Yardbarker
x
Five outrageous predictions for NFL Week 5
The new look Raiders have a great shot at handing the Broncos their first loss of the season. Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Five outrageous predictions for NFL Week 5

There seems to be a lot more intrigue surrounding Week 5 games than we saw in any week during the first quarter of the NFL season.

Maybe it's because we have a better understanding of where teams are at. Heck, it could have to do with the fact that this week's slate of games promises to be more entertaining. Either way, there is a whole heck of a lot going on here.

Will the Oakland Raiders provide Jack Del Rio with his first big win as their head coach? How will Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks perform on the road against a difficult Cincinnati Bengals squad?

As we have done in each of the first four weekends of NFL action this season, here are five outrageous predictions for Week 5.

1. Oakland Raiders will stun the Denver Broncos in a statement game

There's definitely something to be said about teams making their luck in the NFL, but the Broncos have taken this meaning to an entirely new level. Three of Denver's four wins this year have come by a combined 16 points. From Jamaal Charles fumbling late in the game to Joe Flacco throwing two untimely picks, the Broncos sure have found a way to force other teams into mistakes.

That's not going to be the case against a sound Raiders team that's coming off a disheartening road loss to the Chicago Bears last week. Oakland has turned the ball over seven times in four games, but quarterback Derek Carr has just two picks in 123 attempts.

Overall, the second-year quarterback has thrown a total of 14 interceptions in 722 pass attempts. For comparison's sake, it took Peyton Manning 270 pass attempts to reach that total at the start of his career.

With added weapons in Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper at wide receiver, Carr has been super impressive thus far this season. And while he's facing the team's most difficult matchup of the season, the young quarterback should be more than up for the task.

The other thing to look at here is Denver's offensive line in front of Manning. The veteran quarterback is on pace to be sacked 40 times this season. This comes on the heels of him being sacked 35 times over the course of the past two years. With Khalil Mack and Aldon Smith finding their groove in Oakland's front seven, Manning could be in for a long day here.

What exactly would a Raiders win do? Well, it would pull them to within one game of the AFC West lead heading into Week 6. More than that, it would give Jack Del Rio's squad a signature win early in his tenure as the team's head coach.

2. Cincinnati Bengals will hand the Seattle Seahawks their worst loss since Week 8 of the 2011 season 

Interestingly, that came against an Andy Dalton-led Bengals team by the score of 34-12. While a lot has changed for Seattle since then —mainly the additions of Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson— there are a lot of issues working against the two-time defending NFC champs this week.

While the national media continues to ignore the ridiculous amount of pressure Wilson has been under over the course of the first four games, we have made an attempt to point it out at every turn. He's on pace to be sacked more than any other quarterback in the history of the NFL. He's also being pressured well over 40 percent of the time he's dropped back to pass this year.

Going up against an elite Bengals defensive line on the road, Wilson will continue to find himself clobbered in the offensive backfield. Sadly, this is the situation general manager John Schneider and Co. put Wilson in when the organization decided to go with multiple projects along the offensive line.

This had a direct impact on Wilson's performance against the Detroit Lions last week. He lost two fourth quarter fumbles, one of which was returned for a touchdown. He's also going up against a Bengals defense that is on pace for 44 sacks. He's doing so while likely being forced into a silent count. Yeah, things definitely aren't trending in Seattle's direction heading into a matchup with an undefeated Bengals squad.

Look for a bit of humble pie to be thrown Seattle's way by one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Let's just hope Wilson is left standing after Cincinnati hands Seattle an extensive beatdown. We will go with 27-10 in favor of the home team.

3. Mistake-prone game from Carson Palmer will lead to the Detroit Lions' first win

Palmer probably had his first substandard outing in a dozen or so starts last week against the St. Louis Rams. While he did complete 29-of-46 passes for 352 yards with a touchdown and an interception, the veteran was sacked four times and missed a few open throws.

It's not going to get much easier for Palmer against a Lions defense that returned to form against Seattle last week. Detroit recorded six sacks of Russell Wilson while forcing three turnovers on the road Monday night. In desperate need of a win, we can fully expect the Lions to bring their A-game in this one.

With nothing more to lose (outside of another game), the 0-4 Lions will be drawing up some pretty big blitzes. And as we have seen under defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, this can lead to quarterbacks making some major mistakes. Look for that to be the case on Sunday.

4. Tyrod Taylor and Marcus Mariota will combine for 700 total yards

We already know Mariota will get a ton of yardage in this one. Without much of a run game to rely on and going up against a Buffalo Bills defense that has seen the ball thrown against it about 50 times per game this year, the Tennessee Titans may be forced to put the game in Mariota's hands. Considering Mariota is averaging 277 passing yards and has thrown just two picks this year, that might not be a bad thing for Tennessee.

On the other hand, Taylor is going to have to go up against a vastly improved Titans defense without the services of LeSean McCoy and with Karlos Williams potentially sidelined due to a concussion. If that's the case, he's also going to have to put the ball up a ton. Averaging over 271 total yards per game this season, the first-year starter should be more than capable of handling his duties.

This really has the look of a Madden game. Both Taylor and Mariota should put up some video game numbers while turning the ball over at a higher clip than their respective teams would like. Look for at least 700 yards and a combined four turnovers in this one.


5. Michael Vick gets first win in second consecutive nationally televised start

It might not be due to Vick regaining his old form, but Pittsburgh should be able to go into San Diego and defeat a Chargers team that needs to win in order to keep pace in the AFC West.

With Le'Veon Bell already acting the part of the best running back in the NFL, he presents San Diego with a mismatch of epic proportions. Through four games, the last-place Chargers have yielded an average of nearly 200 total yards to opposing running backs this season. Yeah, Bell is going to eat big time here.

Whether it's Vick riding Bell's coattails or the veteran quarterback performing better than we saw last week, Pittsburgh should be able to hand San Diego its third loss in four games.

Check out Vincent's other work on eDraft.com and follow him on Twitter @VincentFrankNFL

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.