Week 5 was bizarre with injuries, and boy there were plenty. However, shout outs to Nat Hackett for the revenge win over the Broncos, the Bears pulling off the upset in massive fashion after giving Chase Claypool the boot to Miami and honoring Dick Butkus the right way, the Jaguars for making a statement at their second home in London against a jet-lagged Bills, the Steelers for their comeback and showing Canada (Matt Canada to not be mistaken) what coaching football is, CJ Stroud for continuing his early success as The Ohio State quarterback in the NFL, and my 49ers for beating the literal breaks off of Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys train. Hopefully we continue with some great football and hope the injuries are kept to a minimum. This week’s Top 5 matchups include 4 games with “not-to-trust” teams (Raiders, Vikings, Chargers, Broncos) and plenty of rivalry matchups.

5) THE VEGAS PATRIOT GAMES

(PATRIOTS VS. RAIDERS)

1:05PM PT/4:05PM ET [CBS]

It honestly should’ve been primetime material. The recent history between the Raiders and Patriots have been the most intriguing because of the Tuck Rule. Then we go from that to basically the Patriots staff and players becoming a symbiosis with the Raiders. There’s Jimmy G., Josh McDaniels, Jakobi Meyers, and Michael Mayer maybe being Gronk 2.0 along with Tom Brady having a stake in the organization and Danny Amendola working on the staff. And then there’s the Patriots. The team looked anything but great and not having Tom Brady changed the narrative of the Patriots with questions about Bill Belichick continuing as the head coach. The Pats defense is elite, but their last two games were pretty bad. Part is due to injuries and the other is due to a lost fight without the offense’s help. The Raiders offense isn’t any better, but their defense was the strength this season. This matchup will be dominated by defense until said otherwise. Both Mac Jones and Jimmy G. have more interceptions than touchdowns and were waiting for a breakout from A running back from either side. I will give the Raiders a nod for a slightly more talented and healthier roster…and hopefully Josh McDaniels doesn’t pull another fast one like he did in the last two 4th quarters.

MY PICK: RAIDERS

4) VIKINGS AT BEARS

10AM PT/1PM ET [FOX]

Here is the divisional battle of the 1-win rivals trying to get out of a murky situation (but a tie’s always optional). The Vikings still can’t find consistency in beating a team in perfect fashion. The losses this season sum up their struggles. What’s worse is that they’re without Justin Jefferson for a few weeks no thanks to the turf monster. The Bears couldn’t figure anything out until Denver. Then they found their footing against Washington’s bad secondary. Chicago was on their way to another bad season, but maybe there’s hope. Not sure if removing the toxicity of Chase Claypool out of the organization helped, but the team hummed last week and could be beneficial moving forward. It’s hard to tell who could pull this off, but the Bears felt really good after last week especially representing the late legend Dick Butkus with a win. I want to be sold on the Bears capitalizing on a winnable October schedule, but I must see results. And it starts with ending their 4-game losing streak to the Vikings.

MY PICK: VIKINGS

3) COLTS AT JAGUARS

10AM PT/1PM ET [CBS]

The Colts and Jaguars are tied atop the AFC South in this wild division race. The Jaguars struggled at home but played well at their second home in London going 2-0 with an upset against Buffalo. Now they return to Jacksonville trying to win their first home game. The Colts have a Bonafide future star in Anthony Richardson, and his performance backs it up. Unfortunately, he can’t stay healthy and will potentially cost the organization if they let this continue when he returns from I.R. in a few weeks. Otherwise, the team’s a hard out against any opponent. They have a solid front seven on defense and the offense is surprisingly productive with or without Richardson. With Jonathan Taylor’s return, this makes the matchup very interesting along with Zack Moss and Gardner Minshew running the backfield together. However, the Colts haven’t won in Jacksonville in seven seasons. With A.R. on I.R., the drought likely continues as Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, and Calvin Ridley are humming along together.

MY PICK: JAGUARS

2) BRONCOS AT CHIEFS

5:15PM PT/8:15PM ET [PRIME VIDEO ON THURSDAY]

Both teams were at each other’s throats for the last three meetings. This matchup could be as similar even if the Chiefs are at home. The Broncos have nothing going for them, especially on defense. They came into the season with Top 5 expectations but currently are statistically the worst in the NFL despite the talent they have. A lot will fall on Russell Wilson and a somewhat resolved offense to carry for the whole game. The Chiefs are good, but sus (sorry Swifties, but they are). The pass catchers outside of Travis Kelce have plenty to figure out, but they’re slowly but surely improving. The Chiefs defense deserves more credit. They’ve played their best football this season after an ebb-and-flow last season. They haven’t allowed over 20 points in the last four games after their loss to the Lions. They attacked the backfield and forced fumbles left and right. The Broncos haven’t defeated the Chiefs since 2015 in part 1 of the matchup in Peyton Manning’s last season of his career. The Broncos are on the cusp of breaking their double-digit losing streak to them (15 games). Unfortunately, it won’t be in Kansas City. Maybe in Denver…

MY PICK: CHIEFS

1) COWBOYS AT CHARGERS

5:15PM PT/8:15PM ET [ESPN ON MONDAY]

The Cowboys are coming off their worst performance of the season while the Chargers come off a bye with things hopefully figured out (and maybe Brandon Staley calling smarter plays). Two seasons ago, both teams were in a struggle than a shootout, which came down to second half field goals. It’s likely possible but maybe things open up with an explosive quarterback and running back on one side and a couple of explosive skilled players on the other. Dak Prescott’s poor performance showed that he must attack the field when given the chance. The offense needs more creativity to help improve the run game. As for the Chargers, this is one of the most talented teams in the NFL with an All-Pro quarterback and running back. And yet, they’re not playing up to that elite level consistently. It’s definitely questionable and hopefully the bye week helped resolve this issue. The Chargers and Cowboys defense will make life difficult for both offenses, which is why this game could be as similar as 2021. However, the Chargers secondary and the Cowboys run defense are vulnerable which could likely open some big plays. It’s a tough call and the Chargers are at home, but the Cowboys won the last four road Monday night games and finds a way to bounce back in this thrilling matchup.

MY PICK: COWBOYS

OTHER GAMES

RAVENS AT TITANS [LONDON]

COMMANDERS AT FALCONS

SEAHAWKS AT BENGALS

49ERS AT BROWNS

PANTHERS AT DOLPHINS

EAGLES AT JETS

SAINTS AT TEXANS

CARDINALS AT RAMS

LIONS AT BUCCANEERS

GIANTS AT BILLS [SUNDAY NIGHT]

RESULTS

I think it’s fair that I put this up here weekly. I forgot about that. I put that focus on college football, but I must do the same for the NFL. Here are the results of my picks including the total from 5 Weeks of NFL football.

TOP 5 FROM WEEK 5: 3-2

• TOTAL: 15-10

OVERALL FROM WEEK 5: 9-5

• TOTAL OVERALL: 64-24