Hackenberg's picks

1/2/2005

It s a perilous week for NFL prognosticators as teams with nothing more to prove or accomplish some of them matched against teams that still do give some R&R to injured stars and other key players. Blade pro football writer Dave Hackenberg is especially wary coming off of a rare losing week. All picks are against point spreads:

Detroit at Tennessee (+3): Titans defense is a sieve, but are Lions good enough to pass through it? Pick: TITANS.

Cleveland (+10) at Houston: Would be nice to see Rob Chudzinski s offense produce some points, but ... Pick: TEXANS.

Cincinnati at Philadelphia (+3): Iggles won t want to take a two-game losing streak into playoffs. Pick: EAGLES.

Pittsburgh (+9) at Buffalo: Steeler stars will sit and Bills should win, but not by this many points against a proud foe. Pick: STEELERS.

San Francisco (+14) at New England: It doesn t matter who plays for Pats, this should be one-sided. Pick: PATRIOTS.

Miami (+10 ) at Baltimore: Better days are ahead for Dolphins under Nick Saban. Pick: RAVENS.

Minnesota at Washington (+4): Vikings are underachievers, but they re in with a win. Pick: VIKINGS.

Green Bay (+3) at Chicago: Brett Favre will at least start, and that could be enough. Pick: PACKERS.

New Orleans (+7 ) at Carolina: Both have playoff hopes and Saints are a surprisingly good road team. Pick: SAINTS.

N.Y. Jets at St. Louis (+3 ): State of the NFL: In AFC, 10-win Jets haven t clinched, while 7-8 Rams can still win an NFC division. Pick: JETS.

Tampa Bay (+3) at Arizona: Yawn. Pick: CARDINALS.

Atlanta (+6) at Seattle: Both in playoffs, but Hawks need win to assure division title. Pick: SEAHAWKS.

Indianapolis (+8 ) at Denver: If Peyton Manning plays awhile, this point spread is a joke. Pick: COLTS.

Jacksonville at Oakland (+3 ): Jags rolled over and played dead last week to all but kill playoff hopes. Pick: RAIDERS.

Kansas City at San Diego (+3): Who knows? It all depends who plays for the Bolts. Pick: CHARGERS.

Dallas (+2) at N.Y. Giants: Refresh my memory. Has top pick Eli Manning won a game yet? Pick: GIANTS.

Last week: 6-7.

Season: 129-107.