Week 5 Predictions

Ok so your girl had a big drop off last week finishing just 8-6. Ok so I should've seen a couple of those division rival match-ups going either way, but oh well. Not the record I had hoped for so I will try my best to redeem myself this week:

Chicago Bears (3-1) vs Carolina Panthers (0-4)

Bears are coming off a bad loss to the Giants last week in New York. Cutler was sacked 9x and finally left the game at the half with a concussion. He will be out this week against the Panthers which puts Todd Collins in the hot seat. He finished last week 4 of 11 with O TDs and 1 INT before he left the game in the 4th quarter. Bears will have to lean on their defense this week to get them the W if they can. Panthers lost a close one against the Saints in New Orleans. Jimmy Clausen had a decent game where he finished with 146 yds and 1 TD. DeAngelo Williams finally scored his 1st TD of the season last week. The Panthers however will still be without Steve Smith and hope the recently aquired David Clowney will be able to pick up the slack. Panthers are in desperate need of their 1st win but with the Bears defense looking as good as they do, I dont see that happening this week. Prediction: Bears

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) vs Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)

The Bucs are coming back off their bye last week. Their last game was a rout by the Steelers where QB Josh Freeman threw for just 184 yds and an INT. His running game behind RB Carnell Williams has yet to score a TD this season. WR Mike Williams has 2 TDs so far this season but was shut out against the Steelers and TE Kellen Winslow has yet to get his 1st. This offense is stuggling and Freeman is playing injured. Only their D has kept them a half game back of the division leaders. Bengals are 1 game back of the AFC North leading Ravens and Steelers. QB Carson Palmer had a good game in the loss last week to the Browns completing 25 of 36 for 371 yds and 2 TDs. While WR Chad Ochocinco was held to just 3 catches for 59 yds, Terrell Owens had a break out game with 10 catches for 222 yds and a TD. Bengals D have been playing very well even in their close losses. This should be a good win for them at home. Prediciton: Bengals

St. Louis Rams (2-2) vs. Detroit Lions (0-4)

Rams are the surprising .500 team in the league. Last week QB Sam Bradford completed his highest number of total yards by finishing with 289 on 23 of 41 passes. His offensive line is inconsistent but if they can keep Bradford on his feet and RB Steven Jackson can continue to be one of the most reliable rushers, they should have a decent season in a weak NFC West division. Lions are what they always are-consistently bad. This situation has been exasperated by the loss of their starting QB Matthew Stafford in the season opener. QB Shaun Hill has been struggling. Last week he finished with 331 yds, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. His #1 WR Calvin Johnson finished with just 86 yds but both of Hill's TDs. Rookie RB Jahvid Best had 2 breakout games in the first 2 games but hasnt had the same production numbers since. Their defense is unable to close out games and will continue to cost the Lions if they dont find a way to improve. Prediction: Rams

New York Giants (2-2) vs Houston Texans (3-1)

The Giants have played good in their wins and horrendous in their losses. QB Eli Manning has not had a good season thus far. Last week he completed 18 of 30 for 195 yds but 0 TDs. RB Ahmad Bradshaw had 23 rushes for 129 yds and 1 TD. Giants D has not been playing up to the potential that was expected of them before the season began. They are in a soft NFC East division but will need better play out of their starters or this will be another disappointing ending for them. Texans have been on a roll this season. QB Matt Schaub has already thrown for over 1000 yds, 7 TDs and just 4 INTs this season. He finished with 192 yds and 2 TDs last week. RB Arian Foster rushed 131 yds and 1 TD last week against the Raiders. Texans defense is one of the best in the league and with the return of LB Brian Cushing they should have an even more remarkable season. Prediction: Texans

Denver Broncos (2-2) vs Baltimore Ravens (3-1)

Denver has had a rough season so far. They have lost so many players to injuries before and during the early part of this season. The only consistent bright spot has been QB Kyle Orton. Last week he completed 35 of 50 for 341 yds, 2 TDs and 1 INT. Last week WR Brandon Lloyd has 11 catches for 115 yds. This week they will be without starting RB Knowshon Moreno. The loss of Elvis Dumervil in the preseason has been costly on that D line and their secondary is dealing with an injured Andre Goodman and an unhappy Champ Bailey who is in the final year of his contract that Broncos have ended negotiations on. This will not be a good season for the Broncos if they cannot get their defense or running game healthy. Ravens are coming off a tough defensive win last week against the Steelers. Last week he finished with 256 yds, 1 TD & 1 INT. RB Ray Rice was stuffed last week but should have a better game this week against that soft d line of the Broncos. Ravens have 1 of the top 5 defenses in the league and will be ready to put a hurt on the Broncos at home in Baltimore. Prediction: Ravens

Atlanta Falcons (3-1) vs Cleveland Browns (1-3)

Falcons are tied for the NFC South division lead. They are coming off a close win last week against the 49ers at home. QB Matt Ryan struggled last week throwing just 1 TD and 2 INTs and RB Michael Turner was held to just 50 yds rushing. WR Roddy White did have over 100 yds receiving but finished with 0 TDs. Falcons defense has looked good in their 3 wins in a row and should keep them in contention in their division. Browns are coming off an upset win last week against their division rival Bengals. This week is supposed to be the return of QB Jake Delhomme though he is still suffering with an ankle injury. His back-up Seneca Wallace has played decent. He finished last week with 184 yds, 1 TD & 1 INT and may need to come in or start if Delhomme cannot play well on his bad ankle. Their running game will struggle with both RBs Peyton Hillis and Joshua Cribbs questionable this week. Browns defense is one of the league's worst. This will not be the week they get their 2nd win. Prediciton: Falcons

Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) vs Indianapolis Colts (2-2)

Chiefs are coming off of a bye last week. They are off to a fast 3-0 start this season. Week 3 against the 49ers QB Matt Cassel finished with his highest completion percentage of 59.3% by completing 16 of 27 for 250 yds, 3 TDs and 1 INT. This team's defense has turned things around since last season and could potentially keep them atop the weak AFC West division. Colts are having a mediocre season so far. They are coming off a last second loss to the Jaguars last week in Jacksonville. QB Peyton Manning completed 33 of 46 for 352 yds, 2 TDs and 1 INT. His #1 WR Reggie Wayne finished with 15 receptions for 196 yds. RB Joseph Addai was held under 100 yds rushing but did finish with 2 TDs. They are going to have problems on their defense with all but 1 starter in their secondary out with injuries. If their offense can keep them scoring they should be able to muster enough points to keep them on the positive side of .500. Prediction: Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) vs Buffalo Bills (0-4)

Jaguars are coming off a last second win over the Colts last week at home. QB David Garrard has been highly inconsistent this season. Last week however he finished with a 127.7% passer rating by completing 17 of 22 for 163 yds and 2 TDs. RB Maurice Jones-Drew got his 1st TD of the season last week and finished with 105 yds rushing.Jags defense play well enough to keep them close but with their offense struggling spend too much time on the field. Bills are one of the worst teams in the entire league. They have already cut QB Trent Edward and made the switch to Ryan Fitzpatrick who last week threw for 2 TDs against the Jets. While their offense has struggled to score, their defense cannot keep their opponents from scoring. This will be another bad season for the Bills if they cannot figure out a way to turn things around fast. Predicition: Jaguars

Green Bay Packers (3-1) vs Washington Redskins (2-2)

The Packers have become one of the best teams to watch. They are fiercely competitive each week. QB Aaron Rodgers has become a top QB in this league. His overall passer rating of 96.3% puts him in the top 10. Last week against the Lions he struggled a bit throwing 3 TDs but also 2 INTs. Their defense is playing banged up but should have no issues this week. Redskins are an average team in a weak NFC East division. Their offense is unreliable and their defense is inconsistent. Donovan McNabb has been a bright spot but can only do so much with the receiving core he has. They will be without their starting RB Clinton Portis with a groin injury. This will be a bad season for the Skins if they cannot find a way to get points on the board. Prediction: Packers

New Orleans Saints (3-1) vs Arizona Cardinals (2-2)

The Saints are tied for the NFC South division lead so far. QB Drew Brees is among the best in the league. His overall QB rating of 102.4% is 1 of the highest in the league. He finished last week with 275 yds and a TD. With both RBs Pierre Thomas & Reggie Bush out with injuries he will need WR Lance Moore to step up big this week. Their defense hasnt played to their best but should do enough this week to get a win. Cardinals are a disappointment in the NFC West division despite being 2-2. QB Derek Anderson has struggled to play with any kind of consistency. With both starting RBs injured this will not be a good game for the Cards. Predicition: Saints

Tennesse Titans (2-2) vs Dallas Cowboys (1-2)

Titans are not having the best season so far. Though they are just 1 game out of the lead they have played inconsistent. QB Vince Young has played good in wins are terrible in losses. Last week in the loss to the Broncos he finished with 173 yds and 1 TD. His reliable RB Chris Johnson was held to under 55 yds rushing last week and only has 354 yds total so far for the season. Titans defense is not going to get them far if they dont start playing with some urgency and finishing games. Cowboys are coming off their bye last week. They are off to a very poor start in the terrible NFC East division. Tony Romo did look good in their last game against the Texans where he threw for 284 yds and 2 TDs with WR Roy Williams catching both of them. RB Marion Barber also got his 1st TD of the season that game. Cowboys need to get to .500 if they hope to stay in the race in their division. Prediction: Cowboys

San Diego Chargers (2-2) vs Oakland Raiders (1-3)

Chargers are coming off a blow out win over the Cardinals last week at home. QB Philip Rivers had his highest QB rating of the season so far at 148.1% by completing 15 of 20 for 241 yds and 2 TDs with TE Antonio Gates catching both of them. RB Mike Tolbert rushed for 100 yds and 1 TD. They may have Ryan Matthews back this week. Chargers always get off to a slow start in the early part of the season. Their defense will need to play bigger throughout this season though to keep them in the running. Raiders are in last place in the AFC West division. They have already benched QB Jason Campbell and have gone to Bruce Gradkowski who is now injured. Last week he threw for 2 TDs but also 2 INTs. Chargers have consistently beaten the Raiders 13 times in a row and this week will make the 14th. Prediction: Chargers

Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) vs San Francisco 49ers (0-4)

Eagles are another team mired in mediocrity. To make things worse they are now without QB Michael Vick with a rib injury and must rely on Kevin Kolb to start. He finished last week with 1 TD and 1 INT in a loss to the Redskins at home. What the Eagles will be able to do without the leadership of Vick remains to be seen. 49ers lost a tough battle last week in Atlanta where they led all game. QB Alex Smith has thrown more INTs (7) then TDs (3) so far this season. RB Frank Gore has only scored 1 TD so far this season. 49ers have alot of injuries and will struggle to get wins this season. Predicition: Eagles

Minnesota Vikings (1-2) vs New York Jets (3-1)

Vikings are coming off their bye last week. Vikings did manage to get their 1st win of the season in their last game. Brett Favre threw for 201 yds and 1 TD but also 2 INTs. He has been without a reliable deep threat with Sidney Rice out with an injury. Vikes made up for this by trading for WR Randy Moss who will start this week. RB Adrian Peterson played great in their last game finishing with 160 yds and 2 TDs. He has been proven to be their most effective weapon. Vikes defense is healthy and rested and should play well. Jets are coming off a crushing win over the lowly Bills last week in Buffalo. QB Mark Sanchez has had a phenomenal sophomore season thus far throwing 8 TDs and 0 INTs. Last week he threw for 161 yds and 2 TDs with WR Dustin Keller catching both. RB LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 133 yds and 2 TDs. Jets have a great defense but are still without CB Darrelle Revis. This game should be exciting to watch. With the newly acquired Randy Moss providing the deep threat that Favre has been sorely lacking, Vikes should be able to get to .500. Prediction: Vikings