It's time for another round of fearless prognostications involving this week's games. Warning: these predictions are not for the faint of heart.
Giants hand Panthers first loss of season
Calm down, gallant knights of the Panthers Honor Protection Brigade. This is not about a lack of respect for football's perfect team or a deep-seated belief that Cam is not elite. I just don't think the Panthers will go 16-0. History is instructive, and there's a reason only one team has gone 16 for 16. Speaking of the 2007 Patriots, the Giants know a thing or two about knocking off the invincible and I can see the Panthers struggling to stay in their groove with Jonathan Stewart sidelined by a foot injury. If Josh Norman can shut down Odell Beckham this is a different game, but I don't see that happening, either. -- Dan Hanzus
Brock Osweiler will pass for 400 yards
Brock Osweiler will have his first 400-yard passing day as a pro. Denver owns the NFL's best defense, but nobody is stopping Pittsburgh's offense right now. With three receivers capable of moving the sticks and taking the top off of a defense on deep balls, Ben Roethlisberger's aerial attack is the most explosive in the league. Throw in the Steelers' suspect secondary, and this matchup has sneaky shootout potential. -- Chris Wesseling.
AJ McCarron throws 5 TDs in Bengals win
No Alabama quarterback has won an NFL start since 1987 -- a.k.a. The Gorbachev Years. That all ends. Not only will AJ McCarron lead the Bengals to a win over the hapless San Francisco 49ers, he'll do it with pizazz. The second-year signal caller will toss five touchdown passes against the 27th ranked passing defense in the NFL. In an effort to prove he's got heaps of confidence in McCarron, offensive coordinator Hue Jackson will keep putting the ball in the air in the red zone until the annihilation mercifully ends. -- Kevin Patra
Fozzy runs wild in another Panthers win
Get ready for that warm, Fozzy feeling. Fozzy Whittaker will rush for more than 150 yards against the Giants on Sunday en route to another Panthers beatdown. At this point, it would be a massive disappointment if they cannot do what the Patriots failed to do back in 2007. This Panthers team is perfect in almost every way and we will see a major reason why on Sunday. With Jonathan Stewart missing from the lineup and Ron Rivera looking to keep the heat off of Cam Newton, they will showcase just how deep and talented they really are. Keep pounding indeed, Panthers. -- Conor Orr
Alien abduction spoils Manziel's big day
Sunday's biggest surprise will involve a series of intriguing events: Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel will play an insane 29 minutes against the home-team Seahawks, running for 92 yards and unfurling three touchdowns -- two to Terrelle Pryor -- to build a 21-10 lead over a bewitched Legion of Boom.
The tone of the game shifts, though, when a three-mile-wide alien mothercraft floats down from the heavens and stations itself above CenturyLink Field. As action is halted by league officials, an inviting beam of otherworldly white light bathes Johnny Football and lifts him through the atmosphere into the belly of this visiting craft. Tight end Gary Barnidge shouts skyward, "Don't take our franchise quarterback!" He is answered by a voice that speaks psychically to all in attendance, saying: "No, Gary Barnidge. You must understand: The Browns cannot have nice things."
Cleveland loses 34-21. -- Marc Sessler
