Tyler Duke (Staff writer)
Well, it wasn’t a great week for me last week, but I’m guessing it wasn’t a very good week for anyone. The Vikings and Buccaneers won in the same day, which is unlikely enough to cause everyone to have two losses. I went 5-7 for the week. It can only go up from here–I think. Week 5 features some very interesting matchups, which will happen when Miami and Oakland are both excluded from play.
THU OCT. 2
Minnesota at Green Bay–8:25
The Vikings shocked everyone with a huge win against the Falcons last week. This will be a whole different ballgame at Lambeau Field. The Packers rejuvenated their aerial attack against the Bears, and Aaron Rodgers will have a big night against the Vikings secondary. Packers 34, Vikings 20
SUN OCT. 5
Tampa Bay at New Orleans–1:00 p.m.
Nobody would’ve believed at the start of the season that the Saints would be tied with the Bucs at 1-3 and in the cellar of the NFC South going into this game. The defense has gotten back to its ways, but they have a great opportunity to get it back going against the Tampa Bay offense. Drew Brees and his offense have a coming-out party at home against the Bucs. Saints 38, Buccaneers 21
Chicago at Carolina–1:00 p.m.
The Panthers defense has looked pretty bad without Greg Hardy. The Ravens did anything they wanted last week and dominated the entire game against Carolina. I expect Jay Cutler and the Bears to score early and often in this one and put the Panthers at just 2-3 to start the season. Boy, that NFC South is rough. Bears 31, Panthers 24
Cleveland at Tennessee–1:00 p.m.
This won’t be one of the more watched games on Sunday. Well, maybe it will be if Johnny Manziel somehow takes control of the Browns offense. The Titans have finally seemed to make the right decision and let rookie running back Bishop Sankey handle most of the carries. I expect Sankey to have a nice day for Tennessee and carry the team to its second win. Titans 24, Browns 20
St. Louis at Philadelphia–1:00 p.m.
The Rams are apparently putting Shaun Hill back at QB, which I think is a terrible decision after Austin Davis looked pretty good behind center. Philly played a terrible game on offense last week, and Nick Foles is starting to look more and more like an average quarterback. Eagles win, but not by as much as you would think. Eagles 21, Rams 17
Atlanta at NY Giants–1:00 p.m.
Is Eli Manning back? The Super Bowl champion has looked much better this year and especially has looked better the last two weeks. The Falcons have shown no signs of being able to stop a formidable offense, and I doubt it will start against the G-Men. Giants 35, Falcons 31
Houston at Dallas–1:00 p.m.
It’s tough to believe in the Cowboys, but they’ve seemed to figure out how to win games. The defense seems improved, and the run game looks like the best in the NFL. The Texans have played well, but Ryan Fitzpatrick is too turnover prone to lead this team. Cowboys 27, Texans 21
Buffalo at Detroit–1:00 p.m.
The Bills made the questionable decision this week to bench second year starter E.J. Manuel and place veteran QB Kyle Orton behind center. I can’t stand this move. I don’t expect Orton to lead this offense any better than Manuel did, and the Lions defense looks legitimate this year. Detroit rolls. Lions 24, Bills 10
Baltimore at Indianapolis–1:00 p.m.
Andrew Luck has been tearing up the league in his third year. If the Colts defense can make some stops, they may be a problem for anyone this season. The Ravens are good, but I can’t see them going into Indianapolis and keeping up with its high-powered offense. Colts 31, Ravens 21
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville–1:00 p.m.
I would usually think this is an easy win for the Steelers, but anything is possible after they lost to the Bucs last week. Blake Bortles has shown some promising signs at QB for the Jags, but he just doesn’t have enough weapons to have much of an impact at this point. The Steelers will find their groove back this week. Steelers 30, Jaguars 14
Arizona at Denver–4:05 p.m.
We get to find out if the Cardinals are for real this week. It’s still questionable whether Carson Palmer will be back this week, which is why I can’t trust myself picking them for the upset. The Broncos hand the Cards their first loss on Sunday. Broncos 24, Cardinals 20
Kansas City at San Francisco–4:25
The Chiefs completely dominated the Patriots on Monday night. It was the type of victory that can hand a team some scary momentum. The 49ers offense isn’t clicking on all cylinders, and I expect Colin Kaepernick to make a key turnover to cause San Fran the loss. Chiefs get another big win. Chiefs 20, 49ers 13
NY Jets at San Diego–4:25
The Jets aren’t terrible. They really aren’t. They just have a terrible secondary. That secondary will be the reason the Jets won’t have a good season, and it will be the reason Phillip Rivers throws for nearly 400 yards this week. Bolts win big. Chargers 41, Jets 24
Cincinnati at New England–8:30
I’m a believer in the Bengals this year. Their defense is as stout as anyone’s in the NFL, and Andy Dalton has played efficient football under center. If he can continue to limit mistakes, the Bengals will be tough to beat. Tom Brady will have another rough game in this one, and more people will continue doubting his abilities at this point in his career. Bengals 24, Patriots 14
MON OCT. 6
Seattle at Washington–8:30
Both teams are on extended rest for this one. The Seahawks are ready to prowl on Kirk Cousins after he threw four interceptions last week against the Giants. To make matters worse, the Washington defense is pretty bad too. This one won’t be very close. Seahawks 31, Washington 13
