While I missed out on all of my final scores, I did predict the outcomes of 10 of 16 NFL games correctly last weekend so rest assured that if you’re reading this column, it consists of the words of a most illustrious expert. If you belive that, then you’ll believe I can marry an Italian supermodel too, so we’ll see how far the legend of Brad James can go.

Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh. This is an intriguing game, as while I’m a Broncos fan, I must admit the Bills, while not the better team were rugged and resilient and forced the Broncos to beat them on the last play of the game. The question in this instance, is however, how the Bills will react emotionally after TE Kevin Everett was nearly paralyzed. Above all else, though, the Bills must pass the football effectively. J.P. Losman was held to less than 100 yards passing against the Broncos a week ago and that cannot be repeated if Buffalo has any chance of winning. Marshawn Lynch did have a nice debut running for 90 yards and a score, and if he can run on the Broncos, he can assuredly run on the Steelers. Nevertheless, like Denver, Pittsburgh is too tough to beat if they can make Buffalo one-dimensional. This is something the Steelers definitely are not as Ben Roethlisberger threw for a career-high four touchdowns last week at Cleveland while Willie Parker also amassed 109 rushing yards for Pittsburgh. Mike Tomlin’s Steelers will thrive on their home crowd cheering them on and while the Bills will keep it competitive, they’ll lose another close call. Call the final, Steelers 23 Bills 19.

Houston vs. Carolina. Did the Texans make the right call in letting David Carr go in favor of Matt Schaub? A quick glance at the stat sheet for the Texans-Chiefs game confirms this was a good decision as Matt Schaub threw for 225 yards and a touchdown. Carr, who signed with the Panthers as a backup to Jake Delhomme (who threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns at St. Louis) may not be needed for the Panthers so this can’t be considered a real payback opportunity for Carr at this point. As for the game, the Texans have proven that when Schaub has time to throw he can find reliable wideout Andre Johnson (142 yards, TD) for big plays downfield. The Panthers seem to have rediscovered their long ball as prolific receiver Steve Smith (118 yards) had a field day torching the Rams secondary. I think this game will be a lot of fun and since the Panthers are more of a veteran team, I’ll go with Carolina in a competitive ballgame. Call the final, Panthers 34 Texans 31

New Orleans vs. Tampa Bay: If the Buccaneers’ offense wasn’t so abysmal, I’d give them a fighting chance in this ballgame. Nevertheless, the Seahawks shut them down in a 20-6 victory and even the Bucs’ traditionally solid defense was shredded by a Seattle team which featured a healthy Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander for the first time in a year. New Orleans, obviously, was embarrassed in front of the entire nation when Indianapolis pounded them. The Saints fan base can rejoice as the Colts were that good, while the Saints weren’t necessarily that bad. Drew Brees is going to throw for nearly 400 yards, while Reggie Bush will be prolific in the return game. The Buccaneers are going to get blown out for their fans at RayJay in their home debut. Call it Saints 42 Buccaneers 16

Atlanta vs. Jacksonville. The Jaguars are an enigma. The Titans, lightly regarded coming into their game at Jacksonville a week ago, left with a 13-10 victory and over 200 rushing yards. Now, if there’s one thing the Falcons can do with Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood, it’s running the football. The Jaguars need more productivity offensively and while David Garrard was respectable (204 yards and a score)last week, the rushing defense, the strength of the team a year ago, threatens to put the Jags in an 0-2 hole. I will take the Jaguars only because the Falcons looked lost offensively a week ago and these problems usually take a while to iron out. In a defensive struggle, call it Jaguars 13 Falcons 6

Cincinnati vs. Cleveland. Here is an illustration of winning the turnover battle. In 2005, the Bengals were 11-5 primarily because they were +24 in the turnover ratio. As of the game against the Ravens on Monday night, they’re +6 in the turnover battle and this is a portent for a successful season. Carson Palmer threw for just 194 yards, but added two touchdowns against a stout Ravens defense. The Browns, meanwhile, are a train wreck. Brady Quinn may be the quarterback by the time the dust clears in Cleveland this Sunday, and it’s astounding to me that starting QB Charlie Frye was benched against the Steeelers and subsequently traded to Seattle the following day. The Bengals will not have a tough defense to face against the Browns and they should put at least 35 points on the board. I’m not doing the Bengals justice, call it a 43-13 Bengals win. The pines for Brady Quinn in the lineup will soon intensify in C-Town.

San Francisco vs. St. Louis: The LDS hymn “Count Your Blessings” should be the 49ers official team song heading into this divisional matchup at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. The 49ers offense was positively morbid against the Cardinals Monday evening untl a miraculous 86-yard drive in which San Francisco needed a fortuitous bounce after an Arnaz Battle fumble to beat Arizona. The Rams were obviously stunned against the Panthers a week ago and like the Saints, should be ready to show their true colors. The 49ers can compete if this is a track meet but Frank Gore must run for more than the 55 yards he did against the Cards. St. Louis’ defense appears weaker on paper than Arizona’s defense performed on Monday so Alex Smith should also take off. Steven Jackson must respond well after a meager game against Carolina wherein he was held under 100 yards. The Rams will respond in a 45-28 victory.

Green Bay vs. New York Giants: The Packers cannot rely on their opponent to fumble punt returns every week to pull off miraculous wins. With that said, I’m on the record in saying their victory against the Eagles was a fluke. The Giants, meanwhile desperately need some good luck in keeping players healthy. Quarterback Eli Manning who threw for 312 yards and four touchdowns against the Cowboys has a separated shoulder and is questionable for this game. Injuries incurred by tailback Brandon Jacobs, defensive end Osi Umenyiora, and cornerback Kevin Dockery are also taking their toll. However, Derrick Ward filled in admirably for Jacobs by rushing for 89 yards. Because the Giants will have a home crowd behind them and because the Packers are in reality quite apathetic (only 266 yards of offense against Philadelphia) I’ll go with the Giants in a 17-10 win.

Indianapolis vs. Tennessee: The Colts, if nothing else, exceeded expectations of both the media and even their loyal fan base as they played a virtually perfect game against the Saints in Week 1, a 41-10 laugher. The Titans, while depleted by offseason transactions and demoralized by the antics of suspended CB Pac-Man Jones were left for dead coming into this season. Nevertheless, while Vince Young wasn’t flashy a week ago (11-18, 78 yards) he did enough to win as Chris Brown became the NFL’s leading rusher going into Week 2 with 175 on the ground against the Jags. Because Peyton Manning’s already in midseason form, the Colts are going to be clicking on all cylinders. The Titans best hope for success in this game is if they can expose the Colts’ allegedly weak rush defense. It they do (and I think they can run to some extent) they have a shot. Nevertheless, that’s all they’ve got. Manning will throw for well over 300 yards and Reggie Wayne will amass nearly 200 receiving yards. Call the final, Colts 41 Titans 22

Dallas vs. Miami: That sure was a fun game for Tony Romo on Sunday night, throwing for 345 yards on just 15 completions, but the Dolphins’ defense is a lot tougher than what the Giants brought to Texas Stadium last week. Miami, if not for bad luck on the coin toss in overtime might have stolen one in Washington against a pretty good Redskins team. The Dolphins will, like many other teams, excel in front of their home crowd and stymie the potent Dallas offense. Chris Chambers will continue his breakout 2007 season, at least compared to the failure he experienced in ‘06, and I like Miami in a 23-13 win.

Minnesota vs. Detroit. The winner of this game, for at least a week will be all by themselves at the top of the NFC North. The Lions, while battering a horrendous Oakland team, did win a road game which is something they’ve not done much of in their recent seasons. Meanwhile, the Vikings, led by rookie tailback Adrian Peterson’s 163 all-purpose yards throttled the Falcons and must maintain their momentum in what should be a jazzed-up Ford Field. Lions QB Jon Kitna (27-36, 289 yards, three touchdowns) was virtually flawless against the Raiders and with his new targets such as rookie wideout Calvin Johnson (4 rec, 70 yds, TD) this will be among the league’s most exciting teams and of course with their Honolulu-blue jerseys, the best looking. I’m bold enough to put the Lions at 2-0 and at first place in the NFC North. While they may not be able to retain this advantage, this is a portent of things to come. Call it Lions 34 Vikings 20

Seattle vs. Arizona: The site is Glendale, Ariz., the site of Super Bowl XLII (42) and not to offend the good people of the Phoenix area, the Seattle Seahawks have a much better chance of being there than the Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks, as mentioned previously, are fully healthy and Matt Hasselbeck (17-24, 222 yds, TD against Tampa Bay) is ready to assert himself as an elite NFL quarterback once again. The Cardinals must open up the playbook once again as if Monday night’s performance was any indication, the new gameplan instituted by coach Ken Whisenhunt is not only boring, it’s ineffective. If the Cards fall behind early, they can be exciting and have the firepower with wideouts Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to win a game in the 30’s. That’s exactly what it will be. Unfortunately for the home crowd, the Cardinals will be on the short end of the stick. Call the final Seahawks 35 Cardinals 31

Kansas City vs. Chicago: Ladies and gentlemen, I give unto you one of the most pathetic teams in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs. Yes, the Texans are improved but the Chiefs scored just three points against them? Herm Edwards is in for a long season primarily because in all likelihood he’ll have to make Brodie Croyle his quarterback pretty soon. The Bears are angry that a loss in San Diego resulted from an errant punt which hit a Chicago player in the back thus enabling San Diego to take a 7-3 lead they wouldn’t relinquish shortly after this occurrence. This is the home opener at Soldier Field and while the Chiefs have the horses to survive in a defensive struggle, even the Bears with their offensive deficencies can squeeze out a victory here. Why? Because Robbie Gould’s a lights-out kicker. Expect him to nail a kick in the closing minutes to lead Chicago to victory in a 13-10 Bears win.

New York Jets vs. Baltimore: The Ravens were royally screwed against the Bengals Monday evening. No, Todd Heap did not committ pass interference on his touchdown catch to apparently tie the score in the closing moments at Cincinnati, but here’s something that perhaps is more impressive. The Ravens committed six turnovers and were still in the game until the last moments. When you add injuries to QB Steve McNair and LB Ray Lewis to the mix, the Ravens really are a stout and resilient team. As for the Jets, they were smacked by the Patriots, but they’re not as bad as advertised. An injury to QB Chad Pennington had a little something to do with that fishtail performance against New England. The Ravens are the better team and they’ll break out and show the league they’re just as nasty as ever, if McNair comes back and has a better game. Of course he will, call it Ravens 23 Jets 17

Oakland vs. Denver: The Broncos, despite just a one-point win at Orchard Park, N.Y. last Sunday, are statistical behemoths. They amassed 470 yards against a sorry Bills defense and held Buffalo to just 184 offensive yards. Still, coach Mike Shanahan is displeased that the Broncos put just 15 points on the board saying that “if you gain 470 yards of offense, you should have at least 40 points.” Therefore, rest assured the Broncos will come out on a mission. As for the Raiders, Daunte Culpepper will get the nod at quarterback in all likelihood as Josh McCown is injured. At Invesco Field at Mile High, the Broncos are seeking to bounce back from a 2006 season in which they played .500 ball at home. They’ll rectify that beginning this Sunday and the Raiders will be decimated. Look for Travis Henry to approach the 200-yard rushing mark while Jay Cutler will throw for 285 yards and three scores in a 35-14 Broncos laugher.

San Diego vs. New England: Newsflash: THE PATRIOTS ARE CHEATERS!!! The penalties imposed upon them by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, resulting in lost draft picks will decimate the future of this franchise. Thus, the Pats had better hope they don’t get caught filming practice sessions of opponents anytime in the short-term future and win now at all costs. Unfortunately for them, I think the Chargers are a better team and definitely have superior character. LaDainian Tomlinson, the classy star tailback of San Diego has not forgotten the Patriots’ lack of class after their upset victory at Qualcomm Stadium in the AFC divisional playoffs last season. Thus, the Chargers will come out with guns a blazing at Foxboro, Mass. and crush the Patriots. In front of a national television audience on NBC, Tomlinson will rush for 175 yards and three scores while Philip Rivers will for once act like an adult and throw two scoring tosses of his own. I like the Chargers in a 41-25 victory.

Washington vs. Philadelphia: Jason Campbell is the long-term answer at quarterback for the Redskins. After throwing for 222 yards against a solid Dolphins defense last week and leading his team to a 39-yard game winning field goal in overtime, his legend continues to grow in the D.C. area. Antwaan Randle El is also averaging an astounding 32 yards per reception as he snared five passes for 162 yards against Miami. On the other hand, this is a Monday night game and a season opener for the Eagles. They’re chomping at the bit to show that their game at Green Bay, Wis. last week was a fluke. Donovan McNabb will be revitalized in front of a home crowd and throw for 325 yards and four scores against a high-priced ‘Skins defense. This will come down to the last possession and as fate would have it, the Eagles will have it last. David Akers is the best clutch kicker in the league, other than Adam Vinatieri and Jason Elam and his heroics will lead Philadelphia to victory. Call it Eagles 38 Redskins 35