"On any given Sunday, blah, blah." How else to explain how the clumsy Lions, Bucs, Titans and I all came through in glorious fashion last week despite a horrible start to the season. I was 2-for-3, hitting on the Giants (you know what I mean) and Chargers, but missing on the Bills. In the case of Tennessee over Washington, it was the first time an underdog of seven or more points won a game outright this season.

Since I want to be a winner all the time, I sought professional help. That's where Bears lineman Israel Idonije comes in.

Although I assume he doesn't have a degree in psychology (I'm not looking this up), he shared his knowledge on the subject after the Bears' "Monday Night Miracle." After all, he had time on his hands since no one else was talking to him. He was particularly helpful in explaining how squads grow stronger by overcoming adversity, such as his team's early 20-point deficit.

But he also said it works the same for teams that collapse, although I can't be sure he also was referring to the Raiders. His theory is right on. To date, teams that have blown leads of 10 points or more this season and lost are 8-2 the next week (9-1 vs. spread). That means, of course, that in Week 7 you should watch out for the Rams, Falcons, Redskins and especially the Cardinals.

Here are this week's picks:

Patriots (-5.5) over Bills

Buffalo's 40-7 loss in Chicago a couple of weeks ago smells even worse after watching what the Cardinals' defense did to the Bears. FYI, last week's Bills loss to Detroit wasn't the first time a Buffalo team fell to a big-time winless club. Back in 1923, when Marv Levy was assistant player personnel director, the Buffalo All-Americans were losers to the 0-6 Akron Pros. I'll wager $50.

Cardinals (-3) over Raiders

I wasn't sure if the "Monday Night Meltdown" label attached to Arizona's folderoo against Chicago referred to what occurred on the field or what happened during coach Dennis Green's postgame eruption. Even the sprinkler system kicked in. He'll clearly have the attention of his players this week against a team so inept Sunday that John Madden was recoiling in horror in the booth. I'll wager $30.

Giants (+3) over Cowboys

There can't be a Cowboys fan in the land who was delighted to see that Dallas offense bumble its way to three points against Houston in the first half last week. Forget about Tiki Barber, maybe Drew Bledsoe should be promising to retire. There's apparently a tumor growing in that offense, and it's not T.O. I'll wager $25.