Okay, I’m back after a self-imposed exile last week. And no, it wasn’t because I was still exhausted after that Cardinals – Seahawks battle in week seven, although that did leave me out of breath for a couple of days. We took the grandkids to the pumpkin patch for the day, and that always comes first!

But now we’re back and ready for some action. Hopefully, this season’s quota of ties has been filled and we can count on actual winners and losers throughout the schedule.

Speaking of ties, I heard a little bit of trivia after last week’s tie in London. The last time that there were two ties in the same season in the NFL, the Cleveland Indians lost the world series in seven games. Keep in mind that they were up 3-1 in the series last Sunday. I’m not superstitious, I’m just saying…..!!

Anyway, on with this week’s picks!

This week’s Lock of the Week (5-1).

Look at the standings and then take a look at the schedule and tell me which game you’d pick. It’s a no-brainer!

Dallas at Cleveland.

Thank goodness I took last week off, because I would have picked Cleveland over the Jets in this category. They almost won that game, but came up short. So, imagine what’s gonna’ happen when they face the hottest team in the NFC.

Notice I didn’t say the best team in the NFC, just the hottest. I’m still not convinced the Cowboys will win their division, or possibly even make the playoffs, but I sure don’t see their slide beginning this week.

Granted, they are being driven by rookies on offense, but right now, they’re running (and passing) like a well-oiled machine. The Browns just don’t have the personnel to slow that down. The outcome of this game should never be in doubt.

Final score – Dallas 34, Cleveland 17.

This week’s Upset of the Week (3-3).

I was going to pick the Steelers over the Ravens until I heard that Big Ben was not coming back this week. That left only one upset left in my picks. And we’ll need to head to the great northwest to find it.

Buffalo at Seattle.

I know that a lot of the talking heads want to crown the Seahawks the NFC west champions already, and with the way Arizona has been playing lately, it’s understandable, to a point.

But everyone needs to take a breath and then take a long hard look at this Seattle team. Yes, they have a very good defense, one that is capable of stopping any roster in the league.

But someone needs to show me where in the world their offense went. Oh, wait, you don’t need to. It retired, along with Marshawn Lynch. You see, when you have a beast like that running the ball, you can overlook a weak offensive line. But when you are forced to have mere mortals running the pigskin, you’d better restore that line quickly or you will struggle to put points on the board, kind of like this year’s Seahawks.

Speaking of beast running backs, the Bills are coming to town, and they’re bringing their own resurrected monster running back in the form of LeSean McCoy. Not to mention a pretty good offensive unit all around him. Oh, and did I mention they have been devouring the NFC west this season?

This one may start out slow, but Buffalo will move the ball down the field with a bit more ease than Seattle, allowing them to pull out the W on the road.

Final Score – Buffalo 16, Seattle 13.

This week’s Game of the Week (4-1-1).

In week nine of any NFL season, you look for divisional matchups between division leaders. Although there are a couple to choose from, none will offer the excitement of this game.

Denver at Oakland.

It’s been a while since the Raiders were not mathematically eliminated from the playoff scenario by week nine, let alone actually competing for the divisional title, but here we are with the Raiders and Broncos tied at 6-2, on top of the wild west division of the AFC.

And it’s no fluke that Oakland is there. In fact, the fluke may actually be that Denver is there!

Yes, you read that right. I’m surprised that the Broncos are in this conversation. With that mediocre offense, I figured they’d be around a .500 ball club this season. But that defense of theirs has kept them alive and well so far.

Meanwhile, the Raiders took a couple of weeks to look like a cohesive unit. The first few weeks, it seemed they weren’t quite sure if they were as good as some (including me) thought they were.

But now, there is no doubt. Their offense is flying high and their defense, well it’s actually a defense! This should be a great, entertaining game for the fans, more so for the Raider fans. When the smoke clears, they should be sitting alone on top of their division.

Final Score – Oakland 27, Denver 20.

Well, there’s another one in the books. As we hit the mid-point of the season, there’s only one team in the league that is a lock for a playoff spot, while about twenty teams appear to battling for the other eleven spots. Regardless of which team you’re rooting for, there should be some great football for everyone to enjoy this week.

So, go and enjoy!!