I thought I was going to have a perfect 3-0 record last week. Dallas rolled over Cleveland in the “Lock”, just as everyone on the planet expected. Oakland disposed of Denver in the “Game”, just as I called. In fact, I was only off on the final score by three points!

All I needed was for Buffalo to beat Seattle in the “Upset”, and I had the trifecta. You would think that the fact that the Bills seemingly moved the ball at will would ensure the “W”.

But NOOOOOOOO! (A little John Belushi humor!)

Once again, the NFL officiating crew assigned to the Seahawks game went out of their way to make sure Seattle won. This is getting old, folks. Yeah, I know they admitted after the game that, once again, they blew it, costing Buffalo points. Oops! Sorry!

When are we going to start seeing these inept officiating crews getting fined or suspended for their blatant disregard for the rules. Maybe it’s just ignorance of the rules, which would call for the dismissal from their jobs.

Oh well, a topic for another time. On with this week’s picks.

This week’s Lock of the Week (6-1).

San Francisco at Arizona.

If this isn’t a lock, I’ll admit I don’t know what is. Here we have the 1-7 49ers, winless since their week one victory over the LA Lambs, visiting the desperate 3-4-1 Cardinals, fresh off a bye week.

These two teams met in week 5 in San Francisco on a Thursday night. The bruised and battered Cardinals came to town on a short week, missing their starting quarterback, and took care of business, winning 33-21. A 49er TD with less than two minutes remaining made the score look closer than it actually was.

This time around, the game is being played in Arizona, with the Cards well-rested and hungry for a “W”. Last time, it was Gabbert leading the charge, for lack of better terms. This time, Kaepernick will give it a go for the 49ers. He’ll need to run for at least 150 yards to keep this one close, because his passing, or whatever you’d call it, is not going to do the job against this defense.

Then again, he could run for 150 yards and it won’t matter. David Johnson should approach 200+ all-purpose yards, and the AZ passing should have its best outing of the season.

Final score – Arizona 41, San Francisco 20.

This week’s Upset of the Week (3-4).

Kansas City at Carolina.

I actually had a different game picked out for this category until I saw the spread on this game and realized that the Panthers were favored in this one!

I’m not sure why. Sure, Carolina has won two games in a row, after a glorious 1-5 start, but they will quickly come to realize that this Chiefs team can do a lot more damage than the lowly Rams.

Oh, and Cam, I don’t think these guys are going to lighten up on the hits, just because you continue to wine and snivel. If you want to act like a running back, you’re going to get tackled. And if you’re going to rub the other guy’s nose in it every time you do something that you think is spectacular, like your job, you’re going to tackled real hard. Deal with it!

The Panthers are but a shell of last year’s NFC Champions. All of the offensive weapons that overachieved last season have returned to the level of mediocrity they all knew in previous years. Although Newton is still a very talented and very dangerous quarterback, he cannot do it all by himself.

Meanwhile, Andy Reid has always been tough to beat in November, both in Philadelphia and in Kansas City. They have a real shot at winning the AFC West and grabbing the #2 seed, so I’d be surprised if he didn’t have his Chiefs prepared for Carolina this week.

This may very well end up being a low scoring game, as both defenses should shine. That will be an advantage for the visiting team.

Final Score – Kansas City 20, Carolina 17.

This week’s Game of the Week (5-1-1).

Seattle at New England.

This is the game that everyone is talking about. The best in the NFC at the best in the AFC. Carroll versus Belichick. Wilson versus Brady. Graham versus Gronk. Blah—blah-blah-blah-blah. I’ve heard enough of these ridiculous praises for the Seahawks. Anyone that has watched them play this season, and not just the highlights, but actually watched entire games, knows this team is not on the same level as the Patriots.

Yes, they have a solid defense, one of the best. They are physical and usually do a very good job keeping the score down. But their offense is another story. They have one of the worst O-lines in the league. They have no running game at all. Wilson is constantly running for his life, and since he has been dealing with dinged up ankles and knees, he is being caught and sacked like never before.

If it wasn’t for the fact that he has learned to be a decent pocket passer this season, they would never get into the end zone.

And now they are traveling across the country to face the best team in the league, led by the best quarterback in the league, and guided by the best coach in the league.

This will be an exciting game to watch, due to all of the hype. It may even stay close for the first half. But don’t be surprised if you look at the scoreboard with ten minutes left in the game and see the Patriots up by three scores.

Final Score – New England 30, Seattle 20.

So, there you have it. Another week prepped and ready to go. There will be plenty of great football to watch and enjoy. So, fire up the grill, pop open a cold one and go and enjoy!!