October 8, 2020 by Mike Madden

NFL Week 5

Last week

9-6 this week with a number of upsets, the biggest of which was surely in San Francisco. A lot of teams with QB issues, whilst the Packers, Chiefs, Bills and Seahawks continue undefeated. Covid has raised a grim issue that the NFL has to meet head on as the season enters an already disrupted period.

Week 5 Predictions

Buccaneers 28 Bears 17

Brady is on a roll and I don’t see that changing here no matter who the Bears’ QB is.

Rams 17 Washington 10

Low scoring game as defenses dominate.

Bills 27 Titans 24

Expect a great game going to the wire. Josh Allen triumphs over Ryan Tannehill.

Eagles 20 Steelers 31

Its anyone’s guess how the Steelers will fare after an unexpected week off, but I think last week’s victory for Philly was more down to the 49ers’ problems rather than excellence from the Eagles. Big Ben quickly knocks back their hope.

Cardinals 31 Jets 24

Joe Flacco still has it, but the rest of the Jets probably don’t. Kyler Murray gets back on track in a friendly New York.

Raiders 20 Chiefs 38

Mahomes back to his best, and the Raiders are unlikely to stifle him. Carr may just be starting to feel the heat,

Jaguars 14 Texans 33

Texans back in the game under Romeo Crennel. May be papering over the cracks as it is only Jacksonville, but a much needed win.

Bengals 24 Ravens 28

Surprisingly close as Burrow evades the pass rush and finds a variety of targets. Ultimately Jackson has the better team behind him.

Panthers 21 Falcons 24

One last hurrah for the Falcons as Bridgewater can’t quite manufacture a fourth quarter comeback. However, if the Falcons can’t get Calvin Ridley into the game it could be another embarrassing loss.

Dolphins 21 49ers 20

Vintage Fitzmagic as the 49ers fall to a shock home defeat behind a quarterback dilemma.

Giants 31 Cowboys 34

For a brief moment it looks like the Giants get their first win, but a late rally sees Dak take the Cowboys to the top of their division.

Colts 24 Browns 21

The loss of Nick Chubb means the Colts can concentrate on Kareem Hunt, and Rivers drives the visitors to victory.

Broncos 10 Patriots 34

The Pats running game explodes taking the pressure off whoever is under center.

Vikings 24 Seahawks 33

Plenty of points for the Vikings, but they can’t find a way to stop Wilson.

Chargers 24 Saints 34

Brees gets his mojo back, but the Saints still give up too many points.

Week 4 Results

Broncos 37 Jets 28

(My prediction Broncos 10 Jets 21)

Jets are officially the worst team in football – at least we have come out of the run of poor Thursday night games.

Ravens 31 Washington 17

(Ravens 35 Washington 10)

Regulation win for the Ravens who can start to put the Chiefs out of their mind.

Chargers 31 Buccaneers 38

(Chargers 13 Buccaneers 31)

Some performance by Herbert going toe to toe with Brady. Not quite enough as TB12 threw 5 TDs, and it doesn’t get any easier for the Chargers QB as he faces Drew Brees this week.

Seahawks 31 Dolphins 23

(Seahawks 32 Dolphins 24)

Another show of strength from Wilson, but the Dolphins kept it close giving them some hope for the future.

Vikings 31 Texans 23

(Vikings 20 Texans 34)

The game that cost Bill O’Brien his job. I think the Texans can still turn it around – and I am not convinced this will be the start of better things for the Vikings.

Saints 35 Lions 29

(Saints 31 Lions 24)

Brees needed this victory to quell some murmuring doubts. Stafford did not need the loss – speculation on which way the Lions are heading. My view is they will continue to stagnate until big changes are made.

Browns 49 Cowboys 38

(Browns 18 Cowboys 33)

The Browns dominated this despite the late rally. Troubled times in Dallas, but at least they are in a division that will probably be won with an 8-8 record or worse. The Browns are confident at the moment – could they finally live up to the hype?

Jaguars 25 Bengals 33

(Jaguars 23 Bengals 31)

Well deserved first win for the Bengals and Burrow, and virtually without AJ Green. The Jaguars were not favoured by the spread, which is a worry in itself, difficult to see where their next win will come from.

Colts 19 Bears 11

(Colts 24 Bears 27)

Colts defense proved to be one of the best in the NFL, and the Bears showed that their problems do not all centre around the QB.

Cardinals 21 Panthers 31

(Cardinals 28 Panthers 24)

The Cardinals stalled again, showing signs of the inconsistency that was expected last year but which we thought might have gone this year. Teddy Bridgewater pulling an average team together and helping them to overperform.

Giants 9 Rams 17

(Giants 10 Rams 38)

Giants kept this a lot closer than expected, but they are still 0-4. Rams stuttered but got the win, and will be concerned about the lack of offensive production.

Bills 30 Raiders 23

(Bills 24 Raiders 21)

Good solid performance from the Bills with Josh Allen certainly knocking on the door to be considered elite. Bit early for me. The Raiders drop to 2-2 and their well documented Jekyll and Hyde performances continue.

Patriots 10 Chiefs 26

(Patriots 24 Chiefs 35)

Brian Hoyer getting a lot of stick for this one, and rightly so, but credit to the Patriots for keeping this very close for a long time. Patriots need Newton back as quickly as possible. Are the Chiefs that good? Or do they just reserve their best performances for the Ravens.

Eagles 25 49ers 20

(Eagles 17 49ers 30)

More QB trouble in San Francisco, and a big upset win for the Eagles. They now find themselves at the top of their division, thanks to their tie against the Bengals who find themselves bottom of theirs.

Falcons 16 Packers 30

(Falcons 16 Packers 38)

This was so easy for the Packers despite missing their two top receivers. Rodgers enjoying the game right now, the same can’t say the same about Ryan and Atlanta.

AFC East

Bills
Patriots
Dolphins
Jets

AFC North

Ravens
Steelers
Browns
Bengals

AFC South

Texans
Titans
Colts
Jaguars

I will give the Texans one more week to turn it around under a new head coach.

AFC West

Chiefs
Raiders
Chargers
Broncos

Tempted to move the Chargers up a spot!

AFC Seeds

Chiefs
Ravens
Bills
Texans
Patriots
Steelers
Raiders

AFC Play Offs

Ravens beat Raiders
Bills beat Steelers
Texans beat Patriots

Chiefs beat Texans
Ravens beat Bills

Chiefs beat Ravens

NFC East

Cowboys
Giants
Eagles
Washington

NFC North

Packers
Bears
Vikings
Lions

NFC South

Saints
Buccaneers
Panthers
Falcons

NFC West

Seahawks
Rams
49ers
Cardinals

NFC Seeds

Packers
Saints
Seahawks
Cowboys
Rams
Buccaneers
49ers

NFC Play Offs

Saints beat 49ers
Seahawks beat Buccaneers
Cowboys beat Rams

Packers beat Cowboys
Saints beat Seahawks

Packers beat Saints

Superbowl

Packers beat Chiefs