Rams at Jets
Although the Rams have gone 2-2 and have played much better since replacing Scott Linehan with Jim Haslett as head coach, they still are ranked 30th in the league in both offense and defense and were destroyed by Arizona last week. The Jets are coming off a big victory on the road against the Bills and are now tied for the division lead. Expect Brett Favre and the New York offense to have a big day and stay on a roll by beating the Rams by a few scores.
The Pick: New York
Packers at Vikings
Each team is 4-4 and a game behind the Bears in the NFC North. Neither team would like to fall below .500, therefore slipping into third place in the division. Gus Frerotte has played well since replacing Tarvaris Jackson as the Vikings' quarterback, leading the team to a 4-2 record during that stretch. Green Bay comes in with the 27th ranked run defense, so look for Adrian Peterson to have a big day. This will be the second time the Vikings have seen Aaron Rodgers this season; this time they should have a better game plan to stop him.
The Pick: Minnesota
Giants at Eagles
This is an important NFC East matchup for both teams. Each team has won their last three games; both are playing extremely well lately. A loss at home would severely diminish Philadelphia's hopes of winning the division, since they would fall three games back of the Giants, becoming 0-3 in the division. It will come down to who will be able to put more pressure on the opposing quarterback, since both teams are great at both getting sacks and protecting their own quarterback. Notably, Eli Manning has historically played worse in the second half of the regular season, a setback that may continue this week in Philadelphia.
The Pick: Philadelphia
Bills at Patriots
Here's another crucial divisional matchup between two teams tied for first in the AFC East. Each team is coming off a tough loss from last week and does not want to lose their division lead. The Patriots haven't lost to the Bills at home since 2000 - the last time they did not have Tom Brady at quarterback. Matt Cassel has been very inconsistent since taking over as quarterback due to Brady's injury, partly because of the offensive line's inability to protect him this year.
The Pick: New England