Superhero by Jane’s Addiction was the theme song introduction to the HBO show, Entourage. This was the 2nd song I used this weekend last year for Week 5, ‘22, and I honestly just picked it then because I had just re-binged the show. I wouldn’t say it was the greatest show ever, but it’s one of my favorite shows because it knew what it was and always put me in a good mood. I’m sure a ton of people who watched it, get what I mean. You didn’t necessarily have to watch every episode to understand what was going on. It was funny, nothing was taken too seriously. Most episodes would start off with a cool song and athlete or celebrity cameo, followed by the guys getting into some sort of nonsense that was entertaining, and then by the end of every episode things would always usually sort of work out. In some ways, it’s the same premise as how I try to write Week to Week Notes.
Any time Jane’s Addiction starts a song with “Yeah” they are about to go in…oh wait, no that’s Drake… For All The Dogs is out now.
Tumble fall and Stumblin’ Along are so close, such a shame. By the way, I don’t want to be your superhero, but humbly a source you come to when you’re looking for something to read about sports, pints, and history would be pretty cool. Hypothetically speaking though….
Great theme song but these lyrics out of context come across as a bit whiney and needy. As always, thank you for reading Week to Week Notes and hopefully, you come back!
On to Week 5….
Warped Logic - Week 5, ‘23
Thursday Nighter Recap
Chicago Bears 40 | Washington Commanders 20
This was a classic Thursday Night football game where the Washington Commies just showed up to work and expected a win even though they put in the Bear minimum amount of effort. You could also call this the Dick Butkus game as the legendary Chicago linebacker passed away hours before kickoff. Butkus was born and raised in Chicago and was the Bears’ 3rd pick in the 1965 NFL Draft. He was twice named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year and was 5 times selected 1st Team All-Pro. The Hall of Fame linebacker was described by one of his peers, Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones, as “an animal. I called him a maniac. A stone maniac. He was a well-conditioned animal, and every time he hit you, he tried to put you in the cemetery, not the hospital.”
As for last night’s game, Chicago ended their 14-game-losing streak as QB Justin Fields and WR DJ Moore caught fire from the jump. Fields ended up passing for 4 TDs while Moore had a career night of 8 catches, 230 yards, and 3 TDs. Washington got punched in the mouth early and didn’t really wake up until the 2nd half, making it a closer game than the score would indicate but all in all not a game to write home about.
I had Washington winning this game 16-6 (-6 WSH & Under 45), yikes, 0-2 heading into Week 5…
Sunday Mornin’ in London
The Jacksonville Jaguars stayed overseas following their victory over the Falcons, becoming the only team in NFL history to win a football game in the Toy Story Universe. The Buffalo Bills are coming off an impressive victory over the Dolphins but had to travel across the Atlantic. Last week both teams’ Josh Allens played great. Jags pass rusher Josh Allen had his 2nd 3 sack performance of the season. This has him tied for 1st in the NFL. The Bills’ QB Josh Allen threw 4 TDs and no INTs last weekend, the 7th time he has produced that stat line in his career. Not only is this game in London a battle of the Josh Allens, but both teams excel at taking the football away from their opponents’ offense. Buffalo leads the NFL in takeaways with 11 (8 INTs and 3 fumbles), while the Jaguars are in 4th with 9 (4 INTs and 5 fumbles). Both these teams have elite talent QBs who can sometimes be susceptible to turning the ball over. I’ll side with the Jags here because they didn’t have to travel across the pond and they are getting points, but please remind me to pick against them next week when they are jetlagged.
Prediction: 26-25 JAX (+5.5 JAX & Over 48)
1 PM Slate
New Orleans will come marching into Foxboro a bit wounded as QB Derek Carr is still dealing with a sore shoulder. The Saints' offense was ineffective last week against Tampa Bay as Jameis Winston ended up getting snaps at the end of the game. New Orleans made sure to feed Alvin Kamara, who had 11 carries for 51 yards rushing and 13 catches for only 33 receiving yards. The Patriots are coming off a pitiful performance of their own as Mediocre Mac, the pervert, got benched in their 38-3 defeat in Dallas. Jones threw 2 INTs and RB Rhamondre Stevenson only rumbled for 30 rushing yards as New England’s offense looked like garbage once again. Defensively, the Patriots lost their star-in-the-making rookie CB Christian Gonzalez to a torn labrum. This is a huge blow to the New England secondary who responded to the injury by swinging a deal with the Chargers for JC Jackson. The CB that LA overpaid is now back in Boston. Jackson as a Patriot had 25 INTs in 4 seasons, however with the Chargers he only ended up playing 7 games with 1 pick. I’ll take the Pats because they’re home, coming off an embarrassing loss, and they are up against a compromised Carr.
Prediction: 17-15 NE (-1 NE & Under 39)
The Tennesee Titans have owned the Colts of late, winning their last 5 matchups going back to November ‘20. Titans’ RB Derrick Henry has paved the way to their wins, rushing for a total of 601 yards and 4 TDs in these 5 games. Henry in Week 4 rushed for 122 yards, a TD, and even threw one of his signature jump passes for a TD. Indianapolis is coming off a back-breaking OT loss to the Rams where their rookie QB Anthony Richardson nearly completed a 23-0 comeback. Richardson still is a work in progress as a passer but the talent is clearly there. The Colts will be welcoming RB Jonathan Taylor back from his holdout-turned-PUP-list dispute. It’ll be interesting to see how Indianapolis decides to work Taylor back. The ‘21 NFL leading rusher has committed to playing the rest of the season with the Colts and was a full participant in practice on Thursday. Taylor told the media, “If somebody wasn't committed, they wouldn't be here. Right now, I'm here and my No. 1 thing is to take care of my teammates. What this city needs is a championship, and that's what I'm here to do." The Colts will snap the losing streak.
Prediction: 13-10 IND (+1 IND & Under 42)
The Pittsburgh Steelers have won 5 out of the last 6 meetings with the Baltimore Ravens. That stat is a bit misleading as Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has only played in 2 of those games. Last week, a healthy Jackson put on an efficiency clinic in Cleveland. Jackson was 15 of 19 (79%) with a pair of passing TDs and to go with a pair of rushing TDs. Steelers’ QB Kenny Pickett practiced yesterday and is dealing with a bruise on his knee. Pickett is expected to be wearing a brace on his left knee on Sunday. Both of these AFC North foes ranked in the top 3rd in defensive sacks with the Ravens having 15 as a team and the Steelers having 13 sacks as a team. I expect this to be a defensive grudge match but I have to give the edge at QB to Jackson over a sitting duck.
Prediction: 14-9 BAL (-3.5 BAL & Under 40.5)
Panthers’ QB Bryce Young is 0-3 as a starter to start his young NFL career. The ‘Bama Heisman Trophy Winner hasn’t been able to rack up any eye-popping stats but has flashed that his ability to move in and out of the pocket with poise could make him a problem in the NFL. Moving forward by next year, Carolina really needs to try and get their QB a WR1 or a TE difference-maker. The Detroit Lions aren’t quite as concerned with the future as they are trying to win now. Offensively, the team’s roles are starting to take shape. While many are clamoring for rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs to get more carries, ideally, they want David Montgomery to be their bell cow with the heavy workload and let Gibbs be their less-volume home run hitter. Speaking of home runs, it looks like the Lions hit one out of the park with their selection of TE Sam LaPorta. The 2nd Round Pick Iowa State product has caught 22 passes on 27 targeted attempts for 242 yards, which currently leads all TEs in receiving yards. Detroit at home for the win.
Prediction: 29-19 DET (-8.5 DET & Over 44)
Both of these teams are 2-2, but they got here in the completely opposite ways. The Texans have won their last two games by putting up 37 and 30 points, as the Falcons are losers of 2 in a row scoring 6 and 7. It has only been 4 games into the season but Texans rookie QB CJ Stroud is already on QB Rookie record pace in terms of completions (on pace for 400) and yards (on pace for 5,151). Stroud currently has the most passing TDs (6) in the NFL without throwing an INT. One of his favorite targets thus far has been WR Nico Collins who is averaging 19.5 yards per catch. As Houston appears to have a young QB that is raising expectations, Atlanta’s own young QB appears to be holding their offense back. QB Desmond Ridder may only be 8 games into his career but so far the results don’t seem to be cutting it as despite having a plethora of talented offensive weapons around him, Ridder has yet to throw for over 237 yards in any of these games. Not to beat a dead horse, but Stroud on the other hand has only played 4 games, and his career low in passing yards is 242. I’ll take the better young QB and the Texans.
Prediction: 24-18 HOU (+2.5 HOU & Over 41.5)
The Giants’ defensive coordinator Wink Martindale when asked about Miami’s offense responded that they have him sleeping like a baby. “Every two hours I wake up and cry, go to the bathroom, and try to go back and get some more sleep.” That sounds like a typical night for a New York football fan for much of the past decade, I’m not quite sure why the quote is getting traction. The other major quote coming out of the Giants locker room came from 2nd year OT Evan Neal who when asked about Giants fans booing responded, “Why would a lion concern himself with the opinion of a sheep? The person that’s commenting on my performance, what does he do? Flip hot dogs and hamburgers somewhere?” Believe it or not, I don’t really enjoy criticizing players unless it’s tongue in cheek but straight up screw this clown. After an offseason where Neal “worked his ass off” to drop weight from 355 pounds to 345 pounds, maybe he should focus less on hot dogs & hamburgers and more on not getting his QB killed. Giants OT Andrew Thomas has yet to practice and is doubtful for Sunday, while RB Saquon Barkley has been practicing and looks ready to return. After scoring 70 points in Week 3 without WR Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins last week were held to just 20 points with a healthy Jaylen Waddle. I wouldn’t want to float a rumor that Waddle is holding the team back, but 1+1 does equal 2. Phins rookie RB De’Von Achane reached 20.6 mph on his 55-yard run last week in Buffalo, the fastest of any RB during Week 4. Achane, who Week to Week Notes mocked to the Dolphins on far too many occasions the past two weeks has 304 rushing yards and 4 TDs. Phins at home.
Prediction: 31-12 MIA (-9.5 MIA & Under 49.5)
4 PM Slate
Somebody, please tell Travis to STFU!!! If he can’t handle the heat, get TF out of the kitchen!! Am I right?!?!? We need more Taylor Swift in the NFL. She is growing the game. While I was grabbing a pint earlier this week, I overheard a group of fellow Swifites talking ball. The ladies next to me said, “We should expect Minnesota to come out in a single-high look pre-snap with 7 guys on the line of scrimmage. Then, after the snap, they drop into a Tampa 2 fire zone. Travis should eat on the underneath stuff.” The other Swiftie lady implored, “We need to give Justyn Ross more run. He only saw a season-low 4 snaps on Monday night.” When I interjected asking how Kansas City should try to stop Justin Jefferson they looked at me like I had 4 heads. “Dude you can’t stop El Jeffe, you can only hope to contain him. Andy Reid will stick L'Jarius Sneed on him during crucial passing situations. We just started watching football 2 weeks ago, how do you not know this?!?”
Prediction: 34-28 KC (-5.5 KC & Over 52.5)
Calf injury or not, no way to spin it, Bengals QB Joe Burrow has been terrible. He is the 1st QB in NFL history to attempt at least 150 passes in his team's first 4 games of a season, and average fewer than 5 yards per attempt on those passes. (ESPN Stats) Tempers in Cincinnati’s locker room last Sunday seemed to flare up as WR1 Ja’Marr Chase told reporters, “I’m always feckin’ open.” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor called Chase into his office on Monday and Chase figured he’d be getting a stern talking to. Instead, Tayor told him he had a great interview. Chase yesterday after practice said, “If you’re not frustrated with losing in football, you don’t love football.” As for the Cardinals, their QB Joshua Dobbs was traded for right before the season started and they could not ask for much more out of the 7th year vet who entered the year with 2 career NFL starts under his belt. Burrow can’t lose to Dobbs, right?
Prediction: 7-0 CIN (-4.5 CIN & Under 42.5)
Look, I’m pretty much pushing 30 years old. I do not find this middle school humor funny, whatsoever! The only reason I am even giving this Philadelphia foursome a platform on Week to Week Notes is so we can get information on who these people are. @FellowSwifties let’s demand a dox of these Eagles fans. If you have any information regarding where we can find this group of scoundrels please send the information my way at WeekToWeekNotes@gmail.com so that we can get to the bottom of this! In the last 30 years, only 5 QBs have ever led their teams to back-to-back 4-0 starts of the season. Kurt Warner did so from 1999 to ‘01, Peyton Manning did so from ‘05 to ‘07, Elmi Manning did so from ‘08 to ‘09, Patrick Mahomes did so from ‘18 to ‘20, and now Jalen Hurts has joined that elite company the past two seasons. (@NagleNFL) The Rams will be getting WR Cooper Kupp back in the lineup this Sunday as he was a full-go participant in practice on Thursday. I’m so disgusted with the Philly fans’ actions that I’ll have to take the Rams if you’re giving them 5.5 points!
Prediction: 27-23 LAR (+5.5 LAR & Over 47)
Jets QB Zach Wilson played his best game of football on Sunday Night. Not many QBs can say they played par for par with Patrick Mahomes during a Prime Time game, Wilson will now always have that to lean on. Denver statistically has one of the worst defenses in the NFL in ‘23. They have given up the 2nd most passing yards and most rushing yards in the NFL, but it may be important to remember that a ton of that came from Miami annihilating them in a game where the team quit. Both of these teams are 1-3 entering Week 5 and there is bad blood between them. Broncos head coach, Sean Payton, made headlines when he said that the Jets’ current OC Nathaniel Hackett did “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL” in ‘22 on Denver's sideline. Now Hackett & Wilson get a chance to make Payton eat his words. Both teams are desperate not to start 1-4, so this one could get testy.
Prediction: 21-11 NYJ (+2.5 NYJ & Under 41)
Prime Time
Sunday Scaries
The cream of the crop in terms of old-school NFC rivalries is concerned face off on Sunday Night Football. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones already said that this game will be a measuring stick to see where Dallas is at, calling the 49ers the favorites to make the Super Bowl at the moment. While you have to think Jones is playing a bit of mind games, it is also quite true that San Francisco has been arguably the most impressive undefeated team left as they have won by an average margin of nearly 17 points per game. As mentioned, these two teams used to be bitter rivals in the 90s. Coach Prime, back then Deion Sanders, actually shifted the balance of power those days by playing for and winning a Super Bowl with both these teams. What has made this rivalry rebirthed is the fact that Dallas has lost in the playoffs to the 49ers for 2 consecutive seasons. QB Dak Prescott in the 2 playoff games had thrown for an average of 230 passing yards with a 58% completion percentage and 2 TDs to 3 INTs. Pretty pedestrian numbers. As for the Niners’ QB, Brock Purdy has used last season’s divisional-round matchup as a way to prepare for this Sunday night. “(It’s been important to) put ourselves back into that game and what was at stake. It was a playoff game. The rivalry between the organizations and understanding what is at stake for this Sunday too. It’s a big game. We’ve defintiely gone back and looked at a lot of stuff from that game.” Purdy was pretty pedestrian in that game as well, throwing for 214 yards on a 65% completion percentage with no TDs or INTs. I’m expecting a bit more points in this regular season affair but for the Niners to again pull it out.
Prediction: 30-20 SF (-3.5 SF & Over 45.5)
Moody Mondays
Lastly, we close out Week 5 with the Davante Adams Bowl. Adams spent 8 seasons in Green Bay where he had 669 catches (good for 2nd in Packer history behind Donald Driver), 8,121 receiving yards (good for 4th in Packer history behind Sterling Sharpe, James Lofton, and Donald Driver), and 73 TDs (behind only Donald Driver’s 99). #17 will be the star of the night and it’ll be interesting to see how Green Bay will try to defend him. Adams is expecting the Packers to have CB Jaire Alexander shadow him. On Alexander, Adams this week said, “I didn’t create that monster but he defintiely turned into one.” Alexander was complimentary of his old teammate as well, saying, “He’s the best in the league. He’s just quick. I could go on and on, but he’s the best. I’m going to leave it at that.” Don’t be surprised if the Raiders really try to get Adams a TD against his old team on Monday night, but I think the Packers edge this one out in Vegas.