2014 NFL Week 5 Predictions: Alex Smith Back In San Francisco

Bye teams: Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders

Thursday, Oct. 2

Minnesota Vikings (2-2) @ Green Bay Packers (2-2), 8:25 p.m.

The Vikings' running game took off against the Falcons, but that defense has been porous all year. The Packers, who have allowed two backs to top 100 yards, are not much better, so look for Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon to impress once again. The Packers' pass defense, though, has done well this year, so how well the Vikings' offense moves down the field will certainly depend on whether Teddy Bridgewater plays or sits out.

The Vikings' secondary has held up well, holding Drew Brees and Matt Ryan under 300 yards and Tom Brady under 150, while Aaron Rodgers has surprisingly struggled to move his team down the field, excluding his four touchdown performance in Chicago. Eddie Lacy scored his first touchdown in Week 4, but it still looks bad for the second-year back, who is averaging three yards a carry. The offense will have to rely on Rodgers, who will have to play up to his MVP-level expectations.

Green Bay Packers Win, 35-27

Sunday, Oct. 5

Chicago Bears (2-2) @ Carolina Panthers (2-2), 1 p.m.

After a disappointing loss to their divisional rivals, the Bears will look to return to their Week 2 shape. Jay Cutler has been impressive in his team's wins, while he has thrown two picks in each of his team's losses. The Panthers have failed to contain Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger, so Cutler will fare well. Matt Forte, though, will have a tough game, as the Panthers' front seven, even with missing players, is one of the best in the league.

Losing two straight, Cam Newton has failed to move his offense down the field. The Bears, meanwhile allowed two Packer receivers to top 100 yards, while allowing Aaron Rodgers to top 400 yards. Newton and his surprisingly productive receiving corps match up favorably against an inconsistent Chicago secondary. The Panthers are thin at running back, so do not expect them to run the ball too often, even against an weak Chicago front seven.

Chicago Bears Win, 37-31

Cleveland Browns (1-2) @ Tennessee Titans (1-3), 1 p.m.

All of the Browns' games have been within a field goal, while the Titans have dropped three straight by a combined score of 66. Brian Hoyer, who has thrown three touchdowns to zero picks, will look to lead his offense down the field against a suspect defense. The Titans' defense has done well against the run, excluding the game against DeMarco Murray, so do not expect Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell to do as well as they did in their first three games.

Jake Locker will be back on the field, but up against a stout secondary, he will struggle. The Titans have not run the ball too often, but the Browns have one of the worst run defenses in the league. If the Titans' defense does not hold up, then they will likely abandon the run game, as they did in their past three games, and will be forced to rely on an unsteady passing attack.

Cleveland Browns Win, 24-20

St. Louis Rams (1-2) @ Philadelphia Eagles (3-1), 1 p.m.

The Rams shocked everyone by winning in Tampa Bay - not much of a surprise now - and had a 21-10 lead on the Cowboys at halftime. The Rams will look for Shaun Hill, who is expected to start, to expose the Eagles' suspect secondary. They will likely end up relying on their running game, with Zac Stacy and their line matching up favorable against the Eagles' front seven.

Nick Foles and the Eagles' offense was shut down last week, but the Rams defense, who allowed the Vikings and Cowboys to score a combined 68 points, is not on the same level as the 49ers'. LeSean McCoy should have his best game yet, as the Rams have allowed backs like Bobby Rainey to run free.

Philadelphia Eagles Win, 30-20

Atlanta Falcons (2-2) @ New York Giants (2-2), 1 p.m.

The Falcons have one of the league's best passing attacks, but the Giants have one of the few secondaries that are capable of containing them. Steven Jackson and Jacquizz Rodgers will look to make an impact against a below average run defense, but as always, the Falcons will turn to their passing game once the other team starts putting up points.

The Falcons may have one of the league's worst defenses, so look for the Giants to attack them both through the air and on the ground. Eli Manning has had two nice outings in a row, after two uneven showings in the beginning of the year. The Giants will look to run the ball, but if Ryan continuously beats the Giants' secondary, they will quickly turn to Manning.

New York Giants Win, 31-28

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4), 1 p.m.

After a depressing loss to the Buccaneers, the Steelers will look to rebound against the winless Jaguars. The Jaguars have allowed opposing quarterbacks to throw for an average of 330 yards, so look for Ben Roethlisberger to have a nice rebounding game. Le'Veon Bell will also have a nice game, as the Steelers will likely go up early, allowing Bell to run down the clock.

The Steelers do not have the best run defense, but the Jaguars' offensive line has struggled mightily to open up lanes for Toby Gerhart. With their defense likely to give up a lot of points, look for the Jaguars to lean on Blake Bortles early.

Pittsburgh Steelers Win, 42-21

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3) @ New Orleans Saints (1-3), 1 p.m.

The Buccaneers won their first game last week, while the Saints' only win came against the Vikings. Look for Mike Glennon and Bobby Rainey to dominate a defense that has failed to stop opposing offenses. Even without Mike Evans in the lineup, Glennon has enough receivers to beat the Saints' suspect secondary.

Drew Brees has not played like himself this year, but he will do very well against the Buccaneers, who were torched by the Falcons for 56 points. Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas have done well in relief of Mark Ingram, and the Buccaneers' run defense is average at best, so look for them to make an impact.

New Orleans Saints Win, 30-28

Houston Texans (3-1) @ Dallas Cowboys (3-1), 1 p.m.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is still prone to turnovers, and the Cowboys' defense is playing much better than expected. The Texans will have to rely on a running attack lead by a worn-out Arian Foster and their sixth-round pick, Alfred Blue. The Cowboys' run defense is slightly above average, so do not expect the Texans to find much success on offense.

Tony Romo, like Fitzpatrick, is prone to turnovers, but the Cowboys have a nice offensive line to go with one of the league's most productive backs, DeMarco Murray. Murray should be able to top 100 once again and keep Romo from throwing the game away.

Dallas Cowboys Win, 27-17

Buffalo Bills (2-2) @ Detroit Lions (3-1), 1 p.m.

With E.J. Manuel benched and Kyle Orton in, there is little hope for the Bills' passing attack. The Lions' pass rush has done a good job masking their secondary's flaws, and look for them to do the same against the Bills. C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson will look to continue their strong starts, but the Lions' run defense will look to contain them.

The Bills will most definitely shut down the Lions running game, so Matthew Stafford will have to play his best. Inconsistent so far this season, Stafford will be relied on to keep the Lions atop the Bills in what looks to be a low-scoring game.

Detroit Lions Win, 20-13

Baltimore Ravens (3-1) @ Indianapolis Colts (2-2), 1 p.m.

Outside of the match-up against the Eagles, the Colts have yet to face a productive running back, so it is not accurate to say that they have a stout run defense. Lorenzo Taliaferro may have had a nice game in Cleveland, but every back does; the Ravens will rely on Joe Flacco to lead the offense down the field.

Andrew Luck has had trouble keeping up with the league's better offenses, but Flacco will not put up 30 points on the Colts' defense. The Ravens have a decent run defense, but look for Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson to have nice outings as they attempt to prove that they are a top-tier backfield tandem.

Baltimore Ravens Win, 28-24

Arizona Cardinals (3-0) @ Denver Broncos (2-1), 4:05 p.m.

Both teams have started off the season strong and have played extremely well in all three of their games. The Broncos, though, have allowing opposing teams to run all over them, so look for Andre Ellington to have a nice game. Drew Stanton is likely to start for the Cardinals, so they will likely rely on Ellington and a conservative passing game.

The Cardinals have done fairly well against the pass, but have been much better against the run. Expect Peyton Manning to air it out, as Montee Ball will not be able to find running room against the surprisingly stout Arizona front.

Denver Broncos Win, 31-24

Kansas City Chiefs (2-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (2-2), 4:25 p.m.

Coming off an impressive victory over the Patriots, the Chiefs looked strong in every phase. Meanwhile, the 49ers put up one of the best defensive performances of the season, holding the Eagles' offense to zero points. The Chiefs will likely struggle to run the ball, but Alex Smith should be able to move the ball with consistency against what is still a suspect secondary.

Colin Kaepernick will have to avoid mistakes against the Chiefs' ballhawking defense. The 49ers will lean on a running attack early, as the Chiefs' run defense is nothing special with multiple contributors out with injuries. Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde should be able to power their way through the Chiefs' defensive front.

San Francisco 49ers Win, 27-23

New York Jets (1-3) @ San Diego Chargers (3-1), 4:25 p.m.

Geno Smith has yet to play well this year, and going up against a surprisingly stingy defense, he will not do much better. The Jets will want to hand the ball off to Chris Ivory, but the Chargers have yet to allow any back to top 53 yards.

Philip Rivers has played like an MVP so far, and he certainly matches up favorably against a weak secondary. With a lacking run game and going up against one of the league's best run defenses, Rivers will get the ball a lot. Expect Rivers to top 300 yards and score at least three touchdowns in what will look to be a blowout from the start. If the Jets are to have a chance, they must find a way to contain Rivers.

San Diego Chargers Win, 35-20

Cincinnati Bengals (3-0) @ New England Patriots (2-2), 8:30 p.m.

Coming off of a bye week, the Bengals will look to continue from where they left off. The Patriots' defense has been exposed left and right, so expect Andy Dalton and A.J. Green to do just that. Jeremy Hill will likely have the game of his life, as the Bengals are expected to get ahead early.

The Patriots are coming off of two disappointing games, one of which was a 41-14 loss to the Chiefs. The Bengals are a much better team than the Chiefs, so the Patriots are definitely in trouble. Tom Brady will likely throw for a lot of yards, but will ultimately come up short on the scoreboard.

Cincinnati Bengals Win, 30-21

Monday, Oct. 6

Seattle Seahawks (2-1) @ Washington Redskins (1-3), 8:30 p.m.

The Redskins have had plenty of defensive troubles this season, both in pass and run containment. Going up aganist a strong duo in Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch, the Redskins' defense will certainly struggle.

Alfred Morris will struggle to get yardage not only because the Seahawks have a good defense, but because the Redskins will likely abandon the running game when they fall behind. Kirk Cousins will be leaned on heavily early, as the Seahawks will be able to put points on the board early. If the Redskins are to have a chance, they will have to shut down Marshawn Lynch.

Seattle Seahawks Win, 38-28

I used the following websites for information:

https://linkonym.appspot.com/?http://http://www.footballnation.com/content/2014-nfl-week-5-predictions-alex-smith-back-san-francisco/31282/www.cbssports.com/nfl/injuries

https://linkonym.appspot.com/?http://http://www.footballnation.com/content/2014-nfl-week-5-predictions-alex-smith-back-san-francisco/31282/www.nfl.com/stats/player

https://linkonym.appspot.com/?http://http://www.footballnation.com/content/2014-nfl-week-5-predictions-alex-smith-back-san-francisco/31282/www.nfl.com/draft/2014/tracker

https://linkonym.appspot.com/?http://http://www.footballnation.com/content/2014-nfl-week-5-predictions-alex-smith-back-san-francisco/31282/www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthcharts.aspx

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/05/12/2014-depth-charts/