If you remain alive, you are starting to feel the tingles and perspiration of having a chance to run the table in your pool. Haven’t hit the halfway mark but a lot of people are out. The latest victims took a shot at Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City in Week 5 only to have the Colts give them a swift kick to the sidelines.
Don’t think about it
The Kyle Allen Express and Carolina Panthers roll into Tampa Bay. Not going to buy into the fourth straight victory. Bruce Arians’ Bucs can be tough and this is far too risky. The Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins? This is one of the worst matchups of the decade, let alone season. They are splendid teams to pick against … except when the face each other. Hard to fathom how winless Washington can be favored against anyone, let alone on the road, yet it is in Miami. On the other end of matchup spectrum, Seattle plays at Cleveland. Two strong teams and the game is one to sit out and watch. Same goes for Philadelphia at Minnesota. Not going to try and figure out what team is going to show up on either side. The Monday Night game is Detroit and Green Bay. Both teams have been playing well and it is not worth flirting with disaster by choosing either.
Let the bettor beware
New Orleans hits the road to Jacksonville. Teddy Bridgewater against Gardner Minshew II. The Saints are on a good run and Bridgewater has things under control replacing Drew Brees. That said, if Sacksonville gets in gear and harasses Bridgewater, this could be problematic. The woeful Falcons fly to the desert to meet the Cardinals, who are coming off their first victory. While Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury may be tempting against a 1-4 Atlanta team, it feels like this could give the Falcons a chance to get right. Actually, it could be their last chance to get right.
Tempting fate
The idea the Chiefs will lose two in a row at home is tough to digest. That said, Patrick Mahomes vs. Deshaun Watson has all sorts of offensive fireworks. The Texans-Chiefs contest could easily come down to who has the ball last. Don’t let the idea KC can’t lose two in a row at home mess with your mind. The Tennessee Titans pay a visit to Denver. The Broncos are coming off their first win of the season and Tennessee was awful and offensive against Buffalo. Vic Fangio’s defense is strong but the Broncos are still 1-4 and too risky to call. The 2-3 Los Angeles Chargers have to get their act together and the Pittsburgh Steelers are heading West with Devlin Hodges seemingly at quarterback. That said, LA has not shown the ability to play solid football for 60 minutes and the Steelers could keep it close. The Rams are in need of a victory against the unbeaten 49ers. Yep, the unbeaten 49ers. Who would have thought LA would be the team in this game in the position of needing a win?
Go for it
If you have not used the New England Patriots yet, the opportunity is ripe as they play host to the New York Giants on Thursday. Tom Brady vs. Daniel Jones seems a mismatch and Bill Belichick should have his way with his former employer. Another team that seems to assure an advance would be the Dallas Cowboys at the New York Jets. Should Sam Darnold return, he isn’t enough to fix what ails Gang Green. Another option if you have used both Dallas and New England: The Baltimore Ravens look like a solid play against the winless Cincinnati Bengals, who could not defeat the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5. Lamar Jackson has proven himself to be big time.
