5 NFL Teams Facing Must-Win Matchups in Week 5

Four weeks of the 2014 NFL season have come and gone, and there have been both surprises and disappointments. No one saw the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans sitting at 3-1, and no one expected the New Orleans Saints to struggle to a 1-3 record.

It shows that every week matters in the NFL, and now that a month of the season has passed, each game becomes a bit more important.

There are already teams that cannot afford to tack on another loss this early in the season.

Whether it's due to momentum, their schedule or their record, the following teams need a win this week if they want to maintain their playoff hopes or at least respectability for the rest of the season.

5. San Francisco 49ers

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I had high expectations for the 49ers, but through four games, I'm left scratching my head at how to feel. They looked good against the Philadelphia Eagles to bring themselves back to .500 but looked flat against the Arizona Cardinals the previous week.

This week, they face the Kansas City Chiefs, a team that is riding high after a dominant win against the New England Patriots. A victory against the 49ers would put them back on the map.

Conversely, a loss would spell doom for San Francisco in the tough NFC West.

The 49ers face the St. Louis Rams and Denver Broncos next. Assuming they split those two contests, they could either enter the bye week at 3-4 or 4-3. A losing record at the bye is not something this team can afford.

What makes the situation frustrating is that, despite starting 2-2 last year as well, this team feels different. Not having its star players in the defensive front seven is part of the issue.

The Niners haven't quite found a way to work around missing Aldon Smith and NaVorro Bowman, and I don't know if there is a way other than getting the offense to click.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have been an enigma so far this season. They looked great in a rout against the Carolina Panthers, looked bad against the rival Baltimore Ravens and were simultaneously good and bad against the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Steelers are 2-2 now but enter a stretch where they face the Jacksonville Jaguars, Browns and Texans.

That should mean an easy 5-2 record, right? Well, they already lost to one previously winless team, so the last thing they need is for that to happen again.

Despite having watched it, I cannot entirely figure out what kind of team this is. Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown have clearly shown great chemistry, but the rest of the squad is hot and cold.

If the Steelers lose to Jacksonville, they will be 2-3. More importantly, they will have lost two in a row at the easiest juncture of their schedule. They need the wins now before having to face the Cincinnati Bengals twice after their late bye week.

After all, the AFC North is a division in which you cannot afford to lose any ground.

3. Green Bay Packers

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Last week's big win against the Chicago Bears seemed like a must-win game for the Packers. It was a win against a rival that kept them from falling to 1-3, after all.

What makes this week's game a must-win as well?

The NFC North has all of a sudden become competitive. Despite a slew of issues, the Vikings are sitting at .500. So are the Bears, and the Lions have finally broken through their status as underachievers—at least for now.

A win against the Vikings would keep the Packers on track and give them a winning record within the division, but a loss would put them at 2-3. More importantly, it would push them to last in the NFC North.

ESPN.com's Ben Goessling reports that Teddy Bridgewater's status for the game is unclear.

If he does not start and Christian Ponder sees time at quarterback in his place, then there's no excuse for the Packets not to win. A loss would ruin any momentum they gained from the Bears win, and they would be searching for answers moving forward.

2. Cleveland Browns

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Despite coming off a bye week at 1-2, there is optimism surrounding the Cleveland Browns. They kept all three games played thus far competitive, Brian Hoyer has looked good through three starts and the offense is clicking beyond anyone's expectations.

They face Tennessee this Sunday and have an easy schedule through the next five games: Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Oakland and Tampa Bay. A 4-1 record over this stretch is entirely reasonable, and a 5-0 stretch is not out of the question, as the Browns came close to beating the Steelers in Week 1 and will now play them at home.

If they lose against Tennessee, however, any momentum they have looking forward is gone, and a flat performance in Tennessee will likely lead to a bad one against Pittsburgh. They would not be able to fight back from a 1-3 record, much less a 1-4 record, while in the AFC North.

A 5-3 record through eight games would finally make the Browns look like a legitimate team, and that's a feeling they need if they want to continue to grow.

1. New Orleans Saints

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The New Orleans Saints faced the Falcons, Browns, Vikings and Cowboys in their first four games. If you told me they would be 2-2 after that, I would have laughed.

However, they are an even worse 1-3.

The blame lies on their defense. They have yet to notch an interception, and the breakout seasons of Junior Galette and Cameron Jordan already look like distant memories. Luckily, they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home, and if there is one place the Saints can play well, it's there.

That's all the more reason they need to win. If they lose at home to a division rival, then not only would that break an unbeaten at home streak that dates back to 2012, but they would enter the bye week at 1-4.

The week off would feel like an eternity in New Orleans.

Should they win, they would still be a disappointing 2-3 but could make adjustments and get back in the playoff race. A loss would end their postseason hopes and would quickly remind Saints fans of a certain 2012 team that went to a bye 1-4. That squad only finished 7-9.