By now, there are no more surprises

We're heading into the toughest portion of the NFL regular season for handicapping. The contenders have proven themselves. The pretenders have been exposed, and whatever trends may have surprised the oddsmakers have been accounted for.

Minnesota at Washington (minus-1). The Vikings hit rock bottom last week, getting slammed by the Packers, 31-3, and getting their coach fired in the process. The Redskins have been shaky all year but somehow have stumbled to a .500 record in the NFC East (5-5 in the standings, and 5-4-1 against the spread). After the Cowboys fired Wade Phillips, they rebounded with a huge win against the New York Giants. The Vikings will not do the same because Brett Favre is too much of a liability these days.

Pick: Redskins.

Eagles at Chicago (plus-31/2). With Michael Vick in the lineup, the Eagles have become one of the wagering public's favorite teams, so the point spread may climb by kickoff. Still, the game will hinge more on what happens when the Bears have the ball because Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler has a bad habit of finding defenders rather than his own receivers.

Pick: Eagles.

Pittsburgh at Buffalo (minus-61/2). The Bills are improving but not nearly enough to stay with the Steelers.

Pick: Steelers.

Tampa Bay at Baltimore (minus-71/2). If the Bucs keep turnovers to a minimum, Tampa Bay can stay close.

Pick: Buccaneers.

Jacksonville at N.Y. Giants (minus-7). Pick: Jaguars.

Kansas City at Seattle (plus-11/2). Pick: Chiefs.

St. Louis at Denver (minus-4). Pick: Rams.

San Diego at Indianapolis (minus-3). Pick: Colts.

San Francisco at Arizona (plus-1). Pick: Cardinals.

These games were off the board earlier this week because of injury-related uncertainty at key positions: Carolina at Cleveland, Tennessee at Houston, and Miami at Oakland.