Another game, another beatdown in San Francisco The 49ers were beaten soundly by the resurgent Saints 31-10 Sunday, dropping their fifth straight game. New Orleans controlled the game from the get-go, and the Niners never really seemed to have a chance. It’s a given that their offense stinks (why hasn’t the offensive coordinator been fired yet?) but the defense was supposed to be much improved after some pricey free-agent signings in the offseason. It currently ranks 22nd overall and can’t stop the pass or the run with any consistency. After all of the hope Niner fans had coming into this season, they are stuck with a team that now has the exact same record through seven games that it had last year: 2-5. The Niners will play at Atlanta this week, so maybe they can steal a win against the 1-6 Falcons by returning an interception or punt for a touchdown. You know that offense isn’t going to score many of them on their own. It’s like a train wreck: Hideous and disturbing, yet I can’t look away? Oakland played the type of Raider football we’re used to seeing on Sunday, losing 13-9 to a Titans team that was trying to give the game away. Tennessee quarterback Vince Young threw for only 42 passing yards and the Titans punted eight times, yet the Raiders still could not find a way to take the lead late and were held out of the end zone for the first time this season. After a solid start this year, the Raiders have managed only 11 points per game since their Week for win at Miami. By comparison, baseball’s Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians have both scored more than eleven runs in a game since then – twice. Oakland’s offense is a joke, and who knows who the quarterback will be next week. At least the 49ers can say that their quarterback, Alex Smith, is young and still learning; The Raiders just have two of the worst veteran signal callers in the league. Heaven help them if number one overall pick JaMarcus Russell turns out to be a bust. Can anybody stop these guys? The New England Patriots hammered Washington 52-7 Sunday, scoring all 52 before the Redskins could put a single point on the board. A lot of talk has centered on the Patriots running up the score, and rightly so. This isn’t college football where a good team needs to score a lot of points in order to influence voters in the polls. All that matters in the NFL is wins, and the Patriots just seem arrogant and crass every week as they continue to pile on the points when the game is already out of reach. The best response an opposing team can give is to stop them; Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone can. Quarterback Tom Brady’s numbers have also been so ridiculous that I don’t think I could replicate them in Madden: A 74.2 completion percentage, 303.9 passing yards per game and 30 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions. He’s on pace to break a few NFL records and will probably get another Super Bowl ring this year. I don’t think it’s possible not to hate the man at this point? unless you’re a Patriots fan. The drinks are on Tony Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is one of the best when it comes to manipulating media coverage and is a master of self-promotion for himself and his franchise. So it comes as no surprise to me that the Cowboys announced the contract extension of quarterback Tony Romo on their bye week to make sure that everyone continues to talk about Dallas football. After he struggled down the stretch last year and bobbled the snap on the potential game-winning field goal in a playoff game against Seattle (Remember that? They only showed the replay on ESPN about 593 times), Romo signed a small one-year extension because Jones wanted to see a little more from the quarterback of the future. The 27-year-old got off to a great start this season, leading the NFC in passer rating and touchdown passes, which apparently convinced Jones to break the bank for him. The six-year extension is reportedly worth $67.5 million with $31 million of it guaranteed. Those numbers make Romo one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the league, which is a pretty big gamble when you consider that he hasn’t even completed a full season as a starter yet and has only one career playoff start. Regardless of whether or not he’s earned it, Romo is now the face of “America’s Team” and will be under a lot of pressure to legitimize that big contract. NFL Picks: Week 9 Week 8 Picks: 3-1; Season Overall: 18-10 Here are some notable games coming up in week 9 (Odds as posted on Yahoo! Sports Oct. 30): Jacksonville at New Orleans (-3.5) – The Saints have finally found their groove, winning three in a row after getting back to their fast-paced attack-style offense. Jacksonville squeaked past Tampa Bay Sunday by hammering Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia all afternoon and forcing him to throw three interceptions. The Jags’ defense is formidable, but with quarterback David Garrard still out the offense can’t put up many points. The Saints will benefit from playing on turf, where their speed will allow them to move the ball on Jacksonville and take the lead early. They should cruise to a comfortable victory. My Pick: New Orleans 24-13 New England at Indianapolis (+5) – This is the undisputed game of the week, and perhaps even the game of the year. The Patriots have been an unstoppable force, as detailed above, while averaging over 41 points per game. The Colts are 7-0, thanks in part to their always reliable offense, but have also put together the fourth-best defense in the league and allow only 14.5 points per game. I would love for the Colts to wipe the floor with the Patriots, but I don’t think they can pull this one out. The Patriots have way too much firepower and can score quickly because they are a pass-first offense. The Colts’ only chance is to run the ball effectively and control the clock to make sure pretty boy Brady stays on the sidelines where he can’t hurt them. I wouldn’t bet on that happening, though. My Pick: New England 33-27 Green Bay at Kansas City (-2) -Kansas City has recovered nicely from an 0-2 start, winning four of its last five to move into a tie with San Deigo for first place in the AFC West. Green Bay continues to stun everyone, with old man Favre playing like his young-self again. Kansas City has always been a tough place to play, but Favre will be able to move the ball through the air against the Chiefs. And as well as the Chiefs have played this season, they don’t score a lot of points and won’t be able to keep up with a hot Packers team. My Pick: Green Bay 20-14 “Bet the Farm” Lock of the Week: San Diego at Minnesota (+7) – San Diego has finally found its groove, shellacking Houston last week 35-10 even amid the chaos of the southern California fires. The Vikings have lost back-to-back games and can’t pass the ball (30th ranked pass offense) or stop anyone from passing on them (32nd ranked pass defense). Minnesota quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is likely to miss this game with a broken finger, so pity backup Brooks Bollinger this week. The Chargers will get ahead in the first half and then mercilessly blitz Bollinger, who will probably know what the turf in the Metrodome tastes like before this one’s over. My Pick: San Diego 27-14 Fantasy Game-Breaker: Buffalo running back Marshawn Lynch vs. Cincinnati – The Bills have started rookie quarterback Trent Edwards for much of the season, so they have leaned hard on Lynch to help carry the offense. The rookie has handled it pretty well, rushing for 537 yards already this year. Buffalo hosts a Cincinnati team that is basically out of the playoff picture, and although the Bengals’ offense is dangerous, it is also very inconsistent. The Bills will need to run the ball in this game to have any shot of winning, and I believe Lynch will have a good day against the Bengals’ 28th ranked rushing defense. Look for him to break the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career and find the end zone at least once on Sunday.

Fernando Gallo can be reached at [email protected]