I\u2019ve got a problem when it comes to guessing who\u2019ll win the standalone games. Basically, I currently suck.<\/p>\n
For the games that had the stage to themselves in Week 4, I was 0-4. Fortunately, I was otherwise 10-2. And a final result of 10-6 is better than the Week 3 mark of 8-8.<\/p>\n
But every week is a clean slate. A new opportunity to turn 0-0 into something that isn\u2019t embarrassing.<\/p>\n
For the year, I\u2019m 37-27. Which is good, but far from great. At least it\u2019s not horrible, which is mainly what I\u2019m trying to avoid.<\/p>\n
The best pick for Week 4 was the 49ers over the Broncos. Worst pick: Lions over Panthers. Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami pick: Saints over Falcons.<\/p>\n
My seat-of-the-pants prognostications for all 15 of the Week 5 appear below, one wild-ass guess at a time. (The Panthers and Chiefs are off, as the bye weeks begin.)<\/p>\n
Buccaneers at Cowboys (Thursday night)<\/p>\n
Could undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels make a big splash in prime time? Yes, especially if the Cowboys take the Buccaneers too lightly. Every Tampa loss has come in a one-score game. If the Bucs can withstand the early onslaught, they have a chance.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll lean toward the Cowboys not being caught napping, and the Bucs not being able to avoid slipping into an early hole against an offense that is still trying to live up to its self-applied nickname.<\/p>\n
Cowboys 34, Buccaneers 13.<\/p>\n
Eagles vs. Jaguars (London)<\/p>\n
The Eagles went from 2-0 with plenty of questions to 2-2 with few answers. Given the injuries and the roster turmoil, it will take all of coach Nick Sirianni\u2019s abilities and then some to engineer a win after a flight to London. And it will require the Jaguars to regard the Eagles as an early bye week.<\/p>\n
Jaguars 27, Eagles 12.<\/p>\n
Bears at Packers<\/p>\n
In any divisional game, anything can happen. But the Bears, even without starting quarterback Caleb Williams, have the better team. They also have a head coach who needs to back up his big talk about Chicago\u2019s top rival.<\/p>\n
Bears 27, Packers 20.<\/p>\n
Bengals at Dolphins<\/p>\n
Miami simply isn\u2019t good enough, on either side of the ball. The Bengals, who have big aspirations, can\u2019t afford to lose their third in a row \u2014 especially in a game they absolutely should win.<\/p>\n
Bengals 26, Dolphins 14.<\/p>\n
Raiders at Patriots<\/p>\n
Last year, the Raiders went to Gillette Stadium and gave the Patriots a dry shave with a rusty razor. The Patriots, who rediscovered their swagger at Buffalo, surely remember that. If they don\u2019t, coach Mike Vrabel will spend the entire week reminding them of it.<\/p>\n
Patriots 27, Raiders 24.<\/p>\n
Vikings at Saints<\/p>\n
The Vikings\u2019 strong finish to 2025 has carried over. The Saints\u2019 strong finish to 2025 has not.<\/p>\n
Vikings 23, Saints 17.<\/p>\n
Browns at Jets<\/p>\n
How good are the 2026 Browns? I didn\u2019t even think twice about this one.<\/p>\n
Browns 17, Jets 10.<\/p>\n
Colts at Steelers<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh\u2019s schedule suddenly has plenty of winnable games on it. This week, the Steelers go three extra days to get ready, and the Colts had to fly back from London.<\/p>\n
Steelers 24, Colts 20.<\/p>\n
Texans at Titans<\/p>\n