Throwing Darts: Can Minnesota hang around in Green Bay?

You know the rules: five picks against the number, using Yahoo! Pro Football Pick-Em as the guide. Games without a line are not eligible. Let's get to it.

Vikings +8.5 at Packers: The Pack hasn't put the smack down on anyone since the Week 6 shellacking of the Texans. Obviously Green Bay lost at New York last week, and the wins over Detroit, Arizona, Jacksonville and St. Louis were not beatdowns by any means. Minnesota has plenty of fleas, sure, but I'll roll with Adrian Peterson and take my chances to stay within range, especially with Green Bay missing key defensive personnel (Matthews and Woodson, for starters).

Niners -7 at Rams: Although the teams tied in the recent meeting, this almost has the feel of a revenge game for San Francisco. And I see big things possible for Colin Kaepernick as he gets more and more comfortable with Jim Harbaugh's offense. The Niners could be a team peaking at the right time, fresh off demolitions of the Bears and Saints. I rarely spot this kind of number on the road, but let's do it here.

Jets -4.5 vs. Cardinals: I know, Gang Green laid a monumental egg the last time we saw them. But you need a short memory in this racket. The Jets defense is still capable of making things miserable for inexperienced quarterbacks, and Ryan Lindley was a dumpster fire against the Rams last week. Don't sweat the Mark Sanchez Effect, he'll be marginalized here.

Eagles +10 at Cowboys: The Philly offense showed signs of life last week (thanks for that, Mr. Brown) and I never trust the Cowboys as a home favorite (they're 11-19 against the number at Jerry World, and 5-16 since the beginning of 2010). The Cowboys should move the ball easily against the Eagles secondary, everyone does, but we just need a few stall-outs to stay within the number.

Redskins +2.5 vs. Giants: I see this game as more of a pick-em, and I love a home dog in a divisional matchup. The Giants escaped with a first-round win over Robert Griffin, then spent the press conference praising him. With Pierre Garcon back, the Washington offense is a lot more dangerous now. The Redskins will allow their points as well, but the Giants offense still looks like it's missing something to me.

Last Week: 2-3
Season: 35-25
2011: 41-39
2010: 49-34