NFL – A Look Into Week 5 including Top Bets
Week 5 in the NFL got started on Thursday night with 40-year old Matt Hasselbeck quarterbacking the Indianapolis Colts to their second straight win without Andrew Luck and third straight win overall. The win propelled the Colts to a 3-2 record, good for first place in the AFC South.
Hasselbeck completed 18 of his 29 pass attempts, good for 62%, throwing for 213 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The backup QB helped bring former Texans stud Andre Johnson back to relevance, hauling in a team high 6 receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns. The Colts other offseason big name acquisition, Frank Gore, also enjoyed his best game of the year, rushing 22 times for 98 yards and a TD.
Houston Texans starter Ryan Mallett took himself out of the game at 6:56 mark of the second quarter, after taking a hit on a play the Colts were penalized for roughing the passer. Brian Hoyer came in and quickly impressed Coach Bill O’Brien, causing Mallett to lose his starting job for the time being.
Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs – 1:00 PM ET
There are 8 games slated for a 1:00 PM ET start, and even though we are only through 4 weeks, it’s a make or break week for many teams.
Two 1-3 teams face off, as the Chicago Bears travel to Missouri to play the Kansas City Chiefs. With injuries decimating the Bears before the season started when they lost first round pick Kevin White mid-August then lost number one Wide Receiver Alshon Jeffery to injury after Week 1, the Bears started a firesale, unloading players for draft picks.
The Chiefs on the other hand were in the conversation to win the AFC West to begin the year, although they have not impressed at all. They currently rank 27th in overall defense this year, after finishing 7th in 2014.
The Chiefs are a 10-point home favorite in this one, and even though they play well at home and should win, I expect the Bears to keep this one close enough to cover.
Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals – 1:00PM ET
This is an intriguing matchup as both teams are not playing as expected. Seattle came into Week 1 as the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, only to lose to the Rams and in Week 2 to the Packers. They followed up those two loses with wins versus the lowly Bears in Week 3 and pulled out a controversial win last week against the Lions.
On the other hand, Cincinnati has gotten off to a 4-0 (SU and ATS) start with road wins in Oakland and Baltimore in Weeks 1 and 3 respectively and home wins versus San Diego and Kansas City in Weeks 2 and 4. Cincinnati and Andy Dalton are getting it done on offense, ranking second in overall team offense and fourth in points/game.
A staggering difference in sacks has to be noted coming into this game. Cincinnati has allowed only 2 sacks, to lead the league with the Jets, while Seattle is second to last with their leaky offensive line allowing Russell Wilson to be sacked 18 times!
The Seahawks opened as a road favorite, but the line has since shifted, possibly due to Running Back Marshawn Lynch downgrade to OUT for this one. The Bengals are now a 3-point home favorite. This is a tough one to call, but I’ll take Cincinnati at home to remain undefeated.
New England Patriots at Dallas Cowboys – 4:25ET PM
Tom Brady and the Patriots look like they’re on a mission after their offseason Deflategate fiasco. They have started the season 3-0 with wins at home versus Pittsburg and Jacksonville and on the road against Buffalo. New England went into their bye after a Week 3 51-17 drubbing of the Jaguars.
Not only have Brady (96-133-70%/9 TD-0 INT) and the offense been clicking, but the defense has also been getting it done with 13 sacks (5th) and 5 interceptions (6th) through three games.
The Cowboys have gone 0-2 since Tony Romo went down with a broken collarbone and Brandon Weeden took over as the starter. Moreover, their defense was supposed to be one of the toughest in the league, but has given up 256 yards/game, which ranks 19th in the league.
Putting all this together, plus the fact Belichick and company get an extra week to game plan, New England will go to 4-0. The Patriots are currently a 9-point road favorite with the number at 49½.
My favorite bet this weekend is a teaser in this game, taking the points for the Patriots and the OVER.
Written by: Rob Keough