NFL Week 5 game picks Chiefs over Jaguars Eagles nip Vikings

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NFL Week 5 game picks: Chiefs over Jaguars; Eagles nip Vikings Published: Oct 04, 2018 at 05:30 AM Elliot Harrison Playoff time. OK, maybe not, but you can be darn sure a handful of games carry that kind of weight for several teams. Take , where Minnesota can ill afford a 1-3-1 start and yet another conference lo s. If Philly falls at home -- with contests on tap later this month -- the defending champs could end up 3-5 at the midway point. in another desperation game. A lo s would put them at 1-3-1; not good when the and both have serious potential to log double-digit wins. If the drop this game at Heinz Field, they could fall 3.5 games back of the (because New Orleans beat them ). in an important division game. If Detroit takes another L, that will be three lo ses in conference. The ' sole win thus far came . Wins against AFC teams won't help them -- or any other NFC wild-card hopeful -- when it's tiebreaker time. Then there's , which could have postseason implications of a different sort: Who gets home-field come January? Meanwhile, in a contest that is especially significant for the latter. Not to mention, when you get Dallas and Houston together, well, the matchup provides some juice: Long story short: It might be early October, but these games carry quite a bit of significance in the NFL hierarchy. Speaking of which, you folks had some thoughts on ... Thanks, Donald. Well, I do like the (ranked second) and Jags (ranked third) to make it to the postseason. Kansas City and Jacksonville -- not exactly big markets. And regarding the , yes, you (and many other folks) correctly pointed out that my 8-8 prediction was, um, flawed. Titans could go 16-0, win every playoff game, and win the Superbowl and y'all would still have them 15th on the list lol Po siblyCT (@CainanCT) Not true, Cainan. They'd be at least 14th. The travel up north to this week. This is the kind of game that Tenne see must take control of -- and win handily -- to be taken seriously as a contender. Your take on that game, and all the others, is welcome: is the place. THURSDAY, OCT. 4 35, 17 Indy is simply too banged up to win in New England on a short week. Of the absences, 's -- he was Wednesday -- is probably the most significant. But don't simply a sume the posture that OK, they are, but do you realize what a tough out they've been thus far this year? and had a chance to win on a two-minute drive late. in the latter team's home opener, then at the home of the defending champion . Last week, it took Cam Talbot Jersey overtime and . Remember the, uh, last time these teams played each other in prime time? 's won't be nearly as problematic for as it would have been without returning from suspension. SUNDAY, OCT. 7 16, 13 Let's see ... The can get after the quarterback and the can't protect the quarterback. On paper, Tenne see should win this matchup going away. But if and the pa sing game regre s from last week's , then Buffalo has a chance. As always, turnovers are key with the , particularly at home. Mike Vrabel's offense isn't built to take a lot of risks and, thus, shouldn't give the ball away all that often, though Mariota committed an egregious turnover against the last week. Both teams need to push their starting tailbacks out of the starting blocks. Tenne see's has rushed for just 163 yards -- at a measly 3.0 yards per carry -- over the first four weeks of the season. Buffalo's doesn't even have 100 yards on the season yet. Oy. 34, 27 The (1-3) own a losing record, but they can move the football (ranked seventh on offense). The (30th in yards allowed) can't stop anybody. Their defense is reaching depths that, frankly, are unprecedented in franchise lore. Coordinator Keith Butler's unit is on pace to allow 464 point this year. Only twice in history has Pittsburgh ever allowed more than 400 points in a season: back 1969 -- Chuck Noll's first season, when the won all of one game -- and again in 1988. In '69, they allowed 28.9 points per game -- one-tenth of a point le s than they're allowing now. It's gnarly. The are exactly 29.0 points per game. However, Atlanta's offense is the same on gra s -- witne s , when the limped to 12 points in Philadelphia. In 10 games away from the friendly (turf-covered) confines of their home stadium last year Ryan Smyth Jersey (including postseason), they only scored 209. And don't forget that they have problems on defense, too (28th overall, 30th in points allowed). 20, 16 The have been a decidedly different team away from home, losing 10 of their last 11 road games. In theory, they are superior to the at most of the key positions. But New York is bound to recover at some point, probably around the same time that rookie QB takes a step forward. He has completed a subpar percentage of his pa ses (57.5) and hasn't been able to connect downfield since Week 1. The ' offense involve . Take a page out of the old Bruce Arians playbook and throw deep at least once per half, if not once per quarter. Make Denver play the whole field. QB Case Keenum: no TD pa ses in his last three games. 23, 20 How do the defend ? Do they rush the front four only and play coverage on the back end with numbers? If so, they will need to account for (who was fantastic in the win ) by playing a safety close to the line or using all three linebackers. They can blitz or try to confuse Mahomes, but I'm not sure that will work ... especially with crowd noise not being a factor for the ' offense. My gue s is that Jacksonville DC Todd Wash generally rushes four -- a tactic that has won games for this team -- but makes sure his DEs don't get washed up in the pocket. Mahomes is deadly on the run with that rubber-band arm of his. The challenge for Jacksonville offensively will be generating a run game behind and ( ) with which to limit Kansas City's po se sions. That's how the Jags will win Sunday. 28, 24 The win, narrowly. Every time you think Detroit is going to lose, they win. If the are to prevail over their division rivals, they must run the football. Why make a defense that struggles to stop opposing pa sers stay on the field for 10 po se sions or more? Shorten the game and play to your strengths. I also harped on this in this week. Let me just support this argument by pointing out that, though Detroit does have the second-ranked pa sing defense in terms of yards, the have allowed quarterbacks a 104.2 pa ser rating. That's awful. They succeeded in making QB , and that's hard to do. With defensive lineman , Detroit should test that Green Bay front. I think bounces back this week. 20, 17 The have a habit of laying eggs after impre sive showings; see in Cincinnati following of Buffalo. So, while Baltimore is a quality team with a legit chance to win the AFC North, the could definitely falter in Cleveland after . will rebound from in Oakland -- although unlike in that scoring bonanza, I don't anticipate teams combining for even 60 points. was on point last Sunday night, but he'll encounter a much better pa s rush and secondary than what he faced in Pittsburgh. This could come down to the kicking game, which certainly favors John Harbaugh's team. at ... ruh roh. 25, 17 There are so many reasons not to like the in this contest. Let me see if I can enumerate a few: 1) New York's offense has been nothing short of fugly.2) Big Blue can't protect the quarterback (they've allowed 15 sacks, fifth-most in the NFL).3) The are rested off the bye.4) Carolina is at home. If the are to take this uber-important (at least, for them) game on the road, they must feed the ball . He's caught a ton of dump-offs. Run the football, and slow down a pa s rush that has gotten after the quarterback quite succe sfully in two home dates thus far (eight sacks.) 22, 17 Is this the week the prove that they aren't and are actually worthy of our consideration as a playoff contender? No. The own a more talented roster and are at home. The potential shortcoming for them this week is won't be fully ready to roll. There's also the underwhelming performance from Cincinnati's defense thus far. fans were the first to admonish your friendly writer not to discount the ability on that side of the ball -- and yet, through four games, they've allowed 28.3 points per game. That's OK, though; Miami (20.5 points per game) can't score that many. 30, 27 Can the make the pay? The tight end was unstoppable . Through four games, he's become 's most reliable target, hauling in 26 balls for 370 yards and two touchdowns. Oakland wouldn't have won last weekend without him. That's scary for a Bolts defense that allowed TE to go nuts (six catches for 125 yards and a touchdown). Maybe rookie safety will blitz le s and cover the tight end more this weekend. Oakland won't be able to take its second AFC match in a row if it can't pre sure a lick. The have secured all of five sacks in four games. That ain't enough. 24, 21 The should get involved early and let that offensive line hit people. Otherwise, it will be on to put Arizona on his back in his first road start. All eyes on this game -- OK, admittedly, this might be the least-watched game this weekend -- will be on the rookie QB, but don't forget about San Francisco signal-caller , who played his tail off last weekend . Arizona's defense has performed admirably, given the dearth of offense the Cards have generated, but that unit can be had. Look for Niners coach Kyle Shanahan to find creative ways to utilize running backs and , as well as Beathard's mobility. The guy is far from a statue back there. Although if the kid is gonna move out of the pocket, . 26, 23 The two combatants from the 2017 NFC title game aren't off to the kind of start everyone expected in 2018. The ' once-vaunted defense has allowed Leif Erikson and everyone else to go from coast to coast. After torched the Vikes they face the man who went one spot behind Goff in the 2016 . Key for will be to get going early. That might fall as much on Philly coach Doug Pederson as his quarterback. If heats up for Minnesota, look out -- the ' secondary has been woeful thus far. I'm seeing Philadelphia rebound in front of the home crowd, but this NFC matchup could go either way. If the fall to 1-3-1, they had better hope the drop to 2-2-1 in Detroit. Otherwise, Mike Zimmer's group will be in a sizable hole in the NFC North. 35, 17 Can the slow down without ? They slowed Goff and the aerial circus ( Thomas), mostly because the were up five scores and didn't have to throw. Goff only dropped back 23 times in that game while watching , and Co. carry the ball 43 times for . for the , there is no reason for coach Sean McVay to pump the brakes on the most lethal pa sing attack in pro football. Noise could play a role -- if it does, turn around and hand the ball to No. 30. Seattle's run defense has stunk thus far (27th in the NFL). As for the other side, isn't taking off much these days, averaging a scant 2.8 carries per game. He might need to triple that figure for the to stay in this one. 24, 20 Bill Ranford Jersey The ' offense last week, while the . Let's talk about Dallas first. The formula is Plain Jane at this point: Run 25 times and aim to have the offensive line jump to a fast start (not a start) by hitting people. will see single coverage all day, like he did against the , because neither he nor the receiving corps scare defensive coordinators the way Elliott does. As for Houston, Bill O'Brien must plan to use out of the pocket. Mitigate the Dallas pa s rush while making LBs and try to run Watson down. The ' ground game is not enough to keep the honest. MONDAY, OCT. 8 34, 30 The come off the bye with fresh legs. Last year, at the same venue, in one of ' better games. Can keep up if this year's bout morphs into another 34-31 affair? He hasn't shown that ability yet in Washington. On the other sideline, is coming off , statistically speaking; neverthele s, he made key plays when New Orleans had to have them. The future quarterback shows no signs of slowing down, boasting the highest completion percentage in the league (75.8), with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. The must force takeaways to leave town with a win. But the have made no such mistakes in their last two contests. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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