In week 5 we remember the great Greg Landry who played quarterback for the Lions for 11 seasons in the 1960’s & 70’s. Landry passed away at the age of 77 this week. Landry played 15 years in the NFL. After the Lions he played for the Colts and Bears. He also did two years in the USFL in the 1980’s with the Arizona Wranglers and Chicago Blitz. He was 44-51-3 as a starter in the NFL throwing 98 touchdowns and had 103 interceptions.

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:(10-6)

THURSDAY NIGHT RECORD:(3-1)

FRIDAY NIGHT RECORD:(0-1)

MONDAY NIGHT RECORD:(4-2)

SEASON RECORD:(36-28)

NFL STRAIGHT PICK-EM WEEK 5

THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS(3-1) AT ATLANTA FALCONS(2-2)

This match up is too close to call. A coin flip will do. I have bet against Baker Mayfield so far this season and it has cost me. The Falcons have been hard to figure out as well. Can Captain Kirk Cousins ditch those losing ways on prime time games? Which is a fair question. The Buccaneers and the Falcons coming off wins from last week. This is a division game which means these teams know each other. Even though Cousins is new to the division this will be a shoot out. I bet on Mayfield because he has shown me up every week. I like Cousins making it a close affair, but Buccaneers prevail at the end.

OUR PICK: BUCCANEERS

THE SUNDAY SLATE

THE LONDON, ENGLAND GAME

The NFL is always scoring points with the Queen of England. Is that the Commissioner Roger Goodell on top?

NEW YORK JETS(2-2) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS(4-0)

Aaron Rodgers will face a familiar team from his past in the Vikings. While Sam Darnold might want to settle the score with the team that drafted him in the New York J-E-T-S. Vikings are surprisingly 4-0 as Darnold suddenly is showing something to explain why he was drafted in the first round in the first place. This game is on neutral ground over the pond in England in where anything can happen. The Jets had a bad week at home losing to the Broncos in bad weather. Rodgers all-time is 17-12 against the Vikings which was done in a Green Bay uniform. Rodgers struggled last week and was mouthing off as he always does when he shows he’s incapable of producing every game like the old days. The Vikings are well-balanced on offense and that defense has been mostly lights out even though they let Green Bay back into that game last Sunday. The Jets line has not played that well for Rodgers. The Jets wins have come from the Titans and Patriots while the Vikings have beaten the Packers and the 49ers who New York lost too. The Vikings are sailing hot right now and I’m riding them over the Jets who have mostly been grounded this season for malfunctions behind center mostly.

OUR PICK: VIKINGS

CAROLINA PANTHERS(1-3) AT CHICAGO BEARS(2-2)

Andy Dalton failed to beat the team that drafted him last Sunday. Can Dalton rebound and beat one his other X-teams? The Bears rookie quarterback I thought played his best game of the season last Sunday with a win over the Rams. The Panthers are a better team with Dalton behind center, but they still overall are a bad team. I like the Bears being at home. I like D’Andre Swift having his best game last week as a Bear.

The Bears should be able to score points anytime versus the Panther defense. The Bears defense has done well all year and should be able to hold Dalton and this Panthers offense in check.

OUR PICK: DA BEARS

MIAMI DOLPHINS(1-3) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS(1-3)

The poor Dolphins and the Patriots have lost three straight games after they opened up with a victory on the opening week. The Cheetah Tyreek Hill is getting restless as they have no quarterback behind center right now to get him the ball. When is the question. Will the Patriots give their rookie quarterback Drake Maye the keys to the car?

Both teams have had troubles on the offensive side of the ball. You can say the Patriots have played better at home. I think Miami runs the ball down the Patriots throat in this one and escapes New England with a victory. This as they find a few plays to get their caged animal Hill involved which will pay off.

OUR PICK: DOLPHINS

BALTIMORE RAVENS(2-2) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS(1-3)

The Bengals finally won their first game of the season last week. Whoopee!!! They played the Panthers. The Ravens gave Buffalo their first loss of the year as they rode the Derrick Henry steamroller to victory.

The Bengals and Ravens will always be worth watching. This Bengals team is 2-8 all-time versus Lamar Jackson. Joe Burrow beat the Bengals easily when Jackson was hurt and is 3-4 all-time versus the Ravens. The Ravens will score points off a bad Bengal defense that has suffered some injuries. They are not the same unit when the Bengals were in the playoffs two seasons ago. The Ravens defense seems to finally be finding their 2023 groove in last week’s performance. Bengals usually dig themselves out of the hole they dug early in the season. This match up is not what this Bengals team needs right now. These teams don’t like each other as it will be close but Ravens prevail.

OUR PICK: RAVENS

BUFFALO BILLS(3-1) AT HOUSTON TEXANS(3-1)

The revenge of Stefon Diggs part 2!! The former Bill will face him & get his chance to stick it to Josh Allen and the front office. The Bills come off an embarrassing loss to the Ravens on Sunday night just getting steamrolled by Derrick Henry. The Texans rebounded from a loss to the Vikings in Diggs’ first revenge game of the season. The Texans pulled off a W over the Jaguars. The Texans are this team that experts like in the AFC to go deep into the playoffs because of CJ Stroud and all the weapons he has. The Bills defense is ailing right now as this could be a shoot out. Allen without Diggs has been successful dishing the ball out to all his guys as you can’t zone in on one guy facing the Bills. The Texans will be without their starting running back, Joe Mixon. I like the Bills running back James Cook having a big game here to spoil the Diggs plot. The Bills defense will bend plenty, but they will capitalize on a mistake made by the Texans to get the Bills back on track.

OUR PICK: BILLS

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS(2-2) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS(0-4)

Last week we had a Joe Flacco sighting in Indianapolis. The recipe for winning in Indianapolis. Make sure that Anthony Richardson plays and gets hurt, then replace him with an established veteran. The Colts did this last year with Gradner Minshew. They did it last week versus the Steelers bringing in Flacco. Colts win. Do you think the Browns fans are happy seeing the guy they had last year take them to the playoffs, win a game? The Jaguars may have played their best game of the year last week in a loss versus Houston. Is this the week the Jags get that first W in the win column? The Colts have not won in Jacksonville since 2014. The Colts will be without their star running back, Jonathan Taylor, who has an ankle injury. The Colts coaching staff is still trying to figure out who they should start. It will be either Flacco, the guy that will win games, or Richardson who’s looking like a bust every week. While they kick around ideas, Jaguars find a way at home to get a win against a team they know and own at home.

OUR PICK: JAGUARS

CLEVELAND BROWNS(1-3) AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS(3-1)

The big question in Cleveland is: When to pull the plug on Deshaun Watson? The Commanders have won three straight with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels taking the league by storm. Watson gives another lackluster performance as the Brownies have lost two straight. The Commanders offense looks legit and may be one of the better scoring machines in the league. Watson’s offensive line is in shambles and he is too busy yelling at his own players on the sideline. I would let the defense have at it if I was a Browns offensive lineman. My QB is a douche bag. It’s getting uglier by the week in Cleveland as this team is about to blow up. Not in a good way. I like the Commanders and they protect Daniels. They have a strong running game behind him. He’s a duel threat. His passing is pin pointed. The Commanders defense should be able to rattle Watson’s cage enough for Daniels to put the Commanders up by double digits.

OUR PICK: COMMANDERS

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS(2-2) AT DENVER BRONCOS(2-2)

The Raiders put up their second W of the season in handling the dysfunctional Cleveland Browns squad. Everyone just assumed the Broncos were going to be one of the worst teams in the league with a rookie quarterback. As Denver has quietly won two straight games. Bo Nix is still developing as the Broncos have shown they have a defense out in Colorado. The Raiders are fighting through injuries and trade talk as their star wide receiver Devante Adams wants out of Vegas.

For the game I think Bo Nix will be able to generate points off the Raiders defense. Gardner Minshew has mostly struggled this season for the Raiders and I thought him coming to Vegas was great move. The Broncos are at home and when I pick against them they screw me. I’m jumping on the Broncos horse for this week at least.

OUR PICK: BRONCOS

ARIZONA CARDINALS(1-3) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS(2-2)

The Cardinals are pretenders. They blew up the Rams for their only victory of the year. They had a solid game versus Buffalo in week one. Last week they were blown up by the Commanders. They have lost two straight. Really not a good team to face a week later a road game in San Francisco when you are on a losing streak. The 49ers handled their business with a lay up over the visiting Patriots. The Cardinals defense will not be able to stop this 49ers offense. Even with the injuries, the 49ers replacements have kept this well-oiled machine able to still score points. The Cardinals will give the 49ers a better battle than the Patriots, but the score should still be one sided in favor of San Francisco.

OUR PICK: 49ERS

GREEN BAY PACKERS(2-2) AT LA RAMS(1-3)

Jordan Love returned last week and had a tale of two halves versus the Vikings. The Rams are kicking more field goals than scoring touchdowns. Caleb Williams, the Bears rookie quarterback, had his best game of his short NFL career so far against that Rams defense. I like Love having a big game since he knocked the rust off in his return last Sunday. Matthew Stafford will keep things close for most of the game. I like the Packers pulling away late in this one as Stafford makes a mistake that cements this one for Green Bay.

OUR PICK: PACKERS

NEW YORK GIANTS(1-3) AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS(3-1)

The Giants best receiver ruled out rookie Malik Nabors who was sidelined with a concussion last week. The Seahawks lost their first game on the season being on the road playing the Lions. Seattle gave the Lions a run for their money putting up a ton of points. The Giants have been improving since the horrific start they had out of the gates of the season. Seattle’s defense has some injuries so the Giants should generate some points and keep this a close affair. In the long run, I like Seattle winning this at home as their offense is rolling right now.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS

SUNDAY NIGHT

DALLAS COWBOYS(2-2) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS(3-1)

The Steelers came back down to earth as the Colts gave Pittsburgh their first loss of the year. The Cowboys will be without their sack master, Micah Parsons. The Cowboys still found the win column over the G-Men last Thursday. Justin Fields’ career has been rejuvenated this season with the Steelers after years losing with the Bears. The Cowboys offense will face a solid defense versus the Steelers but I like Dak Prescott’s chances of having a big game despite the challenge. The Cowboys have had success putting up points on the scoreboard against AFC North teams. The Browns in week one. Then they came back in the second half versus the Ravens but fell short in that one. Fields will cave in this prime time affair is my gut feeling.

OUR PICK: COWBOYS

THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS(2-2) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS(4-0)

Everyone will think this Monday match up is a lock for the Chiefs. The Saints came out like gang busters out of the gates scoring over 40 points in the first two contests winning both games. Now Derek Carr looks like Derek Carr. The Chiefs have walked a fine line getting the lucky breaks through basically all their games. The Chargers defense held Patrick Mahomes to 17 points. The Chiefs have been racking up the injuries as Mahomes’ play makers are now being serviced in the MASH unit. The Saints defense has played solidly all year. Can that Saints offense wake up? That is the biggest question. After losing two straight now seeing the Falcons and the Buccaneers ahead of you in the standings, this game could be a turning point of the season. A win & the Saints are back baby. A loss means the Saints may march into a losing season. I like the Saints defense doing to Mahomes what the Chargers did collapsing the pocket and giving Houdini no escape routes. The Saints offense uses Alvin Kamara’s legs to pull off the upset as Mahomes’ luck finally runs out for at least one week.

OUR PICK: SAINTS