Always nice to see you, Buffalo!

WEEK 3 PREDICTIONS

BUFFALO AT NEW ENGLAND:  Tough loss to swallow last week for Patriots fans. Thank goodness the Bills are coming to town. I look at it this way: Imagine you’re at the batting cages, and you think you can handle the fast-speed pitches. You struggle to make decent contact, fall out of rhythm and by the end you’re missing with some ugly swings. Your self-esteem is shot, so what do you do? Build your confidence in the slow-pitch softball cage. Also known as…the Bills. PICK: PATRIOTS

SAN FRANCISCO AT KANSAS CITY: Last Monday night against the Saints, the 49ers played like the team most people expected them to be. Now, they’re heading to Kansas City, where Chiefs fans will be pretty excited about their team’s 2-0 record (First place in the AFC West, by the way). The Niners have dates with the Falcons and Eagles following this week, so dropping one to KC could put them in a bad spot. PICK: 49ERS

ATLANTA FALCONS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: This might be the game of the week. Both defenses will be challenged. It could come down to who has the ball at the end. PICK: FALCONS

PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: Two teams I did not expect to be undefeated going into Week 3. I’d be crazy not to pick the Steelers, right? Even with Charlie Batch as their starting QB, it’s hard to imagine the Steelers’ defense allowing much against Tampa. Logic says pick the Steelers. In the NFL, logic doesn’t always prevail. PICK: BUCCANEERS

TENNESSEE AT NEW YORK GIANTS: Two 1-1 teams trying to find their identities. PICK: TITANS

DETROIT AT MINNESOTA: Batting cage metaphor applies here for Minnesota. PICK: VIKINGS

CLEVELAND AT BALTIMORE: The AFC North could shape up to be quite a slugfest, with the Browns excluded of course. PICK: RAVENS

CINNCINNATI AT CAROLINA: Running back Cedric Benson recently vented his frustrations about the Bengals’ offense lacking an identity. I don’t get it. His team just notched a huge victory over a division rival, and he has the gall to complain. I don’t know why it surprises me still when some players act like self-centered morons. Regardless, Cincy will beat the Panthers. PICK: BENGALS

DALLAS AT HOUSTON: Jerry Jones’ boys are on the brink of 0-3. I love it. How ‘bout them Texans!? PICK: TEXANS

WASHINGTON AT ST.LOUIS: The Redskins really screwed the pooch last week against the Texans. They need to beat the Rams because they’ve got the Eagles (McNabb returns to Philly), Packers and Colts on deck. PICK: REDSKINS

PHILADELPHIA AT JACKSONVILLE: This was the toughest game to pick this week. When in doubt, go with the home team. PICK: JAGUARS

I’ve got to make it to a wedding and I’m running late, so here are some rapid-fire picks

SAN DIEGO AT SEATTLE- PICK: CHARGERS

OAKLAND AT ARIZONA- PICK: RAIDERS

INDIANAPOLIS AT DENVER- PICK: BRONCOS

NEW YORK JETS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS- PICK: JETS

GREEN BAY AT CHICAGO- If Falcons-Saints is Game of the Week 1, this is Game of the Week 1A. PICK: BEARS

Last week's record: 10-6

Season record: 19-13