On to the second half of the season:

1. The Cleveland Browns will make the playoffs.

It looked to be another disastrous season for Romeo Crennel when the Browns started the season with Charlie Frye at quarterback. After a poor opening week the job was given to Derek Anderson and he responded with poise, accuracy and leadership skills. The Browns are 5-3 and if the season ended today, they would be the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs.

2. The powerful Colts will not make it out of the AFC.

They won’t even make it to the AFC championship game in New England. Instead, they will be beaten by the Steelers in the divisional playoffs. Pittsburgh has confidence after beating the Colts in the RCA Dome two years ago and they know how to take away Peyton Manning’s top weapons.

3. The Saints come all the way back and make the playoffs.

The Saints have found their offensive stride and should be able to take command in the beleaguered NFC South. The Falcons are merely an opponent, while the Panthers are trying to get the job done with ancient Vinny Testaverde at quarterback. It’s a nice story but it won’t work. Tampa Bay has had a decent first half, but the will go down the drain if daring Jeff Garcia absorbs one hit too many.

4. Tom Brady breaks Peyton Manning's record for TD passes thrown in a single season.

Manning set his record in 2004 when he threw 49 TD passes to overtake Hall of Famer Dan Marino, who tossed 48 in 1984. Brady has 33 through 9 games and has not thrown less than 3 TD passes in any game. If he averages 3 TD passes per game the rest of the way he will finish the year with 54. He also has a great chance of busting Manning’s passer rating mark of 121.1. Brady is at 131.4 through 9 games and it would take several poor games for him to lose his way.

5. The Bears finish in last place in the NFC North

The Packers (7-1) and the Lions (6-2) are already out of sight for Lovie Smith’s team. Both the Vikings and Bears are tied with 3-5 records, but Brad Childress has perhaps the best running back in the game in Peterson and a rock-ribbed defense led by Kevin Williams and behemoth Pat Williams at the defensive tackle spots. The Bears have no consistency at quarterback with Brian Griese and Cedric Benson is a bust at running back. Injuries have taken a major toll on defense as the Bears cannot stop the run (26^th) and struggle against the pass (22^nd).

6. The New England Patriots will not go 19-0-0

As much as we would like to see someone pound it to those old geezers who played on the 1972 Dolphins, their precious 17-0-0 record should be safe. As great as the Patriots have looked all season, they are human beings. They were visibly relieved to go into their bye week and they will still be coasting at Buffalo in Week 11. They could lose to the Bills, Ravens, Steelers or Giants. They will not sweep that crew.

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