Week 4 wasn't the best of results for HNGN. We went 5-8 while attempting to appear bold in our selections with the Jaguars and Raiders. Who were we kidding? Week 5 kicks off on Thursday night when the Packers host the Vikings, and we plan to get back on track. My season record is 35-26, and now our three other sports writers, Jordan Webb, Brandon Katz and Cal Setar, have joined me in the weekly picks.
Here's to some good old competition. Check out all of our selections below:
Packers at Vikings, Thursday @ 8:25 p.m.
Aaron Rodgers and the Pack are coming off a huge 38-17 win over Chicago. Perhaps Rodgers was right when he told Packers fans to "relax." Similarly, the Vikings are coming off of a solid 41-28 victory over the Falcons, but quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is questionable for tonight with an ankle sprain. Green Bay is 8-4 in the last 12 meetings, including 5-1 at home, so I'm going with the Pack.
Tom: Packers 31, Vikings 20
Jordan: Packers 27, Vikings 13
Brandon: Packers 27, Vikings 17
Cal: Packers 35, Vikings 17
Bears at Panthers, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
These two teams were embarrassed in Week 4 and honestly haven't looked as sharp as many thought they would be. Both are 2-2 and have a ton of injuries. Carolina has no healthy running backs and their defense has looked very shaky over the past two games. The Bears have a lot of weapons and I think they have the edge this week.
Tom: Bears 24, Panthers 21
Jordan: Bears 20, Panthers 14
Brandon: Bears 23, Panthers 18
Cal: Panthers 31, Bears 30
Browns at Titans, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
The Browns are coming off a bye and the Titans have been embarrassed three weeks in a row now. Cleveland's two losses were to divisional opponents on last-second field goals. I think head coach Mike Pettine has the Browns poised to go on a run as they'll face the Titans, Steelers, Jaguars, Raiders and Buccaneers in their next five games.
Tom: Browns 30, Titans 17
Jordan: Browns 14, Titans 10
Brandon: Browns 24, Titans 13
Cal: Browns 14, Titans 10
Rams at Eagles, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
The Rams are coming off of their bye week and the Eagles lost a heartbreaker in San Francisco on Sunday. Although the Eagles offensive line is having some troubles, they still have one of the better offenses in the league, and the Rams defense has surrendered 85 points in just three games this season. Chip Kelly will have a plan to get the Eagles by handily.
Tom: Eagles 30, Rams 16
Jordan: Eagles 27, Rams 13
Brandon: Rams 24, Eagles 21
Cal: Eagles 31, Rams 14
Falcons at Giants, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
Atlanta really showed how awful of a road team they were last week when they lost to the Vikings 41-28. Their horrid run defense was exposed yet again, as they let Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon rush for a total of 213 yards. New York is coming off of two excellent offensive performances against the Texans and Redskins after which they compiled a total of 868 yards and 75 points. I like Eli and the Giants' new offense in this one.
Tom: Giants 31, Falcons 26
Jordan: Falcons 24, Giants 20
Brandon: Giants 30, Falcons 24
Cal: Giants 23, Falcons 21
Buccaneers at Saints, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
Both of these 1-3 teams have looked downright terrible this far into the season, but at least the Buccaneers showed some improvement on the road in Week 4 when they beat the Steelers on a last-second touchdown. The Saints defense is one of the worst in the league and their offense doesn't look like the old New Orleans we're all used to. This divisional matchup should be a close one, and I'm going with the Bucs because I think Mike Glennon is much more capable of running the offense than Josh McCown.
Tom: Buccaneers 24, Saints 23
Jordan: Saints 28, Buccaneers 10
Brandon: Saints 24, Buccaneers 17
Cal: Saints 31, Buccaneers 10
Texans at Cowboys, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
The Cowboys' offense is one of the best in the NFL right now and they're likely in high spirits after their Sunday night thrashing of the New Orleans Saints. The Texans will face their first significant challenge of 2014 after hosting the Redskins and Bills and visiting the Raiders and Giants. If Arian Foster isn't a go, it could get ugly for Houston.
Tom: Cowboys 27, Texans 17
Jordan: Cowboys 27, Texans 13
Brandon: Cowboys 30, Houston 24
Cal: Cowboys 38, Texans 35
Bills at Lions, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
The Bills have been humbled the past two weeks at the hands of the Chargers and Texans after opening the season with wins over the Patriots and Dolphins. Dough Marrone has opted to bench E.J. Manuel in favor of Kyle Orton, and I think that will be a large improvement in the team's passing attack. The Jets gave the Lions far too many opportunities on Sunday, and with Megatron's health in question, I think the Bills can take advantage of that. Buffalo has only allowed 286 rush yards this season, so if they can continue that success and force Matthew Stafford to throw a lot, then the game may end in their favor.
Tom: Bills 20, Lions 17
Jordan: Lions 24, Bills 6
Brandon: Lions 21, Bills 14
Cal: Bills 17, Lions 14
Ravens at Colts, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
After starting 0-2, the Colts have come alive, perhaps not against equal competition, but it was a good awakening for Andrew Luck and the offense nonetheless. The Ravens have seemingly put the Ray Rice situation behind them and have quietly looked impressive in their three consecutive victories, scoring 87 points. But I think the Colts have found their groove and Andrew Luck will get revenge from the 2012 playoff loss in Baltimore.
Tom: Colts 33, Ravens 27
Jordan: Colts 20, Ravens 17
Brandon: Colts 36, Ravens 27
Cal: Colts 23, Ravens 19
Steelers at Jaguars, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.
Last week I thought the Steelers would beat the Bucs, but I was wrong. I also thought Blake Bortles would get a win in his first NFL start, but I was wrong again. As much as I think the Jaguars can pull this one off, I REALLY don't think the Steelers drop two games in a row to a couple of the league's worst teams.
Tom: Steelers 27, Jaguars 19
Jordan: Steelers 24, Jaguars 7
Brandon: Steelers 30, Jaguars 14
Cal: Steelers 24, Jaguars 14
Cardinals at Broncos, Sunday @ 4:05 p.m.
Both teams are coming off their bye weeks, but the matchup is in Denver and Carson Palmer suffered a setback with his shoulder injury, which will likely keep him out again this week. Peyton and the Broncos had a lot of thinking to do after that loss in Seattle, and I think they'll rebound against Arizona.
Tom: Broncos 24, Cardinals 13
Jordan: Broncos 24, Cardinals 13
Brandon: Broncos 26, Cardinals 21
Cal: Broncos 31, Cardinals 17
Chiefs at 49ers, Sunday @ 4:25 p.m.
For some reason I have confidence in the Chiefs ever since they played the Broncos tough in Week 2. And they've been solid ever since, winning their next two games and scoring 75 total points against the Dolphins and Patriots. The 49ers still didn't impress me on Sunday with that win over the Eagles because I think Nick Foles was largely at fault for Philly's loss. This will be only the 12th meeting between the two teams, and I think Kansas City comes out on top.
Tom: Chiefs 24, 49ers 20
Jordan: Chiefs 17, 49ers 14
Brandon: 49ers 24, Chiefs 17
Cal: 49ers 19, Chiefs 17
Jets at Chargers, Sunday @ 4:25 p.m.
The Jets started 1-0 and then have beaten themselves over the past three weeks, losing by one possession in each game against the Packers, Bears and Lions. Now they go out to San Diego, who started 0-1 and has dominated in their three consecutive wins. The Jets' chance to save the season was last weekagainst Detroit, and now the wheels are going to start coming off and they'll soon reach the point of no return.
Tom: Chargers 27, Jets 23
Jordan: Chargers 21, Jets 10
Brandon: Chargers 41, Jets 24
Cal: Chargers 28, Jets 10
Bengals at Patriots, Sunday @ 8:30 p.m.
I know we're only four weeks into the season, but the Bengals have looked tremendous while the Patriots have looked dismal. The Bengals are coming off of a bye week and the Patriots just lost 41-14 on Monday night to the Chiefs. I can't see the Patriots offense reviving itself against Cincinnati, perhaps the league's best defense right now.
Tom: Bengals 27, Patriots 17
Jordan: Patriots 17, Bengals 13
Brandon: Bengals 27, Patriots 16
Cal: Patriots 27, Bengals 24
Seahawks at Redskins, Monday @ 8:30 p.m.
A good old rematch of the 2012 playoff matchup. The Redskins lost that game 24-14 and have significantly regressed since that date. Seattle is coming off of a bye and although the Redskins have had 10 days of rest, they've been gashed for 82 points in their last two losses to the Eagles and Giants. I don't expect Monday night to be any different than last Thursday night for the Redskins.
Tom: Seahawks 35, Redskins 13
Jordan: Seahawks 24, Redskins 10
Brandon: Seahawks 31, Redskins 14
Cal: Seahawks 38, Redskins 17
That's it for Week 5's selections. From now on we'll be keeping a tally for each writer and announce a winner at the end of the season. Feel free to comment below and initiate debate regarding our choices.
