Who Dat Dish NFL Pick’em! Week Five
By John Hendrix
Sep 21, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) celebrates a touchdown by Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard (not pictured) during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 33-7. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Who Dat Dish NFL Pick’em is back for another week of our game picks. MacGyver and Ryne both finished 8-5 for the week, but Andrew stays in firm command of the top spot. Let’s look at the rough patch of standings after Week Four:
- Andrew (@ShootsMcGavin), 41-20
- Simon (@Daugulis), 35-26
- Ian (@IDear_Sports), 34-27
- John (@JohnJHendrix), 34-27
- MacGyver (@SaintsTailgate), 34-27
- Federico (@FedeFerrari10), 33-28
- Barry (@HarahanWhoDat), 33-28
- Ryne (@RHancock19), 30-31
In case you forgot, here’s the teams on the bye week this week: Dolphins, Raiders. This means we’re only minus one game this week, here’s how Week Five plays out:
Thoughts from John
Minnesota at Green Bay
It’s a division clash, the 108th in history. In this decade, the Packers have a 7-1-1 record. That might be what you need to know for this matchup, and that it’s at Lambeau. Of course, Teddy Bridgewater shocked us all against the Falcons, but it looks like it’ll be Christian Ponder starting. Yup.
Chicago at Carolina
Insert the ‘Ron Rivera facing his former squad’ headline. The Panthers are coming off of an embarassing loss to the Ravens, where Steve Smith extracted his revenge. The Panthers are also banged up, and have huge problems at the running back position. The Bears, specifically Jay Cutler, should play much better and earn a road win.
Houston at Dallas
It’s the Battle of Texas. Both squads enter the picture at 3-1, and the Texans have been mainly powered by their defense. The Cowboys are clicking on all cylinders, and are riding the momentum train after a big victory over the Saints. I think the Cowboys might struggle more here, but they’ll wind up coming out on top after it’s all said and done.
Buffalo at Detroit
Detroit showed everyone that you can win without Megatron. It might not have been the best win of the year, but it was a win. As for the Bills, it’s crazy to think that despite them losing two in a row that they still lead the AFC East. I don’t look for the Bills to win here, but they might give the Lions a run for their money.
Baltimore at Indianapolis
After starting 0-2, the Colts are back on track. They’ve put up 85 points in the past two games. Granted, it was Jacksonville and Tennessee, two rival AFC South opponents. Baltimore, who is 3-1, is riding a major high from defeating the Panthers last week, has the second highest point differential (+43) in the NFL. Joe Flacco vs. Andrew Luck could turn into quite a battle, but in the end, I like Luck to edge out the Ravens.
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville
After a loss to one of the worst team’s in the NFL, the Steelers are back for an encore against the Jags. Are we thinking that this might just be another upset? Not so much. Look for the Steelers to roll.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans
As customary, look for my Keys to the Game, but let’s just say this Saints’ team has to show something strong this week.
Atlanta at New York Giants
The Falcons have a ton of woes on their offensive line right now, and their defense isn’t getting any better. They’re 0-2 on the road this year, and now fact a red-hot Giants squad. I like the Giants pass rush to frustrate Matt Ryan a great deal. Look for the Giants to avenge the 34-0 thrashing they suffered at the hands of the Falcons in 2012.
St. Louis at Philadelphia
Let me make this easy for you. Philly is facing the Rams at home, who are fresh off their bye week, and just came off of a hard loss to the 49ers. I think we’re going to see a real intense game from the Eagles.
Cleveland at Tennesee
Where is this Titans team that upset the Chiefs in Week One? Let’s just say they’re a distant memory at this point. The Titans have lost three straight games, and have now been outscored by 50 points, which is third worst in the NFL right now. The Browns followed up their impressive upset of the Saints in Week 2 by losing a heartbreaker to Baltimore in Week 3. I think the Brownies will win here, they can cause a lot of problems defensively for the Titans.
Arizona at Denver
Arizona is one of two unbeaten teams remaining in the NFL, and they now face the Broncos on the road. Both of these teams are fresh off the bye, so they’ve had ample time to prepare for each other. The Cardinals aren’t likely getting Carson Palmer back, which is really going to hurt them against the Broncos defense. Look for Peyton to roll.
New York Jets at San Diego
Geno Smith won’t beat the Chargers, and no one in New York thinks it either. End of story.
Kansas City at San Francisco
Alex Smith returns to face his former team, and I don’t expect much of a welcoming from the 49ers following. But then again, I chose against the Chiefs because of their struggles, and look what they did to the Pats. Still, I have to go with my gut and choose the home boys.
Cincinatti at New England
It’s strange to think the Patriots are sitting near the bottom of the AFC East right now, but they have struggled two weeks in a row. The Bengals are fresh off of the bye week, and have had ample time to prepare. I think we’l see a big response from Tom Brady, but I’ll take Andy Dalton and all of those Bengals offensive weapons to prevail.
Seattle at Washington
Given the last prime time affair for the Redskins, I don’t see it going any different, especially with the Seahawks coming to town well rested off their bye week. Kirk Cousins might be throwing a plethora of picks.
Continue on for analysis from Ian Mitchell-Dear!