My record runs to 15–11 after going 3–2 last weekend. Why I ever back a Norv Turner team is a mystery to me. The Denver Broncos are out of the barn! Can they be placed back in? Their defense smothered the San Diego Chargers on Monday night. Their toughest upcoming games will be home games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants, plus a road game against the Indianapolis Colts.  The Arizona Cardinals showed some grit and beat the Seattle Seahawks up in the Northwest. The New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and Minnesota Vikings came away with predicted victories.

The Cardinals are on a two-game winning streak against middling competition, this week they travel cross-country to take on an angry Giants team (losers to the Saints last week). Go with Eli Manning and gang.

The Miami Dolphins were everyone’s darling following a Monday Night Football victory over the New York Jets a couple of weeks ago. They are coming off their bye week. Is this combination going to be enough to beat the visiting Saints? No, Saints will win big.

The Dallas Cowboys need to beat Atlanta. The game is in Big D. Sometimes the Cowboys rally to take a game like this (before they fall again and show how they can’t maintain any consistency). Atlanta needs to continue to show a consistent winning manner. Matt Ryan over Tony Romo? Yes, go with the Falcons.

The Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals both lost last week. It’s a home game for the Bengals. I think this is where Chicago’s season begins to go from bad to worse. Cincinnati needs to keep pace with resurgent division foe Pittsburgh. Go with the Bengals.

The Steelers are at home against the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. Troy Polamalu is back for his second game since going out injured. If this game becomes a slowed-down Vikings offense (due to the Steelers’ defense) versus an always deliberate Pittsburgh offense, you know that the Steelers always win these types of games. Look for the Vikings to take their first loss.

More legal roadblocks have been removed and Los Angeles (actually the City of Industry, 20 miles south) is getting closer to building its new NFL stadium. The Los Angeles Jaguars is my guess for the new tenant. It will be a homecoming for RB Maurice Jones-Drew (out of UCLA). Too bad it won’t be for Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio (out of USC); he’s likely to get canned before the move.

Major prediction: Pittsburgh kicker Jeff Reed, known for tearing apart restrooms and disorderly conduct arrests, will either win the game or be the goat in the contest against Minnesota this week.