Week 5 Picks
A quarter of the season is over and it's been a terrific quarter. The rest of the season should be just as entertaining.
One undefeated team remains, while four teams remain winless.
The Giants or Chargers should get their first win of the season on Sunday as they play each other, but what about the 49ers and Browns?
Can the Chiefs stay undefeated?
The answer to all of those is no and I'll explain why in my picks below.
Week 5 Picks (Home team in CAPS)
New England over TAMPA BAY (Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET, CBS, NFL Network, Amazon Prime): Panic time in Foxborough. The Patriots are not good right now, well, at least their defense isn't. New England has given up 128 points, second most in the league behind the Colts. They also are dead last in yards allowed per game at 456.8, 60-yards more per game than the Colts. Now, the Patriots have the league's best offense at 423.8 yards/game with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, so things aren't all bad in New England. If the defense can find a way to give up less than 30 points in their remaining games, the Patriots will be just fine. They'll score 31 and give up 27 on Thursday in a win over Tampa Bay.
CINCINNATI over Buffalo (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): Since the Bengals fired Ken Zampese as their offensive coordinator, Cincinnati has scored 55 points and put up 651-yards of offense in two games. The Bengals are still 1-3, but QB Andy Dalton and the offense are playing better and that's a good sign for Bengals fans. They'll have a tough matchup with the 3-1 Bills, but the Bengals defense has been good, giving up the third fewest points/game at 16.8, so the Bills are going to have to score some points if they're to beat the Bengals. I think the Cincinnati offense keeps rolling and the Bengals win again.
N.Y. Jets over CLEVELAND (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): Raise your hand if you had the Jets winning two in a row and having the same amount of wins as the Patriots after four weeks. Just what I thought, no one. Many people had the Jets winning one, maybe two games all season, not two wins in their first four games. Now, I don't expect the Jets to keep winning and make the playoffs, but I do see them extending their winning streak to three in Cleveland on Sunday.
DETROIT over Carolina (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): Carolina has only scored 78 points this season and 56 of those points were against the 49ers and Patriots who have two of the worst defenses in the league. Detroit has the fourth best scoring defense in the league at 17.5 points/game. Advantage Detroit. Going with the Lions at home.
INDIANAPOLIS over San Francisco (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): Things have not been going well for the Colts this season without QB Andrew Luck. As I stated earlier, they have the worst defense in the league and it's going to be hard to win when you're giving up 34 points/game. With that being said, the Colts lone win this season did come at home and the 49ers have yet win a game this season. I'll take Jacoby Brissett, who has played alright, and the Colts in this one.
Tennessee over MIAMI (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): Tennessee probably doesn't want to watch the tape from last week's blowout loss in Houston. The Titans gave up 445-yards of offense and 57 points, stats you'd expect to see in a college game not the NFL. I'd be floored if the Titans played that poorly two weeks in a row and the Dolphins offense looked terrible last week in London. I have to take the Titans here.
N.Y. GIANTS over L.A. Chargers (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): The Giants or Chargers will finally win a football game this season, unless this one ends in a tie. Both of these teams have looked awful this season, especially the Giants, and it's going to be hard for either of these teams to turn things around at 0-4. The loser of this one is officially dead in the water and I think that'll be the Chargers. The Giants have more talent on their roster and they'll benefit from being at home.
PHILADELPHIA over Arizona (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): Arizona has lost to the two good teams they've played, Detroit and the Los Angeles Rams, and the struggled to beat San Francisco and Indianapolis who was playing without Andrew Luck. The Eagles have won two in a row, but by a combined five points. I expect the Eagles to play well at home and have another close victory against the Cardinals.
PITTSBURGH over Jacksonville (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): I thought the Jaguars had turned the corner after their beat down of the Ravens over in London, but last week's loss to the Jets showed me that the Jaguars aren't there quite yet. Steelers get the win to improve to 4-1.
L.A. RAMS over Seattle (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS): If the Los Angeles Rams are for real this'll be the game that proves it. The Rams come in with the highest scoring offense in the league averaging 35.5 points/game and looking like the "The Greatest Show on Turf" team from years ago through four games. RB Todd Gurley has been playing the best football of his career racking up 364-yards of total offense and 4 TD in his last two games. The Seattle defense is tough and it'll be interesting to see if they can stop the Rams high flying offense. Seattle has dominated the NFC West for years, but their reign as division champs could be in jeopardy. I'm on the Rams bandwagon and think they'll surprise the Seahawks and cement themselves as a legitimate contender in the NFC with a win.
OAKLAND over Baltimore (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS): The Raiders will be without QB Derek Carr for at least two weeks after a back injury knocked him out of the game last week against the Broncos. The Raiders struggled without Carr towards the end of last season, but this is still a good football team. Being at home this week will help and if their defense plays well and they can run the ball with Marshawn Lynch, they'll beat the Ravens. Baltimore has been outscored 70-16 in their last two games and have not looked good. Raiders get the win even without Carr.
Green Bay over DALLAS (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): I could see either team winning this game, but one thing I know for sure is that this'll be one of, if not the highest, rated game of the season. Last year's divisional round Packers/Cowboys game was the highest rated playoff game that wasn't the Super Bowl or conference championship in NFL history. Now, I don't expect 48.5 million viewers to watch this game, but those that do will see a great game. The Cowboys don't seem like the same team they were last season and it's always hard for me to pick against Aaron Rodgers. Packers win a close game.
HOUSTON over Kansas City (Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC): Kansas City the last remaining undefeated team in the NFL and that'll end on Sunday. The Texans offense has taken off the past two weeks with rookie QB Deshaun Watson, putting up 862-yards and 90 points. Kansas City's defense has been okay this season, not great. The Texans offense is rolling and their defense is pretty good, don't forget. Houston gets the win as Deshaun Watson shines on Sunday night.
Minnesota over CHICAGO (Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): The Mitchell Trubisky era will begin on Monday night. The Bears announced on Monday that the rookie out of North Carolina will make his NFL debut against the Vikings on Monday Night Football. The Bears aren't a playoff team, so might as well let the rookie take the reins and see if he's any good. Chicago is placing their entire future on Trubisky and I'll be curious to see how he performs. Remember, he only had one full season at North Carolina as the starting quarterback, so he doesn't have much experience. Going up against Mike Zimmer's Vikings defense in his first game won't be easy and I expect him to struggle.
Byes: Atlanta, Denver, New Orleans, Washington
Last Week: 11-5
Overall: 43-20 (.683)
One undefeated team remains, while four teams remain winless.
The Giants or Chargers should get their first win of the season on Sunday as they play each other, but what about the 49ers and Browns?
Can the Chiefs stay undefeated?
The answer to all of those is no and I'll explain why in my picks below.
Week 5 Picks (Home team in CAPS)
New England over TAMPA BAY (Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET, CBS, NFL Network, Amazon Prime): Panic time in Foxborough. The Patriots are not good right now, well, at least their defense isn't. New England has given up 128 points, second most in the league behind the Colts. They also are dead last in yards allowed per game at 456.8, 60-yards more per game than the Colts. Now, the Patriots have the league's best offense at 423.8 yards/game with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, so things aren't all bad in New England. If the defense can find a way to give up less than 30 points in their remaining games, the Patriots will be just fine. They'll score 31 and give up 27 on Thursday in a win over Tampa Bay.
CINCINNATI over Buffalo (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): Since the Bengals fired Ken Zampese as their offensive coordinator, Cincinnati has scored 55 points and put up 651-yards of offense in two games. The Bengals are still 1-3, but QB Andy Dalton and the offense are playing better and that's a good sign for Bengals fans. They'll have a tough matchup with the 3-1 Bills, but the Bengals defense has been good, giving up the third fewest points/game at 16.8, so the Bills are going to have to score some points if they're to beat the Bengals. I think the Cincinnati offense keeps rolling and the Bengals win again.
 |
| QB Josh McCown has led the Jets to a surprising 2-2 record. (Timothy T. Ludwig/USA TODAY Sports) |
DETROIT over Carolina (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): Carolina has only scored 78 points this season and 56 of those points were against the 49ers and Patriots who have two of the worst defenses in the league. Detroit has the fourth best scoring defense in the league at 17.5 points/game. Advantage Detroit. Going with the Lions at home.
INDIANAPOLIS over San Francisco (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): Things have not been going well for the Colts this season without QB Andrew Luck. As I stated earlier, they have the worst defense in the league and it's going to be hard to win when you're giving up 34 points/game. With that being said, the Colts lone win this season did come at home and the 49ers have yet win a game this season. I'll take Jacoby Brissett, who has played alright, and the Colts in this one.
Tennessee over MIAMI (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): Tennessee probably doesn't want to watch the tape from last week's blowout loss in Houston. The Titans gave up 445-yards of offense and 57 points, stats you'd expect to see in a college game not the NFL. I'd be floored if the Titans played that poorly two weeks in a row and the Dolphins offense looked terrible last week in London. I have to take the Titans here.
N.Y. GIANTS over L.A. Chargers (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): The Giants or Chargers will finally win a football game this season, unless this one ends in a tie. Both of these teams have looked awful this season, especially the Giants, and it's going to be hard for either of these teams to turn things around at 0-4. The loser of this one is officially dead in the water and I think that'll be the Chargers. The Giants have more talent on their roster and they'll benefit from being at home.
PHILADELPHIA over Arizona (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): Arizona has lost to the two good teams they've played, Detroit and the Los Angeles Rams, and the struggled to beat San Francisco and Indianapolis who was playing without Andrew Luck. The Eagles have won two in a row, but by a combined five points. I expect the Eagles to play well at home and have another close victory against the Cardinals.
PITTSBURGH over Jacksonville (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): I thought the Jaguars had turned the corner after their beat down of the Ravens over in London, but last week's loss to the Jets showed me that the Jaguars aren't there quite yet. Steelers get the win to improve to 4-1.
L.A. RAMS over Seattle (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS): If the Los Angeles Rams are for real this'll be the game that proves it. The Rams come in with the highest scoring offense in the league averaging 35.5 points/game and looking like the "The Greatest Show on Turf" team from years ago through four games. RB Todd Gurley has been playing the best football of his career racking up 364-yards of total offense and 4 TD in his last two games. The Seattle defense is tough and it'll be interesting to see if they can stop the Rams high flying offense. Seattle has dominated the NFC West for years, but their reign as division champs could be in jeopardy. I'm on the Rams bandwagon and think they'll surprise the Seahawks and cement themselves as a legitimate contender in the NFC with a win.
OAKLAND over Baltimore (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS): The Raiders will be without QB Derek Carr for at least two weeks after a back injury knocked him out of the game last week against the Broncos. The Raiders struggled without Carr towards the end of last season, but this is still a good football team. Being at home this week will help and if their defense plays well and they can run the ball with Marshawn Lynch, they'll beat the Ravens. Baltimore has been outscored 70-16 in their last two games and have not looked good. Raiders get the win even without Carr.
Green Bay over DALLAS (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): I could see either team winning this game, but one thing I know for sure is that this'll be one of, if not the highest, rated game of the season. Last year's divisional round Packers/Cowboys game was the highest rated playoff game that wasn't the Super Bowl or conference championship in NFL history. Now, I don't expect 48.5 million viewers to watch this game, but those that do will see a great game. The Cowboys don't seem like the same team they were last season and it's always hard for me to pick against Aaron Rodgers. Packers win a close game.
HOUSTON over Kansas City (Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC): Kansas City the last remaining undefeated team in the NFL and that'll end on Sunday. The Texans offense has taken off the past two weeks with rookie QB Deshaun Watson, putting up 862-yards and 90 points. Kansas City's defense has been okay this season, not great. The Texans offense is rolling and their defense is pretty good, don't forget. Houston gets the win as Deshaun Watson shines on Sunday night.
 |
| The Mitchell Trubisky era begins in Chicago Monday night. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) |
Byes: Atlanta, Denver, New Orleans, Washington
Last Week: 11-5
Overall: 43-20 (.683)
Comments
Post a Comment