MONDAY Night Football is a prime time centre stage, and this is where the Carolina Panthers, led by Cam Newton, put a licking on the Philadelphia Eagles that in all probability, sealed the fate of head coach Andy Reid and his quarterback Michael Vick.

After 14 seasons with one Super Bowl under his belt, the honeymoon is over as the Eagles are now 3-8 with no hope of making it to the playoffs.

Cam Newton, the second year quarterback for the Panthers, had a great game, throwing for two touchdowns and running for two more in the Panthers’ 30-22 victory.

I have always liked Andy Reid as a coach and as a human being. When no one else would give Michael Vick a second chance, he did, and I will always respect him for that. Andy will end up with some other organisation, but I’m not sure that Vick will.

The score in the Superdome in New Orleans last Sunday was 49ers 31, Saints 21 — an outcome that is another clear indication that this 49es team is for real. They are a team that can overpower most opponents on both offence and defence. These guys are on track to win the NFC West title and be genuine contenders in the post-season.

This, in spite of what has developed into a genuine quarterback controversy. Alex Smith, the regular starting quarterback, missed some time with a concussion and was replaced by back-up Colin Kaepernick, who promptly guided them to two impressive victories over Chicago and then New Orleans.

Smith, after a rough start to his NFL career, has been great over the last season-and-a-half. He led the 49ers to a 13-3 stats and a trip to the NFC title game last year and was doing just fine this season until he was sidelined by injury.

But 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh has decided to go with his younger signal-caller, again naming Kaepernick the starter for this week’s matchup with the Seahawks. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.

Jay Cutler, the Bears quarterback who also missed time with a concussion, returned last week and looked good as he guided his team to a 28-10 victory over the Vikings.

The Bears were bouncing back after losses to Houston and San Francisco, but it was not all good news for them as they lost Devin Hester, their ace return man, who also suffered a concussion. They also lost key cornerback Charles Tillman, as well as two offensive linesmen.

The Bears have been cursed by the injury bug the last two seasons and this season seems to be no different. Of course, these injuries are things to bear in mind when picking your winners and making your bets this week.

To say the Packers had an off day is putting it mildly. Virtually every aspect of their game was lacking and the New York Giants took advantage of them and handed them a convincing 38-10 whipping. This put to rest (at least for the time being) the Eli Manning doubters who opined that he is simply too inconsistent to be considered an elite quarterback.

November is almost over and this is the month that the Giants usually slump. Well, they instead served notice that they mean business. The defeat for the Packers raised more questions than answers and one has to wonder how could a team of that calibre coming off five wins in a row and led by one of the best quarterbacks in football could play so poorly.

With the playoffs looming large, it may be time for the Packers to step back and examine themselves closely and re-energise for the road ahead.

There was a game last night between the 10-1 Atlanta Falcons and the 5-6 New Orleans Saints. The latter are fighting for their playoffs life and the former, going for 11-1 in an effort to convince the remaining doubters that they are for real. They have convinced me for sure.

Some games to see on Sunday: the clash between the 8-3 Denver Broncos and the 6-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s not a foregone conclusion that the Broncos will win because the Bucs on any given day are a dangerous team.

The Bears and the Seahawks should also be interesting because the Bears are beat up with injuries and the home field advantage may not be enough for them to hold off the Seahawks. But with jay Cutler at the helm you can never tell.

On an upbeat note, yours truly had his best week ever betting against the spread, a respectable 10-6. Still not good enough to take over from lead dog Andrei Roper, who is followed closely by Andre Hutchinson, then followed by myself and Peter Lindo. Methinks the next few weeks as we head into the playoffs are going to be very interesting. Enjoy the games and remember to bet on the games with JustBet !!!

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NFL WEEK 13 SCHEDULE

Thursday Nov 29

Atl Falcons v NO Saints +3.5, U/O 54.5

Sunday Dec 2

Buf Bills v Jac Jaguars +6.5, U/O 45.5

Chi Bears v Sea Seahawks +4.5, U/O 38.5

Det Lions v Ind Colts +4.5, U/O 50.5

GB Packers v Min Vikings +8.5, U/O 46.5

KC Chiefs +1.5 v Car Panthers, U/O 39.5

Mia Dolphins +8.5 v NE Patriots, U/O 50.5

NY Jets v Ari Cardinals +4.5, U/O 35.5

StL Rams +6.5 v SF 49ers, U/O 39.5

Ten Titans +5.5 v Hou Texans, U/O 46.5

Den Broncos v TB Buccaneers +6.5, U/O 49.5

Bal Ravens v Pit Steelers +6.5, U/O 40.5

Oak Raiders v Cle Browns +3.5, U/O 45.5

SD Chargers v Cin Bengals +0.5, U/O 45.5

Dal Cowboys v Phi Eagles +6.5, U/O 45.5

Monday Dec 3

Was Redskins +3.5 v NY Giants, U/O 50.5

*Handicaps and Under/Over included*

*Handicaps and Under/Over subject to change without notice, prior to kick-off

EXPERTS’ PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD

Andrei Roper’s

Week 13 Picks (in bold)

Falcons v Saints

Bills v Jaguars

Bears v Seahawks

Lions v Colts

Packers v Vikings

Chiefs v Panthers

Dolphins v Patriots

Jets v Cardinals

Rams v 49ers

Titans v Texans

Broncos v Buccaneers

Ravens v Steelers

Raiders v Browns

Chargers v Bengals

Cowboys v Eagles

Redskins v Giants

Last week: 5-11

Season to date: 92-84

Andre Hutchinson’s

Week 13 Picks (in bold)

Falcons v Saints

Bills v Jaguars

Bears v Seahawks

Lions v Colts

Packers v Vikings

Chiefs v Panthers

Dolphins v Patriots

Jets v Cardinals

Rams v 49ers

Titans v Texans

Broncos v Buccaneers

Ravens v Steelers

Raiders v Browns

Chargers v Bengals

Cowboys v Eagles

Redskins v Giants

Last week: 7-9

Season to date: 91-85

Tony Scott’s

Week 13 Picks (in bold)

Falcons v Saints

Bills v Jaguars

Bears v Seahawks

Lions v Colts

Packers v Vikings

Chiefs v Panthers

Dolphins v Patriots

Jets v Cardinals

Rams v 49ers

Titans v Texans

Broncos v Buccaneers

Ravens v Steelers

Raiders v Browns

Chargers v Bengals

Cowboys v Eagles

Redskins v Giants

Last week: 10-6

Season to date: 86-90

Peter Lindo’s

Week 13 Picks (in bold)

Falcons v Saints

Bills v Jaguars

Bears v Seahawks

Lions v Colts

Packers v Vikings

Chiefs v Panthers

Dolphins v Patriots

Jets v Cardinals

Rams v 49ers

Titans v Texans

Broncos v Buccaneers

Ravens v Steelers

Raiders v Browns

Chargers v Bengals

Cowboys v Eagles

Redskins v Giants

Last week: 8-8

Season to date: 83-93