For all the talk about competitive balance derided as parity, there are still dynasties and duds.
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nFL (Week 5)Rams Packers Live online [CBS Start time]: Free stream NFL 2015 football (Preview) Update. Drew Brees is taking a beating.
Denver Broncos (-4) at Cleveland Browns – The Broncos are winning with defense. He became the first Brown EVER with 3 consecutive 300 yard games and broke the team record for passing yards with 457.
And a 17-6 victory over the Bengals in Week 5 of 2013. Plus, the Bengals just notched a huge victory over Seattle this past weekend, so that emotion could be hard to control.
The banged-up Ravens arriving with Harbaugh in tow will generate plenty of headlines, but he may not be able to avenge his brother’s departure considering the state of a defense that now may be without LB Elvis Dumervil, who aggravated a groin injury in Sunday’s OT loss to Cleveland. Instead Dalton rallied his team and they scored the last 27 points to beat the Seattle Seahawks and remain flawless. However, you have to be impressed by their ability to find a way to win when things weren’t going smoothly. They could very well be 1-4 given last week’s officiating shenanigans, but they’re not.
On to the Atlanta Falcons, who found themselves in big trouble during their home game against the Washington Redskins. I’m picking the Jaguars 24-19. They are a different team at home. What makes me put the Packers ahead of the Patriots, is that they are not firing on all cylinders yet. Matthew Stafford is regressing and the defense is a mess. Nearly every game was won by the players, and the zebras had a lesser role. Atlanta ranks third in Adjusted NEP per play on offense, with the fourth best passing offense and the top ranked run game in the league.
Each of those teams is 5-0.
Cornerback Robert Alford returned an interception 59 yards for the winning touchdown in Atlanta’s wild overtime win over Washington. This week he faced another solid defense.
All four of Arizona’s wins have come by double-digits, so the Steelers will have their work cut out for them on a short week coming off the Monday night game in San Diego.
Miami fired Joe Philbin during the bye week and now they are a 2.5 point underdog at Tennessee this week. The Dolphins are a mess, and the first game with a new coach mid-season is never easy. Marcus Mariota is just 1-3 as a rookie QB but he’s played well so far. “The Falcons had three defensive touchdowns in their previous 29 games”.
It does help to be facing a Saints defense that got lit up by an inconsistent Sam Bradford and hasn’t beaten an National Football League starting quarterback yet. Is Seattle done? No. Seahawks win but fail to cover. The Chargers lost in unforgivable fashion last week at home but the spread is still high for a team with Philip Rivers. Packers still win, but barely, 24-20.
It starts with the undefeated Falcons visiting the desperate Saints, ends with the Eagles and Giants playing for NFC East supremacy and Baltimore’s John Harbaugh visiting San Francisco. And both the Panthers’ offensive and defensive components are negative, something that isn’t seen with any of the other undefeated teams. Then Cox did it again in the third quarter after the Eagles took a 17-10 lead. Last season, the Falcons were the second worst defense by Adjusted NEP per play, but that has improved up to 16th so far this season. Upset special, 49ers win outright. The 49ers are 1-6 ATS in their last seven home games, while the Ravens are 2-3-1 ATS in their last six road games. This is Deflategate revenge. Will Andrew Luck be back this week for the Colts?
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Patriots at Cowboys: The Patriots are the 9 point road favorite, which is asinine. They have to go on the road to Minnesota next week, then face Pittsburgh and Detroit at home. They are 4-2 ATS in their last six games against the Giants in Philadelphia. Written permission must be obtained before reprint in online or print media.
