NFL Week 5 Games to Watch

            Week 4 in the NFL was a doozy, with nine of those games decided by one score or less. Right now, there are a total of fifteen (!) NFL teams with 2-2 (.500) records on the young season. This week will be pivotal in determining the direction for several of these teams going forward. I’m excited to hopefully be able to watch the few primetime games, as all of them have potential. I will obviously follow my Falcons, even though they might get exposed by Brady this weekend. I’ve rambled on long enough, so let’s dive in & analyze the best games from week 5 in the NFL.

Colts @ Broncos on Amazon Prime (Thursday Night Football)

            Honestly, this one could go either way as both of these teams have underachieved so far. Despite that disclaimer, my belief is that both quarterbacks (Matt Ryan & Russell Wilson) will bring their A-game tonight with their seasons on the line. This is a particularly important game for the Colts, who are 1-2-1 & are playing without star RB Jonathan Taylor tonight. They need this win to keep pace with the Titans & Jaguars (who are both 2-2) in the AFC South division. Meanwhile, Russell Wilson just hasn’t looked right this season as he’s struggled to create plays. Call me crazy, but I believe that whoever wins tonight’s game goes on quite a run going forward.

Bengals @ Ravens on NBC (Sunday Night Football)

            The last time these two teams faced off, it was the Joe Burrow show as he repeatedly shredded the Ravens defense in completing 80% of his passes for 525 yards & 4 touchdowns! That was the point where I think everyone started taking the Bengals seriously as contenders. Could history repeat itself this week, as the Bengals have again gotten off to a sluggish start? They’d better bring their A-game against the Ravens, who are surely mad about blowing another late lead at home to the Bills last weekend. Which of these contenders shows up in primetime?

Raiders @ Chiefs on ESPN (Monday Night Football)

            Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs have certainly had the Raiders number in recent years, as they have an 8-2 record against them since the start of the 2017 season. Throw those stats out the window this week, as this should be a highly entertaining matchup. It seems like the Raiders are finally finding their identity on offense, loading up RB Josh Jacobs with 33 touches last week. Similar tactics could work well for them here too, as this would keep Mahomes off the gridiron. They would be smart to use this approach, as everyone saw what Mahomes just did in primetime. He recently threw for 249 yards with 3 touchdowns while putting up 41 points against the Bucs.

Falcons @ Buccaneers on FOX (Sunday early afternoon)

            All of the sudden, my beloved Dirty Birds are tied with the Bucs atop the NFC South! Unfortunately, Tom Brady is undefeated (9-0) when playing against the Falcons in his career. We’re hopeful that this statistic will change soon, and who knows, maybe it will this weekend? I’ll remain skeptical until I see it, but the Falcons have played with a winning mentality lately. They’ve successfully ran the ball & played “bend but don’t break” defense, and it’s worked well. I still have doubts about the long-term implications of this approach, but hopefully it works this week. Father Time just hasn’t yet found a way to slow down Tom Brady, but could the Falcons find a way to do so this weekend? Tune in & find out in this NFC South Sunday matinee affair.

Eagles @ Cardinals on FOX (Sunday late afternoon)

            It’s a battle of the birds here as the 4-0 Eagles travel on the road to face the 2-2 Cardinals. Two former Oklahoma quarterbacks will square off as Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray do battle. Both guys have shown the ability to create plays on their own by running the ball & scrambling. When two talented quarterbacks duel against one another, it often brings out the best in both guys. Let’s see if that could be the case here, as football fans gear up to watch all of the action.