5 NFL Teams That Will Continue to Slip in Week 5

Week 4 in the NFL saw a slew of teams continue their slide down the standings.

The Jets got buried by the 49ers, the Saints played a tough game but ultimately lost by a point to the Packers, the high octane Panthers once again fell to the Falcons, the Cowboys lost to Chicago and the Browns went 0-4. 

This week, all five teams face tough competition in which I see their misfortunes continuing. 

New York Jets (vs. Houston)

The New York Jets were demolished and shut out by the 49ers on Sunday. Unfortunately for the Jets, they face the undefeated Houston Texans and do so in front of the country on Monday Night Football. 

Already without cornerback Darrelle Revis, wideout Santonio Holmes went down with a foot injury that was deemed season-ending. 

The Houston Texans are coming off of solid performances in their first four games. Matt Schaub is playing his best football and their threat in the running game with Arian Foster is always a safe bet to rack up points. 

The Jets have a lot of work to do in every facet. Mark Sanchez needs to play better while the Jets receivers need to step up to fill the void left by Holmes. 

Unfortunately, it will be tough for the Jets to come back confident after getting blown out by the 49ers, especially when facing a tough Texans team.

New Orleans Saints (vs. San Diego)

It's amazing to see the Saints this season. After a stellar 2011 season, New Orleans looks like a completely different team.

It's obvious the absence of head coach Sean Payton affects the team dramatically. Also, the sanctions imposed on the team and the attention it received for the "bountygate" scandal over the offseason did them no favors. 

The team looks out-of-sync from the start and Drew Brees may be playing decently, but they appear to be having communication problems. 

The Chargers look to be playing well and have received praise from commentators in the past few weeks. 

San Diego has had the talent for a few years to be able to get into the postseason and state their case to be one of the better teams in the AFC, but have fallen short. 

This year, it appears that Philip Rivers is firing on all cylinders and that has been the key. 

I don't see the Saints pulling out a win this week and expect the Chargers to improve their record to 4-1. 

Carolina Panthers (vs. Seattle)

The Carolina Panthers like to put up points, but they also like to give away points as well. 

Cam Newton is playing like Cam Newton. Although still new to the game, he's making small mistakes that end up being detrimental in the long run. But he's playing well nonetheless. 

However, their defense is the problem. Their secondary is suspect and the pass rush isn't strong. 

Against a hot Seahawks team, Carolina will have a tough time stuffing Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense. 

First, I believe the strong Seattle defense will stifle Cam Newton and prevent him from gaining big yardage on the ground and connecting on long passes. 

Secondly, while there are questions at the quarterback position for Pete Carroll and the Seahawks, Russell Wilson will have a few highlights in the game that will ultimately be the deciding factor late in the game. 

Even without Wilson, backup Matt Flynn showed last season with the Packers that he possesses real talent, so even if Seattle went with Flynn, it does no favors for the Panthers. 

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys have a bye week in Week 5. Even though they are not in play, the Giants and Eagles will tally wins that will further put the Cowboys in jeopardy this season. 

Even though it's still relatively early in the season, the Cowboys appear to be beginning to reel. Their performance in Week 4 against the Bears showed fans they have more problems than originally thought. 

Questions and concerns were raised after Tony Romo's dismal performance against the Bears. Dez Bryant also came under fire after dropping passes. Not to mention, Dallas' defense is mediocre. 

The Giants should get a win this week against the Browns and while they begin their tough stretch in the schedule in Week 6, one should never count them out.

The Eagles are on a roll, and despite playing questionable ball, they still continue to find ways to win. They face the 1-2 Steelers this week and I expect them to win because of Pittsburgh's injuries and inconsistency from Roethlisberger. 

By the time the Cowboys return in Week 6, they might be in a deeper hole than they would prefer to be in and it will be tough to get back to the form they had in Week 1 against the Giants. 

Cleveland Browns (vs. New York Giants)

The Cleveland Browns are the Cleveland Browns. They have been noncompetitive for a few years now, and this season looks no different. 

To make matters worse, cornerback Joe Haden still has one more game to serve under his suspension, so the Giants wideouts will go virtually uncovered. 

The Giants will be looking to come back and put it on the Browns hard from the get-go to get back to winning ways after a heartbreaking last-minute loss to the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles last week. 

I expect Eli Manning to put up big numbers and the Giants to be ahead by a large margin come the third quarter.

I also expect the Giants defense to get back to the form they had last season and rush Brandon Weeden and hit him often, forcing him to make bad throws.