Before I get to the NFL stuff, here are my thoughts on Cal's heartbreaking loss to Utah. It was ESPN's game of the day. The Game Day crew was in Salt Lake City. It was the network's prime time game. It was #5 Utah against #23 Cal and it didn't disappoint. The game ended with Cal turning the ball over on downs within sniffin' distance of the Utah end zone with a handful of seconds left in the game. The most disappointing part of the game was that Cal was within a single score of winning the game even after turning the ball over six times. 6! It might have been Cal's most disappointing loss since Aaron Rodgers took USC to task in 2004. The biggest difference in the two games was that USC outplayed Cal in that game despite the closeness of it. Utah didn't outplay Cal last night. This game was all about too many turnovers and too much Devontae Booker. The Utah back had over 200 yards rushing with the majority over those yards coming after contact. He was so tough to bring down. He's a bull. If he can keep running like that his future is bright. The excessive number of turnovers were the biggest obstacle to a Cal win. All-everything quarterback Jared Goff threw five interceptions. 5! It's difficult to overcome that but he nearly did. Who knows where his accuracy went? Maybe he was stretched too thin this week. He's been getting a lot of attention for his play and Cal's 5-0 start. He was a guest on The Rich Eisen Show this week. There was a Game Day profile. It was a different sort of week for him. Who knows if any of that had an impact on his play last night? Five interceptions! One of those interceptions went right through the hands of normally sure-handed receiver Kenny Lawler. A second interception would have been avoided if Lawler hadn't dropped what would have been a touchdown toss. A Lawler drop is a very rare thing. You don't see two in a season let alone two in a game. A third Goff interception really shouldn't have been called an interception at all. A pass tipped at the line was corralled by a diving linebacker. To these eyes the interception was greatly helped by the presence of turf below the ball. The officials didn't see it that way. While Goff's passing stats weren't as bad as they look on paper his accuracy wasn't what it usually is. The bottom line for Cal is that they could have played much better and they still had a chance to win a game against an extremely talented opponent. They haven't won a game against an opponent like this in a very long time. This game showed me that Cal can play with any of the teams in the Pac-12. As a result, they can probably play with any team in the country. Utah is playing the best football in the conference. If they maintain that level of play and Cal maintains their level of play, without all of the damn turnovers, these two teams could meet again.
Now on to the pros.
Another fine day of football but not as fine as the other 16 weeks of the 2015 season. The Minnesota Vikings are on bye. That's a big hole to fill.
The Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets are also on bye. The Jets need the week off more than most.
Here's a fun fact. The Jets brought 350 rolls of toilet paper to London and their game against the Dolphins last week.
Here are the Flea Flicker picks for Week 5.
Seattle Seahawks @ Cincinnati Bengals
Pick: Bengals
At this point in the season I tend to pick against undefeated teams that are facing a tough test like Bengals are here. That's a stupid way to pick games. I'm not picking the Bengals here because they are undefeated and playing great. I'm picking the Bengals because the Seahawks haven't been playing well. This could be the best game of the day.
Chicago Bears @ Kansas City Chiefs
Pick: Chiefs
Neither team is playing well but I think that the Chiefs have more potential to play well. And they are playing at home.
Washington Redskins @ Atlanta Falcons
Pick: Redskins
This is more hunch than anything else. The Falcons are playing great and the Redskins are wildly inconsistent. I'm guessing that this is one of the good weeks for the Redskins. And Julio Jones is a little hobbled.
Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens
Pick: Ravens
It's stunning but the Browns might be suiting up the better set of receivers today. Still, the Ravens have Joe Flacco and the Browns have McManziel.
St. Louis Rams @ Green Bay Packers
Pick: Packers
With the way that Aaron Rodgers is playing it's damn near impossible to pick against the Packers against any team. The Rams are flying high after a huge win over the Cardinals in Arizona. The Rams defense is great. Rookie back Todd Gurley was brilliant in the second half last week. It's Lambeau. It's Rodgers. It's the Packers in this one.
New Orleans Saints @ Philadelphia Eagles
Pick: Saints
Not long ago this might have been the most interesting game of the week. Things have changed. Neither team is playing well right now. Drew Brees made some big plays last week against the Cowboys in his return from the injured list last week. Maybe he can get the Saints rolling. He's the difference in this game for me.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pick: Jaguars
This matchup could be one of the league's best in a couple of years. That would be something. For now, the Jaguars get the nod due to a little better, or more advanced, collection of young talent.
Buffalo Bills @ Tennessee Titans
Pick: Bills
I can't see Bills head coach Rex Ryan allowing Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota to beat his team. And the Titans need Mariota to beat teams.
Arizona Cardinals @ Detroit Lions
Pick: Lions
The Cardinals are a much better team than the Lions. I just don't see this Lions team remaining winless. They lost to the Chargers, Vikings, Broncos, and Seahawks. All are good teams. A couple are considered Super Bowl contenders. The Lions were in all of those games. Things just didn't bounce their way. Maybe they do today.
New England Patriots @ Dallas Cowboys
Pick: Patriots
The Cowboys get a couple of their most talented idiots back on defense. It won't matter. If they had Tony Romo and Dez Bryant this could be a very entertaining game. They don't so this game isn't.
Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders
Pick: Broncos
I want to pick the Raiders because I don't think that the Broncos are doing enough on offense to remain undefeated much longer. I just don't think that the Raiders have the offense to get through this very difficult Broncos defense.
San Francisco 49ers @ New York Giants
Pick: 49ers
This is a coin flip. I just see the 49ers coming out of their funk and the Giants looking past them.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ San Diego Chargers
Pick: Chargers
The Chargers patchwork offensive line has to keep quarterback Philip Rivers on his feet. They do that and the Chargers should be able to score on the Steelers. Getting tight end Antonio Gates back from suspension will help. It really comes down to Rivers vs. Mike Vick and for me and that's an easy decision to make.
Do not take any of these picks seriously. They're rubbish.
It's not easy to find football cheer during the Vikings bye week. But we'll try. Next week is only a week away.
No comments:
Post a Comment