Week Five

Owning Up

Chad Henne (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Who would have guessed that in a game in which Randy Moss catches no passes that the Patriots would completely oust the Dolphins? I guess they don't need Moss anymore (obviously, because they traded him). I watched a good portion of this game and I think the Dolphins' big loss could have been avoided without a few errant throws by Chad Henne. It seemed last week that Henne had the offense moving and high gear and they did not play too poorly last week either. One pass way behind Brandon Marshall over the middle was picked off by Rob Ninkovich. Henne later threw another pick to Ninkovich and one to Patrick Chung. A combination of those poor throws by Henne and absolutely hideous special teams play by the Fins spelled out doom.

Predictions

Last week was another middle-of-the-road one for me as I went 8-6 bringing my season record after two weeks (pitiful right?) to 17-13. That's not playoff material, my friends! At least I'm over .500. Let's see if we can get it back on the right track this week. Here we go:

Bills over Jaguars I know the Bills are 0-4 and the Jaguars are coming off a thrilling victory over the Colts, but despite the Bills' record they were able to put up 30 against the Pats and 14 against the Jets, both not easy tasks. I expect them to grab their first win this week. 28-20

Bengals over Buccaneers The Bengals had a rough go at it last week against the Browns. However, despite having their run defense embarrassed by Peyton Hillis, Carson Palmer and Terrell Owens were clickin' like chicken. Look for the Bengals to finally get it right this week. 35-21

Falcons over Browns The Falcons continue to pull out terrific last-minute wins. I don't think this one will have to be a last-minute save by Matt Bryant's leg. 20-14

Rams over Lions I've picked against the Rams in the past two weeks and both weeks they have won. Maybe I've smartened up this week, we'll see. I'm calling this, yes the Rams and Lions, as the best game of the day. 28-27

Chiefs over Colts Is it wrong that I want the unbeaten to remain unbeaten? Is it even worse that I'm picking the Chiefs to beat my AFC Champion pick the Indianapolis Colts? Maybe. Maybe I'm crazy, but the Chiefs are on fire right now. End of story. 27-24

Packers over Redskins The Packers' victories have not been as demanding as we may have thought coming into the season, but the fact that Aaron Rodgers isn't playing up to his potential and is still putting up insane numbers should make opposing defenses quiver. Rodgers gets it together this week. 35-10

Bears over Panthers Is it possible for the Bears to win without Jay Cutler? I think so. It will not be a pretty game by either the Bears or Panthers. This will just be an all-around ugly game. 9-7

Broncos over Ravens I would not be surprised if the Denver Broncos turned out to be a dark horse this year, no pun intended. Peter King wrote in last week's "Monday Morning Quarterback" about how the Broncos may have gotten the better end of the Jay Cutler for Kyle Orton deal. I'm starting to agree with it. Broncos upset the Ravens this week. 21-17

Texans over Giants This is another difficult pick for me. The Giants had an incredible defensive performance against the Bears last week, but I have a hard time seeing that happen again against the Texans. Then again, I have been wrong before. 28-14

Saints over Cardinals Are these the same NFL Champion Saints that we saw last year? They sure have not looked like it. Although they are 3-1, they have not had that same domination that came last year. This is their chance to get it back against a far below average Cardinals team and rookie quarterback Max Hall. 42-14

Titans over Cowboys I'm sticking to my guns on this one. Although the Cowboys defeated the Texans pretty handily before their bye week last week, I don't think this team is anything to write home about. I think their far overrated and the Titans should have their way with them today. 28-7

Chargers over Raiders What has happened to the San Diego Superchargers? Here they are at 2-2 going against an inferior Raiders squad, but I am actually questioning whether they win or not. This should be an easy pick for me! I'll take the Chargers, but I'm not happy about it. 17-14

Eagles over 49ers Hollywood couldn't write a crazier story than the one playing out in Eagles camp. Kevin Kolb went down in week one with a concussion from a Clay Matthews mauling, Michael Vick is put in the game and shines. Vick is named the starter for the Eagles and goes down in the next game, a homecoming for Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb. Now Vick has a rib injury and Kolb is back in as the starter. We can only wonder what will happen if Kolb plays well before Vick gets back to full health. 28-21

Jets over Vikings The New York Jets are making believers out of the doubters. The Vikings did get a big help from the trade for Randy Moss, but I still don't know if birthday boy Brett Favre is where he needs to be this season, for he hasn't been up to snuff so far. We will see how Moss help him. The Jets, on the other hand, are on fire and get Santonio Holmes back from suspension this week. Look for a shootout in this game. 42-35