After a lackluster Week Four, Week Five is a little better with some decent matchups. It’s still a little too early for any “playoff picture,” but it’s definitely desperation time for some teams.
BYES: Miami (2-2), New England (3-1), Pittsburgh (1-3), and Seattle (0-4)
Sunday, October 10:
1:00 – Jacksonville (1-3) at BUFFALO (0-4)
And, the Bills are off the schneid. This is a real trap game for the Jags, as they are coming off of a home loss to Indy and are looking ahead to a big matchup with Tennessee. Yes, they are probably desperate, at this point, but I don’t think they are quite good enough to take care of business on the road in such a point of their schedule. This could effectively end the Jacksonville tenure for one Jack Del Rio.
1:00 – Denver (1-3) at BALTIMORE (2-2)
Despite this being a real trap game for the Ravens, coming off an emotional win at Pittsburgh and looking ahead next week to a trip to Foxborough to face the Patriots, I think that the Ravens are just far too good to lose to the Broncos at home, no matter what situation they’re faced with.
1:00 – Kansas City (1-2) at INDIANAPOLIS (4-0)
The Colts, coming off a nice road win at Jacksonville catch a bit of a break here as they get to host the Chiefs, who shouldn’t provide much of a threat. The Colts are off and running again, at 5-0.
1:00 – Green Bay (3-1) at WASHINGTON (1-3)
This one was really tough, but I am going with the ‘Skins here for one reason–I think that with Shanahan they have enough pride to see this as a do-or-die situation in their season. They cannot start 1-4 in a division as good as the NFC Beast, so I think that, somehow, they will get the job done at home against the Pack here. Again, this is really a tough one, but I’m taking the ‘Skins.
1:00 – St. Louis (1-3) at DETROIT (0-4)
There isn’t a team in the league that I wouldn’t pick to win at home against the Rams coming off their first win of the year.
1:00 – Chicago (2-2) at CAROLINA (1-3)
The Bears, coming off of a Sunday night game in the Meadowlands have to come back to the East Coast here and take on a team that may be down, but still has a decent amount of talent. I like the Panthers to take care of business at home here against a Bears team that I like, but don’t love.
1:00 – Tampa Bay (0-3) at CINCINNATI (3-1)
I do give a lot of deference to teams coming off of byes, but Tampa on the road at Cincinnati? Not a chance.
1:00 – ATLANTA (3-1) at Cleveland (2-2)
And, the wheels are falling off of the Cleveland start to the season. The Falcons are just a better team, and I couldn’t find a reason not to pick them here.
1:00 – N.Y. Giants (3-1) at HOUSTON (2-2)
The Texans were shocked back to reality last week with a loss in Oakland. The Giants are 3-1, but it hasn’t been an overly impressive 3-1. I think the Texans have too many weapons to lose a game they need at home to the Giants.
4:05 – NEW ORLEANS (4-0) at Arizona (1-3)
A battle of first-place teams… What? It’s true. Ya, the Saints are a lot better than the Cardinals and should have no problem scoring a ton of points in the desert on this day.
4:15 – Tennessee (3-1) at DALLAS (2-1)
The Cowboys, coming off of a bye (and a loss before that), are hungry and ready to go. This is a real tough spot for the Titans, as I think Dallas wins easily.
4:15 – San Diego (4-0) at OAKLAND (3-1)
Am I crazy here? Do I always get sucked into the Raiders? Maybe and maybe. But, I think that this just looks like a typical Chargers loss where it’s early in the season, they get all enamored with their own ability and piss one away. This time it’s on the road against a decent team. Give me the Raiders–hesitantly.
8:20 – Philadelphia (3-1) at SAN FRANCISCO (1-3)
This is a tough spot for the Birds. They travel out west for a Sunday night tilt with the Niners, just one week after they hosted the ex-quarterback and the Washington Redskins. The Niners are just coming off a long road trip to Atlanta, but they should be able to recover and get the job done at home.
Monday, October 11:
8:30 – MINNESOTA (2-1) at N.Y. Jets (3-1)
A fantastic Monday night game caps off a decent Week Five. I like the Vikes for a couple of reasons. One, they are coming off of a bye, so they’re had two full weeks to prepare for this prime time matchup. Two, the Jets are coming off three straight divisional opponents, including back-to-back road wins against the Dolphins and Bills. And, finally, as much as I hate him (and I really do hate him), Brett Favre usually comes up big when he has something to prove–and he probably really wants to stick it to the Jets. Give me the Vikes in a big road win on Monday night.
STANDINGS AFTER WEEK 5
NFC EAST
3-1 Dallas
3-2 N.Y. Giants
3-2 Philadelphia
2-3 Washington
The Cowboys go right back on top with a win and a couple of road out-of-conference losses to the Eagles and Giants. The Redskins are right back in it with a big win over Green Bay.
NFC NORTH
3-1 Minnesota
3-2 Green Bay
2-3 Chicago
1-4 Detroit
The Vikings come off of their bye and take the division lead right back from Green Bay, who slips up in Washington. A tough loss for the Bears, and they’re in trouble. The Lions get their first win of the year at home against St. Louis.
NFC SOUTH
5-0 New Orleans
4-1 Atlanta
2-3 Carolina
0-4 Tampa Bay
A nice week for this division, as only the Bucs suffered defeat. The Saints and Falcons may be dancing this dance all year.
NFC WEST
2-3 San Francisco
1-4 Arizona
1-4 St. Louis
0-4 Seattle
The 49ers pick up the NFC West’s first win of the year against someone outside the division. And, that win, by itself, might be enough to carry them to a division crown.
AFC EAST
3-1 New England
3-2 N.Y. Jets
2-2 Miami
1-4 Buffalo
The Pats and ‘Phins both had bye weeks. The Jets suffered a tough Monday night loss, and the Bills actually cracked the win column.
AFC NORTH
4-1 Cincinnati
3-2 Baltimore
2-3 Cleveland
1-3 Pittsburgh
The Steelers get one more week to think about starting their new season, with their QB now, at 1-3. The Ravens have won three straight, while the Browns have lost three straight. The Bengals continue to lead this division, though.
AFC SOUTH
5-0 Indianapolis
3-2 Houston
3-2 Tennessee
1-4 Jacksonville
A tough loss for the Jags puts them way behind the eight-ball here. The Colts continue to roll, while the Titans and Texans meet up again at 3-2, following a Houston win and a Tennessee loss.
AFC WEST
4-1 Oakland
4-1 San Diego
1-3 Kansas City
1-4 Denver
Can it really be true? The Raiders with their biggest win since the AFC Championship Game all those long years ago have taken over the AFC West lead.
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