The Bucs are destined to win all their games by three, or six, or seven. They're not a great offensive team, but the '86 Giants weren't record-breakers on offense either. And Cadillac Williams looks better than Joe Morris to me.

"Peyton Manning's going to break out soon, I guarantee you,'' Jeff Fisher told me the other day. He's got to hope this isn't the day, but I agree. You can only hold down one of the greats of our time for only so long.

This is going to be a great game. The Patriots have already had enough adversity for a decade, never mind an offseason plus three games. The whole team ought to be on Survivor.

There's one touchdown in this game, and the Redskins D will score it. Which means that the magic at Texas Stadium in Week 2 does not carry over to Week 4 by the Beltway. Start warming up, Jason Campbell.

My guess is we're about to see Kelly Holcomb take J.P. Losman's spot under center for the Bills. It'd be nice, by the way, if San Antonio put its money with its mouth is and sell out this game.

How many more injuries can pretzel-man Byron Leftwich take before he finally takes a seat? The Broncos will try and find out. They'll send the house at Leftwich, but he's got enough to throw two touchdowns and hang on.

I'm afraid the Giants' defense is more of what we saw last Sunday night than in the first two weeks. I might be wrong, but getting steamrollered in the NFL is rarely a fluke.

You say this game can't be so close? I say, funny things happen when the owner gets involved -- as Bob McNair has in Houston -- and starts beating the drums that trying hard isn't good enough.

Playing Brooks Bollinger doesn't doom the Jets' season, and I'm serious about that. But the Jets defense just has to have the equivalent of a Clemens-esque ERA to hold the fort until a real quarterback is ready to play.

The mutual love-fest between Andy Reid and Dick Vermeil gets pushed aside long enough for one of the great games of this season. Donovan McNabb grimaces through the pain and finds Greg Lewis for a late touchdown to win it.

If I had a dollar for every announcer who's said, "Oakland's the best 0-3 in football,'' or "the Raiders are much better than an 0-3 team,'' well, I'd have enough for at least 17 venti lattes. I say they rise up and play good D in this one.

Quasi-upset of the week. Daunte Culpepper knows this team is on his back, and judging by the way he played last Sunday (300 passing yards, three touchdowns, no picks) he likes the feel of that.

How can you like either team right now? At least the game's in Mexico, so the fans in Tempe, all six of them, don't have to see another display of lousy football.

Don't ask me why. I don't know. Maybe it's because I simply can't believe Ahman Green has had 10 straight games under 100 yards rushing. Maybe it's because I still think Favre can be Favre. Whatever, I just feel Monday night magic is about to happen.