Week 5 NFL Picks

October 8, 2015

By the Football Garbage Time Staff

Time now for our Week 5 NFL Picks!

Week 5 Games

Ha Kung Wong’s Picks

Ha Kung’s Thoughts:

After a nice push in Week 4, I suddenly, but not unexpectedly, find myself in first place. And I don’t intend to let up, or let you down, so feel free to copy my picks. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

The most interesting match up for me this week will be the Seattle Seahawks @ the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are 4-0 having handily dispatched, among others, the underrated Oakland Raiders in Oakland and, perhaps most impressive, the dangerous Kansas City Chiefs. The Bengals defense get credit for containing Jamaal Charles, who is one of the most consistent and versatile RBs in the NFL. On offense, though, the Bengals have been a little less consistent, with both Andy Dalton and his RBBC, consisting of Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard, cycling through good and bad starts. The Seattle defense is for real, as Kam Chancellor demonstrated at the end of the showdown against the Detroit Lions in Week 4 (although Wright’s attempt at volleyball with the football might have been less than legal). Even if they don’t always contain yards, they will disrupt offenses and cause turnovers. The question is whether the Seattle offense is for real. Without Marshawn Lynch, there was hardly any ball movement. But for a few backyard-style scramble plays, Russell Wilson was mostly ineffective due to lack of protection (6 sacks) that led to 2 fumbles lost (3 total by Wilson, but 1 recovered by Seattle) that almost completely changed the narrative with a fumble-6 late mid-4th quarter. Both the Seahawks and Bengals will face their toughest defensive challenge yet, and whichever team makes the least mistakes will survive. If Marshawn Lynch plays, the gap narrows, but I think Cincinnati has the better offense and good momentum to propel them to 5-0.

The other interesting game for me is the Cleveland Browns @ the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams are 1-3, but Baltimore had higher expectations coming into the season. Due to injuries to Steve Smith Jr., Breshad Perriman (whose existing injury just seems to be getting worse each week) and breakout TE Crockett Gilmore, there are hardly any receiving options left in Baltimore. But Justin Forsett rediscovered his mojo in Week 3, and the Ravens looked poised to grind out another win. Not so fast. The Browns have an underrated defense, particularly in the secondary, and are more than capable shutting down Joe Flacco and stacking the box against Forsett. With the addition of offensive rookie threat Duke Johnson finally finding a role, I think the Browns take this one on the road in a surprise win.

And if you’re interested in why I think the Kansas City Chiefs will beat the Chicago Bears, even though I’m a Bears fan, check out my game preview!