Week 5: Putting it on the line

Need to make my predictions early this week (will be out of town). On paper, many of these games could go either way. Only have one real upset for the week. Lets look at how week 5 unfolds...

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
Pick: Ravens - The Bengals have won six of the past nine meetings. Shayne Graham barely snuck his field goal inside the right upright as time expired in overtime to give the Bengals a 23-20 win over the Browns. Ravens should be fired up after losing a game to the Patriots they felt they should have won.

Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills
Pick: Bills - The Browns have won the last two meetings. Offseason hope has given way to regular-season reality in Buffalo as Owens has failed to make much of an impact for the Bills. Give a slight edge to the Bills playing at home.

Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers
Pick: Panthers - Washington has won seven of the eight all-time meetings. A coin flip game, but the extra week to prepare, and being at home should give the edge to the Panthers.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions
Pick: Steelers - Pittsburgh has won six of the past seven meetings. The Steelers jumped out to a 28-0 lead and held on late to defeat the visiting Chargers, 38-28. ... Detroit lost quarterback Matthew Stafford to a knee injury and was trounced by Chicago, 48-24. Steelers have not won on the road this year, but that should all change this weekend.

Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs
Pick: Cowboys - Dallas has taken three of the last four meetings. Romo has completed only 57.6 percent of his passes with one touchdown and four interceptions in his past three games. The Cowboys are playing bad, but the Chiefs don't have enough to stop them. It is funny to think of this game as a possible upset, but it really wouldn't surprise me.

Oakland Raiders at New York Giants
Pick: Giants - Oakland has won four of the past five meetings. The Raiders suffered breakdowns in every phase and were clobbered in Houston, 29-6. New York finished its three-game road trip undefeated and will finally get to play at Giants Stadium for the first time since Week 1. Look for the fans to be fired up as they welcome home the 4-0 Giants.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Philadelphia Eagles
Pick: Eagles - Tampa Bay has beaten Philadelphia three straight times. McNabb is scheduled to get the start...a good team to come back against. McNabb needs four passing touchdowns to become the eighth player in NFL history with 200-plus passing touchdowns and 25-plus rushing scores.

Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams
Pick: Vikings - St. Louis has taken four of the past five meetings (don't hold your breath this week though). The Vikings look for their first 5-0 start since 2003. Favre is the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat all 32 teams. After a great Monday night game, this one has let down written all over it.

Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers
Pick: 49ers - The Niners have won three of the past five meetings. Atlanta QB Matt Ryan is sixth in the NFL with a 100.4 passer rating. ... 49ers QB Shaun Hill is 7-0 as a starter at home. ... San Francisco LB Patrick Willis had a career-high 2.5 sacks in Week 4. This game could go either way. Falcons are coming off a bye, so they have had extra time to prepare.

Houston Texans at Arizona Cardinals
Pick: Cardinals - The Texans have won the only game between the two teams. Cardinals QB Kurt Warner needs one 300-yard passing game to become the fifth player with 50 in a career. Another coin flip game, but give the edge to the Cardinals playing at home, and coming off a bye.

New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
Pick: Patriots - The Broncos have won five of the past seven meetings. With a still-developing, young defense, New England has turned to a much more aggressive defense. Since 2006, Brady is 10-0 in October. Denver RB Knowshon Moreno leads all rookies with 249 yards rushing. Giving the edge to the mentor vs. the student.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Seattle Seahawks
Pick: Jaguars - The Seahawks have won three of the five all-time meetings. Seattle TE John Carlson has a touchdown catch in four of his past five home games. In the past two weeks, the Seahawks have allowed Jay Cutler and Peyton Manning to shred their secondary.

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Pick: Colts - Tennessee has won three of the past five meetings. The Colts have won 13 straight regular-season games dating back to last season, which is the longest current streak in the NFL. ... Manning is 9-5 in his career against the Titans with 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Titans are struggling...and could be 0-5 by the end of the weekend.

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
Pick: Dolphins - New York has won eight of the last ten meetings. Mark Sanchez turned the ball over four times as the Jets suffered their first loss of the season. The Dolphins' second-ranked rushing defense should keep the Jets running game in check. New York's defense ranks third in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 14.3 points per game. ... Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown is averaging 108.7 yards per game on the ground. These teams are closer than you think and the game could go either way. Going with the Dolphins and the upset for Monday night!