... The NFC West winner is .500 or under?

The skinny: The 2-1 Cardinals will win the division, and they still have five games against their putrid division. However: They still play the NFC East's Giants, Cowboys and Philadelphia, along with Minnesota, Carolina and Buffalo.

The Cardinals win the NFC West at 7-9.

Chance: 100%

... Dallas wins the Super Bowl?

The skinny: Who's going to beat the Cowboys? They've already beaten two chief contenders, the Eagles and Packers, and the Patriots are no longer a threat. The Giants haven't missed a beat without Michael Strahan and Osi Yumeniora, and just because Dallas has beaten Green Bay and Philadelphia doesn't mean it's a done deal.

But it's pretty close.

Chance: 99%

... Tennessee can hold on to a playoff berth?

The skinny: I think Baltimore and the Titans will be playoff teams for the same reason - their defenses and running games. Chris Johnson and LenDale White are suddenly reminding folks of Marion Barber and Felix Jones and other top two-back combos, and the Titans' defense is first in scoring average, third in yards allowed and the Titans are tied for second in the NFL in turnover differential (plus-4).

Chance: 89%

... Brady Quinn rights the Browns' ship?

The skinny: The Browns will get better, and it will coincide with Quinn starting, but I think it'll have less to do with Quinn than it will with Braylon Edwards not playing like a 12-year-old, the offensive line getting healthy and offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski getting creative. But, as I said, Quinn will get plenty of credit.

Chance: 51%

... Brett Favre quits on the Jets?

The skinny: Frustration is building in East Rutherford, and as I said above, the AFC East is suddenly much tougher. There's no way around it: I'm no longer a big fan of Brett Favre, and I think he wasn't all that jazzed about going to New York in the first place. If Laveranues Coles keeps sulking, and Favre keeps throwing picks, I think Favre's captain's patch won't mean much.

Chance: 50.1%

... Denver's Brandon Marshall breaks receptions record?

The skinny: Marvin Harrison averaged 8.94 catches per game in 2002, when he set the record of 143. Marshall has 24 through two games, but he'd obviously need to keep it up, being a game down on the now-slowing-down-Colt. Marshall needs 119 catches over his final 13 games, or 9.15 per game, and I think there's little chance he and Jay Cutler keep their early momentum going.

Chance: 20%

... New England makes the playoffs?

The skinny: We'll talk about the topsy-turviness of the AFC on Friday's show, but the Patriots are in trouble (some other members of our staff disagree). If it was just New England struggling, it'd be one thing. But suddenly the Pats' division isn't such a cakewalk, and Matt Cassel has shown few signs of being able to run Bill Belichick's offense. I won't spoil my new AFC playoff predictions for Friday, but ...

Chance: 19%