NFL Week 5 Picks: Saints and Teams Poised to Keep Rolling After Big Wins

Momentum in the NFL can make or break a season.

When a team gets on a serious roll, the wins can begin to pile up in a hurry en route to a potential playoff berth. If momentum is halted, a team can find it tough to get things going in a positive manner once more. 

With that in mind, Week 4 saw several teams establish some serious momentum with big wins. Whether it was an underrated squad shocking a playoff contender or an obviously elite team winning big, several teams now have massive momentum with Week 5 on tap.

Here are three teams set to ride the positive energy to another victory in Week 5.

San Diego Chargers Sneak Past Oakland Raiders

Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers sit at just 2-2, but a major win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4 behind Rivers' 401 passing yards and three touchdowns bodes well for the team's impending matchup with the Oakland Raiders.

Oakland lost to Washington last week while starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor sat out, but he's expected back per Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated:

Pryor has found success on both the ground and through the air with 822 total yards in three games, and San Diego allows more than 120 rushing yards per game. The good news is that the Chargers only allowed 92 total yards last week and Raiders starting back Darren McFadden it out for an unknown period of time, as is Marcel Reece.

With tight end Antonio Gates (136 yards and a touchdown) and running back Danny Woodhead (two touchdowns) finally finding their groove last week, San Diego will have little issue capitalizing on the positives from a week ago in a big victory over a depleted Oakland roster.

Prediction: Chargers 24, Raiders 17

Buffalo Bills Dominate Cleveland Browns

Don't look now, but the Buffalo Bills appear to be a serious threat with rookie quarterback EJ Manuel under center.

Buffalo took New England down to the wire in Week 1 and is riding high after an upset over the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens last week. Despite missing three starters on defense in Jairus Byrd, Leodis McKelvin and Stephon Gilmore, the Bills intercepted Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco five times en route to a 23-20 victory.

Cleveland is also coming off an upset win over Cincinnati, but the Buffalo defense is playing at a high level and will find success against backup quarterback Brian Hoyer. The Browns only mustered 89 rushing yards last week, which means Hoyer will have to do the heavy lifting once more.

Mario Williams and the Bills excel at rushing the quarterback and have 13 sacks already through one month of football. Cleveland represents the perfect matchup for the Bills defense, as the Browns have already surrendered 17 sacks in the same time span.

Buffalo used a stout defensive effort to sneak by Baltimore, but the way the unit is playing, it will have little issue shutting down a depleted Cleveland roster to keep things rolling.

Prediction: Bills 21, Browns 10

New Orleans Saints Edge Past Chicago Bears

The numbers speak for themselves—the New Orleans Saints are back as Super Bowl contenders. While Chicago looks great under new head coach Marc Trestman, the Saints are riding a seemingly insurmountable amount of momentum.

Drew Brees and the Saints average a ridiculous 338 passing yards per game. Chicago has an elite pair of corners in Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings, but the Bears still surrender 278 yards passing per game.

Last week on Monday Night Football, Drew Brees posted a ridiculous 413 yards and four touchdowns while the Saints effortlessly moved past the undefeated Miami Dolphins. Conversely, Chicago allowed 40 points to a similar Detroit offense.

What puts the Saints over the top this season is a new 3-4 defense led by Rob Ryan. The unit has already notched 12 sacks while ranking in the top five against the pass with just 192 yards allowed per game.

New Orleans is too balanced on both sides of the football to falter against the Bears, even though it's a short week and a road contest. Saints win big.

Prediction: Saints 30, Bears 17

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