Lock: Indianapolis (-9 1/2) over Washington

The Colts, undefeated despite not playing their best football, are coming off a bye week and will come out firing. The Redskin defense has been average, and lost to a previously winless Titans team last week. The Colts should cover the spread and remain undefeated, especially playing at the RCA Dome.

Upset Special: Carolina (+3 1/2) over Cincinnati

This is definitely the game of the week, and a big game for both teams. After starting 0-2 without Steve Smith, the Panthers have not lost a game since his return. The Bengals were expected to be a contender, but may be this year’s good team that starts slow and can’t rebound. This game is in Cincy, which could help the Bengals, but the Panthers have been very good and could come away with the upset.

Game 1: Denver (-5) over Cleveland

With their defense leading the way, the Broncos have only one loss and have allowed not more than a touchdown in any of their last four games, and no team has reached the end zone against them since Sept. 24. Cleveland has just been bad on both sides of the football, so expect Denver to run away with this one.

Game 2: Jets (-4) over Detroit

After getting throttled in Jacksonville two weeks ago, the Jets bounced back to beat Miami last week, despite almost blowing their lead to the Dolphins. The Lions handed coach Rod Marinelli his first win as head coach last week, a joy that he may not feel again for a while. The Jets also get to play at home for the second straight week, which is rare considering they share their stadium with Big Blue; the Jets should be able to beat Detroit.