It’s time for week 5 Chick’s Picks! Last week, my fiancee almost left me because I went a grueling 7-9 in my picks. Luckily, I kicked ass in the first 3 weeks so I still have 40-23-1 record, the only reason why my fiancee hasn’t left me….yet. She said if I don’t fix my picks this week, she’s gone and will leave me for a guy named Axel. Anyway, let’s jump into it.
Rams @ Seahawks
For our Week 5 Thursday Night Football game, The Los Angeles Rams (3-1) are being hosted by the Seattle Seahawks (3-1). DO NOT LET THE RECORDS FOOL YOU. These teams have really not played up to their record, especially the Rams last week, more specifically, Jared Goff. If you’ve read my Jared Goff articles, you’d know that I think he is absolutely terrible, and that Sean Mcvay is a genius. But even coaching can’t guarantee a win. Jared Goff had 3 INTs and a fumble in his horrendous effort against the killer……BUCCANEERS?! They lost to the Buccaneers 55-40 too, yikes. Absolutely unacceptable. Despite that game, the Rams are still 3-1, with wins over the Panthers, Drew Brees-less Saints, and the then-overhyped Browns. Their record is more impressive than they actually are. Speaking of having a record more impressive than they actually are, let’s talk about the Seahawks. They did look good last week against the lowly Cardinals and the defense seemed to come alive. But it was against the Cardinals, how credible can that really be? I’m really not sure what their issue is, they have the talent but it doesn’t seem to be clicking for everyone yet. This team has beaten the Bengals (BARELY), Big Ben-less Steelers (BARELY), lost to Drew Brees-less Saints, and then their win over the Cardinals. Not an impressive resume thus far. I have a lot of faith in Sean Mcvay despite my disdain for Jared Goff, I think they win this game narrowly.
Final Prediction: Los Angeles Rams 31, Seattle Seahawks 28
Patriots @ Redskins
The New England Patriots (4-0) are traveling to Washington to take on the disorganized Redskins (0-4) in this week 5 blowout. The Patriots got a scare last week facing the Bills. However, the Bills are legit after that game, but the Patriots ultimately came out on top 16-10. The Redskins are a mess. They’re looking like a lock for a top 2 pick in the draft. Other than who’s gonna start at QB for the Redskins, this game is pretty irrelevant. Start any Patriots on your fantasy team!
Final Prediction: New England Patriots 34, Washington Redskins 10
Bills @ Titans
The Tennessee Titans (2-2) are hosting the Buffalo Bills (3-1). I CAN’T FIGURE OUT THE TITANS! After a dominating performance in week 1, the Titans had two forgettable performances in weeks 2 and 3, then kicked ass in week 4 against the Falcons. If they continue this cycle, they SHOULD lose to the Bills. Marcus Mariota isn’t doing a good job if he’s trying to keep his job. This doesn’t mean we should take credit away from the Bills though. The Bills went toe-to-toe with the juggernaut that is the Patriots. That was enough to let me know that the Bills are legit. The question for the Bills is if Josh Allen is playing this week after suffering a nasty hit by the Patriots. Either way, Matt Barkley didn’t play bad, and the Bills defense can suffocate anyone. Look for the Bills to get back in the Win column.
Final Prediction: Buffalo Bills 23, Tennessee Titans 16
Ravens @ Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3) are hosting the Baltimore Ravens (2-2) in this week 5 divisional matchup. I am genuinely interested in seeing how this game goes. After the Ravens got beat by the Chiefs and smacked in the mouth by the Browns, it’s almost like I said that Lamar Jackson isn’t the best Dual-threat QB since Vick, oh wait I did. Y’all were trying to tell me that Jackson was a top 5 QB in the NFL, YIKES. However, I would love to see how the Ravens try to bounce back after two bad losses. The Steelers defense isn’t a good one, so if Jackson wanted to get some confidence back, this would be a great time to do it. The Steelers finally got a win under their belt. The awakening of James Connor is a big part of that. Even if it is against the lowly, Bengals, a win can get the ball rolling for any team. If this team continues to play like how they did, they can definitely win this game. The AFC North is an interesting division, I’m curious to see how it plays out.
Final Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Baltimore Ravens 23
Jets @ Eagles
The New York Jets (0-3) are traveling to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles (2-2). The Jets are coming off a bye, but I’m not sure what good it’s going to do. Sam Darnold isn’t back, and well, who else do they have to carry the team other than Le’Veon Bell? At this point, the way you beat the Jets is just focusing on Bell and the game is done. The Eagles are coming off a Thursday night game and a head-turning win against the Packers. The Eagles were impressive and thoroughly surprised me Thursday night. Their momentum has to be high and despite the Jets’ bye week, it’ll do them no good. The Jets have no answer for Carson Wentz, who’s better than most QBs, and we all saw what he can do if the Eagles can establish a running game. It’ll be a long day for the Jets.
Final Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles 31, New York Jets 17
Vikings @ Giants
The Minnesota Vikings (2-2) are being hosted by the New York Giants (2-2) in this interesting week 5 game. The Viking looked terrible against the Bears last week. Kirk Cousins can’t throw, the Bears suffocated Dalvin Cook, and their defense couldn’t stop Chase Daniels. Adam Thielen even had to say publicly that Kirk Cousins needs to be better if they are going to win. They cannot fully rely on Dalvin Cook all the time. Luckily they can this week. Even though the Giants have been playing their best ball in a while, they have no answer for Dalvin Cook. After a depressing game with only 35 yards, he’s only second in leading the league in rushing, trailing by a yard. Expect Dalvin cook to explode for over 100 yards or more to help Kirk Cousin’s confidence. I don’t know what to make of Daniel Jones yet. The Redskins proved they want to be the worst team in the NFL with their awful game against the Giants. Daniel Jones is 2-0 as a starter and that’s mostly without the generational talent that is Saquon Barkley. I’m not ready to buy the hype yet, but if he somehow balls out and beats the Vikings, I’m willing to say the hype is legit. I’m not keeping my hopes high, the reality is life is a bitch and Daniel Jones is about to find that out.
Final Prediction: Minnesota Vikings 24, New York Giants 16
Buccaneers @ Saints
The New Orleans Saints (3-1) are hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2) in this week 5 divisional matchup. I’m still trying to figure out how the Saints have won the past two games against the Rams and the Cowboys. This isn’t at the hands of Teddy Bridgewater, but pretty much everyone else. The Saints are a solid team despite losing Drew Brees for some time with an injury. Dan Louis told everyone not to panic yet. I’m not saying they should panic but the Buccaneers looked absolutely scary in their matchup with the Rams. I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming but they put up 55 points on the Rams and Jameis Winston had himself a GAME. So far, Bruce Arians is doing his best to fix his QB, and last week was a good sign of that. Jameis Winston had 385 yards and 4 TDs. They’ll look to keep that momentum going and win an upset here against the Saints.
Final Prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30, New Orleans Saints 23
Falcons @ Texans
The Atlanta Falcons (1-3) are traveling to Houston to take on the Texans (2-2). The Falcons stink. Which makes absolutely no sense. Their WR core is one of the best in the game if not THE best. Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Sanu, and you only score 10 points against the Titans? I don’t know man, I know their defense isn’t the best, nor do they have a run game, but they shouldn’t be that bad. Houston is also stinking it up right now. Despite Deshaun Watson being an elite QB, and DeAndre Hopkins is a top 5 WR, who else does the Texans have? All of their games together have been decided by a mere 16 points. These guys need help from the defense and the running game. At this point, the Texans aren’t making the playoffs, but I do think they can win this game and still be tied for first in the division.
Final Prediction: Houston Texans 17, Atlanta Falcons 16
Cardinals @ Bengals
The Arizona Cardinals (0-3-1) are being hosted by the Cincinnati Bengals (0-4) in the most boring game in week 5. ZzZzZzZz…This is Chick’s snoozefest of the week. This game would literally put me to sleep faster than a night out with Cardi B. The Cardinals haven’t been playing bad, I wish David Johnson would do more though. A couple of seasons ago, Johnson was sought as one of the best in the game, one bad injury year and that’s all behind him now. Cincinnati hasn’t been the worst team I’ve seen, but God bless they haven’t been the best. Last week, they got spanked by the Steelers even though they said the safe word. John Ross III is now headed to IR with AJ Green still out. The Bengals are running out of offensive weapons. Joe Mixon is still MIA, whenever they find them, let him know that Fantasy owners are looking for him. Either way, someone has to win this game (well maybe, the Cardinals could just tie again *eye roll*). I’m taking the Cardinals and Kyler Murray gets his first NFL win.
Final Prediction: Arizona Cardinals 20, Cincinnati Bengals 17
Jaguars @ Panthers
The Carolina Panthers (2-2) are hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2). I’m not sure what to make out of Kyle Allen yet. One thing for sure is that they’re winning games. They were expected to win over the Cardinals but the win over the Texans is impressive. Cam Newton should be worried that the Panthers move on from him. However, Kyle Allen is going to get a reality check going up against one of the best defenses in the NFL in the Jaguars. This will be the most accurate analysis of Allen, seeing how well he handles this defense. He’ll be heavily dependent on the MVP sleeper, Christian McCaffrey. The Jaguars escaped with a win against the Broncos last week, only because of a little #MinshewMagic. Minshew Mania is alive and well and I’m all for it. Not only is Gardner Minshew iconic with his look and stories we’ve heard, but he’s also a damn good football player. Fournette is starting to come to life, despite the fact that he doesn’t like football. He had a whopping 225 yards, in fact, he had more rushing yards than Minshew had passing yards. If Fournette can do that half of that and put a little #MinshewMagic on it, the Jaguars should take this one.
Final Prediction: Jacksonville Jaguars 27, Carolina Panthers 17
Bears & Raiders in London
The Oakland Raiders (2-2) and the Chicago Bears (3-1) are both traveling to London for week 5 in a Raiders “home” game. The Raiders win was bittersweet, (more sweet than bitter) but it came at a price of more than likely losing Vontaze Burfict for the rest of the season. The Raiders offense was decent against the Colts, it seems to be night and day for the Oakland’s offense. But one thing is for sure, Darren Waller, the best TE you’ve never heard of, and Josh Jacobs are going to produce and hold up this offense the best they can. I’d have a lot more confidence in the Raiders winning this game if Mitch Trubisky was playing. Matt Nagy literally carries him as much as he can. Luckily for the Bears, Chase Daniel is starting and is a better option for the Bears. With the great offensive pieces in Allen Robinson and David Montgomery, the Bears shouldn’t have an issue scoring on the Raiders. All this, and we haven’t even mentioned the best defense in the NFL. They’re something to be afraid of, no matter who you are facing. With a revengeful Khalil Mack, this defense is going to make the Raiders offense look like it’s a high school team.
Final Prediction: Chicago Bears 24, Oakland Raiders 13
Broncos @ Chargers
The Denver Broncos (0-4) are being hosted by the Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) in this week 5 divisional matchup. The Broncos are desperate for a win. They haven’t been playing bad either, they’ve lost 3 games by one possession, two of them by 2 points. This team could easily be 2-2, but that’s just the cookie crumbles. The offense needs to help this defense out. Joe Flacco is no Peyton Manning, but if he can keep the offense on the field, they could get some wins under their belt. They have a legit chance this week for an upset. I have lost faith in the Chargers. In the beginning, I was a big fan of this year’s Chargers, thought they could make a deep run in the playoffs. Now, I don’t even think they make the playoffs. Don’t sleep, Denver’s defense is stout, but it definitely has another challenge containing Keenan Allen and now the dynamic tandem with Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler. Denver’s defense will do the best it can but for a win this week, the offense needs to be there. I think they’re desperate enough to get it done.
Final Prediction: Denver Broncos 17, Los Angeles Chargers 16
Packers @ Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys (3-1) are hosting the Green Bay Packers (3-1). Dak Prescott proved last week that he doesn’t deserve 40 million a year. Scoring 10 points when Cowboys fans, like the delusional Skip Bayless, swore to me that Dak was a top 5 QB in the NFL. Whenever Ezekiel Elliott rushes for less than 75 yards, Dak is 1-8. Dak’s success is directly related to Zeke’s production. Whenever Dak HAS to throw, he’s not nearly as effective. If the Cowboys couldn’t win against a Drew Brees-less Saints, they sure as hell ain’t beating the Packers. Green Bay got surprised last week after the Eagles smacked them in the mouth to win a thriller. People like Skip Bayless, I literally can’t stand this guy, said that Aaron Rodgers was washed, even though he had 400 yards passing with 2 TDs. People still said that Aaron Rodgers should be blamed anyway. Shaking my head. Y’all are going to piss Rodgers off, this is a bad week for the Cowboys, I expect their secondary to get torched.
Final Prediction: Green Bay Packers 27, Dallas Cowboys 20
Colts @ Chiefs
The Indianapolis Colts (2-2) are being hosted by the Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) in our Sunday Night Football game in week 5. The Colts got humbled last week by losing to the Raiders. Sure, they had plenty of injuries, including T.Y. Hilton, however, they made the Raiders defense actually look decent. This is a tough week to try to bounce back against the juggernaut in the Chiefs. The Chiefs got a scare last week from the Lions last week. This only proves to me that the NFC North is tighter than I thought and the Lions are legit. Kansas City eventually came out on top in the final minutes by a game-winning drive by the most talented QB in the NFL, Patrick Mahomes. I really can’t talk enough about the kid, he’s going to be in the GOAT conversation whether you like it or not. The Sunday Night Football game won’t be as entertaining as the Monday Night Game but watching Mahomes is as polarizing as ever.
Final Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs 35, Indianapolis Colts 24
Browns @ 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (3-0) are hosting the Cleveland Browns (2-2) in our Monday Night Football game in week 5. The 49ers are coming off a bye, which is a good and bad thing. They’re hot, or maybe they were hot, this week off could have killed their momentum. However, they’ve had an extra week to prepare for the Browns. Jimmy G is now 11-2 in all career games. If you’re still doubting his talent, that’s on you. The kid can play ball, let’s not act like he has a great team around him either. That team without Jimmy G is average at best. Baker Mayfield, despite being labeled overrated, finally woke up feeling dangerous and put the Ravens in their place by thumping them 40-25. It’s only natural to think that the Browns build on this momentum and hand the 49ers their first loss. This one will be a good one regardless.
Final Prediction: San Francisco 49ers 26, Cleveland Browns 23
The teams on bye in week 5 are the Detroit Lions (2-1-1) and the Miami Dolphins (0-4). The Lions are legit, they showed that by going toe-to-toe with the Chiefs, even almost winning the game. Although early byes are the best, the Lions can at least hold their head high at a surprising 2-1-1 record, which should be a 3-1 record if they didn’t tie with the Cardinals. They’ll need this bye week to get ready for the Packers, a game that will be thrilling to watch. For the Dolphins, does it even matter when they take the bye? The team has been horrible, BUT, I will say they’ve been improving every week, they even had a lead on the Chargers for a bit before eventually losing. The good news is, the Dolphins have this whole bye week to get ready for the Redskins, a very winnable game. Hell, I might even pick them next week. We’ll see how I’m feeling.
