Doug Pensinger
SUNDAY
Arizona Cardinals (1-5) at Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
ARIZONA plus 13
Baltimore beware: Both defeats this season have come against sub-.500 teams.
The pick RAVENS
Miami Dolphins (0-6) at New York Giants (4-2)
MIAMI plus 10
The Dolphins just can't shake those pesky Colts in the race for last place (and the first pick in the 2012 draft).
The pick GIANTS
Minnesota Vikings (1-6) at Carolina Panthers (2-5)
MINNESOTA plus 4
The Vikings are giving up 275 yards a game through the air, on average. The Carolina connection – Cam Newton to Steve Smith – is pleased.
The pick PANTHERS
Indianapolis Colts (0-7) at Tennessee Titans (3-3)
INDIANAPOLIS plus 9
The Titans were humiliated at home last week by Houston; now they get a chance for redemption against the worst team in the NFL.
The pick TITANS
New Orleans Saints (5-2) at St. Louis Rams (0-6)
NEW ORLEANS minus 14
This is the same point spread the Saints got last week, prior to a 62-7 mashing of Indy. New Orleans might take its foot off the pedal a bit, but not too much.
The pick SAINTS
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5) at Houston Texans (4-3)
JACKSONVILLE plus 10
Scary Halloween stat: Kicker Josh Scobee has accounted for more than 57 per cent of the Jaguars' scoring this season. Jacksonville is averaging 12 points a game.
The pick TEXANS
Detroit Lions (5-2) at Denver Broncos (2-4)
DETROIT minus 3
The Dolphins owned Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow until the fourth quarter of their game last week. The Lions defence won't be caught napping.
The pick LIONS
Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) at Seattle Seahawks (2-4)
CINCINNATI minus 3
The Seahawks dropped a stink bomb in Cleveland in Week 7, but now they're back in ultra-noisy CenturyLink Field on a (surprise!) rainy game day AND are the underdog?
The pick SEAHAWKS
Washington Redskins (3-3) vs. Buffalo Bills (4-2)
at Toronto
WASHINGTON plus 6
The last time the Bills lost to the Redskins was in Super Bowl XXVI. Banged-up Washington is a long shot to turn back the clock at Rogers Centre.
The pick BILLS
New England Patriots (5-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
NEW ENGLAND minus 3
With an NFL tight end-leading 15 touchdowns since the start of last season, being caught on camera isn't the only type of catch New England's Rob Gronkowski excels at.
The pick PATRIOTS
Cleveland Browns (3-3) at San Francisco 49ers (5-1)
CLEVELAND plus 9
Steve Young and Jerry Rice are long gone, but with a three-game lead in the division, the current edition of the 49ers is showing the kind of NFC West dominance reminiscent of the glory years.
The pick BROWNS
Dallas Cowboys (3-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)
DALLAS plus 4
After besting Emmitt Smith's best performance in just his sixth NFL game, is there any hope for a green Philly defence to stop DeMarco Murray?
The pick EAGLES
MONDAY
San Diego Chargers (4-2) at Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)
SAN DIEGO minus 4
Trick or treat? Halloween has certainly been the latter for the Chiefs over the years, with Kansas boasting a scarily good 5-1-1 record on the day.
The pick CHIEFS
Bye Week: Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, Oakland, New York Jets, Tampa Bay
Last week: 6-6-1
Season: 48-49-6
Paul Attfield