Each Friday we will be giving you our “Pick Six” for the upcoming week’s schedule. Here is your Week 5 installment of “Pick Six”
Cleveland Browns @ NY Giants – The Browns are one of the league’s worst, sitting winless in the bottom of their division. For such a bad team, it’s hard to believe they’ve only given up 25 more points than they’ve scored, especially if you’ve watched them this season. On the other side of the ball are the New York Giants, who also sit at the bottom of their division but at 2-2. It’s a small technicality that has them sitting there but none-the-less, there they are. They barely lost to the Eagles last week and in any given week I would take a squad being led by Eli Manning over one being led by Brandon Weeden (or 99% of the other QBs in the league.
This is a game that will prove how good New York is. If you are a good team, then you destroy those teams that you are supposed to be so much better than. I don’t think this one is close and I see monster games from Victor Cruz and Jason Pierre Paul. The Giants are favored by 9.5 at home and I don’t think that’s going to be an issue. I see a 2 TD win at the very least.
Miami Dolphins @ Cincinnati Bengals – I think one is going to be a very close game. Yes, the Bengals got a good old fashioned ass kicking in week 1 when they played the Ravens but since then, they’ve won 3 straight and their defense looks a lot better, although their run defense is still mediocre. Miami, while 1-3, is not a team that is as bad as a 1-3 record would suggest.
If Miami is going to win, it’s going to be the ground game that wins this one for them. The Bengals have been inconsistent defending the run and the Dolphins are fourth-best at running the ball. That’s not a good matchup at all. Look for Miami to exploit the Bengals’ weak run defense with a good dose of Reggie Bush, Daniel Thomas and Lamar Miller. A good ground game will limit the Bengals’ offensive opportunities, which you want to do because the Dalton, Green and Hawkins tandem will kill you given the opportunity.
Miami wins this one late in the 4th Quarter.
Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs – As the visiting team, Kansas City can be a loud place to play but I don’t think that phases Flaco and Company at all. Game plan is simple on the part of the Ravens when you have Ray Rice facing a defense that gives up almost 120 yards per on the ground.
Kansas City has turned the ball over more than any team in the league and the Ravens defense is going to feast on them like its Thanksgiving Dinner. Ravens are only a 4.5 point favorite but it won’t be that close.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steelers are 1-2 with both losses coming on the road and one barely happening against the Raiders. They’ve been dealing with injury issues and are coming off a bye week where they saw a few key players on defense get healthy. They are returning home where they haven’t played since week 2 where they dismantled a (at the time) confident Jets team.
Philly is coming of a decent win against the Giants, a win largely credited to the patience that Andy Reid had with the running game. In my opinion, if the Steelers defense is healthy, they are a tough team to play against. While they aren’t 100% they are getting closer. If Vick has to go to the air, I see the Steelers having an easy time with him and the Eagles turnover problems return in Week 5. Plus, Heinz field is a horrible place to play when it’s not your home.
Take the Steelers and the 3.5 they are giving.
Denver Broncos @ New England Patroits – The biggest Quarterback rivalry in our lifetime resumes this week after having taken the 2011 season off. Of course, the rivalry has a little bit of a different look to it with Peyton Manning being a Bronco now but it’s still Manning v Brady, and that’s worth getting excited about.
Manning is not quite yet the Peyton Manning that we’ve seen in years past. It comes down to arm and neck strength that just isn’t there yet. I’ve seen Manning attempt throws this season that in the past have been easy for him but aren’t this year because he lacks that strength. But if ever there was a week that the old Manning could and would want to show up, at the Patriots would be that week.
New England is talented but so far this season, they’ve been wildly inconsistent. Maybe last week’s 2nd half explosion is the turning point where the Patriots run away with their division? I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Patriots explosion and the fact the Welker found himself as a focal point again coincide.
I’ll give the win to the Patriots this week but I don’t think they cover the 6.5.
Houston Texans @ NY Jets – There were three teams going into week 5 that had a 4-0 record. Of those three, I would have picked Arizona to have the toughest time making it to 5-0 (but that’s easy to say now isn’t it??). I will pick Houston to have the easiest time to make it to 5-0.
The Jets are team that is in complete disarray. They have a defense that is focused around a player that will be missing from the lineup for the rest of the season. The offense is now missing a huge important receiver for the remainder of the season and everyone in the media seems to be calling for “Tebow Time.” That locker room can’t be a happy place to be right now and when the Jets are struggling, being around Rex Ryan has to be downright miserable.
Houston on the other hand is proving to be a power house. They can run the ball, pass the ball and their defense does a great job getting off the field. Where was that defense when Wade Philips was head coach in Dallas? If the Jets want to even have a prayer of not being embarrassed on Monday Night Football, they will need to stop the run, something they haven’t done well at all. The Jets reached an all-time low this season versus the 49ers, who gouged New York for 245 rushing yards in Week 4.
The more you look at the problems the Jets have defensively and their inability to get off the field, the more you realize this could be an even less entertaining game that last week’s Bears v Cowboys game.
Houston is giving up 7.5 and I certainly think they can cover that and then some. Sorry Fireman Ed, Adrian Foster is going to decimate your Jets this week.
So there are your Pick Six for Week 5 in the NFL. Come back on Monday when I bring you my “3 Things That Caught My Eye in Week 5″
