In the Red Zone: Week 8 down, 9 to go Published Nov. 5, 2010 By Bryan Swink Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The first half of the season is over and teams are starting to pull away or fall behind in their divisions. My biggest surprises this year are the resurgence of Kansas City and Tampa Bay and the utter destruction of Minnesota and Dallas. It amazes me the NFL can consistently cycle all teams to be contenders over the course of 10 to 15 years. The other major sports need to take notes on how this is done. The big news this week is the departure of receiver Randy Moss just four weeks after he was acquired by the Vikings. This is just another event in the course of Minnesota's season that is guaranteeing Viking players will be ice fishing on frozen lakes while watching the playoffs in January. Arizona at Minnesota If Brett Favre can play well with two broken bones in his ankle, I don't see why he won't be on the field with stitches in this jaw. The Cardinals have been alternating wins and losses each week and are scheduled to win this week in Minnesota. Unfortunately for them, it won't happen. Even though the Cardinals post a better record than the Vikings, Minnesota has too much talent to lose at home this week. The Cardinals are still trying to figure themselves out. Swink's prediction: Vikings win at home Chicago at Buffalo Even though Buffalo still hasn't won a game this year, they are playing their hearts out each week. The Bears are trying to snap a two-game losing streak coming off of their bye week. The Bills aren't nearly as talented but I wouldn't be surprised if they win their first game this week at home. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for 605 yards and five touchdowns over the last two weeks in close overtime losses. This week could be his week to finally win one. Swink's prediction: Bills win at home Tampa Bay at Atlanta This will be an interesting game to keep an eye on. This will be a battle to see which team stands alone in the NFC North. I must say that Tampa Bay has been extremely surprising so far this season with a 5-2 record through seven games. They have struggled against high-caliber teams, losing to both the Saints and Steelers at home. Atlanta has looked like a championship-caliber team winning five of their last six. They should be well rested coming off their bye week. Swink's prediction: Falcon's win at home NY Jets at Detroit The Lions have now won the same amount of games this season as they had in the previous two seasons combined. They aren't quite a contending team, but the sky is the limit. I am excited to see how they compete against a tough Jets defense. Quarterback Matthew Stafford had a great game last week throwing for 212 yards and four touchdowns, but it wasn't against Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. Good luck! Swink's prediction: Jets win on the road New England at Cleveland When the Browns last took the field, they beat the Saints by 13 points. Now they are recharged after their bye week and ready for their next opponent. Unfortunately, they are playing the team with the best record in the NFL, and which has looked virtually unstoppable this season. It will take a miracle for the Browns to beat the Patriots, but I also said the same thing when they won in New Orleans. They won't prove me wrong twice. Swink's prediction: Patriots win on the road San Diego at Houston Houston looked flat last week against the Colts while San Diego finally looked like the team they were expected to be at the start of the season. This will be an interesting matchup to see if Texans quarterback Matt Schaub can be productive against the best-ranked pass defense in the league. If Peyton Manning can carve up Houston's defense with a bunch of no-name receivers, I don't see why Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers can't do the same thing. Swink's prediction: Chargers win on the road Miami at Baltimore I was going to be extremely disappointed in the Ravens if they would have lost to the Bills last week in overtime. They better step up their game and get it together because Miami has the potential to go anywhere and upset their opponent. They have won in Buffalo, Minnesota, Green Bay and Cincinnati. Could Baltimore be next? I don't see it happening. I think the Ravens' defense matches up well against the offense the Dolphins will throw at them. Swink's prediction: Ravens win at home New Orleans at Carolina Drew Brees rebounded nicely last week, after his four-interception performance two weeks ago against Cleveland, and beat the Steelers at home. I would say this game is going to be a cakewalk for New Orleans but they have been extremely inconsistent throughout the first half of the season. They will still win, but it may be a closer game than most expect. The Panthers rank 5th in the league at shutting down the pass and that's exactly what Brees likes to do. Swink's prediction: Saints win on the road NY Giants at Seattle The Giants have won four games in a row and look to be the front runner in the NFC East. They have had two weeks to prepare for the Seahawks and I don't see them slowing down. Seattle has looked extremely inconsistent at times and they will have a difficult time stopping receivers Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith. Oh yeah, they will also have to figure out how to stop running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who averages 5.3 yards per carry this season. Swink's prediction: Giants win on the road Indianapolis at Philadelphia Regardless of who starts at quarterback for the Eagles, their defense will be the deciding factor in who wins this game. If they can stop Peyton Manning, which they won't, they will have a great shot at victory. The Colts defense has been abused by strong running backs, so it's imperative to get LeSean McCoy involved in both the ground attack and passing game. It will be a fun game to watch, but expect the Colts to prevail. Swink's prediction: Colts win on the road Kansas City at Oakland This will be a battle of the running game. Kansas City ranks 1st in the league averaging 190 yards per game while Oakland ranks 2nd compiling 169 yards on the ground. Unfortunately for Oakland, Kansas City is much better at stopping opponents' rushing attack. Even though Oakland has started to get it together as of late, the Chiefs have a bit more talent on both sides of the ball. They are playing with an unbelievable amount of confidence and have bought into their coaches system. Swink's prediction: Chiefs win on the road Dallas at Green Bay Chalk up another loss for the Cowboys this week as their bid for the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2011 continues. Green Bay has lost just three times this season and none of those defeats have been by more than three points. With John Kitna behind center for the Cowboys, they have a great shot at losing every game for the remainder of the season. They don't know how to play as a team and make plenty of mistakes that are going to cost their head coach his job. The Packers will dominate. Swink's prediction: Packers win at home Pittsburgh at Cincinnati The Steelers are a smash-mouth football team that definitely wants to bounce back from a tough road loss last week in New Orleans. The Bengals have lost four in a row and the players just can't seem to get on the same page. They desperately need a win this week to build momentum for a tough stretch of games ahead. I don't see that happening and I wouldn't be surprised if they lost five of their next six games. Swink's prediction: Steelers win on the road If you want to argue a prediction or point I made, please e-mail me at bryan.swink-02@mcguire.af.mil. Give a detailed explanation of why you disagree and some responses will be posted in next week's column with, of course, my explanation of why you are wrong.