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The Harmon Football Forecast is one of the most highly regarded and widely read sports features in the country, published in over 200 newspapers.
It all began when Bob Harmon began predicting college and NFL games in 1957. He devised a mathematical formula that picked winners correctly between 72 and 78 percent of the time; most seasons getting almost 75 percent of his picks right.
Today, Jim Harmon and his staff are the only forecasters who predict exact scores and chart every college and pro team.
Check out previous week's forecasts.
Sunday's games:
| *Arizona 19, Atlanta 14 |
| On the bright side, the geographically misplaced Cardinals and Falcons at least have next year's realignment to look forward to. Atlanta was the last winner in this series, 37-14 two years ago. |
| *Buffalo 20, Pittsburgh 13 |
| After getting spanked by the Jaguars, the Steelers needed the lost Cleveland game to regain some confidence, but instead they've had two weeks to stew. Buffalo beat Pittsburgh in 1999, 24-21. |
| *Denver 26, Baltimore 22 |
| Looks like a possible postseason preview to us, and it's Denver's offense's turn. In their 21-3 win in last year's wild-card playoffs, the Ravens allowed the Broncos past midfield only once. |
| Green Bay 21, *Carolina 19 |
| The key here will be the Packers' defense, which has been M.I.A. in two consecutive losses to the Panthers, who've scored a combined 64 points. They beat G.B. 31-14 on a Monday night in '00. |
| Indianapolis 27, *New England 20 |
| This is the Colts' third straight AFC East matchup, against a team that has managed series splits the past two seasons even as non-playoff-contenders. Last year it was N.E. 24-16 and Indy 30-23. |
| *Jacksonville 35, Cleveland 9 |
| In contrast to the above, there's no question about who's in charge of this divisional series. The Jaguars have won six straight over the Browns by ever-larger margins, 27-7 and 48-0 in '00. |
| New Orleans 17, *N.Y. Giants 16 |
| Both the Saints and Giants have more dependable defenses than offenses, which makes this a difficult call. N.Y. has won three of the last four in the rivalry, most recently 31-3 two years ago. |
| *Oakland 31, Seattle 13 |
| The Seahawks' first AFC West showdown will be a rough one unless they can somehow corral the Raiders' running attack. Last year each team won at home, Oakland by 28 points and Seattle by three. |
| *Philadelphia 28, Dallas 10 |
| Though their ground game is hardly the equal of the Raiders', the Eagles may look like them against the defensively inept Cowboys. In '00 Philly swept Dallas for the first time in 10 years. |
| *St. Louis 32, Miami 24 |
| A potential Super Bowl? At this point it's as good a pick as any, with the Rams showing signs of defensive life and the Dolphins moving on offense. Miami has won seven of eight in the series. |
| *San Diego 26, Cincinnati 13 |
| Speaking of signs of life -- especially from the Chargers' offense -- something tells us these two teams may give us prognosticators fits this season. S.D. has taken four of the last five from Cincy. |
| Tampa Bay 18, *Minnesota 14 |
| Given recent Buccaneers-Vikings history, this is a big upset: For five of the past six years they've beaten each other at home. T.B. looks ready to sweep Minnesota for the first time since '90. |
| *Washington 23, Kansas City 16 |
| In 30 years the Redskins and Chiefs have met only five times, and K.C. has won four, most recently 24-3 in '95. We figure Washington coach Marty Schottenheimer knows his former team pretty well. |
Monday's game:
| *N.Y. Jets 30, San Francisco 14 |
| The 49ers have punished the Jets over the years, building a 7-1 lead in their series and winning the last matchup three years ago, 36-30. But N.Y.'s air game will be too much for S.F.'s defense. |
Open date: Chicago, Detroit, Tennessee
* Denotes Home Team