All over football, the defenses seem to be ahead of the offenses. (Except in Cincinnati, maybe.) I put the over/under on total touchdowns in this game at one.

I refuse to jump on the Romeo Crennel bandwagon, especially with Peyton Manning steaming after such a lousy game last week. I say Peyton throws four TD passes and Edgerrin James runs for 130.

A matchup of two men who really don't like each other. Randy Moss and Terrell Owens will each surpass 100 yards receiving with lots of gesturing, but Moss will make his second miserable five-hour plane trip home in three weeks.

This is more of a vote FOR the Bears than a vote AGAINST the Bengals. The Bears, with the efficient QB Kyle Orton managing the game, can play keep away long enough to give Cincinnati only seven or eight possessions.

With apologies to my movie buddy Adam Sandler from The Longest Yard, I wonder if the Titans still think of "The Longest Yard." I bet coach Jeff Fisher does.

I want to be sold on Atlanta. I really do. But particularly with Mike Vick's tender hammy, I can't pick the Falcs to go into Buffalo and make enough plays to win. Memo to Willis McGahee: Time to rise up, big fella. Time to go for 126 in about 32 lugs.

I am getting a little shaky on my pick of the Jags to win the AFC South (who believes MY picks anyway?), but they're good enough -- and defensively stout enough -- to hold off a struggling Jets offense.

"How's everything going?'' I asked Mike Tice the other day. "Great!'' he boomed. "I've lost 37 pounds, and my punter's booting the hell out of the ball.'' Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how'd you like the play?

I never thought I'd be predicting the Pack to be 0-3, and 0-2 at home. It's unimaginable. But with the Bucs playing defense the way they played during their Super Bowl year, I can't see the Pack winning.

At some point, Kurt Warner's got to be able to use his stud receivers and put on an offensive show. Not this week. I like Matt Hasselbeck, with lesser receivers, to outplay Warner.

Drew Bledsoe to Terry Glenn three times for 30-plus-yard scores. Julius Jones for 119. Six days after Bill Parcells' world spun into chaos, the Cowboys will restore order.

I believe Bill Belichick can figure a way to stop Willie Parker or Ben Roethlisberger, but not both. Don't ask me how the game is going to go, but I think the Steelers will make enough plays to somehow win.

In the immortal words of that wise old owl Bill Parcells, the desperate team usually wins in football. There is no team more desperate in the AFC right now than San Diego, which travels to New England in Week 4.

Dick Vermeil has a lovely new vineyard business in northern California. But he's not ready to go tend the ol' grapes yet. He and Al Saunders will figure a way to shred the Broncos.