NFL News and Views

Week 5 did not disappoint in terms of the marquee matchups. The Eagles squeaked one out versus a sloppy Dallas squad, the Chargers proved themselves against Pittsburgh and the Broncos bettered the Ravens defense.

Bears 40 Bills 7

You know what I love about this game? That Chicago is actually mad they blew the shutout, saying they lost focus. They are for real people.

Panthers 20 Browns 12

Ho…hum... we expected this result and sure enough it came through. Carolina is getting a better effort up front from the o-line, allowing the rushing game to get going. But wait, it was only Cleveland.

Vikings 26 Lions 17

That’s it. I give up. No more backing the Lions. For two straight weeks, this team was good enough to win on the road and they shot themselves in the foot with turnovers. Wow, are they ugly or what? We now know why Jon Kitna was run out of a couple of cities.

Patriots 20 Dolphins 10

Another predictable result. In fact, it finished exactly on the spread. Sure, Joey Harrington was better than Culpepper had been, but is that saying much? Tom Brady didn’t have to do much here; his defense took care of things.

Rams 23 Packers 20

It’s getting embarrassing for Brett Favre. He should have packed it in already. Too bad, it’s getting harder and harder to remember the good times. As for the Rams? Let’s see what they do against Seattle in Week 6.

Saints 24 Bucs 21

A nice win for Reggie and the Saints. This was a trap game, one that bettors were steering clear of and for good reason. New Orleans did not cover, and they may not again in Week 6 as a dog to Philly.

Colts 14 Titans 13

This would have been one of the biggest upsets in recent NFL regular season history. Vince Young may just win a couple of games this season. Or, maybe it’s that the Indy defense is very, very suspect. It’s probably a little of both.

Giants 19 Redskins 3

That’s more like it. We didn’t buy Washington as a playoff team coming into the season and this game showed what they’re capable of when it counts. New York HAD to have this game to salvage their season and it showed.

Chiefs 23 Cardinals 20

We liked Matt Leinart’s composure and determination. However, now that Larry Fitzgerald is out we don’t give him much success, especially against the Bears in Week 6. A nice win for KC. Herman Edwards has this team believing and we can’t really refute him at this point.

Jaguars 41 Jets 0

No one could predict an utter meltdown from the Jets. We saw this type of result for New York before the season, but not after a 2-2 start elevated expectations. Coach Mangini’s wisdom will be tested. As for the Jags? This was a statement, but they have to be more consistent for statements to mean anything.

49ers 34 Raiders 20

A nice rebound effort by San Francisco over a hapless Oakland squad. Could the Raiders go winless? It’s possible. San Francisco has got to work on their defense though, as their offense is shaping up nicely.

Eagles 38 Cowboys 24

What a great game it was. We appreciate the talents and leadership abilities that Donovan McNabb brings to the table- especially when you consider how bad Drew Bledsoe is. Philadelphia looks very, very strong.

Chargers 23 Steelers 13

We really thought the Steelers would prevail here. Their defense is just missing that big play ability right now and that in turn is exposing their offense as being average.

Broncos 13 Ravens 3

This was a battle to find out who the second best defense is in the league and we now know. Clearly Denver’s stoppers are putting together a prolific season, as they’ve given up only one TD in 4 games. Ravens fans have got to see more out of their running game if they want to dream Super Bowl