Week 5 NFL Picks: Tom Brady returns

Oct 6 2016, 3:02 am

What a difference a week makes.

Week 4 saw Bill Belichick and the Patriots finally run out of QB luck, the Jaguars traveling across the pond and stealing their first win, and Julio Jones grabbing more receiving yards for himself than 25 other teams. To top it all off, 10 of our 14 picks were correct in week 4, providing a monster week.

The main storyline for this upcoming week has to be the return of the G.O.A.T., Tom Brady. He’s  matched up against the Browns, which should be a great warm-up game for him to ease into the 2016 season.

5 picks of the week

New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers -7

After laying an egg against the Eagles, the Steelers came back to absolutely dominate the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.

The return of Le’veon Bell makes the Steelers one of the best offences in the league, and they should simply outscore the Jets here. Throw in a couple standard Ryan Fitzpatrick interceptions and the Steelers should cover at home.

The Pick: Steelers -7

Chicago Bears @ Indianapolis Colts -4

The Colts are back from London, England after suffering another tough loss at the hands of the Jaguars. The Colts are now at a disappointing 1-3 and are looking to turn their season around against a poor Chicago Bears team.

Jordan Howard should have plenty of opportunities against the Colts, as the Bears will run the ball and slow down the game. I do, however, believe Andrew Luck will be able to shred the Bears defence and put up over 24 points at home. With Kevin White out, and Brian Hoyer leading the Bears, I’m taking the Colts again to cover.

The Pick: Colts -4

Houston Texans @ Minnesota Vikings -6

The 4-0 Vikings have been the surprise of the season so far. It’s time to give them credit as they have one of the best defences in the league, an extremely loud stadium, and a very capable quarterback in Sam Bradford.

Their defence is perfectly capable of covering DeAndre Hopkins and slowing down Lamar Miller, while forcing Brock Osweiler into some tough throws. Osweiler has yet to prove he’s worth the $72M given to him by the Texans so I’m riding the Vikings train while it’s hot!

The Pick: Vikings -6

Philadelphia Eagles @ Detroit Lions +3

These two teams are trending in opposite directions, as the Eagles look like they’ve found their quarterback for the next decade and have an elite defence, while the Lions continue to be a franchise mired in mediocrity.

Coming off a bye week and riding an undefeated season, you’d think this would be a walk in the park for Carson Wentz and the Eagles. Not so fast! The Lions are a solid team in the dome and are coming off a poor performance against the Bears. I expect Stafford to play much better come Sunday and keep this game close.

I’m not sold just yet on Wentz being an elite quarterback, and I’m willing to pick against them here on the road.

The Pick: Lions +3

San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders -3.5

If you’re a Raiders fan, you’ve grown accustomed to the repeated cardiac arrests this team puts you through each week. They’re 3-1, but every game has been within a touchdown and has come down to the final minute.

The Chargers have been on the opposite end of close losses. They’ve blown a massive lead against the Chiefs in week 1, gave up a last minute touchdown to the Colts in week 3, and somehow let the Saints score twice in the last 5 minutes last week.

It’s time for the Chargers luck to turn around as I expect a very close game, and possibly even an outright win. I’ll gladly take the points.

The Pick: Chargers +3.5

Other picks

New England Patriots @ Cleveland Browns +10.5

The Pick: Browns +10.5

Tennessee Titans @ Miami Dolphins -3.5

The Pick: Titans +3.5

Washington Redskins @ Baltimore Ravens -3.5

The Pick: Ravens -3.5

Atlanta Falcons @ Denver Broncos -6

The Pick: Falcons +6

Cincinnati Bengals @ Dallas Cowboys +1

The Pick: Bengals -1

Buffalo Bills @ Los Angeles Rams -3

The Pick: Bills +3

New York Giants @ Green Bay Packers -7

The Pick: Packers -7

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers

Due to Cam Newton’s injury, there is no line out yet. With that being said, take the Panthers to win at home, Derek Anderson is capable enough to beat the lowly Bucs.

Darius EghdamiDarius Eghdami

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