Last week’s games weren’t perfect for me and the health of my office pools — far from it, in fact. These things happen, though, and it certainly could have been worse. This week is somewhat clearer, and things will be much better. Here is the way this week’s games break down, and the straight up picks for each contest:

New York Giants at Chicago: Jay Cutler had a whale of a game on Sunday, and against most teams it would have been enough. Unfortunately, the Saints are very good right now. The Giants are pretty much the opposite of New Orleans right now — a terrible team in all aspects. Take the Bears.

Cincinnati at Buffalo: Cincinnati is driving me crazy this year — far from consistent. They face a Buffalo team that is missing E.J. Manuel, though, so they should be able to pull this one off. Take the Bengals.

Detroit at Cleveland: I would be really tempted to take the Browns here if Brian Hoyer’s knee injury hadn’t delivered a gut shot to the hopes of the Browns. As it is, I can’t go against the Lions — even if their flat performance last week gave me a big headache. Take Detroit.

Oakland at Kansas City: The Raiders have been a pleasant surprise so far this year, and I have quickly become a believer in Terrelle Pryor — at least compared to what my opinion of him was heading into the season. Still, Kansas City has done little wrong all year, are tough at home and the Raiders have not been nearly as sharp on the road. Take the Chiefs.

Carolina at Minnesota: Both teams are a disaster, so I don’t really know what to do. Carolina chronically disappoints, but the Vikings clearly have no faith in their quarterback situation given the addition of Freeman. Take the Panthers. I guess.

Pittsburgh at New York Jets: If only “none of the above” were an option. Pittsburgh has really struggled. Though the Jets are coming off a short week, they are at home, and are marginally more complete at this point. Take the Jets.

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay: Another ugly one. Philadelphia should get creative in this one, but they are likely going to be without Michael Vick. Still, Tampa Bay has all sorts of issues — mostly mental — and are very tough to trust. Take the Eagles.

Green Bay at Baltimore: The Packers are favored here — in large part because of a nice win last week. Green Bay has been lousy on the road, though, and Baltimore has yet to lose at home. Take the Ravens.

St. Louis at Houston: Matt Schaub is imploding in front of our eyes. Ugly stuff. Against a lot of teams I would happily pick against him. St. Louis is aggressive with their secondary, so they could make Schaub pay, but they have too many issues to trust — especially on the road. Take the Texans.

Jacksonville at Denver: Denver. Obviously.

Tennessee at Seattle: I have some respect for the Titans. Not nearly enough to even remotely consider them here, though. Seattle is a flawed team on the road, but at home they are very tough to beat. Take the Seahawks.

New Orleans at New England: A couple of weeks ago I really believed that this would be a major war. New Orleans is impressively strong, though, while the Patriots have issues through the air that are not going to go away in a hurry. This could be a track meet, and if that happens the Patriots would be running with their legs tied together. Take the Saints.

Arizona at San Francisco: I don’t know what was wrong with the Niners earlier, but they seem to have shaken it off for the most part. There are still concerns — most significantly that Kaepernick had a horrible passing game despite a runaway win on the weekend. Still, they are the better team — especially at home. Take the 49ers.

Washington at Dallas: The way the Cowboys lost was brutal — an ugly Romo pick. Up until that point, though, he had played the best game of his career. It’s important to focus on the positives — this is a solid offense playing a flawed team with a hobbled quarterback at home. Take the Cowboys.

Indianapolis at San Diego: I really want to believe in this San Diego team under Mike McCoy, but they are clearly more of a work in progress than it might seem. Indianapolis, meanwhile, combines skill and heart in a deadly combination right now and is far exceeding expectations. Take the Colts.

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