The first week of October is here. I know many people, myself included, are more focused on the MLB playoffs, but let's not forget about the NFL. It's week 5, and it's starting to become more clear who's good, and who's not. Last week I went 11-4-1 (the tie being the Packers-Cowboys game), making my record for the year 45-18-1.
49ers vs Rams (Thursday night) Rams win 30-21
Starting off with an interesting game, although it would be more interesting if Brock Purdy was playing (no disrespect to Mac Jones). The 49ers are 3-1, suffering their first loss to the Jaguars last week. Despite their good record, they're riddled with injuries. Nick Bosa, Purdy, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, the list goes on and on. The Rams have had some injuries, but not nearly as many. They are likely to be without Tyler Higbee and Rob Havenstein for this game. They are also 3-1, beating the Colts last week. Matthew Stafford looked incredible, throwing for 375 yards, 3 touchdowns and a 70% completion percentage. Puka Nacua had 13 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown. The offense is clicking on all cylinders right now, and they're hard to stop. That's why I have them winning this game.
Vikings vs Browns (London) Vikings win 27-10
The first game in London this year is not the most appealing one. The Vikings went to Dublin last week and nearly came back from a 24-6 deficit. But Carson Wentz's early struggles proved to be the difference. The defense wasn't great for most of the game. The receiving core was solid, with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison both having over 100 yards. The Browns got dominated in Detroit. The defense had no answers for the high-powered Detroit offense, and Joe Flacco did not look good, so Kevin Stefanski benched him in favor of Dillon Gabriel, a third-round rookie out of Oregon. I don't think it'll fix much. Vikings win.
Cowboys vs Jets- Cowboys win 28-21
The Cowboys are coming off a tie on Sunday Night Football, the first tie in 3 years. The defense looked terrible, but the offense looked great. Dak Prescott threw for over 300 yards and 3 scores, and George Pickens had over 130 yards and 2 scores.It was an interesting game. The Jets are coming off a loss in Miami to start 0-4, which isn't a surprise. The team just looks bad. Aaron Glenn hasn't fixed anything. The defense is bad, the offense isn't good. Nothing has gone right, and so I am picking the Cowboys to win.
Giants vs Saints- Giants win 24-21
The Giants benched Russell Wilson, and that turned out to be a good thing. The offense looked much better, and they took down the Chargers, but lost Malik Nabers for the season. So it was a bittersweet victory. The Saints kept it tight-ish with the Bills, and Spencer Rattler actually looked decent. This might be an interesting game, but I am taking the Giants.
Raiders vs Colts- Colts win 28-24
The Raiders lost in heartbreaking fashion, with their last-second kick getting blocked. Geno Smith looked like crap, throwing 3 interceptions. Ashton Jeanty had his best game of the year, though. The Colts lost a close game, thanks to Adonai Mitchell being an idiot and costing them 2 touchdowns. This should be a tight one, but I am picking the Colts.
Dolphins vs Panthers- Dolphins win 17-14
This should be a boring game. The Dolphins are no longer winless, but they lost Tyreek Hill for the rest of the year. Darren Waller played his first game in almost 2 years, and he scored twice. The defense looked okay, against a trash Jets team. The Panthers got demolished in New England, and their defense,which shut out the Falcons a week earlier, had no answers for Drake Maye. I am taking Miami because of how bad the Panthers looked last week.
Broncos vs Eagles- Eagles win 28-27
The Broncos demolished the Joe Burrow-less Bengals, and Bo Nix balled out. Vance Joseph's defense has looked decent thus far, but they have their biggest test this week against the defending Super Bowl champs. The Eagles dominated the Bucs for a half, but then Jalen Hurts didn't complete a pass in the second half, and the offense looked horrible. They still pulled it out, thanks to getting a stop on 4th down. I wouldn't be surprised if the Broncos make this a tight game, or even pull out a win. But I think (and hope) that the Eagles win.
Texans vs Ravens- Texans win 10-7
Oh, God. This was expected to be a huge game at the start of the season. Now it's turned into a potential slog. The Texans finally got a win last week, but it was against the Titans and Brian Callahan. Their offense looked like trash in the first 3 quarters, but finally started clicking in the final quarter. The defense looked good, but again, it wasn't impressive. The Ravens not only got their ass kicked by Kansas City (again), but they lost Lamar Jackson for a few weeks, and Cooper Rush doesn't look good. You saw how the Bengals look with no Joe Burrow, I wouldn't be surprised if Baltimore looks the same. This looks like it'll be a sloppy-ass game, but I am going with the Texans because Lamar Jackson is hurt.
Titans vs Cardinals- Cardinals win 34-14
As previously mentioned, the Titans lost to the Texans and Brian Callahan's seat is flaming hot. Cam Ward doesn't look good, but he's in a bad situation right now. Things are not fun in Tennessee, and it doesn't look like it'll get better. The Cardinals lost a heartbreaking game to the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. They kicked the ball short of the landing zone, which gave Seattle a good field position to walk it off. Marvin Harrison Jr. redeemed himself after running a bad route by catching a touchdown to tie it up. Kyler Murray also turned it around by throwing 2 touchdowns in 5 minutes. The defense looked alright. Not awful, just alright. I do think Arizona will win this with ease.
Buccaneers vs Seahawks- Seahawks win 37-30
This should be a good one. The Buccaneers came close to shocking the reigning champs, but got stopped on 4th down to end it. Baker Mayfield had himself a solid game, wth 289 yards and 2 touchdowns. Chase Laughlin kicked the 2nd longest field goal in history, making a 65 yarder. Emeka Egbuka had a 100 yard game, as did Bucky Irving. As previously mentioned, the Seahawks got a win over the Cardinals thanks to an error they made. The defense held the Cardinals in check, until the last 5 minutes. Sam Darnold had a nice game, with 242 yards and a TD. I am taking Seattle because they are at home.
Lions vs Bengals- Lions win 35-7
This is another one that was hyped before the season and is now looking less appealing. The Lions wrecked the Browns. Amon-Ra St.Brown balled out with two touchdowns, and Jahmyr Gibbs had a score. The defense grinded it out. And they even had a punt return score. The Bengals look completely lost without Joe Burrow. Jake Browning looks awful, the defense looks awful, everything looks awful. That's why Detroit should easily win this one.
Commanders vs Chargers- Commanders win 31-28 (if Jayden Daniels plays); Chargers win 27-17 (if Daniels doesn't play)
This should be an interesting one. The Commanders lost to Atlanta, and Marcus Mariota looked very average. The defense didn't look good. It just was not a good game. The Chargers lost to the Giants, and Joe Alt was injured and might not come back for a while. The defense was okay, but the offense struggled. I think that whether or not Jayden Daniels plays will determine the outcome of this game. The offense hasn't been good without him.
Patriots vs Bills (Sunday night)- Patriots win 34-31
The Patriots blew out the Panthers last week, and Drake Maye couldn't be stopped. The defense was very good, but the offense won them this game. The Bills won a closer-than-anticipated game with the Saints. Josh Allen looked damn good, but there were some flaws by the Bills. That's why I am taking the Pats here, although I wouldn't be surprised at all if Buffalo pulled it out.
Chiefs vs Jaguars (Monday Night)- Chiefs win 30-27
The Chiefs are back to being elite, at least it looks like it. They steamrolled the Ravens, and Patrick Mahomes threw 4 touchdowns. The defense looked damn good as well. I really like Steve Spagnuolo as a defensive coordinator. This is what we expected from the Chiefs heading into the year. Can they keep it up? I don't know, because the Jaguars are coming off a good performance of their own. They upset the 49ers in their house, and Trevor Lawrence had a solid game. Travis Ettienne had a good game on the ground. The defense was not bad as well. Liam Coen is a good coach, but I don't think he can beat Andy Reid.
Those are my predictions for this week. Will I be right? We'll see.
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