November 5, 2004 - Sure, I picked the Steelers to beat the Patriots, and I'm proud of that. But the prediction I'm most relieved about is the Chiefs beating the Colts. That's right, for the first time all season, I actually called a Chiefs game correctly, and I owe it all to Priest. He's the one who convinced me, so big ups to Priest, and once again I'm picking Kansas City to win.

How can I pick against them? In the last couple of weeks they've scored more points than some teams have all season, and this week they're playing the offensively inept Bucs. Seems like a no-brainer, then again, that's what scares me about the pick.

The single biggest game this week, though, is Philadelphia versus Pittsburgh. This is the second week in a row where the Steelers are facing an undefeated team, and for the second week in a row, I'm picking the Steelers to win. Big Ben is really making those Dan Marino comparisons seem like a reality, and the way the Steelers defense is playing right now, I think they'll be locked in against McNabb and T.O. and create enough turnovers to pull out the game. Add to that the fact that the Eagles run defense has been a little suspect lately, and I see Duce having a big game on Sunday.

But back to Big Ben for a second. Here are some numbers to put what he is doing into perspective. Roethlisberger enters Sunday's game against the Eagles having complete 96 of 137 passes for a completion percentage of 70.1. He only needs 13 more pass attempts to reach 150, and if he maintains the same completion percentage, that 70.1 number would be the best rookie mark in NFL history…that's all time, better than Marino, better than Peyton Manning, better than Jim McMahon. And that's really saying a lot.

But enough with the analysis, it's pick time again. Last week, I won the competition again, going 9-5, while my Low Down with Lo-Brown partner, former Prow Bowler Lomas Brown finished second with a mark of 7-7. The machines are struggling of late, however, with Madden finishing with a mark of 5-9 and ESPN going 6-8. Here's how the standings stack up for the season:

1. Jon Robinson: 73-43

2. Lomas Brown: 15-13 (only picked two weeks)

3. Madden NFL 2005: 60-56

4. ESPN NFL 2K5: 55-61

And now, here are the picks for Week 9…