***SWAMPY SUNDAY - MUCK 5 - WEEK 5***
***BUFFALO BILLS @ TENNESEE TITANS***
Tennesee Coach Ken Wisenhunt is a wise man and surely used his bye week productively to get these guys ready to defend their home field against a fiesty Bills team today. Tennesee has looked like a promising team on the rise so far in this young season with rookie QB Marcus Mariota at the helm. Mariota is the type of QB who can fare well against a heavy Bills pass rush and blitz packages that Rex Ryan will surely throw at him. He is smart, elusive, and will dink and dunk all over this defense with quick short passes underneath the coverage. Mariota has the weapons at his disposal with WR Kendall Wright and I believe that after a week off to work on involving him more, I think they will try to incorporate rookie WR Dorial Green-Beckham who is an athletic monster. This guy has been showing up in clutch moments early on and they know they have to take advantage of his size and abilities more often. Mariota also has the ability to pull it down and take off with his legs effectively and will do so once pressured in the pocket. Rex and the Bills are frustrated right now after dropping one at home against the Giants last week and I think that continues today where they let their emotions get the best of them when things don't start going their way. They are short some of their top weapons with RB McCoy and WR Watkins both likely out this afternoon and until they get those threats back, young Bills QB Tyrod Taylor is being asked to do too much. Titans will be fresh and rejuvinated off the bye week and have to of noticed that their division is wide open right now, these guys will be jacked up to bring it today and will get the win. TITANS +1
***NEW ORLEANS SAINTS @ PHILADELPHIA EAGLES***
The Birds have struggled to fly so far this season and coach Chip Kelly has taken some heat because of it. We all knew when he was conducting his madness this offseason that it was either going to work out and he would look like a genius, or it was going to completely fail and he would look like a complete dope. After completing the first quarter of the season, it is looking like it will be the latter. However, today I believe they find some luck as they are in a good spot at home versus a Saints team that historically doesn't hit the road well, especially when they have to play outdoors on grass. The Saints have looked equally bad at times and were very lucky to squeak out a win in OT against the Replacement version of the Cowboys at home on Sunday Night Football last weekend. Philly's defense is not terrible, they are just forced to never leave the field this year with all the 3 and outs that their offense goes through and they wear down throughout the game. Today, I like Philly to actually get some offensive production thorugh the air as Sam Bradford should have some time in the pocket versus a nonexistant New Orleans pass rush and he will be able to throw the ball deep to his speedy WRs in Matthews and rookie Nelson Agholor. These guys will be flying around the field today determined to shine at home and frankly will be just too much speed for the Saints secondary to handle. I don't like anything about Bradford, his body language scares me and I think his days are limited there but if there is any day where he will prove me wrong it is today, at home, against this defense. I also like the Eagle defense to get after a clearly still injured Drew Brees and force some big turnovers. I'm also hearing as I type this that there are rumblings starting of Saints Head Coach Sean Payton going elsewhere after this season, that also can't be good to have swirling around your lockeroom right before a game. Needless to say, the city of brotherly love will enjoy a happy Sunday today, Birds roll. EAGLES -6
***WASHINGTON REDSKINS @ ATLANTA FALCONS***
I like the Hogs to keep this one within the number here. These guys are really coming together as a team more and more every week. Last week they emerged victorious in a divisional matchup at home. Redskin QB Kirk Cousins really had a pivotal moment in his young career when he led his team down the field on a game winning drive and threw a touchdown pass to WR Pierre Garcon. That being said, I don't think the Falcons have really faced a team like the Redskins yet, who both run and stop the run very well. The Falcons have seen much of their success come through WR beast Julio Jones who will not be playing 100% today, and also an explosion of the run game through RB DeVonta Freeman who will not run wild like he has been against this stout Redskin front seven. WR veteran for the Falcons Roddy White is disgruntled about not getting the ball as he is not used to being a nobody in the Atlanta offense and he has made this vocal during this past week. I feel like QB Matt Ryan and him are pretty close friends after relying on eachother for success for so long and Ryan may try to please his longtime target with a few forced passes his way, and this will mess with the kid's mojo. Forced passes equal big mistakes in the NFL. Plus sprinkle in the fact that the Birds have a road division game on deck this Thursday it just sounds like there are some distractions in Atlanta right now and they may overlook the little Hoggies in this spot. I like the Skins to make a big effort to play spoiler today and get up for the challenge of facing an undefeated team on the road and keep this one closer than people would think at a first glance. Matty Ice gets chipped up today. SKINS +7
***JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS @ TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS***
UGLY game on tap between two of the league's early bottom feeders as the Jags head into Tampa to take on rookie QB Jameis Winston and the Bucs. The Jags just failed to win a big divison game against the Colts without their fearless leader in Andrew Luck due to some costly missed FGs. As we saw last Thursday night, Matt Hasselbeck and the Colts aren't as bad as they sound. Given the fact that the Jags probably prepared to face Andrew Luck and then were taken back/suprised by the unknown with facing a 40 year old at QB, I will almost excuse that performance, almost. Jags coach Gus Bradley will have his guys fired up to take advantage of a situation where they can pull out a win on the road here and redeem themselves against a lowly Bucs team that seems to be having problems with their new pieces gelling together. The Jags also get stud TE Julius Thomas making his debut today whom they acquired from the Broncos in the offseason and this gives QB Blake Bortles a whole nother dimension to his passing attack that I think he will fully take advantage of. I like Bortles a lot and believe that every passing week him and his guys are building more of a rapport. Especially with rookie all purpose RB TJ Yeldon successfully getting more involved every week and earning trust in the run game, things are really coming together for this Jaguar offense. Until Jameis Winston and his guys start clicking, they are nothing to fear. Also, with a secondary like the Bucs have currently, a team like the Jags have the weapons to totally rip them apart deep. I think the Bucs will need the bye week after this one to talk things over and re-scheme a bit. Jags get the dubbyah here. JAGUARS +2
***DENVER BRONCOS @ OAKLAND RAIDERS***
DDAAAA RRRRRRAIIIIIIIDERRRRSSSSSSSS seemed to have lost their bandwagon buddies after losing an ugly game on the road in Chicago last weekend. I saw that coming as I knew they would be looking ahead to this game, at home in the Black Hole, against their divisional big brother, the Denver Broncos. This is like the Raider Super Bowl right here, and these guys will be jacked up to the max to bring it today to try and pull out the big upset. Honestly, I feel like Derek Carr is a stud QB and has the arm and weapons at his disposal to score on this very tough defense. The Bronco defense may be the best in the league, but if RB Latavius Murray can get some production out of the run game and Carr can not turn it over, they will stay in this one with long boots from 'ol Faithful Kicker Sebastian Janikowski. Oakland LB Kahlil Mack and newly acquired DE Aldon Smith will get to Manning and veterans like DT Justin Tuck and CB Charles Woodson will turn back the clocks of time today and give all they got to try and pull off a huge statement win like this. Woodson has been outspoken about in all his years playing in the NFL he has never picked off Peyton Manning, I think he may change that today. DA RRAAIIIDAASSSS would love nothing more than serving up the mighty Broncos their first loss. I smell an upset here ladies and gents, and it smells like silver and black.....ARRGHHHH MATEY! RAIDERS +4
