Week 5 produced another 2-2 week which brings the year to date total to 11-9-2. New England finally lost a game the one time I decide that they are a good bet.
Also Cam Newton and the Panthers laid an absolute egg after their bye week to a Arizona Cardinals team that has been very up and down this year and very difficult to predict. My two wins were St. Louis which covered a very big spread against the Jaguars and the Chiefs who kept their undefeated season alive and kept me above .500 for the year by beating the Titans. This week brings some very close games to call and the Broncos are also in another peculiar situation.
1. Philadelphia (-2.5) at Tampa Bay
Both of these teams have been having fairly disappointing seasons so far, but I believe that the Eagles can pull this game out by at least a field goal. If this game moves up to 3 I would use caution, and if it moves up to 3.5 I would stay away, but since it is under a field goal I really like this game. Even if Vick cannot play and Nick Foles steps in, I have confidence that he, along with Lesean McCoy can beat this stingy Tampa Bay defense. Mike Glennon is coming off a bye week so he has gotten a lot of reps in practice and playing a terrible Philly defense will help, but in the end the Eagles have too much offense.
2. Oakland (+8.5) at Kansas City
A good ol’ fashioned AFC West rivalry that finally has some spark in it since these teams have been struggling in recent years. The Chiefs have gotten off to an unbelievable start giving the Broncos a run for their money in the division, but do not sleep on Terrell Pryor and the Raiders just yet. With Pryor starting, they seem like a different team with some life. He has been throwing vertically more to Denarious Moore and they finally seem to have some rhythm. Also the Raiders are getting Darren McFadden back which is a huge addition as long as he can stay healthy. I still see the Chiefs winning this game, but look for the Raiders to keep it close.
3. New Orleans (+2) at New Engalnd
The Patriots do not lose two games in a row, especially when the second game is in Foxborough. However, this New Orleans team has looked great this season and shows no signs of slowing down. Being able to get a 5-0 team as an underdog just seems too good to pass up especially since Rob Gronkowski looks to be sitting this game out. The Saints defense looks much improved with Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator and Tom Brady and his receivers do not seem to be fully in synch yet. They big key to this game will be the New England running game. They ran the ball at will against the Falcons so I fully expect the Saints to buckle down and stop Lagarrette Blount. Saints win outright in a close game.
4. Indianapolis (-1.5) at San Diego
This is the Monday Night game so this game has some time to change but it has not all week so I do not expect the number to move too much. The Colts just seem like the better team in this situation and with a 1.5 spread it is basically a pick ‘em. I am on the Andrew Luck bandwagon and with the Chargers coming off a bad loss to the Raiders, Philip Rivers may be on the verge of a meltdown if this game does not go his way early. This is actually my favorite pick of the week and expect the Colts to win by at least a touchdown.
5. Denver (-27) vs Jacksonville
I have been waiting for this game for a couple weeks now, to see what Vegas would put this spread at. As of now this is the second biggest spread in NFL history and the biggest since a 28 point spread in 1966. If Peyton Manning plays into the 4th quarter than this spread should be no problem, along with the 53.5 over. However, I have a feeling that the Broncos will pull Manning after halftime leaving this game up in the air. Blaine Gabbert will have a very tough time with this Denver defense especially after allowing 48 points to Dallas last week. John Fox will have them fully prepared for this game even though it is a huge mismatch. The big spread between Seattle and Jacksonville burned me a few weeks ago, so this time I am going with the favorite 52-14.
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Josh Sisco
Josh was born and raised in Westerly, Rhode Island. He graduated from Western New England university with a degree in accounting. He's a huge fan of almost every sport (including golf and NASCAR), and a personal fan of Red Sox, Cowboys, and Mavericks.
