Last week’s picks were, to say the least, not very good.  To say the most, they were a disaster, thanks in part to my friends in New York.  I had the Giants and Jets both going down in flames.  So of course they both played their best games of the season to come out on top.

If it wasn’t for the fact that the Cowboys haven’t figured out that there are 60 minutes in a game, I would have been 0-3 on the week.

Thanks for the help, Dallas!

This week’s Lock of the Week (4-2).

This one really pains me to write, but history is on my side.  That’s right, I have to go against my hometown Cardinals and pick the Minnesota Vikings to win at home this week.

There are a lot of similarities between these two teams.  At 4-2, both teams have over-achieved from preseason projections.  The defensive units for both teams have been outstanding.

They both have very good receiving corps and quarterbacks with promise.  The Cards were hoping to rejuvenate their running game, while the Vikings were hoping that AP would be back in form by mid-season.  To everyone’s surprise, he was back in week one.

The biggest difference between these two teams is the offensive line.  Minnesota has one and Arizona does not.  Add to that the fact that the Cardinals do not ever beat the Vikings, and I have no choice but to go with the home team.

This week’s Upset of the Week (2-4).

Once again, I have picked a team to win by upset, only to find that Vegas has them favored by two points.  That’s okay, just look at the Vegas’ projections last week and you’ll wish you had put down some C notes on all of the underdogs.

I’m going with New Orleans beating the Bucs at Tampa Bay.  Normally, this wouldn’t be thought to be an upset, but at 1-4, it’s difficult to call it anything else.

The Saints defense is beginning to show up a little bit (only six weeks late) and their offense is making fewer mistakes, allowing Brees to shine once again.

The Bucs started the season strong, but have come falling back to earth.  This may start out close, but I think the Saints pull away in the third quarter and win by three scores.

This week’s Game of the Week (4-2).

The stage has been set for this showdown of the only two teams in the AFC with winning records.  That’s right, the Baltimore Ravens at the Houston Texans.

Both teams are 5-1, both teams have All Pro running backs, very good quarterbacks and receivers, and top notch defenses.

Of course, if you watched them play last week, that last statement about defenses probably made you choke, since neither team appeared to have one last week.

The Texans were defeated badly at home by the Packers, while the Ravens were beaten in every category except the score by the Cowboys.

The winner this week will be the team that finds out where their defense went, and brings them back to the show.  My guess is the home team.  The Ravens have had some major injuries lately to key players, while the Texans simply had a few players take last week off.

This will be an exciting, physical game that should go down to the wire.  Ultimately, the Texans defense will make a big play to secure the victory for Houston.