For a second week in a row, all of the best plays seem to be the road teams. That always worries me in the NFL, but you've got to call them the way you see them. I look at the Seattle, Cincinati and Denver picks as the same type of games: playoff teams with something on the line on the road against mediocre clubs without much to play for. One of those dogs will probably show up to play, but I imagine two of the three should go as planned. Even if that happens, bad teams tend to have bad fourth quarters, so the late blowout should be in effect. Ultimately, if all goes according to plan, all three could come through for me.

1. SEATTLE (-7) at Tennessee: I'm taking my the last chance to safely bet the Seahawks. The Seahawks need one more win to clinch homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. They are starting to show they can play on the road, while the Titans are hardly a scary opponent at home. Making this a better pick, this is a rare noon game for Seattle. That means they will be playing before the results of other games come in, ensuring that they play their best team. Hasselbeck had a huge game last week, so expect Shaun Alexander to come back with a mega-performance this time around. I wouldn't be surprised to see Alexander notch two or three touchdowns, bringing his TDs to near-record totals. This should turn into Seattle patting itself on the back most of the day. While teams off a couple of hot weeks sometimes scare me, I think the good vibes continue until the playoffs implications are cinched. Boy, what a meaningless showdown that will be with the Colts next week.

2. DALLAS (+3) at Washington: Here is another game that I think the Cowboys are just the better team. Dallas dominated the Skins in September, only to lose on two Brunell-to-Moss late passes. With the way Brunell has been playing lately, I'm not sure if Dallas has to worry about a repeat of that show. The Redskins are running the ball better in recent weeks, and the Cowboys have given up back-to-back 100+ rushing performances, but I don't see that trend continuing. You just have to make exceptions for Larry Johnson, while the Cowboys just weren't right in that Giants game. This should be a defensive struggle, because Parcells and Gibbs will both play it close to the vest. In those games, it's usually best to take the underdog, because points should be scarce. I think Dallas has a 50-50 chance to take home the win straight up, so I'm certainly taking the points in this one.

3. CINCINATI (-8) at Detroit: Okay, so this is my third straight road team. Of course, I'm picking talent over also-rans, too. This is one I assumed would get bet up a bunch. I guess the Bengals less-than-stellar performance against the Browns scared people off this week. But the Browns are an improving team showing a lot of character late in the season. The Lions are playing out the schedule. With the Bengals still jockeying for position in the #2 seed sweepstakes--not to mention the divisional race against Pittsburg--they should have plenty of reason to keep the foot on the pedal. The Bengals just have too much offense, and they don't want to take any chances, so expect to see the Bengals win by 10 or more.

4. DENVER (-8.5) at Buffalo: This is starting to make me nervous, picking all these away teams. But the Bills' season is in freefall. They were blown out by 28 at home by the Patriots last week. Kelly Holcombe looks like he'll get the start, which is usually better for McGahee. That means the Bills might actually look somewhat more competant on offense. That being said, the Broncos run the ball well. The Bills defense has shown the tendency to get run over on the ground (Raiders game), while getting bombed through the air trying to compensate (Chargers, Dolphins and Patriots game). That is a bad matchup against a good running/play-action offense. The Broncos need this win. I wish this were a point or two closer, but that's more than offset by the Bills propensity to be blown out.

5. CHARGERS (+7.5) at Indianapolis: Here's where I get off the Colts bandwagon. They clinched everything last week. This should be the classic letdown game. We may have seen premature letdown last week, when the Colts gave up two late TDs to the Jags in what should have been a blowout (that would have salvaged my betting week for me, dagnabbit). Meanwhile, the Chargers are desperate for a win after that egg they laid last week. Even if the Colts get an early lead, the Chargers have the firepower to roar back to get within the 7-and-a-half point spread. The Chargers have shown the ability to come back all season (Washington and even last week, to name just a couple). They need the win much, much worse than the Colts. And I keep remembering back to last year at this time, when the Colts and Chargers put on a rare show in the dome in Indie.

So there you go. Five road teams are on the board. At least two of them are dogs, I guess. I may come back with another pick or two, but this is it for now. Hope everyone has a good betting weekend and--in case I forget--a Happy Holidays.