Week 5 Review/Week 6 Preview

For the Week/Season:

v. W/L:                      (11-3)/ (42-35)

v. Spread                    (7-7)/ (29-48)
v. Aggregate:             (6-8)/(45-32)

Congratulations to the Titans for a well-earned victory on Thursday night. The Steelers may be tough at home but they played like milquetoast on the road.

Last week we honored some of the all-time great defensive units. This we pay tribute to three of the great running backs of all-time:

Jim Brown

Gale Sayers                                                        

Barry Sanders

We also remember one of the NFL’s toughest defensive tackles who passed away earlier this week

On to the Sunday/Monday games, which present a fairly interesting slate of games for your viewing pleasure.  Bye Weeks:  This week, Carolina, Chicago, Jacksonville and New Orleans are on vacation.

Cincinnati

-2.5

At Cleveland

44

As predicted, the Bengals simply can’t prevent themselves from being Bungles. They faced a weak opponent at home and lost. It happens usually once or twice a year with Coach Lewis’ crew. It’s utterly maddening to watch a good team on paper repeatedly falter. The Browns had an early 14-0 lead in the Meadowlands before the G-Men awoke from their slumber and overpowered them. Cleveland is still missing some of Weeden’s targets and despite Trent Richardson’s obvious abilities rushing the ball, this is a lousy football team. It’s simply a shame that the Browns are an awful football team because this battle of Ohio is usually a tough fight that could go either way. If the Benglas continue to entertain hopes for first place, this is a game that they absolutely, positively must win.

Projected Final Score: Cincinnati 23, Cleveland 20

At NY Jets

-3.5

Indianapolis

Off

Indy played an inspired game on Sunday, upsetting the Packers and dedicating the game to Coach Pagano, who is not expected back on the sidelines until December. Andrew Luck showed that he’s the real deal with a big day over the Packers’ D and left little doubt that he’s on a path to stardom. The Jets played it close against Houston, losing 23-17 on Monday night in what was a dreadful affair. The Jets’ offense generated only one touchdown and played like it was keystone cops all night. Sanchez can’t pass and the running game continues to be atrocious. Notwithstanding being offensively-challenged, the Jets do field a pretty good defense. Indy is coming down from an emotional high and it’s hard to see a young team being able to duplicate that effort in successive weeks.

Projected Final Score: NY Jets 20, Indianapolis 17

At Tampa Bay

-3.5

Kansas City

40

This is a matchup of two lousy football teams. The Bucs are coming off of a much-needed bye and should be raring and ready to have at it with KC. Word out of Mabry Blvd. is that Coach Schiano is a bit of a megalomaniac when it comes to working his charges and only time will tell how that all works out. The Chiefs’ defense had a great day on Sunday, limiting Joe Flacco and the Ravens’ offense to three field goals. Unfortunately, the offense was stymied and could only put up two field goals in a 9-6 loss. Turnovers hurt but the Chiefs’ offense is abysmal.  Those Chiefs’ fans who cheered when Matt Cassel went out with a head injury ought to hang their heads in shame. Eric Winston was right: The NFL players are not Roman Gladiators fighting to the death. They are human beings who happen to be involved in a heavy collision endeavor in which people get hurt. Their collective and individual endeavors are obviously subject to critique, but to take pleasure in the suffering of another is beyond the pale. It appears as if the well-traveled Brady Quinn will start at quarterback for the Chiefs and it’ll be interesting to see what he will do with a live football in his hands. The Chiefs’ offense has to play better than last week, right?

Projected Final Score: Tampa Bay 24, Kansas City 20

At Atlanta

-8.5

Oakland

48.5

The 5-0 Falcons return to the comforts of the Georgia Dome to face a Raiders’ team that finds themselves in a rough spot. Oakland is coming off a bye but they were demolished 37-6 in Denver in Week 4. Matt Ryan and the Falcons’ offense had another big day on the road, which further reinforces the fact that they’re for real this year. You almost have to feel bad for the Raiders this week, as they’re coming into a hostile environment and really don’t have the horses to compete.

Projected Final Score: Atlanta 34, Oakland 17

At Ravens

-3.5

Dallas

44

The Chiefs did a great job of limiting Flacco and the Ravens’ offense to three field goals, but that Raven defense really came to life and shut down the Chiefs’ offense cold. The last time we saw the Cowboys, Romo threw five interceptions and they were demolished by Chicago at home. The Cowboys are a middle of the road team with pretension of being contenders. When the rubber meets the road, Romo always seems to fail. This week is a really tough test for Dallas as they come to M&T to face a legitimate Super Bowl contender. They simply can’t compete with the Ravens on either side of the ball.

Projected Final Score: Ravens 24, Dallas 17

At Philadelphia

-5.5

Detroit

48

Sympathies go out to the family of Lions’ great Alex Karras, who passed away from a lengthy illness this week. Most people knew him only as an actor but he was a living terror at defensive tackle for Detroit in the ‘60’s. We fondly remember his work at the line of scrimmage.

The Eagles are coming off of a hard fought loss in Pittsburgh. How many times did Vick fumble? The offense continues to sputter under Vick, but there’s no question that the Eagles’ D can compete with any team in the League. In the topsy-turvy NFC North, the Lions are in the basement at 1-3. Coming off of a bye, this is an important test for Detroit as they need to right the ship quickly if they intend to compete for supremacy in the division. Surely the Vikings can’t maintain their positive momentum for much longer. If they lose here, Coach Schwartz’ credibility has to come into question. The Eagles need more consistency from Vick and the offense if they hope to make some noise in the NFC East. The Lions would have more of a chance if this one was played in Detroit, but either way, their backs are up against the wall.

Projected Final Score: Philadelphia 24, Detroit 17

At Miami

-3.5

St. Louis

38

The 1:00 games wrap up with an intriguing matchup between two also-rans who are both looking to turn the corner performance-wise. The Rams were simply stupendous in Week 5’s Thursday Night affair with Arizona as they repeatedly had Kevin Kolb on the flat of his back. Whether that was a matter of the Cardinals’ poor O-Line or the success of the Rams’ front seven is a matter that will be determined this week. The Rams travel from the air-conditioned comfort of a dome to the South Florida heat, which is always a problem for opponents in the early going. The Dolphins surprised a lot of folks with a consistent two-way upset victory over Cincinnati. They now look to use their homefield advantage to move to .500 on the season.

Projected Final Score: Miami 24, St. Louis 20

New England

-3.5

At Seattle

44

At one point in the third quarter, the Patriots held a 31-7 advantage over Denver but had to withstand a furious comeback by Peyton Manning and the Broncos to post a 31-21 victory. While the Pats’ defense is a work in progress, they have a long way to go to be considered legitimate contenders. This week, they travel to the Great Pacific Northwest for a date with the Seahawks and their boisterous 12^th Man. Seattle returns home after a workmanlike 16-12 win over Cam Newton and the Panthers and are looking to move up a rung or two in the NFC West standings. This will be a really tough test for New England as Coach Carroll would love nothing better than to stick it to his former team. It’s going to be awfully hard for Brady to run the no-huddle with all that noise. Somehow, Brady and the offense find a way of getting the job done.

Projected Final Score: New England 28, Seattle 24

At Arizona

-4.5

Buffalo

43

The Bills were destroyed in San Francisco 45-3 last week while the Cardinals are trying to rebound from a 17-3 loss in St. Louis. It was rather alarming to see the Cardinals’ O-Line getting pushed around like rag dolls in St. Louis. The Bills will undoubtedly attack this weakness to keep Kolb from moving the chains. However, a team does not automatically rebound from an utter thrashing as the Bills underwent last week. There has to be some psychological damage associated with this defeat that will probably carry over into this week’s contest. The Bills need to apply heavy pressure on Kolb all afternoon if they hope to compete.

Projected Final Score: Arizona 24, Buffalo 17

At Washington

-2.5

Minnesota

Off

How will RGIII recover from getting his marbles scrambled? He took an absolutely viscous (but clean) hit scrambling to the sidelines and was lucky that he wasn’t killed. It was reminiscent of the hit that put Trent Green into retirement. There was a noticeable drop off in his replacement as the ‘Skins fought hard but lost 24-17 to a much more talented Atlanta squad. Meanwhile, the upstart Vikings continue to be one of the League’s big storylines as they’ve gone out to an improbable 4-1 start. This is yet another big test for Minnesota as we will determine whether they’re contenders or pretenders. There is some hay to be made against Washington’s defense and we’ll see whether Christian Ponder has the wherewithal to exploit it.

Projected Final Score: Minnesota 24, Washington 21

At San Francisco

-6.5

NY Giants

45.5

The late afternoon games conclude with a big showdown between the G-Men and the ‘Niners at Candlestick in a rematch of the 2011 NFC Championship. This is definitely Week 6’s best matchup. Both teams are coming off of impressive victories over weak sisters so it’s hard to ascertain just how good these teams are. Ahmad Bradshaw recovered from his early fumble to rush for a deuce while Eli threw for three scores in a 41-27 romp over the Browns. Meanwhile, the ‘Niners simply flattened Buffalo 45-3 last week showing no mercy on either side of the ball. This week is a real test for both teams as the ‘Niners want to put everyone on notice that they’re marching toward a Super Bowl berth while the Giants want to remain a the NFC East. Alex Smith suffered a finger injury on his throwing hand that may limit his ability to throw the ball. The Giants have won here in the past and are clearly not intimidated by the 49’ers’ defense. Look for a close game that could go either way.

Projected Final Score: San Francisco 24, NY Giants 21

 

At Houston

-5.5

Green Bay

47.5

Sunday Night kicks off at Reliant Stadium in Houston, where the unbeaten Texans play host to the struggling Packers. On Monday night, the Texans…The Packers are playing nowhere like the powerhouse that went 15-1 last year. They held a big lead in Indy last week and let up. The result was an upset loss for the Pack. They’re now at 2-3 and looking up in the NFC North. There’s just something missing about this team, especially on defense. The Texans have flattened everyone in their path so far and are looking to continue their power run against a Packer crew that can be had. The Texans are definitely not a flash in the pan. They have been building for several years and are ready to advance.  However, they lost their best defensive player, Brian Cushing, to a blown knee on Monday night and his absence really has to hurt Houston’s chances against a Packer offense that’s looking to get their groove back.

Projected Final Score: Houston 27, Green Bay 24

Monday Night Football Line

	At San Diego	-2.5	Denver	50

The Chargers stay in prime time as they return home from the Big Easy to for an AFC West battle with the 2-3 Broncos. Both teams are coming off of losses. The Chargers lost a close one in New Orleans as Philip Rivers just missed the mark. Peyton Manning led the Broncos’ offense to yet another furious second-half comeback in New England. A couple of key drops and a fumble late were the deciding factors in the loss. These old AFL West rivals don’t care for each other much and the nastiness should come to the fore very early.

Projected Final Score: San Diego 27, Denver 24.