Welcome back to the 2008 Magical Misery Tour! Step right up and watch as I attempt to stem the nauseous wave of ignominy and NOT finish with the worst season records in the 18-year history of the Friday predictions page. Those record lows: .589 overall in 1999, and .449 vs. the spread in 2006 -- officially the worst records since MacArthur Park by Richard Harris and Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas.

• Thursday pick: Steelers (-10) over Bengals 37-3.

• Last week: 8-7-1 overall (.533); 6-9-1 vs. spread (.400).

• Season: 91-68-1 overall (.569); 68-81-11 vs. spread (.456).

This week's selections:

PATRIOTS (6-4) AT DOLPHINS (6-4)

• When: 1 p.m. Sunday • TV: CBS

• Line: MIA by 1 ½ • Cote: NE 27-23

Oh glory be, a late-November Dolphin game with playoff weight! But wait. Just when this was getting good, Miami's winning streak hits a dead-end at four in (officially, but not really) a minor upset. Dolphins ripped apart NE with Wildcat claws 38-13 earlier this year, humiliating a team not used to being beaten, let alone embarrassed, and that's high-octane fuel to drive the Pats here. Hunch a loud game by a quiet Randy Moss. Plus, Bill Belichick with extra days to prepare has not stopped being a scary thing. No surprise with the Wildcat now. No surprise here, either: Pats, if only by a little, are still better.

JETS (7-3) AT TITANS (10-0)

• When: 1 p.m. Sunday • TV: None

• Line: TEN by 5 ½ • Cote: TEN 21-14

Handful of good choices for the GOTW panel this week, but you can't go wrong with battle of first-place clubs -- especially when the team leading the '08 Dolphins' division is trying to beat the team leading the '72 Dolphins' nightmare. It's a rare occasion in which the stinkin' Jets winning at least would have a silver lining for Dolfans. Instead, Miami gets AFC East help but not historical help as Tennessee stays perfect and marches to 11-0. Planes are hot, but Titans are steel-beam-solid everywhere, and with enough pass rush and pass-D to knock the legend out of Brett Favre.

GIANTS (9-1) AT CARDINALS (7-3)

• When: 4:15 p.m. Sunday • TV: FOX

• Line: NYG by 3 • Cote: ARI 28-27

``AAWWK!'' croons the Upset Bird. ``Arizaawwk!'' Two division leaders, two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks and two percolating offenses equal one terrific game. Biggies return to site of SB win to find 'Zona with enough run-D to limit its strength, especially with Brandon Jacobs not quite right. Cardbirds are 4-0 at home with Kurt Warner en fuego. ``En fuego,'' notes U-Bird. ``That's Spanish for aaaawwwwk!''

TEXANS (3-7) AT BROWNS (4-6)

• When: 1 p.m. Sunday • TV: None

• Line: CLE by 3 • Cote: CLE 31-27

What better place for the Dog game than the Dawg Pound? Easy pick, too, since this is Week 12's only contest in which both teams have losing records and no realistic playoff shot. Each team has habit of blowing leads and games, in Houston's case thanks to a dismal minus-13 on turnovers. That self-infliction plus the venue (Texans are 0-5 on road) make it a narrow, nervous call for Clevers.

BEARS (5-5) AT RAMS (2-8)

• When: 1 p.m. Sunday • TV: None

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