Last week was my 5th straight week of double-digit games correctly picked. My score of 10 out of 14 brings my yearly total to 56 games correctly picked thus far – which puts me in the top 2.3% of all people in ESPN’s Pigskin Pick ‘Em. Other then the Colts’ route of the Titans (I should probably take a negative on that pick), the teams I picked to win that lost (Bills, Ravens, and Redskins) all lost by just 3 points apiece.
Last week was also my 1st week of picking games against the spread… that went just as well, with me picking 10 out of the 14 games correctly.
(click the image below for a detailed view of my week 5 picks against the spread)
Moving on to this week’s picks…
Houston at Cincinatti: CINCINATTI
Cedric Benson’s ability to produce the type of #’s that people were expecting from Steve Slaton at the start of the season (but has yet to deliver) gives the Bengals the edge here.
Detroit at Green Bay: GREEN BAY
The Packers will not only win, but cover the double-digit spread against the Lions. Given Calvin Johnson’s unknown status as to whether or not he’ll play, I have a feeling this one will get out of hand early.
Baltimore at Minnesota: BALTIMORE
Yeah, the Vikings are 5-0. However, their wins have come against the 1-4 Browns, 1-4 Lions, 3-2 49ers, 2-2 Packers, and 0-5 Rams. This will be their toughest matchup yet, and with Percy Harvin banged up, how many legitimate threats will Brett Favre have at his disposal? I expect the Ravens to stack the box heavily to stop Adrian Peterson.
And one more thing… yeah, Ray “Killa” Lewis was penalized 15 yards (which helped give Cincinatti a win over the Ravens last week) and fined $25,000 for it, but don’t you think the Vikings’ receivers will have this on their mind on any crossing routes over the middle?
Easily the game of the week. I know it’s only week 6 of the season, but both of these teams have looked good enough to be legitimate Super Bowl Champions… this could very well be the NFC championship game. I’m giving the edge to the Giants this week because of their experience, and like New Orleans, they are coming off a bye week. (Unless you want to count the Raiders as a real game)
Carolina at Tampa Bay: TAMPA BAY
I mean, who really cares?
Kansas City at Washington: WASHINGTON
Kansas City was able to take Dallas into overtime last week, but they should really struggle to put points on the board against Washington. (That is, unless Jason Campbell repeatedly turns the ball over and gives Kansas City a short field to work with.)
St. Louis at Jacksonville: JACKSONVILLE
Can you believe what Donnie Avery did when he scored that meaningless touchdown last week? Instead of the “Stanky Leg,” he should’ve been doing “The Jerk.” What an idiot! And I feel sorry for Steven Jackson. He would be a superstar in this league if he was on another team. Unfortunately for him, they will be down early again, and Marc Bulger will be forced to throw early and often.
Cleveland at Pittsburgh: PITTSBURGH
Rashard Mendenhall is healthy enough to play despite battling the flu earlier this week. Willie Parker will be ready to go. And most importantly, Troy Polamalu will be back to anchor Pittsburgh’s defense. The Steelers win in a blowout.
Arizona at Seattle: SEATTLE
Matt Hasselbeck is back. And he and T.J. Houshmandzadeh seem to be clicking now. Arizona’s pass defense ranks last in the league. If Seattle can get some early sacks or knockdowns on Kurt Warner (you know how he gets all woozy when he’s hit), they should win pretty easily.
Philadelphia at Oakland: PHILADELPHIA
It was getting so ugly at the Meadowlands last week, Eli Manning didn’t have to play through the 2nd quarter against Oakland. Since this game is in Oakland, Donovan McNabb may play 3 quarters.
Buffalo at N.Y. Jets: N.Y. JETS
Braylon Edwards has to feel good about having a legitimate QB to throw him the ball. But if you don’t think he was purposely playing like a buster just so that he could be traded (a la Randy “I look like I should retire with the Raiders to I’m still the most dangerous WR in the league with the Patriots” Moss), then you probably think Terrell Owens is still relevant.
Tennessee at New England: NEW ENGLAND
People are beginning to see that Albert Haynesworth was literally, and figuratively, a HUGE reason why the Tennessee Titans were so successful last year. Tom Brady and the Patriots will actually look like a dangerous team again this week.
Chicago at Atlanta: ATLANTA
This should be a great game. I expect a high-scoring game, and because the game is being played in the Georgia Dome, the Falcons will come out on top.
Denver at San Diego: SAN DIEGO
Denver is for real. They proved that last week. But if San Diego finds a way to get the ball in Darren Sproles’s hands at least 15 times, the Chargers will end the Broncos’ undefeated streak, in this divisional matchup.
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