Matt Cassel, at his best, would lead the Patriots to a 10-6 mark, and he’s not winning on the road in January. Minus Brady, 22 prognosticators may be wrong. So pick a team, any team …

Steelers? Brutal schedule, rebuilt offensive line, and nobody wants to read too much into a rout of ESPN’s beloved Texans … but today, we’d have to go with Pittsburgh.

Titans? Still not convinced Vince Young is as good as Mike Vick was in his prime, and the offense, which will be led Kerry Collins for the next month, needs more than exciting rookie Chris Johnson. Fierce defense, though.

Chargers? Norv Turner is more than capable of funking this up, Merriman’s 50 percent (at best), and Jake Delhomme just schooled them with his two-minute offense. In San Diego.

Jets? Anything’s possible with Favre!

Colts? We certainly don’t think so, but it’s just one loss.

Jaguars? Loved them in early July … before they turned into the Bengals. David Garrard’s weapons are garbage and the defense is only sporadically effective.

Bills? Looked crafty and resourceful in throttling Seattle; we’ll tab them a sleeper, but a win at Jacksonville this week would certainly win us over.