NFL Week 5 Upset Watch Includes Steelers, Jaguars And Eagles
The Steelers, Jaguars and Eagles are on upset watch in Week 5 of the 2011 NFL season.
Where: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Spread: Steelers by three
Why:
The Steelers have a 2-2 record after the first quarter of the 2011 season but they just haven’t looked like the Pittsburgh Steelers that we’re all used to. They still have the second ranked defense but that includes the No. 22 ranked running defense. That’s not good news for them, especially this week.
They host the 3-1 Tennessee Titans and it seems that running back Chris Johnson is just starting to hit his stride. He also gets his fullback Ahmard Hall, who served a four-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing substance policy, back against the Steelers. Now that Johnson has his fullback and has found his legs, the Steelers could fall to 2-3 on Sunday.
Where: Jacksonville, Florida
Spread: Jaguars by 2.5
Why:
The Bengals' win over the Buffalo Bills and their high-powered offense has done two things. One, it has given their young team confidence moving forward and two, it has boosted the Bengals defense to the top-ranked defense in the NFL.
The Jaguars have handed the reins over to rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert and luckily for Gabbert, he has the second-leading rushing in the NFL, Maurice Jones-Drew. The Bengals have only faced MJD one time and in that game, they held him to 33 yards on 10 carries. The Bengals have seventh-ranked run defense in the NFL and haven't allowed a single running back to average over four yards per carry so far this year, and they've played some pretty tough running backs (Peyton Hillis, Frank Gore, Fred Jackson).
In a battle between rookie quarterbacks, the game will go to whose defense can shut down the other team’s running game. I’m picking the best defense in the NFL.
Buffalo Bills over Philadelphia Eagles
Where: Buffalo, New York
Spread: Eagles by three
Why:
After losing to the Bengals on the road, the Bills will be looking to bounce back this weekend. They play one of the most talented teams in the NFL in the Philadelphia Eagles at home, though. You can’t ever count a Michael Vick-led team out because he is so talented but the Eagles just haven’t been the team that most expected them to be in 2011.
The Bills’ offense struggled against Cincinnati’s tough defense but they’re going to be facing the 30th ranked run defense and 11th ranked pass defense when they take the field against the Eagles. If the Bills’ offense can rebound, they can lead the team to a 4-1 record while the Eagles fall to 1-4.
