Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers
Thursday October 2, 2014 8:25pm
CBS, NFL Network -- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
The Vikings are waiting to see if Teddy Bridgewater can suit up for this game. He's currently questionable with an ankle injury suffered Sunday against the Falcons. When Bridgewater got hurt, I thought for a moment the Vikings don't have another quarterback on the bench. Then Christian Ponder trots out, and the guy who was once billed as the franchise quarterback for the team is now the third quarterback on the depth chart. He's fallen far. The Packers got themselves back on the right foot with their easy win over the Bears in Soldier Field. I look for another Thursday night blowout in this one.
Minnesota Vikings 10 Green Bay Packers 31
Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers
Sunday October 5, 2014 1:00pm
FOX -- Thom Brennaman, David Diehl
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Despite the team's success last year, Cam Newton has been a game manager through most of his career, and the team was finally able to enjoy success when the defense began to play better. Last year, the Panthers' defense was very physical, and it was hard to score points against them. This year, the Steelers, who are average at best, was able to score at will against the Panthers in their stadium. This Panthers team is going right back to where it used to be, a sub-.500 team, unless their defense straightens out. Trusting Jay Cutler on the road is a hard thing for me to do. So I'll go with the home team in this one.
Chicago Bears 20 Carolina Panthers 24
Cleveland Browns vs. Tennessee Titans
Sunday October 5, 2014 1:00pm
CBS -- Andrew Catalon, Steve Beuerlein, Steve Tasker
LP Field, Nashville, TN
In what could easily be the most uninteresting game of Week 5, the Browns come off their bye week and face the Titans in Tennessee. Since their Week 1 impressive road win over the Chiefs, the Titans have been handled easily in the next three games. This is their opportunity for a win, but Jake Locker is dealing with a wrist injury. It appears he will play, but he's injury-prone so we'll see on Sunday. Even though the Titans have fallen on hard times, their three losses have come to good teams. I think they'll get a home win this week.
Cleveland Browns 17 Tennessee Titans 23
St. Louis Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday October 5, 2014 1:00pm
FOX -- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
The Eagles finally suffered a loss, but here's a game where they can get back on the winning track. The Rams did announce Austin Davis will make another start, so Jeff Fisher is impressed with his play. Chip Kelly shouldn't be impressed with his team's offensive play this past Sunday against the 49ers. They scored 21 points, with 14 points coming off of special teams and the other seven was from a defensive touchdown. Their offense didn't generate anything until the final drive, in which they failed to score a touchdown and take the lead for the win. Look for the offense to explode.
St. Louis Rams 17 Philadelphia Eagles 34
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| In what seems to be the week of reunions, Osi Umenyiora returns to MetLife Stadium. |
Sunday October 5, 2014 1:00pm
FOX -- Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
The Giants have been on fire offensively the past two games, so it appears they finally understand what to do in Ben McAdoo's West Coast offense. The Falcons lost a number of players to injury this past week, including their offensive line. You have to feel sorry for Matt Ryan in this one. His protection will most likely be an issue. Osi Umenyiora wishes he was with Big Blue rushing the quarterback in this one. Instead, he'll be making his return to MetLife Stadium with the Falcons.
Atlanta Falcons 16 New York Giants 30
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints
Sunday October 5, 2014 1:00pm
FOX -- Dick Stockton, Kirk Morrison
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
The Saints only have five more road games coming up, so that's the great thing. At 0-3 on the road, things look troubling in New Orleans. They didn't even exactly dominate at home against the Vikings two weeks ago. If the Saints struggle in this one, then the defensive improvements they thought they were making from last season may be a wash, and the heat may be on Rob Ryan by the end of October. I can't fathom the Buccaneers getting another impressive road win like they just did against the Steelers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13 New Orleans Saints 27
Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys
Sunday October 5, 2014 1:00pm
CBS -- Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
The Texans have had easy games en route to a 3-1 record, so look for them to come crashing down in this game against the red-hot Cowboys. The Cowboys entered the season with low expectations as Tony Romo was coming off of back surgery and they lost Sean Lee (injury) and DeMarcus Ware (free agency) on defense. It appears the Cowboys do very well with little to no expectations as they look like a very good football team dedicated to the run. I expect for that to continue for the Cowboys in this one.
Houston Texans 13 Dallas Cowboys 28
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| Bills' defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz returns to Ford Field to coach against his former team. |
Sunday October 5, 2014 1:00pm
FOX -- Sam Rosen, Ronde Barber
Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Bills' defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz makes his return to the city of Detroit, where he was the head coach of the Lions for the past four seasons before being fired this past offseason. Who knows how the Lions will end up this season, but they're off to a good start and their defense is much more disciplined than what they were in the Schwartz era. Matthew Stafford is also more disciplined, not forcing throws to Calvin Johnson like he used to. It's still a small sample size for the Lions, but Schwartz would probably still have his head coaching job if the team did this for him.
Buffalo Bills 10 Detroit Lions 27
Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts
Sunday October 5, 2014 1:00pm
CBS -- Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
This is a pretty good matchup, and I can't believe they assigned Harlan and Gannon to this game. Sure, #1 team is covering Alex Smith's return to San Francisco, but they have put the Texans/Cowboys matchup ahead of this game. This game has the potential to be Game of the Week, as the Ravens are playing well since losing the season opener to the Bengals. The Colts have been thoroughly dominant against two weak division opponents, so this game is a better assessment of where the Colts are.
Baltimore Ravens 20 Indianapolis Colts 23
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday October 5, 2014 1:00pm
CBS -- Spero Dedes, Solomon Wilcots
EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL
It would be very troubling if the Steelers lost this game. The Jaguars is one of the worst teams in the league still, and the Steelers just lost to one of the worst teams in the league last week when they lost to the Buccaneers. Not only did they lose to the Buccaneers, but they lost to them at home, which is very embarrassing. I don't think an embarrassing loss will happen in consecutive weeks for the Steelers.
Pittsburgh Steelers 24 Jacksonville Jaguars 17
Arizona Cardinals vs. Denver Broncos
Sunday October 5, 2014 4:05pm
FOX -- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, CO
The Cardinals come in at 3-0, but that should change after this game. The Cardinals sit at 3-0, but they could very easily be 0-3 right now. Quarterback play has been decent, but the Cardinals' defense has played spectacular, yet these games have been close. The offense hasn't done enough in order to compliment the defense, and they'll need offensive help to match wits with the Broncos' offense. The Chiefs and Seahawks did a good job against the Broncos in the past couple of weeks, so the offense for the Broncos is due.
Arizona Cardinals 17 Denver Broncos 31
New York Jets vs. San Diego Chargers
Sunday October 5, 2014 4:25pm
CBS -- Greg Gumbel, Trent Green
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
The Jets are in the fourth game of a six-game stretch in which it almost seems impossible for them to get a win. They lost the first three games, all to NFC North opponents. The Chargers are up this week and flying out to the West Coast and trying to get a win there seems impossible for a struggling offense. They have the Broncos and Patriots in the next two weeks. The Patriots are struggling, so there's a chance there for the Jets. The Jets also beat them in MetLife Stadium last year. However, things just don't look good for the Jets in this game or the next couple of games.
New York Jets 13 San Diego Chargers 23
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| The most anticipated reunion of Week 5 is Alex Smith's return to the Bay Area. |
Sunday October 5, 2014 4:25pm
CBS -- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Alex Smith plays against the 49ers for the first time in his career. Smith was a member of the 49ers for eight seasons before being traded to the Chiefs. He lost his starting job in the 2012 season, despite completing 70% of his passes. This game is very similar to the 1994 game the Chiefs had with the 49ers. That game was in Arrowhead Stadium, and Joe Montana got his revenge against the 49ers by beating Steve Young. This time, the game is in the Bay Area. Can Alex Smith prove Jim Harbaugh wrong with a victory? I believe he will.
Kansas City Chiefs 24 San Francisco 49ers 20
Cincinnati Bengals vs. New England Patriots
Sunday October 5, 2014 8:30pm
NBC -- Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
The Bengals are riding high, coming into Foxborough at 3-0 with three convincing wins. On the other hand, the Patriots just got smoked by the Chiefs on Monday night, and Tom Brady was benched in the fourth quarter. Brady wasn't benched because he was ineffective. He was benched because they were down 41-7 at that point. There will be no comeback there. The Patriots are glad to be at home. They've only played one home game so far, so sitting at 2-2 is reasonable. People who are worried about the Patriots and their playoff hopes should not be worried. Despite the Patriots' struggles, the Jets, Bills and Dolphins are worse.
Cincinnati Bengals 16 New England Patriots 21
Seattle Seahawks vs. Washington Redskins
Monday October 6, 2014 8:30pm
ESPN -- Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden
FedEx Field, Landover, MD
Kirk Cousins was riding after great performances against the Jaguars and Eagles. That came to a quick stop after the Giants harassed him routinely last Thursday. So Cousins will now have to face an even tougher defense in the Seahawks. Expect a score much like the score last Thursday in FedEx Field.
Seattle Seahawks 45 Washington Redskins 10
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