NFL 2020, Week 5

The NFL season has officially become a mess!  For the second straight week, they've had to reschedule multiple games because of the Titans' and Patriots' COVID outbreaks.  And it's even going to trickle into next week, since the Bills can't play on Tuesday, then turn around and play again on Thursday.  But...at least they're still playing football!

And they might keep playing football for an extra week.  One of the proposals is to have a Week 18 for any potential make-up games, but I'm not sure that would actually help anything, seeing as its the same teams that are having games rescheduled.  A better plan might be for them to actually follow the protocols!

Thursday Night: Tampa Bay (Loss)

Panthers (2-2) at Falcons (0-4): Carolina-Bill O'Brien is out in Houston, and Falcons coach Dan Quinn may soon be joining him.  Because it's been nothing but downhill since Atlanta blew the Super Bowl four years ago.  The Falcons are 0-4 and things don't like like they're getting any better anytime soon.  Quinn's seat will be white hot after his team drops another one to suddenly solid Carolina.

Raiders (2-2) at Chiefs (4-0): Kansas City-Whatever crazy obstacle you throw at the Chiefs, it doesn't seem to make a difference.  An impromptu Monday night game proved no issue for Patrick Mahomes and Co., who became the first team in NFL history to start 4-0 four years in a row.  The chances of that becoming 5-0 look pretty good as they welcome the Raiders to Arrowhead.

Cardinals (2-2) at Jets (0-4): Arizona-It looks like this one will be played as originally scheduled after the Jets' scare with a false positive on Friday.  But that did cost them a day of practice, which would've been important for Joe Flacco, who'll make his first start for the team this week.  The Cardinals would've been favored to win this game anyway, but Flacco might've been able to keep it competitive had he been able to practice with the first team all week.

Eagles (1-2-1) at Steelers (3-0): Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh definitely got the short end of the stick with everything that went on last week.  The Steelers lost their bye week and never really got one since they were still preparing for a game as late as Thursday.  So they've got every reason to be upset about their situation.  And they'll take out their frustration on the Eagles.

Rams (3-1) at Washington (1-3): Rams-Washington has officially given up on Dwayne Haskins.  That didn't take long, did it?  I can't really say he was the problem, though.  The team simply isn't very good.  The Rams, meanwhile, are showing that versatility that took them to the Super Bowl two years ago.  They scored 32 points at Buffalo and loss, then scored only 17 against the Giants and won.  So, regardless of what type of game Washington makes them play, they'll be ready for it.

Bengals (1-2-1) at Ravens (3-1): Baltimore-Nice rebound for the Ravens after that loss to the Chiefs.  It was their third time scoring at least 30 points this season.  Will they make it four against the Bengals?  I don't see why not.  Cincinnati followed up its tie against the Eagles by beating Jacksonville, but the Ravens are in a completely different league.  This'll be the biggest test Joe Burrow has faced yet in his brief NFL career.

Jaguars (1-3) at Texans (0-4): Houston-There was definitely more to the Texans' 0-4 start than just Bill O'Brien.  In fact, I think the schedule was one of the primary reasons.  But they felt the need for a culture change in Houston, so they made the move.  O'Brien's out, Romeo Crennel's in.  We'll see how much of a difference that actually makes as they take on the Jaguars, the first team on their schedule this season the Texans know they're better than.

Dolphins (1-3) at 49ers (2-2): San Francisco-That was a bad loss last week for the 49ers, who are still yet to win a game outside Met Life Stadium this season (granted it's only a two-game sample size, but still).  With the NFC West figuring to be competitive all year, they'll need to fix that quick.  Fortunately their opponent this week is the Dolphins.

Colts (3-1) at Browns (3-1): Cleveland-This is the version of the Cleveland Browns we thought we'd get last season!  Not only are they good, they're entertaining to watch!  That was one of the most impressive offensive performances by a Cleveland team in long time last week.  They might get slowed down a little bit by a Colts team that has allowed 29 points total in its last three games, but I still think the Browns will score enough to continue their great start.

Giants (0-4) at Cowboys (1-3): Dallas-Two NFC East teams are playing each other, which means (at least) one of them has to not lose!  It really is embarrassing how bad the division is this season.  A combined 3-12-1, and one of the wins was Washington over Philly, so it doesn't really count.  But I digress.  Maybe playing the Giants is a chance for Dallas to right the ship.  I still think the Cowboys are one of the most talented teams in the NFC.  And, depending on how the Philly and Washington games go, they could even end the day in first place.  At 2-3.

Vikings (1-3) at Seahawks (4-0): Seattle-Seattle is threatening Kansas City's perch atop the NFL power rankings.  The Seahawks' offense, frankly, has looked unstoppable so far!  And I don't see any reason why that should change against a Vikings team that has allowed at least 23 points in every game this season.  Russell Wilson and Co. might get that in the first half, as Seattle becomes the first NFC team to reach 5-0.

Broncos (1-3) at Patriots (2-2): New England-For the second straight week, the Patriots see their Sunday afternoon game moved to Monday night.  First it was because of Cam Newton, now because of Stephon Gilmore.  Even after everything that went down last week, New England still felt like it could've beaten Kansas City.  The Patriots even think they were cheated out of a win on that fumble call in the fourth quarter (I wouldn't know...I was watching the Yankees).  This week, they should be able to pull it out.

Chargers (1-3) at Saints (2-2): New Orleans-Drew Brees takes on the franchise where he got his start for perhaps the final time.  The Saints have been very un-Saints like over the past few weeks, and that started with their Week 2 Monday night loss in Las Vegas.  Will they revert to form in their second (actually scheduled) Monday night game of the season.  As for their opponent, Justin Herbert has officially been named the Chargers' starter, which we all knew was going to happen as soon as he entered the game against the Chiefs.  The future Hall of Famer will get the better of him in this one, though.

Bills (4-0) at Titans (3-0): Buffalo-Sixteen days later, the Titans will finally take the field again!  Hopefully!  You have to wonder how many reps they've gotten since their facility was shut down, but you've gotta think it can't be too many.  And that doesn't bode well against a Bills team that's now been given two extra days to prepare.  The NFL's first Tuesday game in 10 years will end with somebody no longer being undefeated.  I think there's a pretty good chance it'll be the team that hasn't played in two weeks and screwed up the schedule for everyone else!  (I also agree with those who are calling for the Titans to forfeit if they again can't play.)

This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 8-7
Season: 44-19-1