Week 5 NFL picks

Cleveland at Buffalo: BUFFALO
Terrell Owens will definitely catch more than his current season-high 3 receptions against this Browns defense, and Trent Edwards HAS to be motivated to have a big game after what Rob Ryan had to say, right? (By the way Rob, I couldn't stick with that p90x either. Did the yoga throw you off, too?)

Pittsburgh at Detroit: PITTSBURGH
Daunte Culpepper is starting at quarterback and Calvin Johnson is a little banged up… (Not like Matthew Stafford would have necessarily been a better option against Dick Lebeau’s defense.)

Dallas at Kansas City: DALLAS
If the Cowboys lose this game, Wade Phillips needs to be fired. Hold up... That should already be the plan!

Minnesota at St. Louis: MINNESOTA
150 rushing yards against this defense may be a disappointment for Adrian Peterson. What is A.P.’s career high? He might surpass that. Seriously. And, check out this clip from the Viking's opening game of the 2009 season. How many of the running backs in the NFL have the talent to do this? In the 4th quarter. Exactly. 1.

Oakland at N.Y. Giants: N.Y. GIANTS
With or without Eli Manning, this will probably get ugly.

Tampa Bay at Philadelphia: PHILADELPHIA
Andy Reid’s agent picked a great week to publicize his client’s contract extension negotiations. The Eagles will win BIG with the return of Donovan McNabb and Bryant Westbrook. I look forward to seeing Michael Vick get some playing time, too.

Washington at Carolina: WASHINGTON
As bitch-made as Jason Campbell has been playing (Yes, "bitch-made" - I can say that since I don’t work for ESPN), he’s still been out-playing Jake Delhomme. As long as Jim Zorn doesn’t have DeAngelo “most overrated, over-paid cornerback ever” Hall covering Steve Smith, the Redskins should be fine - even with this dude as their quarterback.

Cincinatti at Baltimore: BALTIMORE
If this game was in Cincinatti this week, I’d probably pick the Bengals. The Ravens are just too good at home, and Cincinatti needs to show me more. Ed Reed has been relatively quiet up to this point so far this season… I expect him to make a couple of BIG plays. (Plays that will be way more relevant to the game's outcome than any clever TD celebrations Chad Ochocinco can come up with.)

Atlanta at San Francisco: ATLANTA
A lot of people aren’t talking about this game… but this is a big matchup between two former division rivals, that could also be a preview to a possible playoff matchup. This was the toughest game for me to pick this week. Glen Coffee has talent, but he’s no Frank Gore. And without the 49ers having a legitimate downfield receiving threat (Michael Crabtree will change that... just not this week), the Falcons should be able to stack the box with defenders and stifle Coffee and put a lot of pressure on Shaun Hill. Still, the 49ers defense is SOLID, so it won't be easy for Matt Ryan and company, either. If Michael Turner gets 20+ carries, the Falcons will pull out this tough game on the road.

Jacksonville at Seattle: SEATTLE
David Garrard had a big game last week. Mike Sims-Walker is emerging as a big-time receiver. But Julius Jones normally plays well at home and the Seattle fans are some of the loudest in the league. (I'm so glad I don't live in either of these markets... otherwise I'd be subjected to watching this crappy matchup, pitting Seneca Wallace vs. David Garrard... and there are people who actually question whether Tim Tebow can be a quarterback in the NFL?)

Houston at Arizona: ARIZONA
Ah, yes... the Fantasy Super Bowl! There will be more eyes on this game’s boxscore than any other game on the schedule. Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Tim Hightower, Steve Breaston, Matt Schaub, Steve Slaton, Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, and Owen Daniels… I can almost guarantee that you either have a player in this game in one of your starting lineups, or you’ll be facing a team, in one of your leagues, that has one of these players in their starting lineup. (Quick question... if you're a football fan and don't play fantasy football, what the hell is wrong with you? You're seriously missing out.)

New England at Denver: DENVER
I think Josh McDaniels is ready for this matchup against his former boss and mentor. The question is… is Kyle Orton? Orton is in pretty much the same position he was in for so long with the Chicago Bears. His defense is stingy. All he needs to do is manage the game and not turn the ball over. One thing he has now that he didn’t have before, however, is a receiver with the talent of Brandon Marshall.

Indianapolis at Tennessee: TENNESSEE
I don’t remember ever seeing the Titans host a Sunday night game. It should be an electric environment. I refuse to believe that a team that had 13 wins last year will start off 0-5. They’ll feed Chris Johnson. And then feed him some more. As good as Peyton Manning is, his streak of 300-yard passing games will come to an end on Sunday night.

(MONDAY NIGHT) N.Y. Jets at Miami: MIAMI
Unlike most players these days that pop off at the mouth, Joey Porter tends to not only back up his words with actions, but he seems to motivate and inspire his teammates, too. This week will be the 2nd consecutive mediocre performance for Mark Sanchez.