NFL Week 5 Picks: Best Chance for the Jacksonville Jaguars To Win a Game This Season

Buffalo (2-2) at Cleveland (2-2)

Could the Browns really have a winning record after this game?

Even with a stalling running game since Trent Richardson was traded, Brian Hoyer has managed to do some damage in the passing game. He has 590 passing yards and five touchdowns, opposed to three interceptions, in two games. His main target? Tight end Jordan Cameron, who has 360 yards receiving and five touchdowns this year. He’s behind only Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham in receiving yards for tight ends this year.

Their defense is also ranked in the top 10 in passing yards against and rushing yards against per game.

Cleveland wins.

New Orleans (4-0) at Chicago (3-1)

Drew Brees is 0-4 at Soldier Field in his career. But they’ve won their past two games by over 20 points.

Chicago has pulled out some squeakers before finally falling to Detroit last week. The game was much more out of hand than the final score suggests. It was 40-16 until the Bears scored two late touchdowns in the final four minutes. The Bears also had four turnovers.

The Saints look too good right now to not go with the hot team.

New Orleans wins.

New England (4-0) at Cincinnati (2-2)

Both these teams are still tough to figure out.

For New England, several plays it looks like their rookie wide receivers are in over their heads. But at the conclusion of the game against the Falcons, Kenbrell Thompkins had 127 yards and a touchdown. Julian Edelman also had 118 yards receiving.

Two weeks ago the Bengals beat the Packers but then last week they lost to the Browns. Granted, that game against Cleveland was on the road and against a division rival, but for a team with deep playoff aspirations like Cincinnati, that’s a game they have to find a way to win.

What may go in the Patriots favor is that the Bengals secondary is really banged up, with cornerbacks Leon Hall and Dre Kirkpatrick and safety Reggie Nelson are all questionable.

New England wins.

Detroit (3-1) at Green Bay (1-2)

The Lions have not beaten the Packers on the road since 1991. This is a divisional rivalry. The Lions play Green Bay on the road every year. That’s 22 years since the last time they won in Green Bay, even though they had a chance to break that streak every single year. That’s just unreal.

The Lions have a nice running game with Reggie Bush and Joique Bell, but the Packers – who surprisingly have a much higher rushing yards per game average than the Lions – are eighth in the league in rushing yards allowed per game.

Plus they had an extra week to prepare for this game and must be dying to get a win after losing in their last game against the Bengals.

Green Bay wins.

Kansas City (4-0) at Tennessee (3-1)

The last time the Chiefs were 4-0 was 2003 and they lost their next game. Alex Smith had a rough week last week despite the victory. It seems like the Giants give him fits.

But the Titans lost their starting quarterback to a hip injury and the backup, Ryan Fitzpatrick, has struggled with turnovers the past couple seasons.

Kansas City wins.

Seattle (4-0) at Indianapolis (3-1)

Just when it looked like the Seahawks were human, losing 20-3 at halftime, the Seahawks scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to beat a solid Texans team 23-20.

Seattle has now won four consecutive regular season road games, so they aren’t just a good home team anymore.

The Seahawks had to go up against a very tough Houston defense with multiple backup offensive linemen. And they survived. Marshawn Lynch was still able to rumble for 98 yards and a score while Russell Wilson added 77 rushing yards of his own.

The Colts have a better run defense than Houston does, but Seattle is just finding ways to win right now.

Seattle wins.

Jacksonville (0-4) at St. Louis (1-3)

This is probably the Jaguars best chance to win this season. They have just been so bad, one has to wonder if they will mimic the Colts from 2011. The Rams, one win aside, have looked just as bad, however.

Justin Blackmon returns from a four-game suspension, rookie Luke Joeckel is moving from right tackle to his more comfortable position of left tackle, and although Blaine Gabbert still hasn’t shown he is a good quarterback and threw three interceptions, he did throw for more yards and a better completion percentage. Stats can only say so much, but apparently head coach Gus Bradley says he has seen improvement when he watched the tapes.

This is a best a chance at a victory this team will have, so why not?

Jacksonville wins.

Baltimore (2-2) at Miami (3-1)

The Dolphins suffered a setback against the Saints last week and that game showed a lot of weaknesses that were hidden previously because of wins. The Dolphins offensive line is rather rough around the edges. 

Defensively, they also struggle to cover the tight end in their scheme and it opens up a lot of the field.

But the Ravens have struggled mightily this season. Joe Flacco just had a game where he threw five interceptions (as many as Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has thrown all year). They also are doing an awful job running the ball. They are 28th in the league in rushing yards per game and Ray Rice has only 30 rushing attempts for 89 yards and one touchdown. Bernard Pierce has more yards and touchdowns, but his yards per carry average (2.7) is poor.

Since the start of last season, Joe Flacco is 32nd in total QBR on the road. The Ravens have lost four consecutive regular season road games.

Miami wins.

Philadelphia (1-3) at New York Giants (0-4)

If you’re a fan of either of these teams, it’s been more than a rough start to the season for you. History has shown that anything can happen when these two teams face each other.

The Giants have a slight edge being at home. They’ve been terrible this season, but three of their four games have been on the road.

The Giants are 10th in the league in passing yards per game, while the Eagles struggle defending the pass, ranking 31st in passing yards against per game.

New York Giants win.

Carolina (1-2) at Arizona (2-2)

This will be a pretty even match-up simply because there isn’t much to like about either of these teams.

The Panthers are third in the league in rushing yards per game, but the Cardinals are second in rushing yards allowed per game.

Despite the Panthers having Cam Newton at quarterback, the Cardinals have actually done a better job moving the ball in the air this season. They’ve also had to play three of their first four games on the road. They will need to cut down on the interceptions, but they could do something at home, especially with Larry Fitzgerald continuing to be a threat and getting healthier week by week.

Arizona wins.

Denver (4-0) at Dallas (2-2)

The Broncos have yet to win a game by fewer than 16 points this season. Peyton Manning is first in the league in passing yards, touchdowns, fewest interceptions (zero), passer rating and completion percentage. He, and they, just look incredible, maybe even unbeatable.

The Cowboys are 27th in the league in passing yards allowed per game. They could be in for a long day.

Denver wins.

Houston (2-2) at San Francisco (2-2)

A big reason both of these teams are struggling is because of turnovers. Both are in the bottom of their conferences in turnover differential, at minus-four.

Houston’s Matt Schaub has thrown a pick-six in three consecutive games. They’ve also lost three of their last four regular season road games, and four of their last five if you include last season’s playoff loss to the Patriots.

In 49er wins this season, Colin Kaepernick completes over 65 percent of his passes, throws for multiple touchdowns and doesn’t throw a single interception. In losses, he completes less than 50 percent of his passes, doesn’t throw a single touchdown and throws at least one interception.

Houston’s passing defense is ranked first in the league. That being said they have allowed a better completion percentage, more yards and more touchdowns on the road while also not getting as many sacks on the road.

San Francisco wins.

San Diego (2-2) at Oakland (1-3)

Aside from Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers is arguably the hottest quarterback in the league right now. He has 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions, he has completed almost 74 percent of his passes and he has two 400-yard passing games this season which is the most in the league right now.

As for the Raiders, Darren McFadden did not practice Wednesday because of a hamstring injury (surprise!) and while Terrelle Pryor will start against the Chargers he is coming off missing a week because of a concussion. How will he respond?

San Diego wins.

New York Jets (2-2) at Atlanta Falcons (1-3)

The Falcons have not been able to beat the Patriots or the Dolphins this season, making them 0-2 against the AFC East. That should change against the Jets.

The Jets have lost their past four road games. Only two teams have fewer touchdown passes this season. Only one team has thrown more interceptions this season.

The Jets have a good defense, but even against a struggling Flacons team they still seem overmatched in general.

Atlanta wins.

Bye Week: Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington

Last week:  8-7

Overall: 42-21

Photo Credit.

Blaine Gabbert: AP Photo/John Minchillo

NFL Week 4 Picks: Pittsburgh Steelers Are Not As Bad As The Minnesota Vikings

San Francisco (1-2) at St. Louis (1-2)

Colin Kaepernick has had two dud games in a row and the 49ers look to be struggling. That being said, the Rams aren’t exactly blowing people out of the water, either.

The Rams got manhandled by the Cowboys last week. They lost by 24 points, threw for only 197 yards, ran for only 35 yards and surrendered 396 yards on defense.

It’s a good time for the Niners to get back on track.

San Francisco wins.

Baltimore (2-1) at Buffalo (1-2)

After getting torched by the Broncos and holding on against the Browns (which always seems to be a battle), the Ravens finally took it to someone else. It’s quite impressive what they did to a Texans team that some would consider a Super Bowl contender, beating them 30-9.

The Bills don’t look terrible this season. Their two losses are by one score or less.

Still, the Ravens won a big game last week, have some momentum, and have more talent than the Bills.

Baltimore wins.

Cincinnati (2-1) at Cleveland (1-2)

It seems like the Browns last week decided to do whatever it takes to win a game, a fake field goal and a fake punt included. Jordan Cameron caught three touchdown passes and looks like one of the best tight ends in the league. Their defense isn’t half bad, either.

Not to take away what the Browns did last week, but it was against the struggling Minnesota Vikings. The Bengals are a different story.

This team had high expectations for themselves this year and after falling short against the Bears in Week 1, they took it to the Packers last weekend. They caused Aaron Rodgers to throw two interceptions and look pedestrian.

Cincinnati wins.

Chicago (3-0) at Detroit (2-1)

The Lions passing game is ranked third-best in the league. Matthew Stafford is playing well and he’s gotten great contributions from Calvin Johnson (of course), his running backs Reggie Bush and Joique Bell, and Nate Burleson has stepped up alongside Megatron. He has more catches than Johnson and a nice 239 yards.

But Burleson has a broken arm now. How does that affect Detroit’s passing game? The running backs are third and fourth on the team in yards and receptions, and no other player (after Bush) has at least 45 yards receiving. In fact, the only one that’s been even targeted more than 10 times is tight end Brandon Pettigrew, who has five catches (on 12 targets) for 38 yards and no touchdowns.

Chicago wins.

New York Giants (0-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)

The Giants were absolutely embarrassed last weekend. That was a new low for the franchise. They were shutout and lost by 38 points. Eli Manning was sacked seven times. As a team, they registered only 90 yards passing. They turned the ball over three times. They yielded over 400 total yards of offense.

It was the second consecutive game the Giants lost by double digits. It was the second consecutive game they turned the ball over at least three times. And to make matters worse, they also statistically have the worst rushing attack in the league.

The Chiefs are well-known to play very well at home and they could very well provide more misery for the New York football Giants.

Kansas City wins.

Arizona (1-2) at Tampa Bay (0-3)

In a surprising move, the Buccaneers have benched Josh Freeman in favor of rookie Mike Glennon. It’s not the move that’s surprising, it’s more so the timing of it; it’s much earlier than anyone could have expected.

But the Buccaneers have lost eight of their last nine, dating back to last season. Will Glennon be the shot in the mouth the team needs, the fire lit under their backsides?

What I do know is that the Cardinals have the third best rushing defense, so they will make Glennon beat them.

Arizona wins.

Indianapolis (2-1) at Jacksonville (0-3)

There just isn’t any reason to pick the Jaguars. They have yet to be competitive and against another potential playoff team there’s just nothing to like for them in this match-up.

Indianapolis wins.

Seattle (3-0) at Houston (2-1)

The Texans are 2-1 and tied for first in the AFC South. But they haven’t been sharp. They had a come-back win late over the San Diego Chargers. They needed overtime to dispose of the Tennessee Titans (the other team tied atop the AFC South) at home. Then there was last week’s debacle in Baltimore.

That being said, the Seahawks typically don’t play well on the road. Their last road game, they barely got past the so-so Carolina Panthers.

Which defense will perform better? The Seahawks defense has given up the fewest points in the league and Jacksonville only got to 17 last week after Seattle’s reserves took the field. The Texans, meanwhile, are second in the league in passing defense (Seattle is first) and ninth in rushing defense (Seattle is 12th).

At home, I think the Texans defense plays just a bit better.

Houston wins.

Pittsburgh (0-3) vs. Minnesota (0-3) – GAME IN LONDON

Both teams head to the NFL’s annual game in London struggling mightily.

The edge in this game is at the quarterback position, though. The Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger, who has won multiple Super Bowls and is a proven commodity.

The Vikings have Christian Ponder. He’s third in the league in interceptions, tied for fifth in sacks and is 22nd in completion percentage. He does not look sharp and fans are calling for Matt Cassel to come into games.

Pittsburgh wins.

New York Jets (2-1) at Tennessee (2-1)

How many people had both these teams coming into this game with winning records?

Other than passing yards per game, there isn’t much separating these two teams. The biggest difference, more important than the difference in passing yards, is the turnover battle. Tennessee is second in the AFC with a plus-five turnover differential, helped by the fact that they haven’t committed a single turnover yet this season. The Jets, on the other hand, are minus-six in turnovers, thanks to six interceptions from Geno Smith.

That could be huge, especially with the Titans as the home team.

Tennessee wins.

Washington (0-3) at Oakland (1-2)

Had Terrelle Pryor not picked up a concussion last weekend, thus making it unlikely he will play this weekend, it would have been a very fun match-up between two quarterbacks that can seriously move with the ball.

RGIII has played decently this season, but he still hasn’t matched the magic he had from last year. It hurts that Washington’s defense is just downright terrible this year.

The Raiders aren’t world beaters though. And while Matt Flynn played well in reserve of Aaron Rodgers, there has to be a reason he went from big free agent signing to Russell Wilson’s back-up, to Oakland, then to Pryor’s back-up.

This seems like a game that Washington can take away.

Washington wins.

Philadelphia (1-2) at Denver (3-0)

The Broncos are cruising. And at home? This team knows how to get the job done.

Something worth watching: the Eagles rushing attack is first in the league in yards per game but the Broncos defense is first in fewest rushing yards allowed per game.

The Broncos are first in total points scored while the Eagles are tied for sixth for most point allowed. Denver has won their games by an average just shy of 19 points per game.

Denver wins.

Dallas (2-1) at San Diego (1-2)

All three of the Chargers games this season have been decided in the final 30 seconds. With gunslingers like Phillip Rivers and Tony Romo playing quarterback in this game, anything can happen.

Neither team defends the pass very well, but the Chargers are dead last in passing yards allowed, giving up a whopping 340 yards per game. The Cowboys may rank only 18th in passing yards, but Romo picked apart the Rams defense before the team finally relented and worked to kill the clock.

Dallas wins.

New England (3-0) at Atlanta (1-2)

The Patriots young receivers finally looked to start clicking with Tom Brady against the Buccaneers last weekend, which is promising for the team.

But even with Steven Jackson injured and Roddy White still not at 100 percent, the Falcons at home have a slight edge. Even though they have two losses, those losses are both less than seven points and the Miami loss occurred very late in the fourth quarter of a back and forth game. Both losses were also on the road.

The Falcons have never been two games under .500 with Mike Smith as the team’s head coach.

Atlanta wins.

Miami (3-0) at New Orleans (3-0)

The Dolphins are one of the surprises of the league thus far this season and have a strong defense and very improved offense to thank.

They can make this a competitive game, but prime time home games are what the Saints do best. New Orleans is 7-0 in Monday night games since 2009 and 5-0 in Monday night home games in the same time frame.

With the team undefeated, Drew Brees starting off strong and Sean Payton back on the sidelines, expect the New Orleans fans to be even louder than usual.

New Orleans wins.

Bye Week: Green Bay, Carolina

Last Week: 9-7

Overall: 34-14

Photo Credit.

Ben Roethlisberger: AP Photo/Don Wright

NFL Week 3 Picks: New York Giants Will Finally Get First Win

The NFL season is continuing to pick up and it has certainly been exciting.

Quarterbacks throwing for 400-yards? How about another three last week (lead by Aaron Rodgers’ 480 yards) and eight more throwing for over 300 yards.

Last second finishes? The Bills, Bears, Saints and Chargers all won with 10 seconds or fewer remaining in the game, the Texans won in overtime and a total of 10 of the 16 games last week were won by a single touchdown or less.

For good measure, how about a blockbuster trade? It may not have involved many pieces, but the Browns traded last year’s No. 3 pick in the draft Trent Richardson to the Colts for a first-round pick next year.

Who will come out on top in Week 3?

Kansas City (2-0) at Philadelphia (1-1)

It will be a reunion of sorts when Andy Reid brings his new team to Philadelphia the same night the Eagles will retire Donovan McNabb’s number.

Philadelphia’s offense has been good to open the season. The defense hasn’t been as stellar, allowing an average of 30 points per game.

The difference maker in this game, despite how efficient the Chiefs have been this season, is injuries. Starting tight end Anthony Fasano is doubtful while his backup, Travis Kelce, is questionable. Cornerback Brandon Flowers is also questionable. Jamaal Charles isn’t on the injury report, but had a thigh contusion last week and had only 55 yards on 16 carries.

With a short week and going on the road, not giving players the ample time to heal well enough and having to prepare for Philadelphia’s new offense, the Chiefs just might not have enough going for them this week.

Philadelphia wins.

Green Bay (1-1) at Cincinnati (1-1)

The Packers will be on the road, but did you see what their offense did last week?

Aaron Rodgers was remarkable, throwing for 480 yards and four touchdowns. Equally impressive was the team’s usually non-existent running game. Filling in for starter Eddie Lacey, who left the game with a concussion, James Starks ran for 132 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. It was the first time the Packers had a 100-yard rusher since Brandon Graham had 115 yards on October 10, 2010 (fittingly, that too was against the Redskins).

The Bengals D is a lot better than that of Washington’s, and they are at home, but that’s still a lot of yardage for any defense to be dealing with. Especially for a team that isn’t quite lighting up the stat sheet as hoped.

Green Bay wins.

St. Louis (1-1) at Dallas (1-1)

This one surprisingly might be a shootout. Dallas and St. Louis rank 24th and 27th in passing yards allowed per game, respectively. And while Dallas is only 17th in passing yard gained per game, they are only about 20 yards behind Arizona, and Carson Palmer threw for 327 yards in Week 1 against St. Louis.

Neither team has run the ball very well in the early going.

It will be a close one, but Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray have played well against the Rams in the past. At home, they get the edge.

Dallas wins.

San Diego (1-1) at Tennessee (1-1)

Both teams have lost to the Texans this year.

The Titans have played fairly well in the early going, not turning the ball over. There have also been small improvements in individual play from Week 1 to Week 2.

But Philip Rivers is on too much of a roll right now. He has 614 yards, seven touchdowns and only one interception. He most likely won’t have Malcolm Floyd to throw to against Tennessee, but he still has team receiving leader Antonio Gates and Eddie Royal, who leads in touchdown receptions.

Just have to go with the hot hand here.

San Diego wins.

Cleveland (0-2) at Minnesota (0-2)

Both teams have had a rough go of it early this season, but Cleveland looks to be in shambles and already thinking about 2014 and beyond.

They just traded starting running back and the No. 3 pick in last season’s draft, Trent Richardson. They had no legitimate runners backing him up and are taking a look at Willis McGahee, who was dinged up at the end of last season and wasn’t even on a team getting reps in the offseason.

They are also down to their third-string quarterback.

The Vikings have not been sharp, but they do have Adrian Peterson.

Minnesota wins.

Tampa Bay (0-2) at New England (2-0)

The Patriots have been far from impressive this early in the season. But they are still a team. They are working through it. Tom Brady is still the team’s leader and Bill Belichick still has the team working together.

Playing in Tampa Bay doesn’t seem to be a pleasant thing these days. Rumors have surfaced that quarterback Josh Freeman wants out and Darrelle Revis, who was just acquired this offseason, reportedly isn’t happy with head coach Greg Schiano.

The idea of malcontent players and media reports being “distracting” to a team may sound cliché, but in this case it may be appropriate.

New England wins.

Arizona (1-1) at New Orleans (2-0)

Neither team has run the ball particularly well in the early going, and that might be just the way the Saints like it.

When both teams strengths are in the passing game, how can you not favor Drew Brees? Especially when the New Orleans pass defense is eighth in the league in passing yards allowed per game.

New Orleans wins.

Detroit (1-1) at Washington (0-2)

In two games, the Redskins have surrendered 1,023 yards. That’s two shy of the most yards allowed in the first two weeks in history.

Matthew Stafford may be known for getting hurt a lot in the beginning of his NFL career, but he’s also known for throwing for a ton of yards, especially to Calvin Johnson – who is arguably the best wide receiver in the game.

Detroit wins.

New York Giants (0-2) at Carolina (0-2)

It has been an awful start for both these teams, particularly the Giants. They’ve turned the ball over 10 times in the first two games.

The Giants can’t be written off though. They tend to be inconsistent early in the year in recent history and tend to start off slow. They also tend to play fairly well on the road.

Since Cam Newton has been the starting quarterback in Carolina, the Panthers have just found way too many ways to lose games. Not saying Eli Manning hasn’t either, but the Giants do have two Super Bowl victories with him.

New York wins.

Houston (2-0) at Baltimore (1-1)

The Ravens will induct Ray Lewis into their ring of honor this weekend, and they really could use him against Houston.

The Texans are one of the top offensive teams in the league right now, while the Ravens have not been quite as hot, especially in a tough 14-6 win over the Browns last weekend. Ray Rice was banged up last week and against an aggressive Houston defense it’s tough to imagine how well he will fare.

And while Lewis will return to Baltimore in some type of suit, former Raven icon Ed Reed will be showing up in a Texans uniform. You have to imagine he’ll be looking to have an extra good game.

Houston wins.

Atlanta (2-0) at Miami (2-0)

The Falcons are a very good team with a lot of weapons. They will be the Dolphins’ stiffest test to date.

But they’ll be without Steven Jackson on Sunday. They will be on the road and they are 0-1 on the road so far this season. And on defense, Sam Bradford just torched the Falcons secondary for 352 yards and three touchdowns.

Ryan Tannehill threw for 319 yards last week and got Mike Wallace (better than any receiver the Rams have) into the mix more than in his debut. It’s Miami’s first home game of the season and they are riding a lot of momentum. Enough momentum, that is, to take down the Falcons.

Miami wins.

Buffalo (1-1) at New York Jets (1-1)

It’s a battle of rookie AFC East quarterbacks in New Jersey this weekend. E.J. Manuel has vastly outplayed Geno Smith so far (although you would hope a first round draft pick would do exactly that).

Buffalo is supporting Manuel with better weapons, like C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson and Stevie Johnson. New York has gotten solid play from the likes of Bilal Powell, Chris Ivory and Stephen Hill, but nothing exceptional.

The Jets defense has been much better than that of the Bills, however. And against a rookie quarterback and at home, they might be able to do enough to pull one out despite any Smith interceptions.

New York wins.

Indianapolis (1-1) at San Francisco (1-1)

The 49ers just got figuratively punched in the mouth by the Seahawks last week. There is no way to drum up anything positive from that game from a 49ers perspective. But good teams – and San Francisco is a good team – make sure not to be embarrassed two weeks in a row.

They have more talent than Indianapolis does and they will be looking to rectify the situation.

San Francisco wins.

Jacksonville (0-2) at Seattle (2-0)

Seattle is known for being one of the toughest places to play on the road. They just beat the 49ers at home, 29-3. Is Jacksonville as good as San Francisco?

No.

Seattle wins.

Chicago (2-0) at Pittsburgh (0-2)

The Steelers are 26th in the league in passing yards per game, 31st in rushing yards per game and 30th in points scored per game. They’ve also yielded seven sacks (tied for fifth in the league).

On the flip side, Jay Cutler has only been sacked once this season, Brandon Marshall is eighth in the league in receiving yards, and Pittsburgh has only one sack so far this season.

Chicago wins.

Oakland (1-1) at Denver (2-0)

Has any team looked as good as the Denver Broncos so far this season?

Peyton Manning is third in the league in passing yards, first in touchdowns (9) and has zero interceptions. And while the running game is currently 21st in the league, Knowshon Moreno bounced back from a poor first game to rush for 93 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries last week.

Oakland has the most rushing yards per game so far this season, but just watching the two teams play (with Denver playing supposedly tougher opponents) the Broncos just look sharper and better.

Denver wins.

Last Week: 13-3

Overall: 25-7

  

Photo Credit.

Eli Manning: AP Photo/Kathy Willens