The Touchdown Three: Week Five
By Paul Mainwaring
London Time!
A fourth consecutive week of winning cannot be sniffed at, and if it wasn’t for the egg the Colts laid against the Raiders it would have been 3-0. The perfect week still hasn’t happened, but consistent winning shouldn’t be under appreciated. This week the London games start, so why don’t we start there for this week’s picks!
Week 3: 2-1
Overall Record: 7-4-1
Bears -5 v Raiders (Spurs Stadium)
There is a major problem in Chicago and as always for the Monsters of Midway it is at the QB position. When you move up in the draft to take the first QB there is an assumption that you are picking a guy who will be your franchise QB for a decade. Two years and four games in Mitchell Trubisky is not meeting that assumption, and noises around whether the Bears would be better not picking up his fifth year option have already started. This week the Trubisky question won’t be a problem as career back-up Chase Daniels will be under center, and this may be a good thing.
What a win that was by the Raiders on Sunday. Not sure anyone (including me) saw them winning in Indy, especially in the manner they did. Since Gruden took charge, the Raiders have often been seen as a joke franchise, but at the moment they are playing hard and are not in the bottom five in the league.
Given the good ol’ English weather there is a chance this could be a slop fest where defense is on top. If this is the case I expect Mack and the rest of the Bears to feast. Take the Bears here
Jets @ Eagles -13.5
Massive win for the Eagles last Thursday. Not only did they go to Lambeau and win, but Dallas lost, and now you feel Philly maybe in the driving seat for the NFC East title. The offense of the Eagles has been riddled with injuries but unlike the Bears above the Eagles do have a Franchise QB and he feels like he is dragging his team forward, rather than holding them back.
After the massacre against the Pats, the Jets had a bye to lick their wounds and try and get Darnold healthy. At the time of writing Darnold has been throwing, however due to his enlarged spleen he has not been cleared by Doctors. As I have mentioned before, the job for this season is to improve Darnold and hopefully prove he is a Franchise QB, so I would personally be resting him here.
The Eagles are one of the best teams in the NFC and the Jets are one of the worst in the AFC. This has the makings of a blowout, so take the Eagles.
Bucs +3 @ Saints
Who expected that performance from the Bucs last Sunday? When you get a good Jameis game this is what the Bucs can do, 55 points on the Road is great against anyone, never mind the NFC Champs. There is a lot of talent on offense for the Bucs so if Arians and Leftwich can continue to control Jameis, points will be scored.
The Saints won Sunday but not in the way you are used to. Backup QB Teddy Bridgewater has acted like a Backup in the games he has played so far, this continued against Dallas, throwing for under 200 yards. The defense stepped up in a big way and Twelve points were enough to beat Dallas, but I am not sure that is sustainable going forward.
I know what you are thinking by the way, Mainz has written the above and it sounds like he might be mad enough to pick the Bucs. AND YOU WOULD BE RIGHT!!! Take the Bucs.
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Paul Mainwaring
NFL Analyst
A former UKEndzone writer, Paul has been dragged out of an enforced retirement to give his thoughts on the NFL and anything else he can slide past the editorial team.
Paul is most famous (infamous?) as Mainz one half of Waxing Lyrical. alongside his Partner in Crime Neil ‘Dutts’ Dutton.
Find him @Mainzey7 where all manner of sports are on the menu.