NFL 2005 Week 6 Predictions

Another week in the black. Yeah! After a slow start this season, I'm actually doing better these last two weeks than I did the comparable weeks last season. Unfortunately, week 6 last year was one of my best (11 right) so it's quite a challenge to keep my streak going.

Onto this week....

Falcons @ Saints
After getting dismantled by the Packers, the Saints get the task of facing the Falcons. After showing some spirit to open the season, the Saints appear to be mailing it in. Prediction: Falcons.

Bengals @ Titans
Tennessee certainly still has some offensive potential, but their defense is miserable and are completely not up to the task of stopping the Bengals. Chad Johnson shouldn't be making a spectacle of himself this week, at least not in the bad way he did last week. Prediction: Bengals.

Jaguars @ Steelers
Pittsburghers are breathing a huge sigh of relief this week with Big Ben's knee injury less severe than originally thought. He might even play this week. Even if he doesn't, the Steeler offense is much better than the Jaguars'. With both teams having good defenses, that will make the difference in a low scoring game. Prediction: Steelers.

Vikings @ Bears
The Vikings are reeling yet again this year. It's so bad that they have hired two new coaches and Tice is now officially on the hot seat. If their play on the field weren't bad enough, the team faces legal problems against some key players, including Fred Smoot and Mewelde Moore, which has been a distraction for the team this week. The Viking problems on the field include poor play calling by the new offensive coordinator and poor play by the offensive line, which has resulted in too many sacks and Culpepper getting a case of happy feet. Lack of a running game hasn't helped. Expect the Bears, with their strong, aggressive defense, to exploit all of these problems. But, while the Bears have a good defense, their offense is impotent. And their starting running back may be out. So expect an ugly, low scoring game, with the Vikings pulling out a sloppy win. Prediction: Vikings.

Redskins @ Chiefs
KC started the season on fire, with their usual high scoring offense and a promising defense. That fire has gone up in smoke, with the offense only mustering 10 points against Denver one week, and the defense blowing a huge lead over the Eagles the next. The Chiefs need to get back on track. The Redskins were shown the other side of playing close games, losing a nail-biter to the Broncos before taking last week off. The Redskin defense, one of the best, will slow down the Chief assault, but the Redskin offense will again not be up to the task. Prediction: Chiefs.

Panthers @ Lions
This will be a good test for the Lions, who find themselves atop the miserable NFC North. If they want their position to be taken seriously, they will have to beat quality opposition. Carolina looks to be hitting something of a rhythm, though their defense continues to give up too many points. Josh McCown putting up 394 yards and 2 TD's? This against a team many picked to be among the elite of the NFC, to the extent that there is an elite in the NFC? Not this week. Prediction: Panthers.

Browns @ Ravens
The Ravens have struggled to find any production at quarterback since they released Trent Dilfer after their Super Bowl win. Dilfer is now the starter in Cleveland and is having a quite decent season for a fairly lousy team. The Raven defense is a far cry from what it was in its heyday. The only opponent they've held below 24 points was the Jets, who played the game with a third string QB. They rank 19th in points per game. The Browns, under Dilfer, are able to put up points, not in huge numbers but enough. Prediction: Browns.

Dolphins @ Bucs
Ricky Williams returns. The Auburn rookie RB twins are reunited. With all the headlines dealing with the running backs, you might forget this is a game featuring two pretty evenly matched and balanced teams. Both have good defenses, good running games, and good passing games. But Miami has the better passing game. Griese is good, but struggled a bit without the Cadillac running game. With Cadillac out, the Dolphins will have the better running game too, unless they try to get too much from Williams. Ricky should be used in a supporting role, spelling Brown, or in two back situations. If they try to make him the lead runner, it will backfire. Prediction: Dolphins.

Giants @ Cowboys
For some reason, games with Parcells going against the Giants get a lot less hype than when he goes up against his other former teams. Maybe it's just the passage of time, but it's still curious. I am impressed with Dallas this year. Taking the training wheels off the offense last week, the Cowboys obliterated the defending NFC champs. Bledsoe looked great, the receivers looked great, and the running game looked great. With the offense cruising, the defense was free to be more aggressive. It certainly paid off. Of course, the Giants are having a pretty good year too, with Eli Manning posting better passing stats than his MVP brother. I think the game comes down to defense, and I like Dallas' better. Prediction: Cowboys.

Jets @ Bills
A game to decide the worst team in the AFC East. How exciting. With Holcomb running the offense, the Bills are the better team on both sides of the ball. Prediction: Bills.

Patriots @ Denver
The Patriots 5 game stretch from hell comes to a close against the Broncos. (After this, they get two weeks off--a bye and the Bills--before taking on the Colts.) As I expected, the pity party being thrown for New England raised their ire quite a bit and they defeated the Falcons. Hmm. New England winning a game on a last second field goal from Vinatieri. See, they just keep finding new ways to win. Anyway, what didn't get as much attention from the Falcon game is that the Patriots blew big leads twice in the game, which necessitated the kicking heroics, and they gave up 300 yards passing to a backup quarterback leading a team focused on running not passing. The Pats are, frankly, starting to look a bit like the 2003 Chiefs: big time offense, lots of points scored, hole-y defense, lots of points allowed. Denver is the type of team that will give New England fits. Plummer is having a fine year throwing, the Bronco running game is good as always, and they are playing solid defense. Plus this game is in Denver, where the Broncos have a fantastic home field advantage. (By the way, at this point, I see the Patriots as a 10-6 team, division winner, winning a wild-card playoff game and falling to Pittsburgh or Indy in the divisional round.) Prediction: Broncos.

Chargers @ Raiders
The Raiders have a very good pass offense. The best way to beat such a team is, not by playing great pass defense, though that certainly helps, but by controlling the time of possession with an effective running game. San Diego certainly has that. And they have the defense. Oakland is just too one-dimensional. Prediction: Chargers.

Texans @ Seahawks
Imagine that, the Seahawks starting to play consistent football and winning on the road. I told you in my preseason predictions that my giving up on them meant they would go to the Super Bowl. I won't go that far yet, but they are certainly looking better and better. The Texans are horrible. All these years and they still haven't put together a decent offensive line to protect their franchise QB? With all Carr has had to endure, the Texans should show him some mercy and release him so he can try to find a team than can protect him. Prediction: Seahawks.

Rams @ Colts
Finally, a good test for the Colt defense. Indy's defense leads the league in points allowed, an absolutely astonishing 5.8 points per game. They are #2 in the interceptions (8), #1 in interceptions returned for touchdowns (2), #1 in sacks (20), and #1 in forced fumbles (7). (And in case anyone forgot, they have a decent offense too.) But, in fairness, they haven't exactly faced any offensive juggernauts. The Rams certainly know a thing or two about scoring points. Unfortunately, they know nothing about defense. Prediction: Colts.

Last Week: 8-6
Season: 38-36