2015 NFL Season: Pokorny's Week 5 Picks

Note: This prediction was from Thursday's game thread.

Thursday Night Football: The Colts just barely escaped with an overtime victory this past Sunday in a game in which Andrew Luck had to sit out due to injury. It looks like Matt Hasselbeck is getting his second straight start tonight, and if Indianapolis had to pick any two-game stretch during the year to start their backup, they've at least made out like a bandit in that regard. The Texans aren't clicking right now, and the quarterback turmoil over the first four weeks has contributed to that. With Arian Foster ready to take on a bigger role, the Texans should be able to piece together enough to out-score a Hasselbeck-led Colts. Texans 24, Colts 16

Bought Into the Hype Too Early: It looks like I might have bought into the hype of the Buffalo Bills a bit too early after they've fallen to 2-2 and are behind the Jets and Patriots in the AFC East. The Titans are coming off of a bye week, and although I'm impressed with Marcus Mariota, I saw how Cleveland's struggling defense was able to generate seven sacks against Tennessee. Their offensive line won't be able to handle the heat that Rex Ryan sends, which will force turnovers and allow Buffalo to operate their offense on a short field most of the afternoon. Bills 23, Titans 10

Brutal Stretch Comes to an End: The Chiefs just finished what was probably the most brutal three-game stretch any team has faced this year, falling to the Broncos, Packers, and Bengals. For those keeping score at home, those three teams are a combined 12-0 this year. Kansas City is an above average team so I expect them to beat the Bears in Arrowhead as long as they have not fallen into a funk from the past three games. Chiefs 31, Bears 17

Temporary Happiness: Neither of these teams are expected to make much noise this season. Jameis Winston has been humbled over the past couple of weeks, while Jaguars fans had to be embarrassed about not being able to beat a Hasselbeck-led Colts team last week. One of these teams will move to 2-3 and feel like they are a contender for a week. It feels like I'm flipping a coin with this pick, but I'll take the Buccaneers. Buccaneers 20, Jaguars 13

Strengthen That Ass: The Eagles have far under-exceeded my expectations offensively, and there have been plenty of early season storylines in Philly. First, you have DeMarco Murray not being able to run whatsoever in their offense. Now, you have Sam Bradford's personal trainer saying that the quarterback's butt isn't strong enough. What a year. The Saints were impressive in their patience offensively last week, and that same mentality this week will pay off against a frustrated Eagles team. Saints 28, Eagles 24

Game of the Week: Even though the Seahawks survived a scare against the Lions last week, they are 2-0 under the return of their star safety and are getting back into their defensive groove. The Bengals have been one of the most complete teams in the NFL on their way to 4-0 so far. I think Andy Dalton will face a little more adversity this week, and instead of having "great" games like he's been having, he'll only be mediocre in a close loss. Seahawks 23, Bengals 20

How About Outside the Division? I have to burn it into my memory that there are two different Rams teams -- one who faces NFC West teams, and one who faces everybody else. The latter team doesn't play very well, and to make things even worse, they'll have to combat Aaron Rodgers and the 4-0 Packers. St. Louis has a chance to do damage with the amount of yards they log per carry, coupled with the amount of rushing yards the Packers yield per game, but I don't think they'll stay patient enough with it after Rodgers builds an early lead via the air. Packers 28, Rams 20

One Year Too Late? This is not a diss toward Mike Pettine, but I'm sure Jimmy Haslam has to be looking at "what could have been" when he sees the way the Falcons are playing under Dan Quinn. Despite the disarray I thought was taking place in Washington, they've climbed to 2-2 and are right in the thick of the shaky division race. Their defense has been a bit underrated, but right now, it's tough for any defense to stop a Falcons team that might have the second-best offense in football. Falcons 31, Redskins 21

Doomsday in Detroit: Who would have thought that after four weeks, the Detroit Lions would be the only team in football without a win? After playing three of four games on the road, they have to be moderately relieved that their next three games are at home. However, they drew a bad team this week in the Arizona Cardinals, which played out-of-this-world football over the first three weeks before suffering a close upset loss to the Rams last week. The Cardinals will be out for blood, and the Lions won't be able to stop the massacre. Cardinals 42, Lions 14

Not Known for Their Offense Any More: It was pretty discouraging for me to keep referring to Chicago as the "lowly Bears," only for them to beat the Raiders last week after I had praised Oakland for what they did in Week 3 vs. Cleveland. The Raiders have the offensive talent to pull off an upset this week against Denver, which still isn't lighting it up offensively. The Broncos' defense has been winning their games, and I'll go with them to do the same this week. Broncos 20, Raiders 17

Blowout of the Week: The Cowboys are being depleted of all of their passing threats, and you can clearly tell how much the team has scaled back their offense without Tony Romo. Tom Brady and the Patriots' offense are averaging 39.7 points per game and are coming off a bye week. Even with them being on the road, this has the makings of a big-time blowout with the boobirds in Dallas coming out early and often. Patriots 48, Cowboys 10

Back on Track: Just about the only thing the 49ers seem to have going for them these days is Phil Dawson. With all of the kicker issues around the league, I'll bet the 49ers could net a decent draft pick for him. The Giants are back on track, and although their ability to close out games has still been a bit shaky the past couple of weeks, I can't envision Colin Kaepernick even picking up first downs any more, let alone a come-from-behind win. Giants 27, 49ers 12

Monday Night Football: The Steelers have had extended time to prepare for this game against the Chargers. Given San Diego's suspect defense, Le'Veon Bell should be able to have a big game. Ultimately, I still see Michael Vick has a liability, and the Chargers will survive on the back of Philip Rivers again. Chargers 28, Steelers 24

Do-or-Die Time: Improving to 2-3 on the year still gives your team a fighting chance, but dropping to 1-4 with the Broncos on deck is when fans will start checking out. My full preview and prediction of the Browns vs. Ravens game will be posted this Saturday on DBN.