Ed sends along his best wishes to all of you (along with a few picks) but he was being rushed off for a 21 day quarantine against the Packers Virus this morning following his inadvertent exposure to some Wisconsin cheeseheads, so I’ll be flying solo for this weekend. Last week was a little better here, with yours truly going 4-2, bringing me to an even .500 for the season at 23-23. Unfortunately, Ed ran a 6-0 shutout for a season record of 31-15, so my prospects continue to look about as bright as those of the Jets. As for our fantasy league, Ed and I both chalked up one in the W column and remain tied for first place in the East at 4-3.

The Jets host the Bills today, and at 1-6 even if New York can somehow win this one, it may wind up being barely more than window dressing. But I’ll still pick them 17-12 over Buffalo. The Steelers welcome the Colts, with Indianapolis coming in as a 3.5 point favorite. Since I know Ed will stick with the home team, I will try yet again to steal a point from him by going with the favorite. Colts win it 28-17. And finally, the Vikings play Tampa Bay. This one is barely worth picking but I’ll go with Minnesota in a blowout, 31-14.

Here are Ed’s picks for those three:

Steelers 24-17 over Colts
Vikings over Tampa Bay, 27-20
Jets over Bills, 31-27

Jazz:Ed selected these other four games to watch today. My take on them first:

• Seahawks at Panthers (1:00, CBS) – Seattle sounds like they are more at peace since they dumped off Percy Harvin (to the Jets… sigh) and Carolina has been allowing more than 30 points per game this year. They usually do better at home, but I’ll take Seattle for a rare road win, 24-17
• Eagles at Cardinals(4:05, Fox) – Arizona is a 1.5 point favorite, but the the Eagles have gotten their ground game back in shape (finally) and are well rested from the bye. I’ll take Philadelphia back on their winning ways, 27-24.
• Packers at Saints (8:30, NBC) – The Pack has looked solid, but not as good on the road. They are going into a loud environment in New Orleans and the Saints are too good to just write off. Saints win this one in a high scoring game, 35-32.
• Redskins at Cowboys (8:30, ESPN) – For Monday night, I have surrendered and must admit that Dallas is for real. They have one of the best offenses in the league and the Skins just haven’t figured things out yet. Cowboys over Washington, 31-21.

Here are Ed’s picks:

• Seahawks at Panthers (1:00, CBS) – Panthers over Seahawks, 27-23
• Eagles at Cardinals(4:05, Fox) – Cardinals over Eagles, 28-24
• Packers at Saints (8:30, NBC) – Saints over Packers, 37-35
• Redskins at Cowboys (8:30, ESPN) – Cowboys over Redskins, 33-20