Critic Al’s Football Week 5 Pick ‘Em
[Critic Al appears on SportScape screens throughout the country.]
Game of the Week: Broncos vs. Patriots (-3.5)
Back in August, it was hard to say what Denver’s Josh McDaniels was doing right, mainly because he ran the franchise quarterback out of town. But that’s all forgotten now that Denver is 4-0. But are they legit? We’ll find out this week.
Patriots vs. Broncos
Meanwhile, the Patriots are starting to show glimpses of their 2007 glory days. Tom Brady has led his team to wins over Atlanta and Baltimore in the past two weeks, and this game might also go a long way to seeing whether New England is a threat to Pittsburgh this season or not.
The thing I’m most interested in is which side wins the battle between New England’s offense and Denver’s defense. The Broncos are giving up only seven measly points a game. Meanwhile, the once high-flying Patriots are barely out-scoring the Detroit Lions.
I also want to see if New England’s offensive line can contain Elvis Dumervil. The Broncos’ whirling-dervish has racked up eight sacks this season. And considering the Patriots have given up 10 sacks in four games, I’m guessing Dumervil might get his shots on Brady.
When it comes to the coaching match up, Belichick tends to beat his former protégés more often than not. And while I think McDaniels might be a tad better than Eric Mangini as a coach, I’ll side with the master in this equation.
All in all, the Patriots might not be as good as two years ago, but they’ll get back on the national scene after coming out on top in this one.
Cincinnati at Baltimore (-8.5)
The Bengals aren’t bad. And had they been blessed with being located in the NFC West, they just might end up making the playoffs. But it won’t happen for them this year in the AFC North, especially when they have to face Pittsburgh and Baltimore twice a year. Ravens win this one, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Cincy put up a fight.
Minnesota (-9.5) at St. Louis
The only way I could see St. Louis scoring more than 10 points is if Minnesota is still celebrating the Green Bay win. But even a half-strength Vikings squad is better than these miserable Rams.
Tampa Bay at Philadelphia (-14.5)
Donovan McNabb is going to play in this one. But it might not matter whether he does or not, since Tampa Bay has been so bad. The Bucs’ Josh Johnson might not be a bad quarterback, though I think McNabb will show the young buck how it’s done. Eagles win.
Washington at Carolina (-3.5)
This might as well be an even money game. Washington isn’t great by any means, but the ‘Skins have managed to avoid the massive troubles that Carolina is mired in. Redskins take this one, but I think Jake Delhomme will limit himself to no more than two interceptions.
Pittsburgh (-10.5) at Detroit
Pittsburgh has dropped games to Chicago and Cincinnati. So that shows me either they’re missing Troy Polamalu more than we thought, or they’re just working their way into postseason shape. Either way, the Steelers should have no problems dusting off the Lions, though I’d like to see whether this Matt Stafford kid can put up a couple of touchdowns on the Steelers.
Oakland at New York Giants (-16)
Boy, Oakland looked good for about 15 minutes before things fell apart. But now they’re in a freefall only matched by the Rams and Browns. I know there’s a chance that Eli Manning won’t play in this one, but here’s to thinking that even the terrible David Carr could beat these Raiders.
Dallas (-8.5) at Kansas City
Dallas wins against Tampa Bay, they lose against the Giants. They beat Carolina, and then fall to Denver. By virtue of this pattern, I’ll take them against Kansas City. But even with a win against the Chiefs, I think Dallas is on that long road to an 8-8 season.
Cleveland at Buffalo (-6)
Yikes. Can I pick both teams to lose? I’ll tell you though; I think Cleveland might be just fine without Braylon Edwards. In fact, they put up a pretty nice fight against Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Buffalo has been blown out with 20-point losses for two straight weeks. I’m gonna take the Browns here, but I fully expect it to be uglier than my mother in law.
Atlanta at San Francisco (-2.5)
Now this is an interesting one. On one hand, you’ve got the upstart 49ers who have finally signed their malcontent rookie receiver. On the other, Atlanta is just trying to keep up in with the Saints. I like the Falcons in this one, only because I have to wonder whether this week’s Michael Crabtree signing messed with the team’s focus in San Francisco.
Houston at Arizona (-5.5)
This is another tough one. Houston is pretty terrible against the run, but they’re in the top 10 against the pass. I could see a shootout developing here, and you have to wonder whether Matt Schaub can go toe-to-toe with Kurt Warner. I’m going to go with Houston here, only because Arizona hasn’t shown one trace of evidence that they were even in the Super Bowl last year.
Jacksonville at Seattle (PICK)
I don’t think either of these teams will make the playoffs, but they’re certainly capable of beating most teams on the right day. The difference is, Seattle’s Matt Hasselbeck isn’t 100 percent, and he might not play at all. And considering David Garrard is starting to round into form , I like the Jaguars here.
Indianapolis (-3.5) at Tennessee
Ooof. Could things get much worse for Tennessee right now? Well, we’ll find out on Sunday night when Peyton and his friends put the nail in their coffin. I can’t think of one thing Tennessee is doing well right now (besides losing games, of course). I think we should all be on the lookout for a Vince Young sighting, but it won’t matter, because the Colts take this one.
New York Jets (-1.5) at Miami
Well, I guess we’ll find out how Mark Sanchez can rebound from his first loss. And while I’m not superstitious, Miami has never lost in their radioactive orange jerseys. Add in Braylon Edwards trying to fit into the scheme, and I think Miami wins solely because of better focus. I like Miami in this one, but we’ll be watching two top 10 defenses, so considering there will be two young QBs behind center, the score might just be 10-7.
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Week 4 Results: 10-4
2009 Season Prediction Results: 37-25 (.598)
Week 4 Predictions / Week 3 Predictions / Week 2 Predictions
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