Are the Chicago Bears finally back? After Mitchell Trubisky looked like the next coming of Peyton Manning, tossing touchdowns to five different receivers, the Bears could be a serious threat to steal the NFC North crown away from the favored Vikings and Packers. Meanwhile in the AFC, the Patriots and Titans stunning performances set the stage for a competitive playoff chase.The second quarter of the NFL season has commenced! Let’s get the party started with “NFL Updates Express: Week 5 2018” Predictions.
Week 3 Prediction Record: 8-7
Total Prediction Record: 35-26-2
Week 4 Awards:
Most Entertaining Game: TIE: Browns vs Raiders and Vikings vs Rams
Upset of the Week: Titans over Eagles
Player of the Week: Mitchell Trubisky, Bears (354 yards passing, 6 TDs)
Team of the Week: Tennessee Titans
Rookie of the Week: Keke Coutee, Texans (11 REC for 109 yards); Keke, do you love me?
Did you really think the Miami Dolphins took the AFC East over from the GOAT, Tom Brady? I certainly hope not. Sony Michel ran for over 100 yards as the Patriots continue to show why they’re the class of the AFC. Despite what people say, I firmly believe that New England will remain a top three team in the conference, rivaling the Chiefs, Jags, and the emerging Titans. Indy is the definition of a young team. They play scrappy every week but can’t quite find the surge to grab the victory. Every one of their losses also provided them with a chance to win on the team’s final offensive drive. In Gillette, the Colts reign of “so close but yet so far” is likely to end. WR Julian Edelman makes his season debut for the Pats as he returns from his four-game suspension. Need I say more. I’ve learned my lesson already. Don’t doubt the Patriots...ever.
New England Patriots 31, Indianapolis Colts 20 (TNF)
The Broncos came oh so close to knocking off the currently undefeated Chiefs on Monday Night Football. If Case Keenum placed a better ball with under thirty seconds left on the sideline, we’d be highlighting Denver a lot more than we are today. The Jets have crumbled after a hot Week 1. To Sam Darnold’s credit, he just had to face off against the best defense in the league so no harm, no foul there. That being said, the Broncos defense is legit as they come...except when they give up a 2nd and 30 (sorry Chris Harris Jr). Philip Lindsay and Royce Freeman may be the best RB duo in the league at the moment. What makes it better is that they are both rookies. Expect them to shine in a Denver win this Sunday.
Denver Broncos 24, New York Jets 10
The Lions could easily be sitting here at 3-1 right now. Instead, they’re 1-3. The Packers could be sitting at 1-3. Instead, they’re 2-1-1. I’m super confused why Matt Patricia feels that Kerryon Johnson DOESN’T need more carries! That’s absurd. He’s clearly their most effective running back so he needs more touches. Meanwhile, the Packers are giving the ball to their hot hand in Aaron Jones. He undoubtedly deserves more carries going forward. Jaire Alexander and the Packers secondary has played extremely well but they get the tough challenge of taking on a three-headed monster in the Detroit passing game. Limit the damage here and I’ll be writing much more about the Packers D instead of their offense. In a dogfight, give me Green Bay.
Green Bay Packers 27, Detroit Lions 23
Eric Reid is back in the NFL? The disgruntled safety finally is back on a roster. He should provide a huge boost to a team desperate for a safety with Da’Norris Searcy placed on injured reserve last week. The Panthers benefited by not playing this weekend as the Bengals knocked off the Falcons and the Bucs got run by the woodshed against the Monsters of the Midway. Carolina is well known for running the football but their leading rusher the past few seasons has been their quarterback. Christian McCaffrey is set to change that. Despite his small stature, he is showing why he was a top ten pick, dashing through the tackles as one of the league’s leading rushers.
The Giants defense was able to keep everyone in check, except Alvin Kamara. That’s why I see McCaffrey, a similar style player, having success against New York. Big Blue’s offensive coordinator, Mike Shula, was the Panthers OC last year with mixed results. We are seeing a similar result up north. You’ll most likely see a bunch of passes in the slot with OBJ and Sterling Shepard as Carolina’s weakness lies at nickel corner. Overall, I see Carolina at home grabbing a comfortable win.
Carolina Panthers 27, New York Giants 16
While the rest of the NFL keeps sleepin, Tennessee just keeps on winnin’. I wasn’t as excited about the Titans compared to the other AFC South teams in the preseason but with players like rookie Harold Landry (4 TKL, 1 SCK, 1 FF) stepping up to the plate, the Titans should be taken seriously in the AFC. The Bills...look like the Bills again. Josh Allen is a project and I think he’ll have a solid career under the right circumstances. However, he wasn’t supposed to play this year so any signs of success should give HC Sean McDermott hope for the future. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Buffalo end up victorious with another fluky win but Mike Vrabel will continue to make the necessary adjustments on offense to send Tennessee to 4-1. Titan Up! The AFC South race is on!
Tennessee Titans 17, Buffalo Bills 9
There’s no other way to put it! I saw a stat somewhere that said the Falcons are only the second-team ever to score 36 or more points in back-to-back games and lose. Could it be three? I could definitely see it happening. Pittsburgh’s offense went cold against their rivals at home and but fortunately, they get a bottom five pass defense to relieve their stress at Heinz. The Falcons’ Calvin Ridley remains a BEAST. He is the number one receiver in fantasy and is lighting up secondaries everywhere. My analysis for this game: points. Many points. I’ve noticed a trend with the Steelers. They struggle in the second half of games on offense outside of the Chiefs game. If the Falcons can maintain a tie game up to halftime, Atlanta can win. It will be close but I’ll take Pittsburgh to get back on track.
Pittsburgh Steelers 41, Atlanta Falcons 36
Oh, Cleveland...Baker Mayfield and the Browns had their best offense game maybe EVER. I half-joke but it was still impressive nonetheless. The Ravens took down the Steelers as John Brown continues to impress. I could see an #UpsetSpecial here but Baltimore seldomly loses to the Browns even when they were decent a few years back. Another Browns game at FirstEnergy will end up with an L for the home team.
Baltimore Ravens 28, Cleveland Browns 24
It’s the battle for the AFC! Why can’t this be in primetime? The Chiefs had their “worst” offensive game of the year and still scored nearly 30 points. The Jacksonville Jaguars will certainly not allow 30 points. If this game was in Jacksonville, no doubt I’d be riding with Blake Bortles and Co. However, the Chiefs seem unstoppable right now so until they lose, I’ll roll with em’.
Kansas City Chiefs 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 16
The “Fire Jon Gruden” chants have disappeared for at least a couple of days. When they play the Chargers this weekend, those calls may amplify. The Chargers two losses have come to arguably the two best teams in the league. The Raiders are lucky to not be 0-4. Enough said.
Los Angeles Chargers 34, Oakland Raiders 27
The Vikings can’t afford to start 1-3-1 with a tough NFC conference. This could be a “get-right” game for the struggling Vikings secondary. Carson Wentz is still a tad rusty and getting up to speed. The Eagles have been solid but have not looked like world beaters through four games. In a rematch of the NFC title game, the Vikings get revenge and “avenge” their 2017-18 playoff defeat.
Minnesota Vikings 31, Philadelphia Eagles 27
The Rams are the Greatest Show on Grass. If Thursday Night Football’s barnburner was a sign of things to come, Los Angeles fans should book their flights to Atlanta right now. Seattle probably won’t be making the playoffs without Earl Thomas III but they can be a huge spoiler down the road. Seattle keeps churning out running backs as Mike Davis exploded with a stellar day on the ground, racking up 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns. I could see Seattle keeping things interesting especially their potency at home. Regardless of being in CenturyLink or the Coliseum, the Rams should be able to handle whatever comes their way.
Los Angeles Rams 34, Seattle Seahawks 20
Rosen was solid in his first career start. I can see why he was regarded as the most polished and “pro-ready” quarterback in this year’s draft. Sadly, the Cardinals remain the only winless team in the league. I don’t see that lasting for too much longer though. Matt Breida is looking like a Pro Bowler. Who would’ve thought that? In a divisional game, you flip coins, especially with mediocre teams such as these ones. I’m going to give the edge to the 49ers but could easily see it flipping the other way.
San Francisco 49ers 19, Arizona Cardinals 16
This Sunday Night Football matchup gives us the gift of Texas as two teams desperate for a win take the turf. Last week, Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott came through with a clutch drive and give the Cowboys a tie for second in the NFC East. Meanwhile, Houston avoided blowing a 28-10 lead and hit a game-winning field goal of their own as the waning seconds of OT ticked off the clock.
A bright spot for Dallas has been the play of cornerback Byron Jones. On Sunday vs Detroit, he received a 91.0 grade according to PFF, locking down the likes of Marvin Jones Jr and Kenny Golladay. The Cowboys secondary was seen as a weak point coming into the season but personally, I think their defense has played adequately to keep them in every game this season. If only they could score some points...
While the Cowboys have struggled on offense, the Texans finally got rolling last week. Houston now has a trio of receivers with Keke Coutee entering the fold. Deshaun Watson and company needed all 37 points to edge Indy on the road and Coutee was a huge reason. His eleven catches (109 yards) set an NFL record for a player in his debut. With DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller V, the Texans may be able to salvage a poor start to the year.
Overall, both teams need a win to keep pace in their division. The AFC South has two clear front runners with the Jaguars and Titans running the show. If Houston can win the Battle of Texas at home, they should be in decent shape going forward. This game should be close throughout but I can’t see Dallas being able to score enough points to slow down the Texans emerging passing attack. Houston survives.
Houston Texans 23, Dallas Cowboys 20 (SNF)
The Redskins may quietly win the NFC East. When I watch coverage of the NFL, seldom if ever, I hear about Washington. I’m not sure why we don’t though. Their defense has played well against Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers and their offense has put up some nice numbers on the ground with the reemergence of Adrian Peterson. I think we’ll learn a whole lot about this team when they take on the Saints on Monday Night. Alvin Kamara is gonna break some type of record as he seemingly scores three touchdowns on the regular. I think this game is one of the more underrated games of 2018. Last year, the Redskins choked away a 15 point lead to lose in overtime. They won’t “choke” in overtime this year but expect New Orleans to find a way to win again.
New Orleans Saints 27, Washington Redskins 24 (OT)
Bye Weeks: Bears, Buccaneers
Game of the Week: Falcons vs Steelers
Upset of the Week: Sorry, no #UpsetSpecial this week
Komentarze