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     The Ravens only have wins over the struggling Bengals and Browns to show this far into the season. Having the #1 D in the league is admirable but with that resume one has to wonder. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has the #2 rated D with victories over Cleveland and Houston and now a loss to the Eagles. Keeping Philly to a mere 15 points was impressive, scoring 6 themselves was not. At home the Steelers should be fired up but without Willie Parker, their strong rushing presence, I can't see them moving the football. All I can say is 'protect Big Ben' until Parker returns. Maybe Rashard Mendenhall is ready, but I don't feel the Ravens are a good team to begin your stint against as the main RB. Raven's CB Rolle is out but I think the Raven's pass rush is what the Steelers really need to worry about.

    Staying in the AFC North, Cincinatti should finally get a win against injured Cleveland. Derek Anderson has performed poorly and Brady Quinn might get to step in, good luck Brady. Anderson performed fine last year, I don't feel this kind of dropoff can't be his fault alone. Cleveland might be inspired by a Quinn takeover, we'll see. However, Cincinatti didn't look as bad as their record taking the Giants to overtime last week. I don't thin the Bengals are a good team by any stretch but they should get a win this week. Carson Palmer might  not be able to play, sheesh... will there be any reason to watch this? 

    If the Cowboys don't play 100% this week the Skins might take them. Washington has played well against the Giants, Saints and Cardinals, all three respectable teams at this point. Their stats linger around the higher middle numbers of the league but they're playing solidly.

    New Orleans/San Fransisco should be fun to watch, looks like we're in for a shoot out in this one. If the Saints are going back to Super Bowl contention they'd better start winning these kind of games. Tampa and Carolina aren't going away if they stay healthy. DrewBrees is passing like a champion, he needs a defense on the field that can hold their own. Losing to Denver and Washington isn't shameful and they have a stretch of winnable games now. With increased confidence the Saints might be a team to watch again.

    Minnesota has had a boost of passing O with Frerotte at the helm, can he function that well against the Titans D? I doubt it. Adrian Peterson is hurting (perpetually it seems) and if Minnesota suddenly has to rely on its passing game I don't like their chances against anyone, let alone Tennessee. Tennessee knows Frerotte can play reasonably well at his position and will adjust their game plan accordingly. The Vikes aren't going to fool anyone this week.

     Jets/Cardinals and Packers/Buccaneers should help us sort the wheat from the chaff, as they say. All these teams need a win to keep confident in close races, I can't begin to pick winners here. Too many variables, is Favre healthy?... are the Packers shaken by losing?... I don't know.

    Matt Ryan has exceeded expectations as a rookie, that's obvious. A big part of his success is having a pretty good running threat in Micheal Turner. They've dominated the poor teams they've played and been crushed by Tampa Bay. When they meet Carolina this week I think it'll be another disappointment. My prediction for Atlanta this year is more of the same Ryan will give fans something to cheer about if he stays healthy, but there aren't many more ducks on their schedule. If they win 6 games it'll be an achievement if they win much more than that look out NFL in 2009.

    The rest of the games this Sunday look pretty predictable with heavy favorites. Oakland and San Diego looks to be a major blowout unless Russell and McFadden play out of their respective trees. If McFadden is out things could get especially ugly. Then watching Patriots fans can see a team (or owner) that truly deserves to hear boos.

    That's all for now, catch you on the wrap up.... Bones