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Week five of the NFL season is upon us and it is time to present the weekly series dedicated to early picks for each NFL game in the coming week. These picks are straight up and not against the spread. Here you get who the home team and away teams are as well as the chosen winner with a little data to back up that opinion. It is just that simple, clear and concise.
You will also get a weekly Lock of the Week. Each week I will pick one game that I feel cannot lose. With that will be supporting data to back up that stance. Obviously each week anything can happen in the NFL but there is always a game that sets itself apart from the others. There are a few shockers this week. Without any further trepidation we present the NFL picks and Lock of the Week. Enjoy the 2015-2016 NFL Week 5 Picks and Predictions, Lock of The Week.
Lock of the Week
Atlanta Falcons over Washington Redskins
Yes I hear you, the Washington Redskins are 2-2 and a contender in the NFC East. I would beg to differ at this point. The Redskins beat a St Louis Rams team that did not have Todd Gurley and was trying to find its way in week two. Then last week they beat the experiment which apparently gone wrong in the Philadelphia Eagles, who can only beat themselves at this point. Throw in a loss in week one at home to the Dolphins, who just fired their coach, and I am not sold.
Meanwhile, you have the Atlanta Falcons who are clicking on all offensive cylinders. They are averaging over 34 points a game. Julio Jones is a monster and add in the emergence of stud in the making, Devonta Freeman at running back and teams are in trouble. While three of their games have been close the reality is they find a way to win. Now they get to play at home in the Georgia Dome where they just demolished a Texans team by 27.
Defensively the Redskins are second against the run and the Falcons are fifth so I will call the seven yard differential a wash in my eyes. The Redskins are ninth in the league against the pass but have yet to face an offense like this. They have also not intercepted the opposing quarterback yet this season. The Falcons are near the bottom of the league in pass defense but are ninth in the league with four interceptions. They get to face Kirk Cousins who has as many interceptions (4) as he does touchdowns (4).
Anything can happen in the NFL, but this sure sets up like a lock for the Atlanta Falcons at home in a track meet against a team that is just not fast enough to keep up.
| Time (ET) | Away | Home | Pick |
| 8:25 | Indianapolis Colts | Houston Texans | Texans |
| Andrew Luck appears to returning under center this week. The belief is that the time to rest his shoulder could help the mental game in prep for Houston who comes home after being throttled by the Falcons. Arian Foster will be in week 2 of his return and I believe Mallett will be ready. In a toss up I take the home team. | |||
| 1:00 | Washington Redskins | Atlanta Falcons | Falcons |
| See my lock of the week. | |||
| 1:00 | Cleveland Browns | Baltimore Ravens | Ravens |
| Cleveland has been more competitive than many thought despite being 1-3. The Ravens at 1-3 seemed to right the ship against a Big Benless Steelers. Ravens 1-3 record does not show that two losses are against two 4-0 teams. Ravens at home with room to spare. | |||
| 1:00 | Seattle Seahawks | Cincinnati Bengals | Bengals |
| Seahawks defense looked great last week. The offense, yet again, looks poor and uninspired. Bengals are better than the Lions by far averaging over 30 a game. Seattle will need to score 24 to win and I am not sure they can at this time. | |||
| 1:00 | St Louis Rams | Green Bay Packers | Packers |
| St Louis knocked off one undefeated team last week and look to do the same again. Green Bay had more of an issue with 49ers last week than I would have thought but it was on the road. Rams do not score many points and need to in GB to beat the Packers. Aaron Rodgers and crew go to 5-0. | |||
| 1:00 | Chicago Bears | Kansas City Chiefs | Chiefs |
| There is no doubt that the Bears are better with Cutler and the Chiefs defense has not been as advertised this year. This is a toss up game between two teams that are just not that good. In that type of game I will take the home team in an ugly and close one. | |||
| 1:00 | New Orleans Saints | Philadelphia Eagles | Saints |
| The new motto for this year until proven wrong is that the Eagles will lose. Seriously, this teams is baffling and why they are as bad as they are us hard to figure out. Brees has shoulder problem but can make the short to intermediate throws. The threesome at RB in NO is better than the threesome in Philadelphia at this time. NO on the road to 2-3. | |||
| 1:00 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jaguars |
| Winston is dealing with life as a rookie in the NFL. He made mistakes and will continue to make them as he matures. Bortles is getting better in year 2 and Yeldon looked great last week. Neither team is good right now and both lost to Carolina. Call it a hunch but I like Jacksonville on the road. | |||
| 1:00 | Buffalo Bills | Tennessee Titans | Bills |
| Mariota has looked solid as rookie to date and they are coming off the bye but they have not played anyone yet and are still 1-3. Bills had a rough one at home against the G-Men but have the superior defense. Even at less than 100 percent this should be a comfortable win for Rex Ryan and crew. | |||
| 4:05 | Arizona Cardinals | Detroit Lions | Lions |
| Arizona got a wakeup call against the Rams who tend to play them tough. Detroit make have been screwed by a bad call but the offense still only scored three points. The Lions offense has been horrible this year. It has to turn around but against the Cardinals defense it could be bad considering they are second in INTs. But this will be the Cardinals toughest opponent. to date. Hmm. Call it an upset, Lions at home. | |||
| 4:25 | New England Patriots | Dallas Cowboys | Patriots |
| Weeden vs Brady. Cowboys have lost two in a row and the injuries keep adding up at key positions. Patriots have looked like a buzz saw this year mowing opponents down. Patriots off a bye on national television. This could get ugly. | |||
| 4:25 | Denver Broncos | Oakland Raiders | Raiders |
| Denver might be ugly but they keep finding a way to win against substandard opponents. Their defense has been insane to date and keeping them in games. The Raiders are no juggernaut but have been solid compared to history. Denver as given up 280 and 270 yards passing the last two weeks which helps Carr. Running game is improving in Oakland. Upset of the week at home. | |||
| 8:30 | San Francisco 49ers | New York Giants | Giants |
| The 49ers are just not good and have looked foolish for three straight weeks. The are last in the NFL in scoring and given up the fourth most points in the league. The Giants could easily be 4-0 but at have won two in a row and look like the team many expected. While not perfect they have more than enough to beat the 49ers at home. | |||
| 8:30 | Pittsburgh Steelers | San Diego Chargers | Chargers |
| If Ben was in the lineup I think it is clearly a Steelers pick but with Vick at the helm, even with time to learn, it is hard to like them. The last two weeks they scoring 32 total points. The defense is just okay. Bell is great but cannot do it alone. Rivers and crew can score and will score. I do not think the Steelers can keep up. | |||
Do you think the upsets will pan out? Weigh in with your thoughts and let’s talk about it. So what did you think of the 2015-2016 NFL Week 5 Picks and Predictions, Lock of The Week? Do you agree? Disagree? Let’s hear your thoughts.
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