiders paid a heavy price to obtain Carson Palmer from Cincinnati and the word is that he might start on Sunday. It’s hard to see Palmer digesting the whole offensive package in less than a week. Update: The Raiders will go with Kyle Boller at quarterback. Sebastian Janikowski has a bad hamstring and the Raiders have been trying out kickers all week. They will lean heavily on McFadden to rush the ball. KC is coming off of a bye after having downed Indy two weeks ago. Any time these old AFL West rivals get together, records don’t mean much though the Raiders are still emotionally cranked up.

Projected Final Score: Oakland 24, Kansas City 17

Pittsburgh -3.5 At Arizona 42

These teams played in the Superbowl only a few years ago, and my, how the fortunes of both have diverged. Arizona was off last week and had extra time to prepare for Pittsburgh, which had a difficult time last week disposing of Jacksonville. The Steelers really need to bring a better game to bear this week as they’re clearly more talented than the 1-4 Cardinals. Troy Polamalu suffered a mild concussion last week though Coach Tomlin has indicated that he’ll be ready to go this week. So far, the Kevin Kolb trade has not produced any tangible results as the Cardinals have resorted to their historic levels of suckitude. The Steelers will provide a heavy dose of Mendenhall combined with timely passing and will grind the Cardinals into the dirt.

Projected Final Score: Pittsburgh 28, Arizona 17

At Dallas -9.5 St. Louis 44

The 2-3 Cowboys return home after last week’s tough loss to New England in the closing seconds. Dallas played well as they capitalized on four Patriots’ turnovers but Coach Garrett called an unusually conservative game on offense. They Cowboys couldn’t blame the loss solely on Romo. They gave the Patriots one final chance with the football and that proved to be a fatal mistake. This week, they’ll be looking to take out their frustrations on the woeful Lambs. But Felix Jones suffered an ankle injury (on top of his separated shoulder) and will be out of action. Sam Bradford also suffered an ankle sprain last week and was in a walking boot all of this week. AJ Feeley was getting the snaps at practice this week and that has to be an ominous sign for Coach Spagnuolo. The Rams were supposed to have taken a great leap in their development this year but instead have taken three giants steps back.

Projected Final Score: Dallas 31, St. Louis 20

Green Bay -8.5 At Minnesota 47

The unbeaten Packers have another cupcake on the schedule as they travel to the Baggie Dome for a date with the miserable Vikings, who were blown off the field last Sunday night in Chicago. After McNabb was ineffective again, Coach Frazier handed the ball to first-round pick Christian Ponder, who wasn’t much better. This week, the Vikes have effectively punted on the season by installing Ponder as the starter. The Pack had a comfortable 24-3 win over St. Louis last week, but to a man, they all felt as if they could’ve played better. This week they get another chance to dominate.

Projected Final Score: Green Bay 33, Minnesota 17

At New Orleans -14.5 Indianapolis 48

Sunday night brings Indy to the Superdome, where the Saints are looking to rebound from last week’s loss in Tampa. This is the second Superbowl rematch this week. Coach Peyton suffered a serious leg injury when he was run into on the sidelines. He had surgery this week to repair his injuries but it’s not known whether he’ll coach from the sidelines or upstairs in the booth. Winless Indianapolis lost by 10 on the road to Cincinnati and really don’t stand much of a chance in the dome against the Saints. You’d have to figure that Brees & Co. will be in ill humor entering this one, looking to atone for last week’s defeat. Indy simply doesn’t stand much of a chance here.

Projected Final Score: New Orleans 31, Indianapolis 17

Monday Night Preview:

Ravens -7.5 At Jacksonville 38.5

The Ravens are coming off of a dominant home victory over Houston and take their act to Jacksonville, where the Jags return home after giving the Steelers a real run for their money last week. Mike Sims-Walker has returned to the fold for the Jags and he gives Blaine Gabbert a new weapon on offense. Since the Ravens rely heavily on Ray Rice to pound the rock, look for the Jags’ run defense to hold tough. Gabbert and the Jags’ offense don’t really have much (besides Jones-Drew) to contend with the league’s best defense.

Projected Final Score: Ravens 24, Jacksonville 13