Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions

Where: Ford Field- Detroit, Michigan

When: Sunday, October 5- 1 PM ET

Scouting Report: Big news coming out of Buffalo after their loss against Houston with the announcement that Kyle Orton will be starting against the Lions over E.J. Manuel. Manuel, with 5 TD, 3 INT, and a 58 % completion percentage, just wasn’t getting the job done, according to coach Doug Marrone. Orton could be a success or a bust in Buffalo, but against a great Detroit team this week, it’s not going to make a difference. Detroit, who is top ten in both offense and defense so far, is at home and should beat Buffalo with ease this Sunday.

Pick: Detroit- 30 Buffalo- 17    EK

Scouting Report: I don’t take the news that Kyle Orton is starting in Buffalo as a positive at all. I mean, we’re talking about the same guy who lost his job to TIM TEBOW in Denver. Tim Tebow! There is no way that this move works out well for a seemingly confused Bills franchise. Manuel’s confidence will only get worse, which doesn’t bode well for the future. Traveling to Detroit shouldn’t help Orton. The Lions took care of the Jets last week, even though their best player, Calvin johnson, only managed two catches for twelve yards. It’s no longer a one-man show in Detroit.

Pick: Detroit-24 Buffalo-13    BF

Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers

Where: Bank of America Stadium- Charlotte, North Carolina

When: Sunday, October 5- 1 PM ET

Scouting Report: These are two evenly matched teams squaring off here. Both teams are 2-2 and suffered losses last week, Carolina losing 38-10 to Baltimore and Chicago losing 38-17 to Green Bay. Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery will be fully recovered from their injuries for this game, and it will be interesting to see how the talented Panthers secondary matches up against them. The emergence of rookie Kelvin Benjamin as a number-one wide receiver for Cam Newton has helped Carolina a lot. Expect Cam Newton to carry the load for the Panthers on offense and for the Panthers secondary, along with star linebacker Luke Kuechly, to limit the Bears on offense in what will be a tightly contested match up that Carolina will ultimately prevail in.

Pick: Carolina- 31 Chicago- 24    EK

Scouting Report: Things aren’t looking good in Carolina. The once-mighty defense has suffered two straight humiliating defeats. Last week, they gave up 38 points. Do you know who loves weak defenses? Jay Cutler, that’s who. He, Alshon Jeffrey, Brandon Marshall, Martellus Bennett, and Matt Forte form one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL, and to make them even more dangerous, they’re desperate for a win to keep pace in the NFC North. However, the Bears defense also gave up 38 points, so they’re equally susceptible to being exposed. However, as good as rookie Kelvin Benjamin has been, he’s no Marshall or Jeffrey. That should be the difference.

Pick: Bears-31 Panthers-24      BF

Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans

Where: LP Field- Nashville, Tennessee

When: Sunday, October 5- 1 PM ET

Scouting Report: What we have here is a weak Titans offense versus a weak Browns defense, and a mediocre Titans defense versus a mediocre Browns offense. Cleveland’s play has been surprisingly decent this year, losing very close matchups to Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and beating the Saints in week 2. Meanwhile, Tennessee has lost three in a row after beating the Chiefs in week one. Jake Locker is expected to come back from his injury this week, and he’s going to be looking for his big-play tight end Delanie Walker early and often in this one. Tennessee has a much better chance for their lackluster offense to play well against the weak Browns defense, than the Browns have a chance for their mediocre offense to pick apart the mediocre Titans defense. Based on this, Tennessee should prevail in a tightly contested battle.

Pick: Tennessee-27 Cleveland- 17     EK

Scouting Report: This matchup, although not eye-catching, should be very entertaining and very close. Neither of these teams is a playoff contender, but both have talent. However, there may only be one star on the offensive side of the ball, and that star is Tennessee TE, Delanie Walker. Do you want to know how good Walker really is? He managed to accumulate 84 yards and a touchdown….with Charlie Whitehurst playing quarterback! This week should mark the return of Jake Locker and the return of the Titans to the win column.

Pick: Tennessee-24 Cleveland-21     BF

St. Louis Rams at Philadelphia Eagles

Where: Lincoln Financial Field- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

When: Sunday, October 5- 1 PM ET

Scouting Report: It hasn’t been much of an interesting start for the Rams. Austin Davis has done a decent job at starting QB, Zac Stacy has been average so far, and their defense hasn’t done anything special, with just one sack and 2 interceptions on the season. To be honest, the Rams are just a boring and below average team, with not a lot of big-play potential or star talent. Facing off against them is a 3-1 Philly team. Sure Foles is a little overrated, McCoy has been non-existent this year, and their defense hasn’t been too great, but this team knows how to win football games. McCoy is going to have to bounce back to at least mediocre play at some point, and this could be the week. The Eagles are going to be 4-1 after this matchup, and should keep grinding out wins this season.

Pick: Philadelphia-30 St. Louis-13     EK

Scouting Report: Prior to the start of the season, many people thought that this was going to be the Rams’ breakout year….then Sam Bradford goes down, and so does the team’s playoff hopes. You can’t put the struggles on interim QB Austin Davis though, whose only real option is WR Brian Quick. If the Rams are going to win this game, they’ll need a one-hundred-yard rushing performance by Zac Stacy, a zero interception game from Austin Davis, and a multiple sack performance by Robert Quinn. Even that may not be enough against a Philadelphia team that is awfully close to being 4-0. People came into the year thinking that this was going to be Philadelphia’s year because of the play of Nick Foles and Lesean McCoy. Both have been only average this year, and the team is 3-1.

Pick: Eagles: 24 St. Louis-17       BF

Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars

Where: EverBank Field- Jacksonville, Florida

When: Sunday, October 5- 1 PM ET

Scouting Report: Pittsburgh is coming off an unexpected loss to an inferior Tampa Bay team last Sunday. That was definitely a game they should have won and it surprised almost everyone. Pittsburgh has the potential to be a great team, they just need to put the pieces together. Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown have been one of the best duos in the league so far, and Le’veon Bell has been putting up huge numbers at RB. Defense has been middle of the league for them, and this week against an abysmal Jacksonville team, Pittsburgh will get back on track. Jacksonville has not lost a game by less than 17 points this season, and have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING going for them, except a possible number one draft pick. Pittsburgh wins easily.

Pick: Pittsburgh-41 Jacksonville-13     EK

Where: EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

When: Sunday, October 5- 1:00 PM ET

Scouting Report: Hmmm. Does this look familiar? Pittsburgh against one of the worst teams in the league. It has to be Pittsburgh right? They won’t lose to the two worst teams in the NFL in consecutive weeks? There are so many questions that need to be answered , and that’s a problem for Pittsburgh. Rookie QB Blake bortles looked sharp in a losing effort against the Chargers last week. Between Marqise Lee, Allen Hurns, Mercedes Lewis, and Cecil Shorts, he as a solid receiving corps to work with. Still, if this is enough to beat Pittsburgh, then there’s no hope for Steeler Nation. Pittsburgh SHOULD win this game. They SHOULD. Antonio Brown would be a matchup problem for the Seattle defense, which will makeup him a nightmare for Jacksonville.

Pick: Pittsburgh-34 Jacksonville-17    BF

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants

Where: MetLife Stadium- East Rutherford, New Jersey

When: Sunday, October 5- 1 PM ET

Scouting Report: The Giants are one of the hardest teams in the NFL to figure out. One game, Eli Manning will throw 4 INT, the Giants will lose, and everyone will say they’re the worst team in the NFL, and the next game, they blow out their opponent and everyone says they’re great. Well, it looks like the Giants are improving as of late with two wins in the last two games against Washington and Houston. Manning had a combined 6 TD and 1 INT in those two games, and he seems to be doing better than the atrocious Eli Manning we came to know and love last year. Their defense picked off Kirk Cousins 4 times last week, and has been good as of late. Atlanta is coming off an embarrassing 41-28 loss against Minnesota last week. Defense was awful, and if they play like that against New York, they should lose. They’ll pick it up this week, but New York will continue on this run of theirs and beat Atlanta with what should be a big day for Eli Manning.

Pick: New York- 34 Atlanta- 24        EK

Scouting Report: This game all comes down to which Giants team shows up this week. Or is it which Atlanta team shows up? That’s the problem here. Both teams have been so inconsistent on such a consistent basis, that it becomes nearly impossible to pick which team will win. Matt Ryan and julio Jones have been fantastic this year, and yet Atlanta ca struggle. As of late, Eli Manning looks in sync with WR Victor Cruz and TE Larry Donnell, and the Giants defense picked off a vastly overrated Kirk Cousins four times. Matt Ryan should have a tougher time against an aggressive Giants defense than Eli should have against a Falcons defense that gave up 41 to a Minnesota team playing without Adrian Peterson and with a rookie quarterback.

Pick: New York-31 Atlanta-28   BF

Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys

Where: AT&T Stadium- Dallas, Texas

When: Sunday, October 5- 1 PM ET

Scouting Report: The Cowboys come into this riding a three-game winning streak, over which they beat the Saints, Tennessee, and St. Louis. America’s team has been playing well this year. DeMarco Murray has gone into beast mode, recording more than 100 rushing yards in every game this season. Romo has arguably been a top-ten QB through week 4, and the preseason pick to be one of the worst defenses in history hasn’t been as awful as people thought they would be. The Texans are another team that has exceeded expectations through the first four games. They already have more wins than they did all of last year, and they’ve been looking good as of late. Dallas, however, has been playing better football than the Texans and should continue their streak. We could be seeing two teams heading in opposite directions based on their upcoming schedules, and it all starts this week with a Dallas win.

Pick: Dallas- 27 Houston- 24 EK

Scouting Report: It’s always dangerous to bet on Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, a consistently average team with above average talent. However, in their win last week over the Saints, they looked scary good. The main difference in this Dallas team and the ones of old is that this team has a running game THAT THEY ACTUALLY USE. Yeah, folks. DeMarco Murray is no rookie. He’s been there since 2011. He hasn’t really burst onto the scene. He’s always been this good. His league-leading 534 rushing yards aren’t a result of a sudden boost in talent, but rather, a sudden boost in carries. Only four games into the season, he’s already at 99 carries. Compare that to the 217 he had all of last year. If Dallas wants to keep winning, they had better feed this man the ball. As for Houston, Ryan Fitzpatrick is still Ryan Fitzpatrick. He’s a game manager at best and a game destroyer at worst. He has a low ceiling and a low cellar. With the options at wide receiver in Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins and the star at running back in Arian Foster, this team is a quarterback away from being competitive. Without that quarterback, they’re not at Dallas’s level.

Pick: Dallas-34 Houston-17      BF

Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium- Indianapolis, Indiana

When: Sunday, October 5- 1 PM ET

Scouting Report: This is one of the more intriguing matchups on Sunday.  After starting the season 0-2 with losses to two playoff-caliber teams in the Broncos and Eagles, the Colts have picked up wins against, well, to put it lightly, non-playoff caliber teams in the Jaguars and Titans. Andrew Luck has been nothing short of spectacular this season, leading the league with 13 TD passes and 1,305 passing yards. They haven’t won a game against a more-than-decent team so far, and this is the week they’ll get it done. Baltimore has been great on offense and defense, even without RB Ray Rice. There were a lot of question marks coming into the season for the Ravens, but they have succeeded and thrived even without key players from last years team. There just doesn’t seem to be enough for the Ravens to get by a hungry, determined, and talented Indianapolis team, especially in the Colts home field. The Colts will win this one and head into Week 6 tied with Houston for the division lead.

Pick: Indianapolis- 27 Baltimore- 18 EK

Scouting Report: This game should be among the weekend’s best. Two playoff caliber teams are squaring off in what should be a tightly contested contest. Everybody’s been high on the Colts this year. They were high on them when 0-2, and they’re even higher on them now at 2-2.  People have been looking at the Colts’ losses and have been chalking them up to “Oh, they ran into really good teams” or “Oh, they had a bad day.” Too many excuses have been made for this team, while nobody has been paying attention to what’s going on in Baltimore (on the football field at least). Steve Smith has reinvigorated his career and has become a dangerous weapon once again, while in the fourth quarter, I’d take Joe Flacco over Andrew Luck any day.

Pick: Baltimore-30 Indianapolis-27    BF

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome- New Orleans, Louisiana

When: Sunday, October 5- 1 PM ET

Scouting Report: Tampa Bay is full of confidence after pulling off a HUGE upset in the last minute of the game versus Pittsburgh last week. Meanwhile, in N.O.L.A., Saints nation is disappointed to say the least after getting pummelled by Dallas 38-17. For Tampa Bay, however, there will be no joy after this matchup. Congrats to the Bucs for the upset, great for the organization and the fans, but it doesn’t mean anything. Tampa Bay is a weak team with an inferior offense and defense compared to the rest of the league. This Sunday, in New Orleans, with the crowd behind them, the Saints are going to be looking to dominate their opponents, and that’s exactly what they will do in this one.

Pick: New Orleans-38 Tampa Bay- 10 EK

Scouting Report: The New Orleans Saints were a popular pick to come out of the NFC this year, but they sure haven’t been playing like it. Sometimes, it seems like Drew Brees tries too hard to spread the ball around. Sure, Brandin Cooks and Darren Sproles are great players, but when you have a weapon like Jimmy Graham that not a single defensive player in the league can cover, why don’t you overuse him. Force-feed Graham, and good things happen. It worked last year. Now Tampa Bay, is coming off their first win of the season and probably the best one they’ll have all year. That’s not a shot at the Bucs, it’s just the reality of their roster talent.

Picks: New Orleans-24 Tampa Bay-10   BF

Arizona Cardinals at Denver Broncos

Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High

When: Sunday, October 5- 1 PM ET

Scouting Report: The Broncos are coming off a bye week here, and have had time to regroup and game plan after their tight loss to the Seahawks in a Super Bowl rematch. The running game and defense have been sluggish for Denver, as they are 27th in the league in rushing yards and 31st in the league in passing yards allowed per game, ahead of only, wait for it…. Jacksonville. As long as Peyton Manning keeps doing what he’s doing, aka dominating football teams, then Denver shouldn’t worry. This week they’re facing an impressive Arizona team, one of two undefeated teams coming into week 5. Arizona’s defense will cause Denver’s offense many problems, but not enough problems for the Cardinals offense to outscore Denver. The Broncos will win this one, but it will certainly be close all throughout the game.

Pick: Denver- 24 Arizona-17  EK

Scouting Report: This may be the best matchup of the weekend with two of the league’s heavyweights  going at in. Peyton Manning and the high-flying Broncos passing attack takes on the league’s 5th-ranked scoring defense in the undefeated Arizona Cardinals. It’s easy to just assume that Peyton will be great and the broncos will win every game that’s not against the Seahawks. Add on the fact that the game’s at Mile High, and it’s a lock for the Broncos. Or is it? The only team to beat the Seahawks at home last year was the Cardinals, and the Seahawks just took down the Broncos last week. Look for CB Patrick Peterson to erase number one WR Demaryius Thomas and Michael Floyd to exploit a thin Denver secondary. This could be one of the best games of the year.

Pick: Arizona-24 Denver-21    BF

New York Jets at San Diego Chargers

Where: Qualcomm Stadium- San Diego, California

When: Sunday, October 5- 4:25 PM ET

Scouting Report: The 3-1 Chargers face the 1-3 Jets. The Jets have had a tough schedule so far, with 3 straight games against Green Bay, Chicago, and Detroit. Although the Jets lost all three games, they kept it close in every one, losing every game by single digits. This team has been outstanding on the defensive side, leading the league with fewest rushing yards allowed and in the top ten for fewest passing yards allowed. Offense hasn’t been bad either. Somehow, the Jets are second in the league in rushing yards per game. Besides their absolutely awful rushing game, led by Donald Brown with a jaw dropping 50 carries for 100 yards, San Diego has been playing fabulous football as of late. Both of these defenses are great, and this will without a doubt be a relatively low scoring game. The Jets have been close to upsets in the last three games, and this is the week where that upset will finally occur. The Jets are going to take down the Chargers, and after this game, people will start to think about the potential of this team.

Pick: Jets- 17 San Diego – 13 EK

Scouting Report: Hmm. Philip Rivers or Geno Smith? Which quarterback would I rather have? Let’s take a look at the stats. Rivers has a completion percentage of 70.1% and a touchdown to interception ratio of 9:1. That’s 9 touchdowns and only one interception. Meanwhile, Geno has a completion percentage of 60.3% and a touchdown to interception ratio of 4:5. Well, the choice seems clear to me. Geno Smith and the Jets offense will blow it for their defense as they always do, and although stout against the run, the Jets are not a defense that thrives on takeaways, so expect some long possessions for the Chargers.

Pick: Chargers-20 Jets-14     BF

Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers

Where: Levi’s Stadium- San Francisco, California

When: Sunday, October 5- 4:25 PM ET

Scouting Report: After their embarrassing performance in Week 1, the assumptions started coming in: This Chiefs team will not be nearly as good as they were when they surprised the NFL last season. Last season just seemed to be a fluke for the Chiefs. In the last three weeks, however, this team proved the “haters” wrong by losing by single digits to Denver and blowing out the Dolphins and Pats. The rushing duo of Knile Davis and Jamaal Charles has become a force to be reckoned with. Their defense is great as well, with Justin Houston leading the NFL with five sacks. In short, don’t count out this Kansas City team, but don’t expect them to beat the Niners. This San Francisco defense is more than capable of shutting down many offenses in the league, and Kansas City will be one of them. This game is not going to be a blowout by any means, but rather a low scoring, defensive battle that San Fran will come out on top of.

Pick: San Francisco- 24 Kansas City- 17 EK

Scouting Report: This week is littered with potentially great games, and this one is no exception. Both teams are coming off of massive wins last week. The 49ers took down the Eagles in a must-win, and the Chiefs smashed the Patriots. Although San Francisco may have just won a huge game, there have been reports of strife in the locker room. Something’s fishy in the Bay Area, and it could be a distraction. While things may not be going great for the 49ers, things seem to be shaping up in Kansas City. Superstar Jamaal Charles is back to pair with talented number two running back Knile Davis, and QB Alex Smith is playing smart football. Speaking of Smith, this is his first game back in San Francisco since he was benched in favor of Kaepernick and eventually traded. I bet that he’s had this one circled on his calendar since training camp.

Pick: Kansas City-31 San Francisco-30  BF

Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots

Where: Gillette Stadium- Foxborough, Massachusetts

When: Sunday, October 5- 8:30 PM ET

Scouting Report: The 3-0 Bengals have been on a tear this season. Everything seems to be clicking for them, and they will carry their momentum into this game. If you’re looking for a team for which everything is going downhill very quickly, look no further than the Pats. After being blown out by Kansas City Monday night, Tom Brady comes out and says that they don’t have the offense to perform at a high level. When the leader of your team says something like that, you know things aren’t going well. These are two teams heading in the opposite directions and with totally different morales in their respective organizations, and it’s going to show in this matchup. Cincinatti should win this one easily.

Pick: Cincinnati- 31 New England- 14 EK

Scouting Report: Things are not looking good in New England. Tom Brady has spoken out, showing little faith in this year’s offense, and the seemingly immortal Bill Belichick has fallen back to earth and is coming under fire for his work (or lack of work) as a GM this offseason. Specifically, the Logan Mankins trade has taken a lot of criticism, and so far, it appears to be justified.There is no consistency at the offensive line, no firepower at receiver, and an aging quarterback at the reins. To make matters worse, their defense is average at best. Meanwhile, the Bengals have looked like the team to beat in the AFC through three games. Even with star receiver, A.J. Green battling injuries and missing snaps, the team rolls on and wins. That defense, led by Geno Atkins at defensive tackle is a nightmare for opposing offenses, and in what has been a nightmare start for the Patriots, look for a big Cincinnati win.

Pick: Cincinnati-27 New England-13 BF

Seattle Seahawks at Washington Redskins

Where: FedEx Field- Landover, Maryland

When: Monday, October 6- 8:30 PM ET

Scouting Report: This Monday Night Football matchup features the defending Super Bowl champs against a rebuilding and new look Redskins team. After Kirk Cousins’s embarrassing performance against the Giants, when he threw for 4 INT, it’s tough to predict what we’re going to see from him here. Playing against one of the most dominant defenses in the league, however, it might be fair to assume that Cousins will have a rough time getting much done. The Seahawks offense has been putting up respectable numbers, led by the spectacular Marshawn Lynch. Oh yeah, Russell Wilson isn’t too shabby himself. Look, it would be great to see the Redskins pull off a huge MNF upset here, but let’s be realistic here : It’s not going to happen. Seattle is the far more talented team here, and Washington doesn’t have what it takes to beat them. Don’t expect the Redskins to go down without a fight though.

Pick: Seattle- 27 Washington- 10 EK

Scouting Report: I can see how this matchup was picked for Monday Night Football. Think of all the big names. Desean Jackson, Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman, and a little bit of RGIII vs Russell Wilson. Now that would’ve been cool to see. However, as is normal in football, injuries occur and things change. RGIII is out and Kirk Cousins is in, and it has affected the whole Redskins team. This current squad does not look anywhere near the caliber of their Week 5 opponent. Cousins threw four picks against a Giants defense that is not even half as good as this Seattle defense, led by the Legion of Boom. Due to Cousins’s inconsistent and relatively poor play, we have not seen as many big plays from Jackson as we probably would have had Griffen remained healthy. With Cousins in as the starter, the Seahawks shouldn’t have much to worry about on defense, and with Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, and Percy Harvin on offense, this could be a dominant performance on both sides of the ball.

Pick: Seahawks-27 Redskins-10 BF