LyfLines: NFL Week 9 wrapup

Week 9 in the NFL...

The Patriots roll continues. I continue to think that there's nothing particularly spectacular about beating the Dolphins, but they're putting consistent solid performances out there now, week after week.

Sunday night's game is obviously of vital importance. The Colts, given their 8-0 start and remaining schedule, have the inside track on one of the AFC byes regardless of the outcome. The Patriots are behind the Colts on record, behind the Broncos on a tie-breaker, behind the Steelers on conference record and tied with the Bengals. They've got no room for error, and probably cannot go into the playoffs with a first-round bye with another conference loss.

Hey, Joey Porter made a lot more noise before the game than during it, didn't he?

Note to NBC executives: The presence of Keith Olbermann drives many who would be interested in Football Night in America away from that program. Some of us don't make it back for the game. Whatever your ratings are, it is difficult for me to imagine that they wouldn't be higher without him.

Yeah, the Jets didn't play this week. I like writing that they're falling...(and they have lost four out of five [which I also like writing.])

Obvious Pick which was dead wrong: Green Bay at Tampa Bay, Tennessee at San Francisco

Somewhere in this world, there's a man that picked Denver to start the season 6-2. I'd like to have him managing my stock portfolio.

Evidence that you should be listening carefully to what I say:

Washington at Atlanta - "Hard to see a scenario in which the Redskins manage to lug all of their baggage into Atlanta and come out with a win, or even a close loss."

Arizona at Chicago - "The Bears are a fraud team. The Cardinals are a satyr team - half man, half goat. The goat half got embarrassed by the Panthers last week, the man half shows up in Chicago."

Evidence that you should be listening carefully to what I say (and betting the opposite):

Green Bay at Tampa Bay - "The Packers are now 0-2 against the Vikings coming off the ignominy of their former start beating them on their own field. This week, they lick their wounds and the Buccaneers at the same time."

Baltimore at Cincinnati - "The Ravens have already lost, at home, to the Bengals. So they're going to go on the road and beat them in Cincinnati? Yup, that's what's going to happen."