NFL Predictions: Week 5 Picks for Every Game

We begin Week 5 of the 2011 season on a somber note.

On Saturday, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis passed away at the age of 82.

Davis had been the owner and general manager since 1970 and won three Super Bowls in four tries under Davis' watch.

Davis brought a lot of controversy to the team—he wasn't always well-liked, but his "Just win, baby" motto and philosophy was one that was always respected in the league.

Whether you loved or hated him, you had to at least respect him at one point or another for his commitment to his team and to the NFL.

Now, on to football.

This will be the first week during the season which will feature bye weeks for some teams.

Teams like the Cowboys can use that week to figure out what they can do to figure out how to stop losing, while a team like the Dolphins can use it to figure out how to even win a game.

For others, Week 5 will be another way for them to get closer to breaking out of the pack.

Last week I went 9-7, and for the season in picks I am 38-25.

Who do I have this week? Let's find out with the Week 5 picks.

Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants

The picture featured above was the play that was most talked about and debated over the last week.

Late in the fourth quarter, Eli Manning throws to Victor Cruz, and Cruz goes down to his knees to give himself up. As he was getting up, he put the ball down on the ground, in which the Cardinals tried picking it up, claiming they recovered a fumble.

The referees got together and ruled that Cruz gave himself up and made no attempt to move forward, therefore, there was no fumble, and the play was dead when Cruz hit the ground.

The Giants caught a break, because the referees could have easily ruled it a fumble, but according to the rule book, they got it right. On the next play, Manning threw the go-ahead touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks.

Now at 3-1, the Giants are tied for first place in the NFC East and look like they could get off to a really good start early on in their schedule.

They come home to play a Seahawks team that is struggling.

They have struggled at home and look even worse on the road.

The Giants will likely be without Brandon Jacobs and Justin Tuck, but they should easily take care of Seattle in this one,

Prediction: Giants 37, Seahawks 7

Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts

The Colts finally gave Curtis Painter a chance to start and play for them last week against the Buccaneers.

Under Painter, they actually looked like a decent team and came very close to getting a win on Monday night.

But Tampa was the better team overall and knocked off the Colts to drop them to 0-4.

Now, the Colts will return home to play the Chiefs, a team that is extremely lucky to get a win last week.

Kansas City is bad this year, but because the Vikings can't close out a game in the fourth quarter, the squeaked one out against Minnesota.

Can lightning strike twice for the Chiefs playing on the road?

Not likely. I like the Colts to finally get their first win of 2011.

Prediction: Colts 23, Chiefs 17

Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills

Upset pick right here!

The Eagles are in some serious trouble.

After being dubbed "The Dream Team" during the preseason, Philadelphia is at 1-3 after they gave up a fourth quarter lead to the San Francisco 49ers at home and lost.

Michael Vick said the dream team label is dead, which can only mean the players are starting to question the team.

And they will also be without Trent Cole on defense and Jason Peters on offense.

That is not a great sign for a struggling team heading on the road to play a team that is still shocking everyone.

The Bills were so close to being 4-0, but lost to the Bengals in a tough game.

Still, at 3-1, they are a team that is dangerous and one you can no longer take lightly.

With the Bills scoring points on offense and playing well early, I am going to take the Bills in an upset to send the Eagles to 1-4.

Prediction: Bills 28, Eagles 23

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers

A battle of NFC South division rivals in this game here.

The Saints are 3-1 and looking like they will be a factor in the NFC playoff hunt again.

After losing to the Packers in Week 1, Drew Brees and company have reeled off three straight wins and are looking for a fourth straight win.

This week, it will be against the Panthers on the road,

Carolina has played good football, but not good enough to win in 2011.

An with Cam Newton, the Panthers are one of the most talked-about teams in the NFL right now, and Newton may be the can't miss player everyone wants to see.

Newton has made his share of rookie mistakes. but he's also thrown for almost 1,400 yards in just four games, which is very impressive.

At home, Newton can make this one a very high-scoring and competitive game, but in the end, I like the Saints to get by Carolina.

Prediction: Saints 35, Panthers 27

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans

Last week was a very important game for the Texans.

At 2-1, they needed to show the league that they were ready to take command of the AFC South division and beat a really good team in the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And with a 17-10 win at home, the Texans did just that, and now, they have command of the division early on.

Now at 3-1, Houston will look to take care of the Raiders at home.

Oakland will be playing with heavy hearts with the death of their owner Al Davis.

In 2011, they've been a very inconsistent team. One week, they look solid, and another week, they look very beatable, especially on defense.

At 2-2, they are still struggling to find an identity in the AFC West.

But even without Andre Johnson, who will be out at least two weeks with a hamstring injury, the Texans should have enough fire-power to get by Oakland to go to 4-1.

Prediction: Texans 28, Raiders 17

Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars

When I first did my predictions for the NFL season, I thought the Bengals would be a bad team.

They might not be as bad as they seem.

Every time they looked like they would lose, they ended up getting a come-from-behind win.

But in other games, they have looked bad.

But in a game against a team that might be worse than they are, the Bengals could have a chance to go 3-2.

Andy Dalton hasn't been grabbing headlines or flashy like Cam Newton has been in his rookie season.

But he has one more win than Newton does right now. And he has two more wins than his opponent tomorrow, Blaine Gabbert, another rookie.

Jacksonville looks absolutely lost, and I expect Gabbert to take a lot of punishment in this season.

They might keep it close at home, but I like the Bengals in this one.

Prediction: Bengals 21, Jaguars 16

Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings

The Cardinals had a 10 point lead with five minutes to play against the Giants.

But the Arizona defense couldn't stop Eli Manning and they lost at home and are now 1-3 to start 2011.

I really thought the Cardinals might be better than this. I guess not.

Now, they will go on the road to play the Vikings, who are 0-4 and also struggling.

Did anyone think the Vikings would be 0-4 under Donovan McNabb?

I sure didn't, and not too many others did. And yet, they are.

Minnesota could be 2-2, but they have blown two leads in two separate games in the fourth quarter, which explains their 0-4.

Every time I go to pick Minnesota to win, that's when they end up losing another close game in the fourth quarter.

So until Minnesota can show everyone that they can win, I'm taking their opponents, and with this week, it's the Cardinals.

Prediction: Cardinals 31, Vikings 23

Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers

There is a Help Wanted sign in Pittsburgh.

On it, it says: Guys who can block the quarterback.

Ben Roethlisberger has already been sacked 14 times in four weeks, including five last week against the Texans.

If the Steelers line does not do a better job of protecting Roethlisberger, he is going to eventually suffer a serious injury and could miss some time.

Don't get me wrong, Big Ben is tough, and can take a beating.

But he can't take a pounding every single week like he has been and expect to win.

And it won't get any easier with the Titans, who are a surprise 3-1.

The Titans lost their star receiver in Kenny Britt for the season with a torn ACL.

Yet, they haven't missed a beat on offense as Matt Hasselbeck looks to be rejuvenating his career in Tennessee, throwing for over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns.

Going against Pittsburgh's defense on the road will be a challenge to Hasselbeck.

At home, I like the Steelers chances of rebounding for a victory. But expect Tennessee to keep it close.

Prediction: Steelers 27, Titans 21

Tamp Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers

On Monday night, the Buccaneers had a fight on their hands with the Colts.

But in the end, they prevailed at home and are now 3-1 and looking like a possible playoff contender.

The difference between the 2010 and 2011 Tampa teams is that nobody expected Tampa to be good in 2010, while in 2011, Raheem Morris' team has those expectations now.

They have a solid quarterback in Josh Freeman and a solid running back in LeGarrette Blount leading the way for the offense.

Now it becomes the question of winning on the road to get to 4-1.

And their opponents are looking to do the same in the 49ers.

The 49ers shocked the world last week by going into Lincoln Financial Field and upsetting the Eagles.

Now at 3-1, they look like they could be the team that breaks away in the NFC West.

But what type of hangover do they have after beating the Eagles?

At home, I think Jim Harbaugh's team will come home and take care of Tampa in a very close one.

Prediction: 49ers 24, Buccaneers 23

New York Jets at New England Patriots

The battle of the AFC East rivals. This is a rivalry of hatred.

Rex Ryan vs Bill Belichick. Mark Sanchez vs Tom Brady.

The last time these two met was back in January at Gillette Stadium, and the Jets ended the Patriots season by knocking them out of the playoffs.

Don't think for once second that Belichick and Brady have forgotten that. They want payback.

And at 3-1 and coming home, they are in a good spot to issue it.

The Jets on the other hand, are struggling with two straight losses.

They lost a tough one to the Raiders two weeks ago and last week on Sunday Night Football, got their butts handed to them by the Ravens.

Sanchez in that game looked absolutely awful and at times, had no business being an NFL quarterback.

If the Jets want any chance of winning in 2011, Sanchez can never play like that again.

If he plays like that against New England, this game could be over before halftime.

Prediction: Patriots 35, Jets 24

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos

The Chargers are who we thought they are,

At 3-1, they are already the best team in the AFC West and look like they are playoff bound.

Philip Rivers needs to cut down on the turnovers and interceptions, and their offense could be even better.

This week, San Diego will go on the road to play their division rivals, the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos are scrappy and have a lot of fight under them with John Fox as the head coach.

But at 1-3, nobody is expecting much from Denver this year.

And as Denver keeps losing, the Tim Tebow questions will still come around.

I'm sure the Tebow expectations and questions has to make Kyle Orton feel so welcomed in Denver.

San Diego wins, but Denver will fight them at home.

Prediction: Chargers 31, Broncos 24

Sunday Night Football: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons

The last time these two met, the Packers went into the Georgia Dome and stomped the Falcons in their path to becoming Super Bowl Champions.

Now on NBC in an NFC Divisional Round re-match, it should be a good game with the Falcons wanting revenge.

Green Bay is 4-0 and looking like how a defending champion should play in their following season.

Aaron Rodgers continues to play like a superstar, and Brett Favre showed his jealousy the other day with his comments, saying he was surprised it took Rodgers this long to win a championship.

Yes Brett. It only took him three years as a starter. And it won't be long before he wins a second one, which will be one more than you ever had.

The Falcons play much better football at home than they do on the road, and barely held on last week to beat the Seahawks.

Matt Ryan will lead his offense into their home field with a noisy and fired up crowd in Atlanta.

I expect a lot of points scored in this one between these two offenses.

Until someone can actually beat Green Bay, I am not picking against them.

Prediction: Packers 41, Falcons 37

Monday Night Football: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions

It looked like the Lions were going to get knocked off last week on the road against the Cowboys.

But Tony Romo gift-wrapped a nice comeback victory for the Lions at Cowboy Stadium and now the Lions are 4-0 and looking like they could make a serious impact in 2011.

Note to opposing defenses: do not attempt to single-cover Calvin Johnson in the end-zone. He will just burn you with his size, talent and jumping ability.

Now, coming home on Monday night on national TV, the Lions will get a case to showcase their talent for everyone to see.

And it's great the Lions will be showcased on Monday night, because their story and their season so far is the story of the year in 2011.

The next team to attempt to knock off the Lions is their division rival, the Chicago Bears.

The Bears so far in 2011 have been very inconsistent.

First, they knock off the Falcons in Week 1, get knocked off by the Saints and Packers in Week 2 and 3 and barely get by the Panthers in Week 4.

A year ago, they were the division champions who got to the NFC Championship.

A year later, Chicago looks like they could be an 8-8 or 9-7 team with how inconsistent they have been.

I like Detroit to go 5-0 here and knock off the Bears.

Prediction: Lions 35, Bears 24

Bye Week Teams

Dallas Cowboys: 2-2

Washington Redskins: 3-1

St. Louis Rams: 0-4

Baltimore Ravens: 3-1

Cleveland Browns: 2-2

Miami Dolphins: 0-4