Saturday, October 07, 2006

Three Unbeaten Teams Left At Week 5

Week five of the NFL season is upon us and three undefeated teams remain - the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens.

All three will get a chance to stay that way this week in the quest for that all-important home field advantage and a berth in the playoffs.

Two of the unbeatens are at home - the Colts and the Bears, while the Ravens have the hardest task by going to Denver to face the Broncos.

On the other side of the spectrum, four teams (Detroit, Tennessee, Tampa Bay and Oakland) will try to get off the losing slide and pick up a victory.

There are plenty of excellent games on tap for any football connoisseur, so set back, grab your chips and dip, get your fantasy football sheets out and enjoy the games.

Here's the Corners predictions for week five in the NFL:

Detroit at Minnesota
The Lions offense is finally coming around under coordinator Mike Martz. The problem is, the defense isn't under head coach Rod Marinelli. Winner: Vikings.

Tennessee at Indianapolis
Vince Young gets his second start of the season and Dwight Freeney and company have to be licking their chops. The Colts offense can score almost at will, but they need to shore up a run defense that ranks 30th in the league. Winner: Colts.

St. Louis at Green Bay
The Rams travel to Lambeau Field where they haven't won since 1995. The Packers have difficulty scoring points or stopping anyone and with the rejuvenated St. Louis defense under coordinator Jim Haslett, look for the Rams to move to 4-1 on the season. Winner: Rams.

Buffalo at Chicago
The Bears are playing excellent football and are at home for the second consecutive week. Willis McGahee is the leading rusher in the NFL, but he hasn't faced a defense like Chicago's. Buffalo QB J.P. Losman better run for his life if Tommie Harris gets his radar on him. Winner: Bears.

Cleveland at Carolina
The Browns got their first win of the season on the road last week in Oakland. Unfortunately for Cleveland, it can't play the Raiders every week. Winner: Panthers.

Washington at New York Giants
Key battle in the NFC East with the suddenly hot Redskins taking on the Giants. New York has had a week off to prepare for the 'Skins which is a definite advantage. For Washington, the return to health of Clinton Portis and the play of WR Santana Moss and QB Mark Brunell have resulted in a two-game winning streak. Winner: Giants.

Tampa Bay at New Orleans
Jon Gruden and the Bucs front office are so desperate for a quarterback they tried to trade for Marques Tuiasasopo. A disastrous start to the season only gets worse for Tampa Bay. Winner: Saints.

Miami at New England
The Patriots made a statement with last weeks win over the Bengals and now a limping Dolphins offense, who may not have Daunte Culpepper, comes to Foxboro to meet the very healthy Tom Brady and rookie star Laurence Maroney. Winner: Patriots.

Oakland at San Francisco
How do you bounce back from a 41-0 defeat? Easy, put Oakland on your schedule. Winner: 49ers.

New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars
Eric Mangini has the Jets playing above expectations and that will hold true this week against the Jaguars. New York has been competitive in every game this season, but Jacksonville at home and with a superior defense should get the job done. Winner: Jaguars.

Kansas City at Arizona
Matt Leinart gets his first start at QB and it's at home so the crowd could be a factor. On the other hand, the Cardinal defense is a mess and Larry Johnson should have a big day on the ground. Winner: Chiefs.

Dallas at Philadelphia
The game every football fan had circled on their calendars since the schedule was released. Terrell Owens comes back to Philly were he's loved so much to face Donovan McNabb and company. This game will be hard-hitting, intense and plenty fun to watch. Look for Brian Westbrook to be the difference. Winner: Eagles.

Pittsburgh at San Diego (Sunday night)
The Steelers are in an early must-win situation what with Baltimore and Cincinnati in front of the champs in the division. The Chargers know they let one get away against the Ravens last week and will be pumped up and ready to go. Look for Pittsburgh to fall even deeper into its post Super Bowl funk. Winner: Chargers.

Baltimore at Denver (Monday night)
The Ravens have the toughest task of all the undefeated teams - facing the Broncos at Mile High. Jake Plummer is back on track and the defense has been solid. Plus, you just don't beat Denver at home. Winner: Broncos.

Last week: 11-3
Overall: 35-9


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