My Picks:
Seattle Seahawks over Jacksonville Jaguars
Arizona Cardinals over Cleveland Browns
Miami Dolphins over Buffalo Bills
Detroit Lions over Houston Texans
New York Giants over Washington Redskins
16 for 25 (64%) on the Season
Winner of the Matchup of the Week: Jacksonville Jaguars
Luckiest Win: Washington Redskins over New York Giants
Unluckiest Loss: Tie- Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins
Biggest Week 5 Disappointment: Arizona Cardinals
Biggest Week 5 Surprise: Cleveland Browns
- I had an awful week of picking, and the only winner I called correctly is the Detroit Lions.
- The awful luck continues for the Miami Dolphins, who despite holding the 3rd most points, sit in 9th place.
- Brian Westbrook broke two ribs, but may or not be out. In his place, Correll Buckhalter will get carries (now owned by the Seattle Seahawks)
- Houston Texans made a move to acquire Rashard Mendenhall this weekend, despite the fact that Mendenhall is on IR. Obviously, the Texans are hoping that Mendenhall may be a nice keeper option for next season.
Power Rankings:
These are the Week 5 Power Rankings. These, of course, are just my opinion.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-0, 601 Points) [+1]
The Jags, who only have the 2nd most points, move to #1 in the rankings simply because they have a two game lead on the rest of the competition. The Jaguars have gotten tremendous production out of seemingly everybody on their roster.
2. Arizona Cardinals (3-2, 634 Points) [-1]
The Cardinals have a very firm hold on the #2 spot in the league, but are now 2 games back on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Despite losing a shocker to the last place Browns, the Cards still put up a respectable 105 points in Week 5.
3. Seattle Seahawks (3-2, 552 Points) [--]
For the 5th straight week, the Seahawks come in at #3 despite posting up an anemic 76 points Week 5. Still, that number does not represent reality, as the Seahawks GM accidentally started Matt Schaub who was inactive. The Hawks have gotten amazing performances out of running back tandem Frank Gore and Reggie Bush.
4. Detroit Lions (3-2, 515 Points) [+2]
Three straight wins since the Steve Smith trade, and the Lions are on a roll. With a three game win streak, the Lions will attempt to beat Seattle in Week 6 to see if they are really for real. The Lions have gotten a good performance out of Adrian Peterson thus far, but not the type of numbers they were expecting.
5. New York Giants (2-3, 530 Points) [-1]
The Giants lost a heartbreaker to rival Redskins this weekend, losing only by a single point. For a team that hasn’t scored 100 points since Week 2, It wouldn’t surprise me if the Giants continue to lose unless some changes are made. Will bringing in McGahee be what puts them over the top?
6. Miami Dolphins (1-4, 571 Points) [-1]
I could just have easily ranked the Bills at #6, but I cannot the Dolphins here, simply because they have the 3rd most points in the league (more than the Giants, Lions or Seahawks). Week 6 is the make or break week for the Dolphins at this point, they absolutely need a win over the Browns.
7. Buffalo Bills (3-2, 488 Points) [+2]
Admittedly, I have been a bit tough on the Bills in these rankings, despite the fact that they keep winning games. Buffalo dropped 124 in an upset victory over Miami, which puts them up two spots in my rankings.
8. Washington Redskins (2-3, 504 Points) [--]
The Redskins are now riding a two game winning streak with a 1 point win over the favored Giants. The Skins will hope to prove that they are for real this weekend when they face off against the Arizona Cardinals, who many believe are the best team in the league.
9. Houston Texans (2-3, 483 Points) [-2]
The Texans continue to drop after their 2nd straight below average performance. Obviously, losing Brady has been a tremendous hit to this team, who have now turned to a Brian Griese/Matt Cassel combo at 2QB for the long stretch. It doesn’t help that Ryan Grant, Vernon Davis and Chad Ocho Cinco have been huge busts so far as well.
10. Cleveland Browns (1-4, 426 Points) [--]
This is the fifth straight week for the Browns, who actually beat the Arizona Cardinals last week in a stunning upset victory. Still, it looks as if the Browns are tanking the season by starting inactive players. Will the Browns get active and turn it around?