# NFL Week 5: **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 3, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589 "2012-10-03T15:49:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/1 "2012-10-03T15:49:15Z")
Home team last; Odds per [Vegas.com](http://www.vegas.com/gaming/)’s aggregation of the Caesar’s, MGM, and Stations’s Books. Thursday Night Game Arizona (-1.5) - St. Louis. Sunday, Early Games. Miami - Cincinnati (-3.5) Cleveland - NY Giants (-9) Green Bay (-7) - Indianapolis Philadelphia - Pittsburgh (-3.5) Atlanta (-3) - Washington Baltimore (-5) - Kansas City Late Afternoon Games Chicago (-5.5) - Jacksonville Seattle - Carolina (-3) Buffalo - San Francisco (-9.5) Denver - New England (-6.5) Tennessee - Minnesota (-5.5) Sunday Night Game San Diego - New Orleans (-3.5) Monday Night Game Houston (-8) - NY Jets Discuss. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/2 "2012-10-03T15:55:15Z")
Thursday Night Game Arizona (-1.5) - St. Louis. **St Louis** Sunday, Early Games. Miami - Cincinnati (-3.5) **Cincy** Cleveland - NY Giants (-9) **NY Giants** Green Bay (-7) - Indianapolis **Green Bay** Philadelphia - Pittsburgh (-3.5) **Philly** Atlanta (-3) - Washington **Washington in an upset** Baltimore (-5) - Kansas City **Baltiwhore** Late Afternoon Games Chicago (-5.5) - Jacksonville **Chickago** Seattle - Carolina (-3) **Carolina** Buffalo - San Francisco (-9.5) **San Fran** Denver - New England (-6.5) **New England** Tennessee - Minnesota (-5.5) \*\*Minnesota \*\* Sunday Night Game San Diego - New Orleans (-3.5) **New Orleans** Monday Night Game Houston (-8) - NY Jets **Houston in a landslide** ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/3 "2012-10-03T15:57:13Z")
Kinda a weak week this week. Manning and the Broncos going to New England to face the Pats again should be fun, and if you’re bored or from Pennsylvania, you can watch the Eagles v. Steelers. But that’s about it. Maybe the Saints get off their schnide, and/or Andrew Luck shows his massive potential by crushing a Packers secondary, but, by and large, it’s not the most interesting week out there. ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/4 "2012-10-03T16:33:51Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Maybe the Saints get off their schnide, I wonder how often an 0-4 team has given 3+ points to a 3-1 team. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/5 "2012-10-03T16:38:27Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Kinda a weak week this week. Manning and the Broncos going to New England to face the Pats again should be fun, and if you’re bored or from Pennsylvania, you can watch the Eagles v. Steelers. But that’s about it. Maybe the Saints get off their schnide, and/or Andrew Luck shows his massive potential by crushing a Packers secondary, but, by and large, it’s not the most interesting week out there. Fortunately, it’s a great college weekend, so people like me can have a great Saturday to make up for it in advance. UGA @ South Carolina LSU @ Florida Nebraska @ OSU Miami vs Notre Dame WVU @ Texas ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/6 "2012-10-03T16:40:45Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Monday Night Game > Houston (-8) - NY Jets **Houston in a landslide** The rest of the week is unspectacular, but this game has the potential to be a complete trainwreck. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/7 "2012-10-03T17:40:20Z")
Perhaps in terms of marquee matchups this week is a little down, but there are some pretty compelling contests to me: Arizona is 4-0 and playing a Rams team at home that isn’t playing too badly themselves. Can Arizona really become 5-0? Cincy v Miami interests me as a Bengals fan, but Miami has been playing everybody tough and losing by narrow margins, so they worry me. Watching AJ Green catch the ball should be a treat for any fan of the game. Philly v Pittsburgh, an intrastate game is interesting, and I would love to see the Eagles stick Pittsburgh in a 1-3 hole… Atlanta v Washington could be a good game, or not. Same with the Baltimore game. I think Seattle v Carolina will be close. Denver v NE is your marquee game. I also think SD v New Orleans will be a good one to watch. See if the undefeated teams keep it going. See if the teams without a win get one. See Manning go up against his old nemesis. Root for the Steelers to lose. Watch AJ Green. Lots of fun this weekend! ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/8 "2012-10-03T18:14:58Z")
The Browns’ secondary is really hurting without Joe Haden, so I expect Eli Manning to shred them. The Browns’ O-line has been less than spectacular, too, going up against the Giants’ stout defensive front. Yeah, 9 points sounds about right. However, the Browns do generally play (comparitively) well on the road. I’ll take the points! ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/9 "2012-10-03T18:38:21Z")
Browns have beat the last 4 (?) super bowl champs they’ve faced. As we all know, sports trivia like that is totally predictive. Richardson 9 TDs rushing, 4 TDs receiving. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/10 "2012-10-03T18:48:49Z")
Packers are 0 for Indy in their history. Including a memorable loss in the '97 season. No more stumbles, hopefully, because Week 6 is at Houston on Sunday night. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/11 "2012-10-03T18:56:21Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Arizona is 4-0 and playing a Rams team at home that isn’t playing too badly themselves. Can Arizona really become 5-0? The Rams CBs are good enough to shut down Skelton but the Rams receivers are the weakest group on the team. This game will come down to who can get the running game going better, and from the looks of it the edge goes to STL on that. I think this will be a squeaker for the Rams, unless they have another implosion like they did against da’ Bears ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/12 "2012-10-03T19:10:15Z")
I was wondering why there were so many late afternoon games in the east, then I noticed that practically all the games are in the east. Apart from the 49ers, all the western teams are travelling or have a bye. Does anyone know if that’s a deliberate choice by the schedulers, and why they might have done it? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/13 "2012-10-03T21:48:56Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I was wondering why there were so many late afternoon games in the east, then I noticed that practically all the games are in the east. Apart from the 49ers, all the western teams are travelling or have a bye. > > Does anyone know if that’s a deliberate choice by the schedulers, and why they might have done it? I wonder if the MLB playoffs have anything to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/14 "2012-10-03T23:07:56Z")
The Saints are a 3.5 point favorite over the Chargers? I love my Saints, but I’m having a hard time believing this one. The Saints have no defense. Rivers is probably going to put up video game numbers against them. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/15 "2012-10-04T01:02:09Z")
n/m dupe post ---
**Author:** ![TheBoltEater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheBoltEater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoltEater)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/16 "2012-10-04T02:20:48Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > The Saints are a 3.5 point favorite over the Chargers? I love my Saints, but I’m having a hard time believing this one. The Saints have no defense. Rivers is probably going to put up video game numbers against them. It _is_ an odd line, but no one in San Diego is taking this game lightly. The Chargers run defense is as good as it’s been in years, but our pass D is still a work in progress - and we all know where the strength of the Saints O lies. And despite putting some big numbers on the board 2 of the last 3 weeks, the Chargers offense is still trying to get in sync. Mathews isn’t up to speed yet (and the team is annoyed with his fumbling) and the new receivers aren’t clicking with Rivers just yet. I, for one, expect this to be the week that the offense finally looks right, but that’s as much about the Saints D as anything else. Having said all that, the thing about this game that I’m most looking forward to is… that I’m going to be there! A road trip to NOLA to see my Bolts was simply too good to pass up. Anything specific about going to a Saints game that I should look out for? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/17 "2012-10-04T14:23:44Z")
Does anyone have a winning confidence pool strategy they want to share? Of course my first inclination is just to play everything straight up; assign the highest points to the ones I feel most confident in linearly down to the last. I imagine most everyone plays this way though and what this has done is put me in the upper half but still well within the bulk of the bell curve. In looking at what separates the winners from the losers each week there’s always one or several key upsets, usually those I gave a low value to. Does anyone risk putting a high value on those? I can see pros and cons to it, both logically and statistically. If so, should that strategy only be employed when playing catch-up, sticking with a steady conservative approach the rest of the time? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/18 "2012-10-04T23:49:58Z")
This will be our first chance to watch the Cardinals play so finally an opportunity to evaluate why they’re 4-0. Then maybe I can trust them with something more than a 3. Until then Kolb just ain’t worth it. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/19 "2012-10-04T23:56:44Z")
Browns have had 10 days of rest, Giants aren’t great in the regular season, 9 point spread isn’t justified, bet Browns. I smell upset, but then again I’m retarded. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589/20 "2012-10-05T00:27:59Z")
Every friggin’ Thursday I’m appalled all over again by this god damned travesty of a theme song. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-5/636589.md?page=2)