Week 5 Picks

Before we get to week 5, a few more thoughts...

-The Devils forgot to show up last night against Philadelphia, and they paid for it. The Flyers are the best team in the east, and if the Devils want to be taken more seriously this year, they have to play them a lot better then that.

-Watching the Red River Shootout at The Cotton Bowl is one of the coolest things ever. It will be a crying shame if the game is moved to a home & home, like most other rivalries, starting in 2008.

-Judd made a big mistake in switching sides on Survivor on Thursday. He believes he's in good with Steph & Jamie, but if Steph learned one thing last season, it's to be loyal. So while the three of them may have something going on, Steph & Jamie are going to choose Raif & Lydia, or at least Raif, over Judd when it comes to decision time.

-Penn St-Ohio St is going to be a ridiculous game tonight, I can't wait for it.

-The NFL & NCAA need to do a better job with their schedule making next year. Scheduling a Giants & Irish bye on the same weekend is killing me. This should never happen again. If it weren't for the fact that the Devs play the Rangers & Flyers this weekend, I might have shot somebody.

On to the picks...

Season: 37-23
Last Week: 12-2

Patriots over Falcons: No matter how bad the Patriots begin to look this year, I can't imagine this team losing two in a row. Tom Brady still has that chip on his shoulder.

Dolphins over Bills: A few months ago, people were wondering if the Bills, Jets & Patriots could all win 10 games & all make the second round of the playoffs. No, we're wondering if this Dolphins team really can win this division. Ricky's back.

Bears over Browns: I like what Romeo Crennel has done with Cleveland, but this Bears defense is too good. This game is going to be ugly. Maybe 7-6 ugly.

Lions over Ravens: Sooner or later this Lions offense is going to explode. It won't be this week, but they should play good enough to put up two touchdowns, which will easily beat Anthony Wright's Ravens.

Packers over Saints: Has an 0-4 team ever won their division before? Because if Brett Favre can get this team to finish 7-5 down the stretch, the Packers can win the Central.

Rams over Seahawks: If the Seahawks gave up 20 points to the Redskins, I'm afraid to see what Marc Bulger & Co. will do to them. Especially in a dome.

Buccaneers over Jets: While I'm not crazy enough to pick the Jets to win tomorrow, I totally wouldn't be surprised to see it happen. Don't ask me why, I just have this feeling.

Texans over Titans: Should be more exciting then the Bears-Browns. Maybe.

Colts over 49ers: The only team in the AFC that can go into Indianapolis and beat the Colts in January is the Patriots. But not the 2005 Patriots. Thanks to the Colts Division I-AA schedule, they're going to have homefield advantange, and they're going to Detroit.

Cowboys over Eagles: Upset special of the week.

Broncos over Redskins: I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the Redskins are a horrible 3-0 team. I'm not saying this team can't somehow go 8-8 or 9-7, or even 10-6, I'm just saying they aren't that good, even if they do it. Good teams don't always win, bad teams don't always lose. And no matter what Washington does this season, they're still a bad team. With that said, I expect this to be the week they start their losing ways, ways that will make them a 6-10 team before all is said & done.

Panthers over Cardinals: I'll no longer feel safe picking this Panthers team at any point this season. Still, they are a much better team then the Cardinals.

Bengals over Jaguars: This will be the Bengals toughest test yet, but if they're offensive line can neutralize Jacksonville's D-Line enough to give Rudi around 3.5 ypc & 20-25 touches, the Bengals will win this game.

Chargers over Steelers: Playing against a crappy Giants D two weeks ago woke up some kind of monster in the Chargers. This team is good enough to just keep winning theirselves right into a first round bye, if they can get thru Pittsburgh first. By the way, over a year later, and I'm still not sold on the Steelers. They're one of those bad teams that wins anyway. Somehow they just win a lot.