NFL Week 5 picks

Week 5 is upon us. I went 4-2 last week to Loren's 2-4. Meaning I have 4 game lead with a record of 15-9 to Loren's 11-13. Can he make a comeback? I for one hope not.

Atlanta at Washington
Loren – Atlanta. When Atlanta loses a game, I might bet against them. Nah, probably not. Still look like the most complete team in the NFL this year. Strong defense (probably playing a little below their skill level right now), strong on the ground and deadly through the air. Does any team have a better combination of skill and athleticism from their receiving crew? White, Jones, Gonzales get so many targets that their third WR, Harry Douglas, is an afterthought even though he could be a legitimate #2 on most teams.
Derek – Atlanta. It’s nice to see my Super Bowl picks doing well. The Falcons are taking care of business each and every week. Matty Ice is slinging it and the D is doing fine. I would think we’ll see limited action from Julio Jones until that hand heals but really that’s the worst thing that’s happened to the team this year. They’ll keep rolling in a high scoring game.

Philadelphia at Pittsburgh
Loren – Philadelphia. As Derek and I predicted before the season, Pittsburgh has struggled. Their defense, the heart and soul of the team, has been inconsistent. They shut down the Jets, but allowed over 30 points to the Broncos and Raiders. This is the same Raiders team that scored 6 against the Broncos last week. People are expecting the Steelers to be rejuvenated after their bye week, but they’ll have to show me more heart before I pick them over the first place Eagles who are riding high with big wins over the Ravens and Giants.
Derek – Pittsburgh. Everything here should point to an Eagles win. They finally played a turnover free game and have beat two solid teams recently. Add that to the fact that the Steelers D has been…well not themselves this season. But give Pittsburgh a bye week Polamalu and Harrison back and I think they can do enough to slow down the Eagles. I think Big Ben will throw all but 10 times in this game. Eight runs and 2 kneel downs at the end.

Seattle at Carolina
Loren – Carolina. This is the story of two inconsistent offenses, and whichever one pulls it together on that Sunday will likely get the win. I favor Carolina for two reasons. First, home field advantage against a cross-country team. Second, the Panthers nearly took out Atlanta last week and looked pretty good doing it. Yes, call it a moral victory for them. That growth carries over to this week and they take Seattle to the woodshed.
Derek – Carolina. I can’t wait to see how Seattle’s D handles Newton. It should be a good match up. I just think the Panthers will be able to scrap enough points together to beat a bad Seattle offense that’s traveling across country. Sure they beat the Giants on the road last year but making that trip and winning is tough.

Buffalo at San Francisco
Loren – San Francisco. Ugh. After the Bills jumped out 21-7 against the Pats, I thought last week’s prediction was safe, and I was sure a practical joke was being played on me when I saw the final. The 49ers don’t present the same offensive prowess as the Pats, but I can’t stomach taking the Bills after a meltdown like that. That’s the kind of loss that settles in your bones and weighs on a team the whole season.
Derek – San Francisco. The 49ers blasted a bad Jets team last week on the road, what do you think they’re going to do to a mediocre team at home? I don’t know what the spread is but it should be on e of those games where everyone takes the underdog because the spread is so big but they still can’t cover.

Denver at New England
Loren – Denver. Oh boy, here we go. This game is really a coin flip pick, but I’ll give some reasons why I think the Broncos can win. First, they’re a better run stopping D than Buffalo. A lot is being made of New England gaining 247 yards on the ground against the Bills. Denver dominated McFadden, didn’t allow a rushing TD to Houston, and completely kept Michael Turner in check, so the Pats shouldn’t be able to consistently run. Second, the Patriots can’t tackle. Thomas, Tamme, Decker, and company love their yards after catch and the Pats have been terrible at open-field tackling. Third, McGahee. Willis is averaging 4.7 YPC and has looked great with the exception of the Houston game. If he hits 100 yards on the ground averaging 4 yards per carry, the Broncos should control the tempo and will open up the field for Manning.
Derek – New England. That’s Pats are too good to lose two at home this year. Good thing they got that one loss out of the way against Arizona? Yeah still can’t figure that one out. Welker has woken up. Don’t expect the Pats to run like they did last week but they don’t really care/need to. Remember what New England did to Denver in the playoffs last year? Is Manning going to make that big of difference? No.

San Diego at New Orleans
Loren – New Orleans. I just have a feeling that Drew Brees is going to stick it to his old team. The Saints have lost their 4 games by an average of 5 points and have had a chance to win all of them. You can’t bet against this Saints team for too long without getting stung. Conversely, you can’t bet on Norv Turner for too long without getting stung.
Derek – New Orleans. The Saints aren’t thaaaaat bad. Brees is going for a record and knowing full well that he has to score a bunch since his D is nonexistent. Plus the Charges are traveling more than half way across the country and have Norv Turner as a coach. BTW I love that every time we pick the Chargers to lose one of the reasons is Norv Turner.