Oakland at
Atlanta
Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons are no longer just a
dome team. They have won three road games already this season, outdoors, on
grass, and in bad weather. Bad weather is never a concern in the Georgia Dome
where Mike Smith and Matt Ryan are almost unbeatable. This week they welcome
the Oakland Raiders who are just coming out of their bye. This one won’t even
be close. Ryan will light up the Oakland secondary, padding his MVP resume.
Oakland- 23
Atlanta- 42
Cincinnati at
Cleveland
Cincinnati-20
Cleveland- 23
St. Louis at
Miami
A battle of the most underrated teams in the league up
until this point. These teams are definitely not among the most talented in
terms of personnel, but have won games with defense, special teams, and a
consistent rushing attack. First year coaches Jeff Fisher and Joe Philbin
deserve credit for getting these players to play to their potential. It is
imperative that Miami finds a way to protect its young quarterback this week
against the Rams. In order to be able to protect him, the Dolphins will have to
establish a ground game early to set up better protections and the play action
passing attack. Expect Sam Bradford and the Rams offense to struggle on the
road, while Ryan Tannehill will play his best game as a rookie.
St. Louis- 23
Miami- 27
Indianapolis at
NY Jets
The Indianapolis Colts exhilarating win over the Packers
last week wasn’t just about a win or a loss, it was more about the mental and
spiritual victory they claimed. The ChuckStrong mentality, logo, and image that
they entered the game with ultimately drove them to an incredible 18 point
comeback win. This week the Colts will continue their mental battle and bring
it to Met Life Stadium to take on the New York Jets. The New York Jets
surprisingly played a close came with the unbeaten Houston Texans, mostly
thanks to Joe McKnight and a special teams touchdown. It is essential to point
out that Tony Sparano had to take two timeouts in efforts to get the “Tebow”
package into the game. Those plays taken after the timeouts gained a combined
three yards. The Jets have to decide if they are going to use Tebow and how
often they will use him. With a 2-3 record going into this week six matchup,
the Jets need a win. Led by their defense and another exceptional special teams
effort, the Jets will knock off the Colts to improve to .500
Indianapolis- 21
NY Jets- 23
Detroit at
Philadelphia
After five weeks, the Philadelphia Eagles have turned the
ball over 11 times. Six of those turnovers have come in the redzone. To put
that into perspective, the Jacksonville Jaguars have only gotten 9 redzone attempts this
year. While it is among the most obvious flaws with this Eagles team, Michael
Vick needs to learn how to hold onto the football. Now. The Eagles need to
learn how to play turnover free ball, the Lions need to learn how to play
special teams. Special teams have been absolutely disastrous for the Lions and
that ultimately comes down to coaching. Jim Schwartz may have taken this Lions
team from irrelevant to the playoffs, but if this team has any aspirations of
making a run at the Superbowl they have to learn discipline. An undisciplined
team against Michael Vick is a recipe for disaster. Eagles get a much-needed
win.
Detroit- 30
Philadelphia- 33
Dallas at
Baltimore
Football history could have been altered if Justin Tucker
was just one year older. Had that been the case, the Baltimore Ravens would
have represented the AFC in the Superbowl last year. Tucker, along with
multiple horrendous redzone turnovers by the Chiefs, led the Ravens to their
fourth win of the season. Joe Flacco certainly didn’t help his argument to be
in the discussion of elite quarterbacks as he completed only 48% of his passes
and finished with a quarterback rating in the mid-50’s. He will definitely be
glad to be back playing on the turf at M and T Bank Stadium. Flacco’s opponent
in week six, Tony Romo, will also be looking to redeem himself after his last
performance ended in five interceptions. With both quarterbacks looking to
restore their statuses, it will be the better defense that leads their team to
victory. For the past decade, the Baltimore Ravens would win that discussion.
Not in 2012, as Rob Ryan’s defense will outplay Ray Lewis and the Ravens D.
Dallas- 27
Baltimore- 21
Kansas City at
Tampa Bay
How bad was Matt Cassel Sunday against the Baltimore
Ravens? Just ask the fans that booed him off the field as he suffered a
concussion. Starting Chiefs tackle Eric Winston said after the game that he has
never felt more embarrassed to be on a football field and I don’t blame him.
Those fan crossed the line. Not to mention, there couldn’t have been much
excitement when they saw Brady Quinn trot onto the field. There were reasons why
the Browns and Broncos let him go. Quinn will most likely get the start when
the Chiefs travel to Tampa Bay in week six. The Buccaneers are having
quarterback problems of their own as Josh Freeman looks dazed and confused.
With quarterbacks incapable of leading their teams, the outcome of this game
will be determined by the defense that prevents the opponent from developing a
ground attack. Tampa Bay’s fourth ranked rush defense will be the first to stop
Jamaal Charles.
Kansas City- 20
Tampa Bay- 24
Buffalo at
Arizona
It is incredible how the Arizona Cardinals lost one game
and now the media is all over them for having a variety of problems. That is
also what happens when you play in the now vaunted NFC West. A division that
last year most considered among the worst in the NFL now has the best record
combined at this point in the season. This week the Arizona Cardinals welcome a
Buffalo Bills team that has given up 176 total points in five games. The Bills
thought that they revamped their defense this off-season, but apparently it
just has not come together yet. The matchup to watch in this game though will
be the Bills offense against the Cardinals defense. Expect Ryan Fitzpatrick and
the big play abilities of the Bills runningbacks to be the difference in this
game. Fitzpatrick will be turnover free and the Bills will hand the Cardinals
their 2nd consecutive loss.
Buffalo- 34
Arizona- 30
New England at
Seattle
This will be Tom Brady’s first trip to play in Seattle.
There are few venues in the NFL as challenging to play in as CenturyLink Field.
The Patriots will also have to overcome a trip across the country and the
Seahawks “12th” man. If there is one quarterback and coach
combination that can handle that adversity, it is Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
The quarterback that will struggle on Sunday will be rookie Russell Wilson.
Wilson has shown glimpses of the play that made the Seahawks so excited during
the pre-season, but has struggled with consistency. When you look up
consistency in the dictionary, there is a picture of a Patriots logo. Patriots
win big despite being on the West coast.
New England- 38
Seattle- 21
NY Giants at
San Francisco
Let us hope as football fans that we get to watch a game
as hard fought and as close as the NFC Championship game from last year. Even
though the Giants prevailed in their most recent matchup, the 49ers are favored
this Sunday. That is exactly how the Giants like it. Tom Coughlin and the G-men
seem to feed off of the underdog mentality, motivating them to win games like
one this weekend. However, the 49ers are the hottest team in football, winning
their last two games by a combined score of 79-3. They are demonstrating that
the title of pre-season favorites was not a misnomer. While there is no
doubting the Giants uncanny ability to win on the road, this will be a tough
game for them to win. They have not played and beat a team of the 49ers caliber
yet. In fact, the three Giants wins have come against teams with a combined
record of 2-12. The 49ers will control the line of scrimmage offensively and defensively to defeat the Giants at home.
NY Giants- 21
San Francisco- 28
Minnesota at
Washington
Having a running quarterback can be both an incredible
advantage and a major headache for organizations. Head Coaches and Offensive
Coordinators have to keep that quarterback healthy by limiting the number of
running plays they call for that player. But they also want to use that players
abilities to their fullest and challenge opposing defenses to stop him. The
Redskins have this advantage and headache in RGIII. RGIII has proven he is the
real deal throwing and passing. But how many hits can he take, and will it
affect his play if he takes too many hits? Jared Allen is one of the best in
the league at applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Expect the Vikings
offense to continue its methodical ways, while Allen and the rest of Minnesota’s
defense shut down RGIII.
Minnesota- 27
Washington- 20
Green Bay at
Houston
While it is obvious enough, it has to be said that this
not even close to the same Green Bay Packers team from 2011. In particular,
Aaron Rodgers does not look like the same player he was last year. Instead of
stepping up into the pocket, Rodgers seems to be throwing off his back foot
forcing more inaccurate throws. Not to mention, the numbers and statistics
Aaron Rodgers put up last year are almost unmatchable, so he was destined to
see a dip in stats, not necessarily in his play. The Green Bay offense has to
find its rhythm quickly, especially as they travel to Houston to take on a
talented Texans defense. Protecting Aaron Rodgers will be the key element for
the Pack in this game because the Texans are among the best in the league at
applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Expect Rodgers to lead the Packers
to a crucial victory, while handing the Texans their first loss of the season.
Green Bay -31
Houston- 28
Denver at San
Diego
The Denver Broncos are becoming known for their furious
fourth quarter comebacks after getting down early in the first half of games.
Now they either have to find ways to complete those comebacks or prevent the
huge deficits from happening. There are definitely elements of Peyton Manning’s
game that are missing from his days with the Colts, but Manning at 80% is
better than a majority of the starting quarterbacks in the league. The Broncos
opponent in week six, the San Diego Chargers, were recently the first victim of
the New Orleans Saints. The most consistent element of the San Diego Chargers
team is their inconsistent play. It is impossible to know which Philip Rivers
will show up, or which Chargers team will show up. On Monday Night Football,
Rivers and the Chargers will have one of those off days, falling victim to
Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Denver-37
San Diego- 31
Pittsburgh at Tennessee
When it is all said and done at the end of the 2012
season, the Tennessee Titans will be in the mix for honors as the worst team in
the league. CJNoK actually brought his 3.2 yards per rush average down against
the Vikings, rushing for 24 yards in 15 carries. Granted, the Titans offensive
line has not been opening up the same running lanes it did for Johnson two
years ago, but 2.9 yards per rush? The best running backs find the holes when
they are not there. The best teams also win even when they don’t play their
best, just like the Pittsburgh Steelers did Sunday against the Eagles. Big Ben
continues to be the master of broken play miracles, and the Steelers defense
continues to stifle opposing offenses. Road teams on Thursday Night Football
this year are 5-0. Chalk up another win for road teams as the Steelers give the
Titans their third consecutive double digit loss.
Pittsburgh- 35
Tennessee- 10
