Kansas City at Carolina
Kansas City slayed the giant last week with the upset against the Broncos and so far have proven to be the only defense capable of stopping them from puittin up points. With the exception of the Atlanta game, the defense has been a pretty sound unit. The key to this game could be the KC offensive line against the Carolina front seven. Behind some improved blocking, Larry Johnson has been running hard again, but the Panthers are a very physical team that hasn't given up 100 yards to a running back all season.
Prediction: Carolina, 24-10
Chicago at Detroit
Chicago surprisingly sits atop the NFC North and not surprisingly, Detroit is at the bottom. Still, this is a game that could be very, very ugly. The Bears will be without starter Brandon Lloyd, meaning their number one pass catcher is running back Matt Forte. Granted, Forte will probably be able to run effectively enough against the worst run defense in the leage that it probably won't matter, but the Lions could still keep it close. Jon Kitna and the Lions love to air it out and could do well against a Bears defense that is extremely overrated against the pass.
Prediction: Detroit, 24-21
Atlanta at Green Bay
Michael Turner has statistically been the best running back in football so far and is going up against a very lackluster Packers run defense. Aaron Rodgers is still up in the air as far as the Packers' starters and according to some, the injury to his shoulder is bad enough that the team thought he might miss the entire season earlier this week.
Prediction: Atlanta, 19-17
Indianapolis at Houston
If the Colts tried to find a better matchup for themselves, they would be hard-pressed to find one. Houston, outside of last week's game, has a stuggling passing offense and the Colts have been one of the best against the pass. The Texans have also been good against the pass, but this could be Joseph Addai's coming out party aginst a defense that is giving up 160 yards on the ground per game.
Prediction: Indianapolis, 35-16
San Diego at Miami
The last time Miami played football, they pulled out all the stops against the Patriots with the Read Option offense, leading to 5 Ronnie Brown touchdowns. Make no mistake - even without trick plays, Ronnie Brown is still one fo the best running backs in football. Until he got hurt last year, he led the league in total yards. Still, San Diego can neutralize the running game if Phillip Rivers can exploit the weak Miami secondary
Prediction: San Diego, 28-20
Seattle at New York Giants
Seattle is a healthier unit coming out of the bye, but the Giants come out just a hungrier one. Matt Hasselbeck, who has the dubious honor of holding the NFL's worst passer rating, is going up against a Giants team that is third in the league in sacks - pretty much only because they had a bye last week - and is giving up just 167.7 yards through the air.
Prediction: New York Giants, 23-10
Tampa Bay at Denver
Denver got embarassed last week against Kansas City, but that should prove to be the exception, not the rule. They are still first-ranked offense in the league in terms of yardage and Brandon Marshall could have a field day with Ronde Barber.
Prediction: Denver, 38-14
Buffalo at Arizona
Buffalo's secondary is a little banged up, but the loss of Anquan Boldin to a fractured sinus should mean a boat load of double teams on Larry Fitzgerald, which could severely hamper the Cardinals' productivity on offense. Trent Edwards remains the steady hand that guides the Bills and should be solid again against Arizona's defense, which is good, but not great.
Prediction: Buffalo, 20-17
Cincinnati at Dallas
Carson Palmer is back and Ocho Cinco is talking. Does this by any means guarantee a win for the Bengals? Not a chance. The Cowboys should be able to control time of possession with Marion Barber and Felix Jones against one of the NFL's worst defenses against the run.
Prediction: Dallas, 24-13
New England at San Francisco
The 49ers' 4-2-5 defense could be a dream come true for Patriots running backs, as that defensive package has given up some big yardage on the ground. If New England can capitalize on that and take the pressure off Matt Cassel, the Patriots should be able to stay in the race in the NFC East.
Prediction: New England, 17-9
Minnesota at New Orleans
Two completely contrasting styles take the field. The question basically is who will take more advantage of their oppenents' weakness? Will Drew Brees be able to exploit the a weak Minnesota secondary or will Adrian Peterson out-do him against that terrible Saints run defense?
Prediction: New Orleans, 26-23
Other predictions
Tennessee over Baltimore, 19-17
Pittsburgh over Jacksonville, 13-6
Washington over Philadelphia, 31-28
See the breakdown for these games at Best NFL Matchups: Week 5
