NFL Week 5 preview: | 98Bones's Blog

Strange to think in week 5 Buffalo at Arizona is a very important matchup. Arizona must be feeling the crunch, they've lost two in a row and allowed San Fransisco to tie them in the division. This is the time to step up. Dallas is in the batting circle and if they lose this week they could be 2-4 and at a low point in confidence. The good news: they're in a lousy division and could win by default, the bad news: play like this and it's one and out in the playoffs. This is the second real test for Buffalo, they beat Jacksonville in week 2, Seattle was their victim in week one but the Hawks aren't playing well and in that game it was obvious. I'll go out on a limb and say Buffalo upsets on the road. Arizona has some issues that may be more upsetting behind the scenes than we know.

Watching Ocho Cinco have his little love affair with the Cowboys icon at midfield will not be the only reason I won`t watch that game. Dallas should score at will and the Bengals` injured O can`t catch up. If the Cowboys lose it will because they were outcoached or they got overconfident. Unlikely.

Can Denver regroup to win at home over the Buccaneers... I don`t think so. Their one true impressive victory was over New Orleans and I think Tampa`s defense will stop the Broncos` offense cold, even in Denver.

With Rodgers injured the Falcons have a chance against Green Bay, maybe more if he plays hurt than if the Packers use Matt Flynn. Flynn might not be capable of instant success like the opposing Matt but his supporting cast ( save Atlanta`s rookie RB sensation) is a lot better. Green Bay should win if they don`t panic.

Did the NFL script this week`s game between Pitt and Jacksonville... it might seem like it. The Steelers may have to insert QB no. 2, which is Byron Leftwich, against his former team. The former Jag would love to get a little revenge I`m sure. If the Steelers win it`ll be through solid defense again, especially if they play a full 60 minutes instead of waiting until the second half like last week. I`ll take the Steelers in an upset in this one.

I like Washington over Philly this week. They seem more settled than the Eagles at this point. Philadelphia might become the hottest team in the league by season`s end but right now they look like their all adjusting to a new playbook. If McNabb stays healthy watch out for them.

The 49ers need to beat New England this week to prove they`re truly improving. They have wins over Detroit and Seattle behind them, sorry if I`m not too impressed. They host New England but the Pats are too solid in too many positions for them to win this one.

I feel the rest of the games should follow the odds but I`ll end with my Colts who are back in action this week. Houston`s Schaub won`t start and Sage Rosenfeld will be the QB for the winless Texans. If there was ever a place to build confidence this is the week for the Colts who had a bye week last Sunday when they were suffering from being rusty in the first place. Hopefully some injured players got the break they needed and Indy can use this week as a launching pad. At the very least I`ve got to believe they`ll win this one.

Enjoy your football..... Bones