I can't speak for Scott, but I couldn't be more excited for hockey season to start up. With that in mind, both Scott and I are going to give a quick preview of the conferences for those who have been away all summer and need a quick refresher course. At the end of the article we'll give our predictions for who makes the playoffs and even who makes it out alive to face off in the Stanley Cup Finals. With that in mind, let's dive into this like a big bowl of macaroni 'n cheese. Enjoy!

CENTRAL DIVISON

Detroit Red Wings – The Red Wings faced Pittsburgh for the second straight year but weren't quite as successful this time around. I think everyone in Detroit has decided to blame Marian Hossa and rightfully so. In the seven Stanley Cup Finals games, Hossa chipped in a solid zero goals, three assists, and ummm… nothing else. The good news for Detroit fans is that he took off for Chicago and the ridiculous contract they gave him so he is their problem now. In typical Hossa fashion, he coincided his signing with his new team by bashing the old team. When will he learn? My guess is never.

The Wings also signed Todd Bertuzzi (why?), Jason Williams, and Patrick Eaves. Leaving Detroit this summer along with Hossa was Ty Conklin, Mikael Samuelsson, and Jiri Hudler. All of these things aside, Detroit's success is in good hands with Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Nicklas Lidstrom. They are basically guaranteed a spot in the postseason but once again it will depend on how effective (or ineffective) Chris Osgood turns out to be. I'd be slightly concerned about that.

Chicago Blackhawks – As mentioned above, the Blackhawks took the plunge and guaranteed themselves 12 more years without a championship. You can't totally blame them for the move though. When it comes to the 82 regular season games, Hossa is a regular performer. What? He's out until December with an injury already? Yikes. In exchange for Hossa, Chicago allowed Martin Havlat to sign in Minnesota and Nikolai Khabibulin in Edmonton. The Hawks better hope these moves pay off because they are in a world of trouble next summer when Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Toews all hit restricted free agency at the same time. I can't possibly see any way that they sign all three players in addition to the payroll they already have. Of course, if Patrick Kane keeps beating up cab drivers the Hawks might only have to worry about signing two of the three players.

St Louis Blues – St Louis surprised many teams, players, and fan as they qualified for the playoffs last season. It didn't last long as Vancouver did away with them rather quickly, but it was a mild success story anyways. The most notable Blues player in my eyes is Brad Boyes. He briefly attended my high school while playing OHL hockey for the Erie Otters. He captained the team that eventually won the championship before moving on to the NHL (and returned "home" last winter to have his number retired). After spending time with Toronto, Boston, and San Jose, it appears as if Brad has found a home in St Louis.

While scanning the list of moves St Louis made this summer, the one that jumped out at me the most was Ty Conklin. Barring any trade to Boston or Philadelphia this season, his string of consecutive appearances in the Winter Classic will finally come to an end. I liked the guy while he played in Buffalo but there must be something about him because according to my count, St Louis is the 17^th team he has played for in his NHL career.

Columbus Blue Jackets – The Blue Jackets made their first ever postseason appearance last spring before Detroit swept them out in the first round. This year the goal is simple. Make the postseason AND win a playoff game. Columbus made several solid moves that resulted in the above mentioned playoff berth, but the biggest reason of all is Steve Mason. The rookie goaltender won 33 games, had 10 shutouts, and won the Calder Trophy. Hopefully he builds on that success because he is my number one goalie in fantasy hockey this year.

Rick Nash signed an eight year extension this summer to ensure he would remain the face of the franchise. It was a smart move for both sides. Columbus should only continue to improve if they build around Nash and Mason. Will they make the playoffs again? Hard to say. They are in what appears to be the hardest division in the West so the competition will be fierce.

Nashville Predators – I really have no clue what to make of Nashville. To an outsider like myself, they strike me as a 'Carolina' type of team. You know, a team in a poor market that is still somewhat competitive. Last season they just missed out on the playoffs and what would've been a mind boggling five teams from the Central Division qualifying for the playoffs. The Predators really didn't do a whole lot during the offseason and are banking on the players from last season and young guys from the AHL for the most part.

Last season saw the emergence of goaltender Pekka Rinne who won 29 games for the Predators and posted a very respectable 2.38 GAA. He'll be the starter going into the season but former starter Dan Ellis will be looking to take over at the first sign of trouble. If Rinne can build on his success last season, the Predators could be in good shape for a postseason berth.

NORTHWEST DIVISION

Vancouver Canucks – The Canucks did one of the nicer jobs this offseason of locking up their own stars. First were unrestricted free agents, Henrik and Daniel Sedin. After signing the twins, Vancouver made sure Roberto Luongo would never see free agency with a 12 year extension. The Canucks will most likely be without Mats Sundin this season but honestly, that is probably a good thing. Probably the biggest outside addition came from Detroit in the form of Mikael Samuelsson. The Canucks are expected to be a very good team once again and it will simply be a matter of how far they go once playoff hockey starts.

Calgary Flames – I said several times during my NHL Top 15's last season that Calgary was looking very good and could even go all the way in the West. I guess that shows how much I know. Calgary was disposed of in six games by Chicago and sent home packing once again. I'd argue the Flames made some of the biggest waves this summer when they traded for the rights to Jay Bouwmeester and struck a deal with him before free agency started. Also coming to Calgary this season is Brian McGrattan, Brandon Prust, Fredrik Sjostrom, and Nigel Dawes.

The biggest mistake for Calgary in my opinion is the workload given to Miikka Kiprusoff. He has averaged 70+ games plus the postseason for the past four years. With the Olympics coming up, it may be beneficial for Calgary to rest him up more often. Of course, that all depends on what kind of play they can get from their backup. (I feel like I'm writing about this team in Western New York with this paragraph)

Minnesota Wild – The Wild were another team that ousted both their GM and coach this summer. Jacques Lemaire stepped down as coach to eventually take over in New Jersey and bring the trap back East. In other moves, Minnesota signed Martin Havlat from Chicago and allowed china doll Marian Gaborik to go cash in with the Rangers. Both were smart moves. Like most teams, the success of Minnesota will highly depend on good play from their goaltender. The Wild signed Niklas Backstrom to a four year extension and now he must prove his worth. Many hockey fans see his numbers dipping now that the trap will no longer be used in Minnesota but I'll wait and see what happens first. I hope the Wild return to the playoffs this season. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for true hockey markets that appreciate the game and their local team.

Edmonton Oilers – The Oilers were bad enough last season that Craig MacTavish was fired from his coaching duties and replaced by Pat Quinn. The next move for the Oilers was improving upon their offense, but that plan failed miserably. You see, they had a deal in place to acquire Ottawa Senators star Dany Heatley but he quickly shot down the trade by refusing to waive his no trade clause and effectively becoming public enemy number one when San Jose visits Edmonton.

Gone from the Oilers is goaltender Dwayne Roloson and in to replace him is former Stanley Cup Champion Nikolai Khabibulin. Also returning to Edmonton is Hillary Duff center Mike Comrie. If Edmonton does get to the playoffs, it won't be more than the seventh or eighth seed.

Colorado Avalanche – Wow. The Avalanche used to be the class of the West. Long gone are those days as one of the final pieces of the puzzle, Joe Sakic, called it quits over the summer. Peter Forsberg was rumored to be making a comeback but that appears to be on hold as he is injured yet again. The Avs traded Ryan Smyth to the Kings during the summer in what appears to be a complete overhaul full of young guys. Their first round draft pick Matt Duchene is expected to bring some promise along with Paul Stastny, who was productive last year until the injury bug hit.

Craig Anderson comes over from Florida to start in goal, but expect to see Peter Budaj also. Anderson was solid in Florida but never firmly held on to the job as he and Tomas Vokoun traded spots on a near nightly basis. Anderson will be the number one goaltender but if he struggles, Budaj will be right there to snatch up some starts.

PACIFIC DIVISION

San Jose Sharks – I don't know about Sharks fans, but when Buffalo won the President's Trophy and lost in the Eastern Conference Finals, I took it as a huge letdown, so I can only imagine what Sharks fans felt as they watched San Jose flame out in the first round. To make matters worse, it was at the hands of Gordon

1. New York Giants (1) – The Giants did what a good team was supposed to do; they beat an inferior team and didn't take it easy. So although it was an easy team they beat, you've got to respect that from them. There are some teams that relax against the lesser teams and those are usually the ones that flame out in the end.

2. Baltimore Ravens (2) – Did you see what I wrote above? The same exact thing applies to Baltimore. Joe Flacco continued to prove that in most cases, you either have it or you don't as a QB. I sometimes wonder why people continue to make excuses for Tony Romo and yet Joe Flacco has already won twice as many playoff games in one season as Romo has for his career. Interesting.

3. New Orleans Saints (3) – The most impressive thing about the Saints is how they won without getting a passing touchdown from Drew Brees. If anything, it just proved that they are a more complete team than people originally thought. Gregg Williams' defense also looked impressive holding the Bills to zero points (their only touchdown was a fake field goal), although one has to wonder how well they would've done against a QB who wasn't afraid to throw the ball farther than two yards.

4. Indianapolis Colts (4) – The Colts completely dominated the Cardinals and moved their early season record to 3-0. It's way too early to tell, but a Saints and Colts Super Bowl would be amazingly offensive (in a good way).

5. NY Jets (8) – I hate putting the Jets up this high but what choice do I have? They have looked pretty good (or at least their defense has) so far this season. I'm not sure if Rex Ryan will be an overall success yet since three games isn't nearly enough to judge a coach, but I have to think his early success has to do with how he runs his team. Amazing what a coach can do when he isn't a complete pushover.

6. Philadelphia Eagles (7) – The Eagles have a well timed bye week and should get Donovan McNabb back when they return. Looking ahead on their schedule, after the bye they have Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Washington. So basically, they will be 5-1 when they square off against the Giants on November 1^st.

7. Minnesota Vikings (8) – Whatever. I'm still not wearing Wranglers or shopping at Sears.

8. New England Patriots (9) – Just when the Patriots were being ruled out by just about everyone, they beat a very good Atlanta team and appear to have righted the ship. Back to back losses aren't something in New England's vocabulary.

9. San Diego Chargers (11) – The Chargers didn't put a ton of points up against Miami, but they won a hard fought game and knocked Chad Pennington out in the process. This weekend's game will be a huge test to see if San Diego is ready to take the next step forward or if they will continue to do the same old routine they've been doing.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (5) – Two losses in a row that happened within the last minute. Last time I checked, champions were supposed to get it done in crunch time, not fold like a lawn chair. I realize he has won two Super Bowls, but at what point will people realize that Ben Roethlisberger is just an ordinary QB? Through three weeks his QB rating is 13^th in the league, he is tied for 18^th in the league in touchdowns, and he is tied for fourth in the league with the most interceptions so far. In his draft class, I'd probably rank him three out of four for the first round QBs.

11. Green Bay Packers (13) – I'm buying into the hype. I can't wait to see the Packers play the Vikings. I just wish the MNF game was at Green Bay and not Minnesota. I'm really hoping someone from Green Bay blasts Favre. I gotta imagine some players on that team aren't the biggest fans of his.

12. Atlanta Falcons (6) – The Falcons didn't look very good against New England and it makes you wonder just how good they really are. Their two victories came against teams with a combined record of 0-6. Not saying they aren't a good team, because they definitely are, but maybe I had them bumped up a little too high too soon.

13. Dallas Cowboys (15) – The Cowboys ran all over Carolina on Monday night without Marion Barber. That either says a lot about the Dallas running game being very good or Carolina's defense is even worse than we thought. Tony Romo didn't play especially good but made less mistakes when it counted.

14. Denver Broncos (17) – The Broncos are 3-0 but don't be fooled, they are not better than the teams listed in front of them. Their opponents are a combined 3-6 and the Bengals account for two of those wins. And the win against the Bengals? One of the ten luckiest plays in the history of football.

15. Chicago Bears (19) – This is probably the first time in a long time I've said this, but the NFC North is shaping up to be quite the divisional fight. Three of the four teams are above .500 and even the Lions finally got a win to make things interesting. Jay Cutler had a solid day going 21/27, three touchdowns, and one interception which just goes to prove that the Bears success lands squarely on his shoulders.

16. San Francisco 49ers (14) – Considering their best player was out for almost the entire game, the 49ers really proved their worth by almost beating Minnesota. In all actuality, they had Minnesota beat before Favre's miracle touchdown at the end. Because they allowed Favre to get that play off and open up an entire week of Farve mania, I say screw you San Francisco.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (24) – Very impressive performance by the Bengals on Sunday. I was especially impressed by Carson Palmer who led the game winning drive and converted two fourth downs with the game on the line. I'm not going to bring up the week one deal like everyone else wants to, but I will say that their two wins have come against Green Bay and Pittsburgh, two quality teams.

18. Tennessee Titans (12) – What is going on in Tennessee? They have successfully matched their loss total from a season ago and are now a full three games back in the AFC South. It's not going to get any easier as they face Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and New England in consecutive weeks before they get a bye. Secretly Vince Young must be having the time of his life.

19. Arizona Cardinals (16) – The week four bye is coming at the perfect time for Arizona. They looked like a complete mess against Indianapolis on Sunday night. No kidding, it's why I have such little respect for the NFC West. The Colts aren't even the best the AFC has to offer and they stomped Arizona in their house. It says a lot about that division.

20. Houston Texans (20) – I've decided not to move Houston because I officially don't understand them. I rank them high, they lose. I move them down, they win. So I move them up, and they lose again. They literally do the exact opposite of what I predict and I've given up trying to figure them out.

21. Seattle Seahawks (23) – The Seahawks impressed me despite losing to Chicago. I expected a blowout with Seneca Wallace starting at QB and somehow they still hung in with the Bears. He wasn't great but the overall team proved they might be better than I once thought. Still, Matt Hasselbeck needs to come back in a hurry if the Seahawks want to do anything worthwhile this season.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars (27) – I almost had the Jags written off but they came up with a big division win against Houston. I still don't see them doing much of anything this season, but it's nice to know they haven't completely given up yet in the month of September. With a loss already to Indianapolis, it would take a huge collapse from the Colts for the Jags to even sniff the postseason. Jets, Patriots, Ravens, Steelers, Chargers, Broncos…. The wild card is going to be a tough fight and the Jags aren't in it right now.

23. Miami Dolphins (18) – Miami is ranked higher than some 1-2 teams despite being winless so far. Trust me; it makes sense in my head. First, their defense is still very good and will keep them in games. Second, their opponent's win/loss percentage is the second highest in the NFL, just underneath Cleveland who has faced three undefeated teams so far this season. Third, they play Buffalo this Sunday and if I ranked Buffalo higher that would indicate that I think the Bills can win the game. And now that I've essentially defended the Miami Dolphins, I will now go douse myself with gasoline and light a match.

24. Buffalo Bills (21) – Let me explain to you just how inept Trent Edwards was on Sunday. He completed 20 of 35 passes for 156 yards. He averaged 4.5 yards per attempt. Out of 34 targeted passes for Bills receivers, Lee Evans and Terrell Owens combined for 11 of those targets. Derek Fine and Fred Jackson combined for 14. And still, with seven minutes remaining against the highest scoring team in the league, the Bills were down by only 10 points and decided to punt the ball on 4^th and 1 from the Buffalo 28 yard line. Just for clarification, last week against Tampa Bay the Bills went for it on 4^th and 1 from the Buffalo 36 yard line while leading 17-7 in the second quarter. I'm thinking that was a much bigger risk considering the fact that if Buffalo gets stopped the Bucs would have great field possession and could make it a one score game before halftime. No consistency from the QB and even less from the coach. Dick Jauron might be the worst coach in football right now.

25. Carolina Panthers (22) – The Panthers are another team with a well times bye week coming up. Jake Delhomme looks like a mess and if they don't correct their issues soon, Head Coach John Fox could be on his way out.

26. Detroit Lions (31) – Congrats to Detroit for winning a game. The players from last season deserve it and the fans deserved it. Nice job to all of those players and coaches involved.

27. Washington Redskins (25) – I'd feel good about picking Detroit to beat Washington but I'm thinking the fair majority of people got that pick right. Washington is not only bad, but they aren't going to get better anytime soon. They still have five games on their schedule that involve the Eagles, Cowboys, or Giants. I'm guessing that this is the final season for Zorn and Campbell. It will be interesting to see who gets fired first, Zorn or Dick Jauron. Scratch that, the Bills would never fire Dick Jauron.

28. Oakland Raiders (26) – I do not understand the NFL sometimes. This is supposed to be a professional football league, the most elite group of football players in the world. And yet players like Brady Quinn, Byron Leftwich, and JaMarcus Russell are starters (up until yesterday). Russell was a solid 12/21, 61 yards, and two interceptions. Really? His season stats are now 31/75, 378 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions. How was this guy the number one draft pick? Please, enlighten me.

29. Kansas City Chiefs (29) – The Chiefs might be a on the right track but it's going to take a while. Larry Johnson ran the ball 19 times for 38 yards. I didn't see the game so can somebody help me out here… is he that bad? Or is he not trying? Or is the offensive line that bad? Or were the Eagles that good?

30. St Louis Rams (30) – The Rams are a bad team, but at least they scored 17 points on a decent defense. The two teams below them scored three combined points yesterday. THREE.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (28) – Well, that didn't take long. Just a few short weeks after I wondered why Tampa Bay was starting Byron Leftwich, the Bucs have already moved him to number three on the depth chart behind Josh Johnson and Josh Freeman. Not that it will matter much, but they might as well let the youngsters get their game experience because the Bucs were going nowhere with Leftwich. It was a complete waste of time.

32. Cleveland Browns (32) – I had the pleasure of watching the entire Cleveland/Baltimore game this Sunday and although Baltimore is a very good team, I can say with full confidence that Cleveland has passed the point of being horrendous. I could've sworn the Cleveland players weren't even trying at one point. I think Eric Mangini has blown out the world record of how fast he can lose a team. By the way, Cleveland has still only scored one offensive touchdown this season. At what point does their offensive coordinator become the fourth one to be fired this season?

After starting off the season with a great 13-3 start, my picks fell back to Earth in Week Two with terrible 9-7 performance. If the NFL wanted parity, they got it. Teams with very good defensive performances in Week One struggled to duplicate that in Week Two which resulted in some home losses (Green Bay, Tennessee, Jacksonville). The defending Super Bowl champions have a kicker who missed a grand total of four kicks last season, already miss two this season and both of which most likely cost them a win this past Sunday. The Titans, a team that lost only three games last season, is currently 0-2 and staring at a big hole in their division. The Jets are 2-0 with a rookie QB and rookie Head Coach. Tom Brady has thrown two touchdowns in two games, half of what Trent Edwards has thrown. The 49ers are 2-0 with Shaun Hill starting at QB. As the great Vince Lombardi once said, "What the hell is going on around here?" Now that we're clear that nothing is making sense anymore, let's get to the picks.

Washington Redskins @ Detroit Lions

It's true; the Lions haven't looked especially great so far, but nobody really expected them to. They almost shattered a ton of eliminator pools last week when they were leading 10-0 over Minnesota late into the second quarter. They did win up losing 27-13 but really, that is much better than I thought in terms of a losing margin. Matthew Stafford has looked a little rough so far, but let us keep in mind, he is a rookie QB on a winless team from 2008. Enough of all that nonsense though, let's get to the real reason why I'm picking the Lions to finally end their 19 game regular season losing streak.

The Redskins suck. Man do they suck. Speaking of shattering eliminator pools, the Redskins did their part to scare half the country before finally pulling off a 9-7 nail biter against the Rams, one of the worst teams in the league. On paper the Redskins have a ton of talent offensively, but none of it has shown so far. This game should be a slam dunk. The Redskins should crush the Lions. But after seeing Washington struggle at home to the Rams, how am I supposed to believe that they'll take on Detroit on the road? Plus I feel like picking an upset.

Green Bay Packers @ St Louis Rams

The Rams are the perfect bounce-back game for the Packers. They get to go on the road in a nice quiet dome stadium and beat up on a bad team. Perfect for those who have Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Grant, and Greg Jennings on your fantasy roster. I still can't believe Green Bay lost to the Bengals at home, but like a wise man once said, that is why they play the games. The Packers will be fine though. They are still going to win the NFC North and will still go deep into the playoffs.

San Francisco 49ers @ Minnesota Vikings

Mike Singletary is a smart guy. I've been praising him since last season ended so I would know this. So I'm sure he knows the game plan, stop Adrian Peterson and beat the Vikings. Unless Brett Favre steps into a time machine and the Brett Favre from a decade ago shows up, he isn't going to carry the Vikings to a victory anytime soon. If any fan of the Vikings is impressed with Favre or happy he joined the team, please put the crack pipe down, and feel free to contact me as to why you're happy this bum is starting.

Atlanta Falcons @ New England Patriots

New England definitely isn't who we thought they were, but this is usually when they come back with a huge statement win against a very good team, so I wouldn't be shocked if they beat the Falcons on Sunday. The addition of Tony Gonzalez has been huge for Atlanta. The added weapon for Matt Ryan has made him look so much better this year and that is bad news for those in the NFC this year. The Patriots defense allowed 90 yards rushing to the Bills in Week One and 117 last week against the Jets so look for Michael Turner to finally break loose with a potential big game. Home field advantage is completely dead for New England so I'm going with the better road team in this matchup.

Tennessee Titans @ New York Jets

I really wanted to pick Tennessee in this game but I just couldn't do it. I can't see Jeff Fisher allowing his team to start 0-3 and match their regular season loss total from a season ago in the first month, but I have a feeling it's going to happen. Last year when the Titans were booted from the playoffs far too early, it was at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. I'm sure by now you know where I'm going with this and why I'm picking the Jets so let's just move on.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Philadelphia Eagles

Who knows if Donovan McNabb is going to be back for this game, but I'm sure glad I drafted him to be my fantasy starter in one league. The good news for Philly is that they should beat the Chiefs this Sunday with or without Kevin Kolb. I haven't been very nice about Kolb since the season started and now you know why. He was terrible last Sunday. Michael Vick comes back this week and he might get more playing time with McNabb out, but I don't think he is going to start or even play half the game.

The Chiefs on the other hand, they should be embarrassed by last week's performance. They dominated the Raiders in almost every aspect of the game and still found a way to lose. JaMarcus Russell looked so bad that I'm honestly wondering how long it will be before he is starting for the California Redwoods. Matt Cassel didn't look too good for Kansas City and that's a bad sign. They gave up a second round pick to get him and signed him to a huge deal. I know it's only one game, but could it have been the coaching/talent surrounding him last year that made him so good? Time will tell.

New York Giants @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Giants are a very good team as evidenced by my power rankings earlier this week. Ever since the Giants started their little run which resulted in a Super Bowl victory, I've looked at Eli Manning in a different light. He went from being 'Peyton's little brother' to 'Eli Manning: Real Deal QB'. His drive at the end of the Dallas game was very good and while watching it, I almost felt like he was definitely going to get them in position to win the game. Much like how I felt Monday night watching Peyton, it was basically a foregone conclusion that he was going to get it done. Very few QB's have that and Eli is one of them. I still love the "Manning Face" and refuse to give that up though.

The Bucs…what should I say that I haven't already? They are a bad team. Since I'd just be repeating myself when talking about the Bucs, I'll take this time to thank Byron Leftwich for finally allowing Donte Whitner to make an impact play for the Bills. All Bills fans have been waiting for a play like that (or any play at all) from Whitner since he was drafted, so from the Buffalo fans, THANK YOU BYRON!!

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens

Talk about a mismatch. A top five team against a bottom five team. This game has to make Browns fans sick. There is no way Baltimore loses this game…right? No way.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans

I'm so close to writing off the Jaguars that it's practically already done. The only thing that can save Jacksonville from this is to beat Houston at home. Houston on the other hand, I might've been a little too harsh on them after the first week. They came back with a very impressive performance on the road as Matt Schaub went off on the Titans' defense for four passing touchdowns. The scariest part about Houston is that Steve Slaton has yet to really get going. I'm assuming he will and when he does, the Texans will be that much harder to beat.

New Orleans Saints @ Buffalo Bills

The Bills had a nice win against a team they should beat, but the Saints are not the Buccaneers. I'd tell you that this game worries me but with my expectations being fairly low for Buffalo and me already penciling in a loss this week, I'm really not worried at all. Either the Bills perform like I think and Drew Brees goes off again or the Bills pull off a huge upset and I'm a very happy boy. It's almost like a win/win scenario, except for the fact that if Brees goes off I have to watch the Bills get throttled Sunday afternoon.

Chicago Bears @ Seattle Seahawks

The Bears were going to win this game anyways, so with Seneca Wallace making the start; it's really a matter of how much Chicago is going to win by. Although the Bears were aided by two missed field goals in Week Two, it was still a nice win against the defending Super Bowl champions. Jay Cutler bounced back impressively after stinking it up on opening night and showed why the Bears wanted him so badly. Just imagine if he has some really good receivers to throw to.

Miami Dolphins @ San Diego Chargers

This is the way these types of games usually go. Miami dominates at home and still finds a way to lose in the previous week. I essentially write them off because now they've had a very difficult loss, short week, and are traveling across the country for a game against a good team. Then on Sunday afternoon I'm cursing up a storm as Miami pulls off the win.

Despite what usually happens, I'm still picking San Diego. For one, I hate picking the Dolphins. For two, the Chargers would really have to try and lose this game. Seriously, stop the Wildcat and you stop the Dolphins. It is that simple. Enough of the Wildcat. ENOUGH.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals

I said it after Week One and I'm saying it now, the Steelers do not look like a great team, or at least a team poised to repeat as Super Bowl champion. If there were to line up against Baltimore right now, the Ravens would win by at least 10 points. Pittsburgh's defense is hurting without Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger has hardly looked impressive so far. Then again, he isn't going up against Shaquille O'Neal's flag football team so he can't be expected to look great.

All that being said, they should still beat the Bengals. Cincinnati should be 2-0 but they stand at 1-1 with a chance to beat Pittsburgh and knock them into third place in the AFC North. It's a nice spot for Cincy but I don't see it happening. The Steelers are the better team and haven't lost to the Bengals since September 24, 2006. Then again, I never would've thought that the Bengals would win in Green Bay so we'll have to wait until they play the game.

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders

The Broncos get another easy game this week as they travel to Oakland. And before you give me this jive about how Oakland almost beat San Diego at home, I urge you to watch some of the Raiders/Chiefs game first. I'm chalking up the Monday night performance as a bad game by the Chargers and an overly good game by Oakland. I'm fairly certain the real Raiders were what we saw this past Sunday. Why else would Jeff Garcia ask for his release before the season (Or so it is rumored that he did)? He would definitely be close to starting in Oakland and is now buried in Philly with McNabb, Kolb, and Vick. If he just wanted to play, staying in Oakland was his best bet. I'm guessing he saw something that we are starting to see with the Raiders.

Indianapolis Colts @ Arizona Cardinals

If the Cardinals beat the Colts I'll have to officially take back my harsh words about how they were hung-over from the Super Bowl and should still be taken seriously. Luckily for me, it isn't happening. Sure the Cardinals throttled Jacksonville and defied my prediction of them playing on the East Coast. But it was the Jaguars for crying out loud. The Colts are not the Jaguars (obviously).

The Colts biggest problem Monday night was stopping the run, particularly the Wildcat. Arizona basically has no running game. The combination of Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells has resulted in 160 yards rushing for the first two weeks. Again, that is a combined total. So essentially it takes two players to gain 80 yards a game. Just for comparison, Fred Jackson ran for 163 yards by himself last week against Tampa Bay.

If the Cardinals hope to win, this game is going to turn into an aerial shootout. As a fantasy owner of Larry Fitzgerald, I'm all for this.

Carolina Panthers @ Dallas Cowboys

This game can go a few different ways. Both teams could play a hard fought defensive battle that comes down to the very end (15% chance). Both teams could play a mistake filled, turnover heavy game that gets ugly near the end and one team loses on a missed field goal (85% chance). ESPN could talk about the Cowboys new stadium all night and how Jerry Jones is the greatest human being on the planet (100% chance).

Here is something to think about. Dallas allowed Steve Smith of the Giants to catch 10 passes for 134 yards and one touchdown. How are they going to handle Carolina's version of Steve Smith? Easy, they won't.

Last Week: 9-7

NFL Season: 22-10

Scott's Picks:

Washington Redskins @ Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers @ St Louis Rams

San Francisco 49ers @ Minnesota Vikings

Atlanta Falcons @ New England Patriots

Tennessee Titans @ New York Jets

Kansas City Chiefs @ Philadelphia Eagles

New York Giants @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans

New Orleans Saints @ Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears @ Seattle Seahawks

Miami Dolphins @ San Diego Chargers

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders

Indianapolis Colts @ Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers @ Dallas Cowboys

Last Week: 9-7

NFL Season: 22-10