It is one of the keys to any athletic endeavor…momentum. When you get on a roll, you do your best to stay on that roll. In the National Football League, that can be seen in teams who get off to a great start and try to carry that momentum deeper into the season. Such momentum can carry a team to the playoffs, and that’s what these teams are looking to do.
You can see the momentum working for the two remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams made the NFC Championship Game last season, with the Eagles defeating an injury ravaged Niner squad, and the two teams have come out in 2023 with a drive to make it back to the title game again. There could be some that say the Niners have done it through beating up on some weaker opposition (7-13 in their first four games), but the utter devastation they laid on the Dallas Cowboys in Week Five was quite impressive – “ol’ Mo” is certainly on their side.
So, who is on the opposite end of the momentum stick? You need look no further than the cozy climes of the New England area, where Dark Hoodie (AKA head coach Bill Belichick) is realizing that life was much easier when he had a Hall of Fame quarterback under center. The Patriots have had a tough time getting anything going to this point of the season, so much so that there are rumblings that it might be time for the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach to (GASP!!!) hang up the headset. Even though there are teams with worse records than the Pats (here’s looking at you, Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears), there isn’t anyone suffering from a lack of mojo more than the guys from Boston.
As to Week Five for the 2023 NFL season, we booked another winning week. That makes two in a row (always a momentum builder) and, as Manager Lou Brown said in Major League II, “If we get another win, that’s what they call a winning streak.” Without further ado, here’s a recap of our Week Five action:
PICK #1 – Kansas City Chiefs v. MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Pick – Chiefs (-3)
Result – Chiefs 27, Vikings 20 (WIN)
The Chiefs are a team that I am still trying to figure out. They seem to do just enough to win games, but they really aren’t coming out and blowing teams away. QB Patrick Mahomes seems to be in an early season malaise where he looks lost out there on the field – much like he did a couple of seasons ago when people said the League had “figured him out” – but then he turns it on and the Midwest Mohicans go on a roll. The rest of the League needs to be terrified if Mahomes starts to figure it out – again.
Likewise, I cannot put a finger on the Vikings. The only difference in the team from last year is the departure of Stephon Diggs, but the only tick in the WIN column for the team is against the lowly Panthers. There’s talk of QB Kirk Cousins being traded (he is in his contract year) and the rebuild beginning in the Twin Cities, but don’t bet against Cousins; he and the Vikes will get it figured out…will it be too late, though?
PICK #2 – New Orleans Saints v. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Pick – Saints +1
Result – Saints 34, Patriots 0 (WIN)
That’s right. Two home games for the Patriots, and a grand total of THREE POINTS scored by the team in the two games. Now, you’re not going to win many games when you score that many points, but the normally strong Pats D gave up 72 POINTS between those two games. This is why the scuttlebutt is going regarding the minions of the Hoodie, and it is well deserved.
I’m not behind the Saints either. QB Derek Carr has shown that the Las Vegas Raiders were remiss in sending him away, leading the Crescent City Canonized to only being behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a half-game. Having Alvin Kamara return to the backfield was a big boost for the Saints…can it be the momentum push they need?
PICK #3 – New York Jets v. DENVER BRONCOS
Pick – UNDER 43.5
Result – Jets 31, Broncos 21 (LOSS)
I was very surprised by this result last Sunday. The Jets showed a pulse on the road in the Mile High City, and the Broncos rolled out a throwback uniform that seemed to spark their offensive traditions from the past. The result was an entertaining game that saw the Jets improve to 2-3 and sit only a couple of games back in the standings from the Dolphins and one game back of the Bills. Are the Jets threatening to get on a roll?
NFL Week Five Results – 2-1
NFL 2023 Season Results – 6-8-1
