MINNEAPOLIS — It’s been a long time since five NFL teams started a season at 5-0. But that could happen this week as long as the New England Patriots don’t go into Denver and shut down the Broncos.
Seems every other 4-0 club has an easy go this week: 4-0 Minnesota is at 0-4 St. Louis, the 4-0 New York Giants play host to 1-3 Oakland, 4-0 Indianapolis goes into winless Tennessee and 4-0 New Orleans has the bye. Regardless, the Saints will undefeated by Tuesday.
Of course, the other side of this coin is ugly. Tennessee and St. Louis will likely be 0-5 by Sunday night. K.C. has to beat Dallas at Arrowhead to avoid 0-5. Buffalo should mess up 0-4 Cleveland real bad and 0-4 Tampa has to go into Philly. Ouch.
So with all the undefeated good news comes all that winless bad news as well. (Remember, the Saints, Chargers, Bears and Packers have the byes).
Will there be any upsets this week? Let’s take a closer look at Week 5…
1. Cincinnati Bengals 3-1 at Baltimore Ravens 3-1 (-8.5)
Dr. Sports has a very definite opinion of this one. “This line is outrageous. The Vegas boys are laying too many points with the Ravens because they just saw the Bengals struggle at Cleveland. How quickly they forget that Cincinnati went into Green Bay and won, and then followed that up with a victory over Pittsburgh.” This is the “call your bookie” special.
Dr. Sports: Ravens to win, but the Bengals to cover.
The Coach: Ravens to win and cover.
2. Cleveland Browns 0-4 at Buffalo Bills 1-3 (-5.5)
Cleveland put a ton of energy into that Cincinnati game, but came up short in overtime. I don’t think the Browns will be able to muster that same intensity here. Trent Edwards will get the ball to Terrell Owens in this game, making him happy for a week.
Dr. Sports: Bills to win and cover.
The Coach: Bills to win and cover.
3. Washington Redskins 2-2 at Carolina Panthers 0-3 (-3.5)
Both teams have struggled on offense, but we see the Panthers getting it going early, especially after having the week off. Look for Steve Smith to come up big. Panthers win their first.
Dr. Sports: Panthers to win and cover.
The Coach: Panthers to win and cover.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers 2-2 at Detroit Lions 1-3 (-3.5)
The Steelers have not looked at all like defending Super Bowl champions. That changes this week. Mike Tomlin always has his team prepared to kick the crap out of lesser foes.
Dr. Sports: Steelers to win and cover.
The Coach: Steelers to win and cover.
5. Dallas Cowboys 2-2 at Kansas City Chiefs 0-4 (+8.5)
The Chiefs can’t do anything offensively. Larry Johnson is averaging a whopping 2.6 yards per carry because he’s over-the-hill and his offensive line can’t open up any running lanes. Jamaal Charles, the superior player, isn’t getting any touches because Todd Haley doesn’t understand how to be a head coach. Dallas is playing their second straight road game which is tough.
Dr. Sports: Cowboys to win, but the Chiefs to cover.
The Coach: Cowboys to win, but the Chiefs to cover.
6. Oakland Raiders 1-3 at New York Giants 4-0 (-15.5)
We’re beginning to suspect that Tom Cable’s future arrest has a lot to do with Oakland’s free fall. Think about it – if you’re about to be arrested, would you be able to come up with a good game plan to beat another NFL team? The Giants are not just “another” team by the way.
Dr. Sports: Giants to win and cover.
The Coach: Giants to win and cover.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-4 at Philadelphia Eagles 2-1 (-13.5)
Whether Donovan McNabb or Kevin Kolb is under center, the Eagles should be able to score at will. Brian Westbrook, DeSean Jackson and Brent Celek will be too much for the Bucs to handle. The Bucs are abysmal.
Dr. Sports: Eagles to win and cover
The Coach: Eagles to win and cover
8. Minnesota Vikings 4-0 at St. Louis Rams 0-4 (+10.5)
The Vikings are on a short week, off an emotional Monday night victory over the Packers, so this could be a tough one. Problem is, the Rams just aren’t any good.
Dr. Sports: Vikings to win and cover
The Coach: Vikings to win and cover
9. Atlanta Falcons 2-1 at San Francisco 49ers 3-1 (-2.5)
The Falcons are overrated and the 49ers are underrated.
Dr. Sports: Niners to win and cover
The Coach: Niners to win and cover
10. Houston Texans 2-2 at Arizona Cardinals 1-2 (-5.5)
Look for a lot of points here. The Texans played better on defence last week, but that was the Raiders. They still have issues, and look for Kurt Warner to exploit them.
Dr. Sports: Cardinals to win and cover
The Coach: Cardinals to win and cover
11. New England Patriots 3-1 at Denver Broncos 4-0 (+3.5)
Right now, the Broncos are 4-0, yet no one takes them seriously. They’re home underdogs against a team with a worse record. This is a huge statement game for Denver. Can the student beat the mentor? That’s what we have in Josh McDaniels going against Bill Belichick. Football is all about momentum. the Broncos are playing with a lot of fire right now, and the good Doctor thinks that spells upset. The Coach disagrees.
Dr. Sports: Broncos to win
The Coach: Patriots to win and cover
12. Jacksonville Jaguars 2-2 at Seattle Seahawks 1-3 (pick)
Seattle has lost three consecutive games, and may or may not play with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (ribs). The Seahawks have to show up. And they will. This will be high scoring.
Dr. Sports: Seahawks to win
The Coach: Seahawks to win.
13. Indianapolis Colts 4-0 at Tennessee Titans 0-4 (+3.5)
The Colts are an experienced team led by the top quarterback in the NFL. I have a hard time seeing Manning lose this game. He has to be licking his chops thinking about the Titans horrible secondary.
Dr. Sports: Colts to win and cover.
The Coach: Colts to win and cover.
14. New York Jets 3-1 at Miami Dolphins 1-3 (+1.5)
We both like the Dolphins here. Miami seems to be gaining momentum and confidence with a new quarterback , while Sanchez just suffered his first loss and could begin doubting himself.
Dr. Sports: Miami to win.
The Coach: Miami to win.
The Doc is 42-20 on the season and 34-28 against the spread. The Coach is 41-21 straight up and 35-27 against the spread.