[/center]GAME OF THE WEEK - Denver Broncos (6-0) at Indianapolis Colts (4-2), DEN by 6 - It's finally happening - Peyton Manning returns to Indy. And what's more, it should be a great game. The atmosphere, however, shouldn't be hostile at all, like Lambeau Field for Favre's return. It should simply be a loud, emotional contest. While I really like what the Colts have been able to do this season, I just can't see them competing with an offense of Denver's caliber. Broncos 41, Colts 20
THURSDAY NIGHT - Seattle Seahawks (5-1) at Arizona Cardinals (3-3), SEA by 6 - Both teams are playing on a short week after a couple hard-fought games in week 6. The Seahawks haven't looked fantastic in recent weeks, but they've been getting the job done. Arizona's offense doesn't have the ability to match up with that defense. Should be a fairly straightforward win for the Hawks. Seahawks 27, Cardinals 13
New England Patriots (5-1) at New York Jets (3-3), NE by 4 - In this series, you never really know what to expect. The Patriots are clearly the better team and Geno Smith has been awful lately, but who knows, something crazy could happen. I'm going to bet against that being the case, though, and go with the Patriots to pick up the victory. Patriots 24, Jets 10
San Diego Chargers (3-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-6), SD by 7.5 - Let's be real... this is the Jacksonville Jaguars. It'd take a whole lot for me to pick against anyone who's playing them this season. The Chargers should roll. Chargers 31, Jaguars 17
Houston Texans (2-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-0), KC by 6.5 - What the hell has happened to the Texans? Their offense has been pathetic, and their defense, which was awesome a year ago, has been giving up tons of points to everyone they face. Talk about a disappointing season. The Chiefs, meanwhile, are perhaps the NFL's most complete team at the moment. Their defense has been ridiculous in particular. I'm looking forward to seeing how Matt Schaub/TJ Yates/whoever's playing QB fares against that pressure. Chiefs 26, Texans 16
Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) at Detroit Lions (4-2), DET by 3 - The Bengals are another one of the league's most complete teams and have quietly taken sole possession of first place in the AFC north for the first time in several years. The Lions are looking like a much improved team over last year thanks in large part to more balance on offense, the defensive line living up to its potential and Matthew Stafford playing far more intelligent football than he's played in his career to date. This should be a really excellent game and I'm really hoping this is the one I get on local TV at noon on Sunday. No idea who to pick, but I'm going to go with the team I trust more at this point, and that's Cincinnati. UPSET! - Bengals 30, Lions 27
Buffalo Bills (2-4) at Miami Dolphins (3-2), MIA by 8.5 - With the Bills missing EJ Manuel, this game is a much surer pick for me than it otherwise would have. I've got the Dolphins taking it here and getting back on track after a couple consecutive losses dogged them going into the bye. Dolphins 27, Bills 14
Chicago Bears (4-2) at Washington Redskins (1-4), WAS by 1 - Not entirely sure why the Redskins keep getting favored after how awful they've looked in the opening weeks, especially against a team as solid as the Bears. I'd be shocked if Chicago drops this one. UPSET! - Bears 31, Redskins 20
St. Louis Rams (3-3) at Carolina Panthers (2-3), CAR by 6 - I like the way the Panthers responded against the Vikings, and I think they're perfectly capable of doing the same thing to St. Louis. The Rams may be coming off a whomping of the Texans, but the Texans have a ton of issues right now. I like the Panthers in this matchup. Panthers 30, Rams 17
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-5) at Atlanta Falcons (1-4), ATL by 7.5 - This is just the game that Atlanta needed to start rebuilding some of its confidence. The Buccaneers should be much higher in the standings than they currently are, but man has this team ever been mismanaged. They've taken over for the Jets as the NFL's official circus team. While no divisional win is ever easy, this one should be about as smooth as it gets for the Falcons in an NFC South contest. Falcons 24, Bucs 9
San Francisco 49ers (4-2) at Tennessee Titans (3-3), SF by 4.5 - Tennessee started this season strong but has fallen back to earth a little bit, thanks in large part I'm sure to having to start Ryan Fitzpatrick. The 49ers have done something they couldn't do all of last year: win three consecutive games. The guess here is that they make it four. 49ers 28, Titans 13
Cleveland Browns (3-3) at Green Bay Packers (3-2), GB by 10 - Sorry Browns, but with Brandon Weeden playing quarterback opposite a vastly underrated Packers front 7 at Lambeau Field and matched up against an Aaron Rodgers-led offense WITH A RUNNING GAME, this one will probably get pretty ugly. Packers 34, Browns 10
Dallas Cowboys (3-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-3), PHI by 2.5 - Really tough game to predict. On the one hand, I think that Dallas is the best team in its division. On the other hand, the Eagles have looked quite good in recent weeks. However, Dallas has played better against much higher levels of competition than the Eagles, so I'm going to use that to pick them. UPSET! Cowboys 31, Eagles 30
Baltimore Ravens (3-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-4), PIT by 2 - The Ravens' offense looked pretty pathetic against the Packers, particularly the running game. While the Packers have done a great job shutting down teams' running games all year long, it's also been a season-long issue for the Ravens. The Steelers are maybe starting to come back after a terrible opening to the season, but do they have enough to take down the defending champs? Really tough to say. The Ravens are clearly the better team, but this rivalry is always a tossup. My head is telling me Ravens, but my gut is saying Steelers. Steelers 27, Ravens 24
Minnesota Vikings (1-4) at New York Giants (0-6), NYG by 3 - Two extremely disappointing teams, to be sure. The Vikings looked completely hopeless against the Panthers, and the Giants have turned the ball over like twice as much as any other team. The Giants on paper are the better team, but this is a match of such complete ineptitude that it's really hard to pick a winner. I guess I'll go with the Giants, but if they lose, this the last time I pick em!
Giants 20, Vikings 10BYES: New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders
