NFL Week Five Picks: From New England Patriots Fans' Perpective

(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

The first quarter of the NFL regular season has come to a close, and some questions have been answered while others have been raised. Some teams are playing far better than we expected, while others have disappointed.

We continue our weekly series of picks without Glenn Card on the menu. After his perfect record in week four, he has been voted off the island. He was just plain making the rest of us look bad.

Steve Frith is along for the ride, as well as Eric Annett, and I think we actually disagree on a pick or two.

The Bears, Packers, Saints, Chargers all have byes this week, and I’m sure San Diego is grateful for theirs.

Sunday, October 11

Cincinnati @ Baltimore

TR: Bengals’ QB Carson Palmer seems to be settling into a groove, surprising skeptics who wondered if he would be effective in rebounding from his 2008 injury. Ochocinco’s mouth hasn’t got him in any trouble yet and with Cedric Benson chewing up some yards on the ground, the Bengals are on a roll. HOWEVER, the Ravens are coming off a painful loss to the Patriots, and they are too good a team not to be fired up now, especially at home, with first place in the AFC North on the line. Joe Flacco continues to improve, Ray Rice has an amazing six yards per carry, and Willis McGahee is not far behind. Derrick Mason is iffy with a neck injury, but fear not; the Ravens pin Cincy’s ears back in this hard fought game.

SF: Ummm...where to start? The Ravens have a great defense, and Flacco is no slouch. Last week, the Patriots handed the Ravens their first loss. The Ravens will be looking for a bit of redemption, and proving to the rest of the NFL that they are indeed one of the top teams in the NFL. Sadly enough, they'll be making an example out of the Bengals, who have more games decided at the last minute than they can care to remember. Ravens pull this one out with ease.

EA: I've got the Ravens winning here because of their defense. Carson Palmer and the Bengals offense were for the most part shut down last week against a soft team in the Browns, I find it hard to imagine them being able to keep up with the Ravens in this week five matchup. With Flacco and McGahee getting off to very good starts, I think the Ravens will be in control all game long. Look for this to be one of the more lopsided games of the week.

Cleveland @ Buffalo

TR: For two teams who have one win between them and are both last in their divisions, it is hard to say who is worse. Terrell Owens hasn’t done much for Buffalo, but the Bills do have RB Fred Jackson going for them. And now the Browns are without the services of Braylon Edwards, which might not mean much anyway. Statistically, there is not much to separate these teams, though the Browns have a slight defensive edge. I don’t think that will mean much in the end, as Buffalo sends the Browns home still looking for a win.

SF: Shouldn't be much of a game. The Browns are still defeated (0-4), and the Bills are 1-3. Not much to say here. The Browns are playing musical QB, and T.O. hasn't made much of an impact for the Bills (maybe he should give the key to the city back?). I'll give this one to the Bills, who desperately want to win, despite that the Browns are still looking for their first win. Bills in the fourth quarter.

EA: Neither of these teams is very good if you ask me, but still, one of them has to win. With a mess of a quarterback situation, the loss of Braylon Edwards, and a very bad overall team, I have a very hard time imagining the Browns winning a game in the near future if at all this year.

Washington @ Carolina

TR: The Panthers’ problems run deep. They have diehard fans scratching their heads at their 0-3 record. The one thing they have done well is to defend against the pass. But the Redskins have done that even better, and with Jake Delhomme leading the NFC in turnovers, I don’t see much hope in this one. Clinton Portis

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