I usually write some witty introduction, but I know no one reads it, so I'm not going to! It's not really that witty anyway...

• Atlanta (-5) vs. New Orleans (43.5 O/U): The Saints season is quickly becoming a lost cause. Between losing their home and losing McAllister, this team is in shambles. And now, the bars in Baton Rouge won't even be open on Sunday, so their "home crowd" won't even be as rowdy as usual! Atlanta seems to do OK even with Vick's back up, so even if Vick doesn't play (he's expected to), they'll be OK.
• Carolina vs. Detroit (PK) (41.5 O/U): Carolina was supposed to be better than this. Of course, so was Detroit. Wasn't Carolina's defense supposed to be good? They're giving up 23 points per game - that seems like higher than it should be. Detroit is hurting at receiver - Rogers is suspended, and they have injuries on top of that. I guess Rogers isn't used to playing a full season, so he had to do something to get out of a few games - and this was his best option!
• Cincinnati (-3) vs. Tennessee (45 O/U): I'm surprised this is only 3 points. Cincy is coming off a close loss to Jacksonville, while Tennessee beat the lowly Texans. I guess for the oddsmakers, a win is a win and a loss is a loss, and the odds need to reflect that. Hopefully, I'll benefit from their shortsightedness.
• Cleveland* vs. Baltimore (-6) (34.5 O/U): This'll be a close one. Baltimore is a team in disarray - 21 penalties last week? Seriously? Anyway, the rumors are that Bilick has lost control of the team. I guess we'll see. They have the pieces to be a decent team, but they definitely need to get a grip first. Cleveland just isn't that good, and despite Baltimore's woes, they'll lose this one.
• Jacksonville vs. Pittsburgh (-3) (35 O/U): This'll probably be one of the top games this weekend. Bettis is expected to be back, and if he's healthy, he can bruise a few defenders. The combo of Bettis and Parker will make defending those two difficult for Jacksonville, but they have a very good defense and won't roll over. A lot will hinge on 1. if Roethisberger plays, and, assuming he does (he's expected to), can he be effective enough to give the running game some relief at the least, and put some points on the board at the most.
• Miami vs. Tampa Bay (-4.5) (35 O/U): Ricky Williams is back and Ronnie Brown is playing well. Nick Saban had a press conference and was asked about who would start and he said both. He also said that one will probably have to start at either tight end or line backer so they can both start. Obviously, Saban's tired of the media questions already about those two. On the other side, will Cadillac be back? I think I've heard that he will, but we'll see if he can play well enough to keep Pittman on the bench for the majority of the game. If he does, then Tampa Bay has a much better chance.
• Minnesota vs. Chicago (-3) (37.5 O/U): A division rivalry, where the winner could pull into a tie for first in the division, assuming the Lions lose. That'd be in first place with a 2-3 record. Thomas Jones is (most likely) out, and Benson is in the dog house, so it'll probably be Peterson getting the bulk of the load. On the other side, how will Culpepper be affected by two things: 1. His knee injury, and 2. the cloud around his sexual escapades that are currently being investigated? My guess? He'll do just fine, especially now that they've established who their starting running back is.
• New York Giants vs. Dallas (-3.5) (47 O/U): Eli Manning gets an opportunity to show that he's still hot (and as good as his brother). But they do have?a good test against the Cowboys, who exposed the Eagles last week. Maybe that Parcells guy knows how to coach. Imagine that. Still, the Giants are a good team this year, and should at least cover.
• Washington vs. Kansas City (-5.5) (43 O/U): Washington has basically the same stats as they did last year, plus they are -7 in takeaways. The fact they are 3-1 is due solely to their easy schedule. Last year, they were 1-3 and looked similar. Interesting note I read about this week: Last week when Washington played Denver, it was billed as Champ Bailey against Clinton Portis, which never panned out since Bailey sat out. As it turns out, it should have been billed Portis versus Tatum Bell, with Bell getting the edge. Why Bell? Well, Bell was the 2004 second round pick that Washington threw in the deal to get Portis from Denver.
• New York Jets vs. Buffalo (-3) (33 O/U): Holcomb gets another start over Losman, and Vinny stays in there. As long as Testeverde can stay consistent (not great, but consistent), Curtis Martin should have a pretty good day, and the Jets will win this one.
• New England vs. Denver (-3) (47 O/U): Denver can run (and, on a side note, is a fantasy nightmare, especially if, like me, you have both Tatum Bell and Mike Anderson) and they will against New England. But New England can run too - Corey Dillon had over 100 yards last week - and they have Brady, who rarely loses. I'm still just not comfortable with "The Snake" and his ability to lead a team.
• San Diego (-2) vs. Oakland (50.5 O/U): Losing on Monday night is always tough, but Oakland, who can pass, just isn't that good. Get the ball back to L.T. for a few more touches, and this won't even be close.
• Houston vs. Seattle (-9.5) (46 O/U): It's Houston, and while a?nine and a half?point spread is huge, it's not unheard of when you're playing the Texans.
• St. Louis* vs. Indianapolis (-13.5) (51.5 O/U): Despite the 13 point spread, this should be a good MNF game. At least, I think it will be. I thnk the Colts will stay undefeated, but they won't cover - winning by two touchdowns is a hard pill to swallow. Oddly, even though the "magic number" for o/u is 52 I'm going to take the over in this one, despite being just a half point away from it. I think these two teams will shoot this one out into next Tuesday.

I'll check back with you next Tuesday to see how we did.