Dr. Z's Forecast

I broke down the Colts-Patriots game separately (page 38), so let's move on to a conference with more modest aspirations. Dallas is staking a claim as the king of the NFC, but first the Cowboys have to overcome what's been a very nasty environment for them: They've lost seven of their last eight in Philadelphia . Last year, when both were playoff teams, the Eagles treated the Cowboys most rudely in Philly , sacking Drew Bledsoe seven times and forcing three interceptions on the way to a 38--24 victory. Even when things shifted to Dallas on Christmas, the Cowboys didn't fare any better. The Eagles intercepted Bledsoe 's successor, Tony Romo , twice and limited him to 142 passing yards. Terrell Owens hugged the sidelines and caught a couple of insignificant passes, dropped two more and complained about not getting the ball. Philly won 23--7. Are the 'Boys looking for revenge? Well, I don't know about them, but I am, because I picked Dallas in both Philly games last year. I like the Cowboys ' rush, featuring DeMarcus Ware (right) and a reinvigorated Greg Ellis , to give Dallas the win.

The Broncos beating the Lions in Detroit is my mini upset. It's the old AFC-NFC thing, and while we're on that kick, let's go with four more American leaguers: Titans over the Panthers ; Chiefs to edge the Packers , who are coming off a short work week; Chargers over the Vikings; and the amazing Browns to beat the up-and-down Seahawks. But here's one that will go the other way, Saints over Jacksonville , minus its No. 1 QB, David Garrard . I'll take Buffalo to beat the Bengals , whom I have finally given up on; Atlanta to overcome sagging San Francisco ; and Houston to preserve its record of never having lost to the Raiders . Finally in the Monday-nighter, the Steelers will beat the current Team in Turmoil, Baltimore .

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Season 38--24