Last week I went 8-6 (36-26 on the season.) That’s because my last two picks, the Bears and Dolphins were emotional and not logical. Remind me never to do that again. Meanwhile, the good news is I picked the Browns to win and they did, and McNabb and the Redskins upset the Eagles. The bad news is that the Colts lost to the Jags, and the Titans lost to the Broncos. I still don’t know about the Broncos.

So what’s the biggest news this week in the NFL? Well, how about Randy Moss heading back to the Vikings? The trade with the Patriots was completed with them getting a third round pick in exchange for him. Fantastic. We know what Bellichick can do with a late round pick. And now, Brett Favre has that deep threat. More on that in a minute.

So it’s Week 5 of the NFL season! That means we’re almost a third of the way through the season already, who have you got for the playoffs? So lean back in your Lazy-Boy (or most likely a tattered lawn chair on your linoleum floor) and get ready for some more superfluous picks. Oh, and good news – the “crapfest of the week” returns this week. Bonus.

Featured Game:

Minnesota at NY Jets Line: -4.0
Moss returns to Minnesota. Not only is that the huge storyline here, with subplots of will Favre throw to him and will that clear up Harvin for more long balls, but the Jets come in as the best in the AFC. I don’t think that’s just my opinion. They are playing superior ball right now, yeah they whipped up on the Bills, but this is going to be the game that sets them apart. Their secondary has proven that they have no problem covering Moss, almost nullifying him in their game against the Patriots. They’ll do the same this week against the Vikings on Monday night. Yeah, Favre will have Moss as a distraction to the secondary, but his pre-requisite two interceptions are going to kill him against the Jets. Not to mention the Vikings haven’t been that great against the run, which the Jets establish early and establish hard. I’m taking the Jets to win, with the points.

Tailgate City (The Rest:)

Jacksonville at Buffalo Line: +1.0
The Jags pulled off a major upset against the Colts, but it’s not too much of a surprise, as they always play the Colts pretty tough. It wasn’t a majorly impressive performance by the Jags, even though Jones-Drew put over a 100 yards against the Colts defense. Which means he’ll probably put 200+ over on the Bills. The Bills, well I’ll say it again – they don’t want to win. They aren’t playing like they feel like winning. Even with the coaching change, this franchise is in trouble. Now at 0-4, they aren’t showing anything except the constant frustration of Fitzpatrick. Do they have the offense that could explode? Sure. Do they have a competent defense? No, they suck. Well, there you have it. They drop to 0-5 when they lose to the Jags.

Tampa Bay at Cincinnati Line: -7.0
I live in Tampa and I am not a Buccaneers fan. I can’t stand them. Never did, and never will be a Bucs fan. That being said, I’m happy for the blackouts. This one won’t be blacked out because it’s an away game. Last week the Bucs sat happy at home with a bye while the Bengals got beat down by the Browns. The game was close, and Palmer did his damnedest to bring the team back, but it wasn’t enough. The bright spot was T.O. ripping off 222 yards and a touchdown. The key is going to be slipping behind the Bucs secondary, who appears to only have Rhonde Barber playing for them. Shouldn’t be a problem. Taking the Bengals to win.

Atlanta at Cleveland Line: +3.0
Cleveland, unlike the Bills, look like a team that wants to win. They are 1-3, but those three losses were close ones. The win was close as well, but it was a win. Seneca Wallace was moderate as the starter, it’s a matter of time before Colt McCoy is starting. The highlight was rookie Peyton Hillis going for 102 yards on 27 carries against a usually tough Bengals front line. The kid can run. The Falcons sure did have a lot of trouble against the Niners last week, ending the win on a 42 yard field goal. This game could really go either way, but the Browns are only improving while the Falcons seem to be having trouble, even at 3-1, finding their stride. I’m taking the Browns to win for the second week in a row.

St. Louis at Detroit Line: -3.0 CRAPFEST OF THE WEEK!!
The Rams won last week. Let me say that slower for you – the – Rams – won – last – week. Bradford threw for nearly 300 yards and the Rams defense (did you even realize they had one) sacked Hasselbeck four times, had an interception and forced one fumble. They won the turnover game, and won the game. However, this week they travel to Detroit to play the Lions. The Lions (0-4) put 331 passing yards on the Packers, and almost pulled off a comeback against them. Again. The Lions are right there, right there – almost a winning team. This game is between two sub-par teams, which is why it’s the crapfest of the week, but the Lions will win this week, finally.

Kansas City at Indianapolis Line: -8.5
The Chiefs had a bye week last week, but are showing they are a team not to be underestimated. Their running game is getting better, their special teams are outstanding and Cassell is only getting better as a starter. They travel to Indy to face the Colts, who are still red from their loss to the Jags. The Jags ran all over them, which bodes well for the Chiefs. I almost want to make this my upset special, but I have a better one in mind for that honor this week. The Colts will win at home against the Chiefs, but it’s going to be close. I’d take the Chiefs to beat the spread, but lose the game. Keep in mind, they are the last unbeaten team right now at 3-0.

Green Bay at Washington Line: +3.0
How about them Redskins? McNabb rolls into Philly, gets cheered before the game then jeered during the game. It was a tough win, and brings the Redskins even at 2-2 in what is probably the toughest division in football. Inadvertently taking Vick out of the game may have had something to do with the win, but they pulled off the upset. The Packers, who are an amazing offensive team even without Ryan Grant, roll into town to challenge the Redskins defense. Rodgers is undoubtedly one of the best QB’s in the game, even with his so-so performance against the Lions. I say that because he was held to under 200 yards passing and two interceptions. This game is going to come down to the secondary on both sides and who can win the turnover game. I’m picking the Packers to win this game on the road.

Chicago at Carolina Line: +3.0
The Bears looked like the Bears from last year against the Giants on Sunday night, and not the Bears of the week before. Cutler is playing great ball right now, but couldn’t last against the nine sacks by the Giants in the first half alone – finally knocking him out with a concussion. Then his back-up got knocked out, and the third string guy almost got whacked. This game was all defense, the Bears defense just got tired first. For the Panthers, Clausen is getting better, even leading his team to within a couple points of beating the Saints. But the 0-4 Panthers just have not come together this year as a unit. Their offense, specifically the offensive line, is one of the worst in the leagues. The Bears will roar into town and take down the Cats.

Denver at Baltimore Line: -6.0
Fuck it. I’m taking Denver. I have been wrong about the Broncos all year long so far. I don’t think I’ve picked them right at all yet. They lost when I picked them to win, they won when I picked them to lose. They surprised everyone and took down the Titans last week. The thing was, almost all the yards were through the air. Orton went hog wild, tossing for 341 yards. Rushing yards were a tiny fraction of the total. Tiny. Which means against the Ravens, it’ll be almost nothing. But then, I’ve been wrong about the Broncos every week. So am I picking them because of that or because I think they will win? Mostly because of that. The Ravens, I haven’t been wrong about. Their defense has been keeping the scores close enough for the offense to take control – like against the Steelers last week. Flacco can throw. That being said, I’m still taking the Broncos, which I’ll probably be wrong about.

New York at Houston Line: -3.0
The Giants pulled off a great win against the Bears to stay competitive in their division. They need as many wins as possible. The game for the Giants was all defense. The Giants knocked out two QB’s, ran for over 100 yards, and passed for over 100 yards. They take their defensive show to Houston this week to take on the surging Texans. Even though they had a tough loss to the Cowboys for dominance of Texas, they followed it with a strong win against the Raiders, who showed some defense. I’m taking the Giants to win this one, I hate to do it because I want to see the Texans do well, but I don’t think they are ready for the way the Giants D is finally playing.

New Orleans at Arizona Line: +7.0
Did the Cardinals get their ass handed to them by the Chargers last week? Hell yeah they did. For some reason, I don’t like this team. Not sure why exactly. Derek Andersen got yanked and some kid named Max came in and didn’t do much of anything against the Chargers. Not that the Saints have been impressive at all this year. The wins have been close, where is that explosive offense that we saw last year? The way this team is playing offensively will be enough to lock the division up, but not enough to do it with authority. I think this week they’ll wake up a little bit, but we are still yet to see the high flying Drew Brees offense we saw last year. Could this be the Sports Illustrated curse in action? Saints to win.

Tennessee at Dallas Line: -7.0 UPSET SPECIAL!!
The Titans lost to the unpredictable Broncos last week, while the Cowboys were taking a break from their win over the Texans. Ah, gotta love bye weeks. Which is why I’m thinking that the Titans are going to go strong against the Cowboys this week. Young was shaky late in the game last week, but he didn’t fall apart. The Cowboys defense is pure hot and cold, and I think against Johnson and Young, they are going to be cold. This is going to either be a really close game, or a one sided blow-out. Any given Sunday right? Either way, I’m taking the Titans to win on the road in this weeks upset special.

San Diego at Oakland Line: +6.5
The Chargers smoked the Cardinals last week, so what hope to the Raiders have? The Raiders showed a hint of defense last week against the Texans, holding Foster to 131 yards. Oh wait, he was benched in the first half. Yeah, run against the Raiders and you will gain yards. There isn’t really much more to say here. When Gates and Rivers roll into town, the Raiders aren’t going to be able to compete at that level. Taking the Chargers with that generous point spread.

Philadelphia at San Francisco Line: -3.5
The Eagles lost Vick last week, for who knows how long. Probably 2-4 weeks if it’s the ribs. Which means Kolb finally gets his wish – he gets to start. And he starts off on the West Coast against the struggling Niners. While they have played some close games, they have not become a team to fear. They did fight the Falcons tooth and nail last week, but came up short and gave up a lot of passing yards. Something the Eagles will take advantage of. I’m going against the statistics and taking another road team to win this week, by picking the Eagles – to upset. Seriously? Yeah.

Well, that’s it kids. Another week in the books. Or it will be shortly. As I mentioned earlier, there is only one more undefeated team going in to Week 5, that would be the Chiefs. If they pull off an upset, that’ll just be madness. Meanwhile, a lot of teams just plain suck – the Bills leading the charge in that category. Until next week, crack open a nice ice cold Steel Reserve and enjoy the games.