LOCK: Tampa Bay (-3) over WASHINGTON — As much as I’d love for the Redskins to completely take the Bucs out of the Wild Card race, I don’t see it happening after that really awful performance against the Giants on Sunday. An interesting fact: The Bucs are actually 0-5 against teams with winning records. Thankfully for them, Washington is under .500.
DETROIT (+7) over Green Bay — So here’s another game that could help out the Giants. Besides that, though, the Lions have played hard all season. They’ve come close in nearly all of their games. They have had an unbelievably poor record in recent years against division rivals (as in, not a single win in 19 games). That said, I honestly think they’ve got a shot to win this. Green Bay looked pretty bad early against a poor 49ers team, and I think the Lions are getting angry.
Baltimore (-3) over HOUSTON — I loved the way the Ravens played Sunday night. They play fast and hit hard (just ask Heath Miller). Houston, on the other hand, looked inept for three quarters of its game against the Eagles. I don’t know if the Ravens will go all the way, but they’ve got the tools to make a run.
NEW ORLEANS (-8.5) over St. Louis — It is truly a shame that a playoff team has to come out of either division in the West. I love what Spagnuolo has done with the Rams, and Bradford looks like he will eventually be the real deal, but I just can’t see them beating the Saints. The Saints are seeking a division title for the second year in a row, and while the Falcons are very close to locking it up, I think the Saints are the better team.