Week 5 Preview:

We’re already at the quarter pole of the NFL season and this week presents a number of interesting matchups. Before looking at this week’s games, the situation in Oakland is about as dysfunctional as it gets in professional sports. There was not a great deal of logic used by Mr. Davis in his decision to terminate Kiffin for cause. If he thought that Kiffin wasn’t the right guy for the job last winter (when he sent a letter demanding the coach’s resignation) then why didn’t he make a move then, rather than building a laundry list of grievances as a pretext to letting him go without having to pay the balance of his contract? It sort of like cutting off one’s nose to spite their face. If he fired Kiffin during the offseason prior to free agency and the draft, the new coach would have been afforded a full opportunity at training camp to work with the players and coaches. Doing things this way is basically throwing away an entire year worth of preparation. In practical terms who in their right mind would choose to work under such conditions? There was a time when the Raiders were the “Silver Standard” of the NFL, but now they’re reduced to aluminum foil…

This week feels like one of those "against the grain" weeks, so here goes...

Indianapolis -2.5 At Houston 47

The Texans always seem to give Indy a hard time whenever they come to Houston whether they win or losre. This is a critical game for both teams as Indy is looking to crawl back to .500 while Houston is looking to avoid starting off 0-4. Statistically, these teams are virtually identical, which is surprising. Indianapolis is simply not the same team without Bob Sanders and it is also the Texans’ first game at home. Houston simply has more to lose in this one.

Projected Final Score: Houston, 26, Indianapolis 24.

Tennessee -2.5 At Ravens 33.5

The Ravens may have lost in OT to Pittsburgh, but they put a ferocious beating on the Steelers, knocking Mendenhall and Kendall Simmons out for the season. Joe Flacco made a couple of rookie miscues (none more glaring than coughing up the ball and allowing Woodley to score) but he proved that he could survive in an extremely hostile environment and that only bodes well for the Ravens’ future. There are some injuries in the Ravens’ defensive backfield this week that are hard to disguise with Ray Lewis’ bravado, and Collins is experienced enough to exploit those weaknesses. The Titans come to Chesapeake looking to stay undefeated. Their offensive success depends on the proper balance of running and passing. The Ravens’ front seven will adequately address the running attack but those holes in the backfield are simply too big to hide.

Projected Final Score: Tennessee 20, Ravens 17.

San Diego -6.5 At Miami 45

Chances are the Dolphins won’t be running the ol’ Single Wing on Sunday, as that one-trick pony served its purpose in Foxboro. This is the time of year when the weather works to Miami’s advantage, but San Diego’s used to playing in warm conditions. The Chargers gave a half-hearted effort for three quarters against the Raiders before LT turned on the light and they blew away Oakland. The Dolphins are rested and relaxed heading into this one and should feel pretty confident after smoking New England in Week 3. But they’re still a young team with a lot of learning to do. San Diego is now poised to make a big move for the top of the AFC.

Projected Final Score: San Diego 27, Miami 20

At Carolina -9.5 Kansas City 38

This is not going to be a display of offensive firepower by any stretch of the imagination. Both teams average around 300 yd/gm of total offense, which is in the bottom quadrant. The Panthers’ Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams will get a lot of carries against a run defense that is presently 30th in the League. Coach Herm got his victory, so that ought to keep the wolves at bay for a few weeks.

Projected Final Score: Carolina 28, Kansas City 20.

At Philadelphia -5.5 Washington 42

The Eagles have a lot of “s’plainin’ t’do” after last week’s debacle in Chicago. It should not have come down to a fourth-and-goal to decide the outcome, as Akers hooked a couple of tries that would’ve given Philly the win. On the other side of the ball, Washington should be sky high after putting it to the Cowboys big time on the road, and really playing better with each passing week. This week Campbell will need to use quick hitters because the Eagles' run defense has been tough.

Projected Final Score: Philadelphia 24, Washington 17

Chicago -3.5 At Detroit 44.5

At first blush, this appears to be a trap game for the Bears, as their defense hung tough at the end to defeat Philly. But Tommie Harris is going to be unavailable for this one. Now that Lions’ ownership has started the arduous process of rebuilding by cleaning out the CEO’s office, one can only wonder how long a rope Coach Marinelli has. By all reports, the Coach has not lost the locker room so he should be given every opportunity to finish the season. This week things start to turn for Honolulu Blue.

Projected Final Score: Detroit 24, Chicago 21.

At NY Giants -6.5 Seattle 43.5

This ought to be a tough task for the Seahawks, despite getting Engram and Branch back into the lineup for the first time this year. That “West-to-East” factor seems to harm visiting teams. The G-Men are presently ranked 4th in total offense and defense, they’re undefeated and Coach Coughlin has the pedal to the metal after having to go to overtime with the Bungles in their last game. Burress’ absence for one game will not hurt the team all that much as there’s enough talent around on offense to compensate.

Projected Final Score: NY Giants 27, Seattle 20.

At Green Bay -6.5 Atlanta 43.5

The banged up Pack return home for date with Atlanta in a game that's "off the board" for the experts, but we'll give it a shot. Turner and Norwood ought to "Run To Daylight" all afternoon, much to the chagrin of the large statue that stands outside of Lambeau. This week, the weight of all of the injuries allows the Falcons to make the next step in their development.

Projected Final Score: Atlanta 23, Green Bay 21

At Denver -2.5 Tampa Bay 48

Too bad that Denver can’t play all of their games at home, as their contender “credentials” were exposed last week losing to a sorry Chiefs team. Denver’s pass defense is an abomination while Griese has enjoyed a couple of big afternoons throwing the ball. Denver’s another team he’d like to hurt. But the Broncs are almost invincible in their Mile High home. They turned the ball over and failed to capitalize in the red zone last week. They won’t make those sort of mistakes this week.

Projected Final Score: Denver 28, Tampa Bay 24.

New England -2.5 At San Francisco 41.5

This is the first of two straight West Coast games for New England, and it promises to be an interesting challenge. It’s hard to get a handle on the Patriots right now, as no one can say with any assurance whether they’ll play as well as they did in Week 2 or as badly as in Week 3. This week will provide more answers to the questions about Cassel. So far, putting points on the board has been a problem for the Patriots. The ‘Niners now appear to be an improving team under Martz’ direction of the offense. J.T. O’Sullivan (who was briefly on New England’s practice squad among his many stops) is now the running the show, and Belichick probably has more than a few tricks up his sleeve to confuse the relatively inexperienced quarterback. While O’Sullivan will be getting blitzed all afternoon, so will Cassel. Patriots’ fans confidence level in the quarterback holds steady at 4%.

Projected Final Score: San Francisco 23, New England 20.

At Arizona -1.5 Buffalo 44.5

The Cardinals were embarrassed last week in the Meadowlands, enabling Favre to put up nearly a season’s worth of offense on the board in the course of an afternoon. Warner may have also put up big numbers but most of it was in garbage time against a poor defensive group. The undefeated Bills head for the desert playing their second straight West of the Mississip’ after toying with the woeful Rams. Despite Arizona’s defensive woes this will be a tough test for the Bills. They’re playing their second straight on the road, but they’ve been very consistent on both sides of the ball. A win here puts Buffalo in the AFC East driver’s seat.

Projected Final Score: Buffalo 27, Arizona 24

At Dallas -16.5 Cincinnati 44

Dallas not only tries to win games; they enjoy the idea of beating their opponents. Last week the ‘Skins gave them a taste of their own medicine as they were pushed around on both sides of the ball. On Sunday, they’ll be in ill humor, looking to squash anyone running around in tiger stripes. It’s a perfect setup for the pathetic Bungles to visit Big D as Palmer’s elbow may not be 100%. Even if Palmer is completely healthy, is there any assurance he’ll last four quarters?

Projected Final Score: Dallas 34, Cincinnati 17.

At Jacksonville -3.5 Pittsburgh 36

The Sunday Night game could’ve been an October classic, but the Steelers have to still be feeling the ill effects of Monday night’s overtime win. There’s only so much pain a team can absorb in a month and Pittsburgh appears to have reached its capacity. These are two teams that pride themselves on playing rough n’ tumble football. The Jags also needed to go to overtime before winning at home this week. This week, they're fighting an injury bug in the secondary and Big Ben finds a way to prevail.

Projected Final Score: Pittsburgh 21, Jacksonville 20.