Another exciting week of football brought some tight contests. Picking winners isn't easy, but CRAIG HAVENS of Hudson Falls made it look that way, picking 14 of 16 games correctly to claim the Week 4 $50 Gift Card to Uncle Mario's Garage, Route 9 in Queensbury.
Make sure you get your Week 5 picks in now so that you can be the next winner.
Here's my thoughts of the Week 5 games.
Thursday Night Football
Tampa Bay at Dallas - Tampa Bay came up on the wrong end of their battle of the bays. With Baker Mayfield still sidelined with a dislocated right thumb, it's going to be a tough night for the Buccaneers. Dallas nearly got caught by the winless Houston Texans before Dak Prescott connected with CeeDee Lamb to come away winners, but should have an easier time against the Bucs. The real question, will Todd Bowles be at the helm after this week.
Rick's Pick: DALLAS
Sunday Morning
Philadelphia vs. Jacksonville at London - Saquon Barkley is week-to-week for the Eagles, but this is already the second time this season that Barkley has been sidelined. This puts more pressure on Jalen Hurts, who has not been stellar this season. After a collapse against the Rams, which may be more of a reflection of the Rams vs. the Eagles, Philadelphia heads across the ocean to London where they face Jacksonville. The Jags had a massive win against the Cincinnati Bengals, thanks to the work of Trevor Lawrence.
Rick's Pick: JACKSONVILLE
Sunday Early Afternoon
Cincinnati at Miami - Miami will need to score more than 10 points if they're going to survive Joe Burrow. A good bounce back game for the Bengals.
Rick's Pick: CINCINNATI
Las Vegas at New England - Las Vegas hung with Kansas City for 56 minutes of their game, but two Kenneth Walker III touchdowns pushed the Chiefs to win. Kirk Cousins is working magic for the Raiders, who face the New England Patriots in a rematch of last year's Week 1 game in Foxboro. The New England Patriots were given a spark thanks to their Week 4 win in Buffalo, but is Drake Maye figuring things out after his slow start, or is this a testament to how bad the Buffalo defense truly is?
Rick's Pick: NEW ENGLAND
Minnesota at New Orleans - It's been a tough couple weeks for the Saints after their losses to the Raiders and Falcons. Now they have to face one of the only 4-0's remaining in the league in the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are going to need some help on offense after doing just enough to get past the Miami Dolphins, and could get that boost thanks to a return to the lineup from Justin Jefferson.
Rick's Pick: MINNESOTA
Cleveland at NY Jets - The New York Jets picked up their first interception in over 620 days against the Chicago Bears. That was the lone positive as the Bears controlled the game. It's too early to tell whether or not Cleveland is for real, but they are definitely looking better than the past few years thanks to Deshaun Watson. He helped push the Browns past the Steelers, and with the extra rest between Thursday Night Football and this game, expect the Browns to come out more sharp.
Rick's Pick: CLEVELAND
Indianapolis at Pittsburgh - The Colts come out of England a winner, but their win was helped by Marcus Mariota getting injured, forcing the Commanders to a third stringer. Now they have the Pittsburgh Steelers who are reeling after their loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers have more time to prepare for this game, especially after the Colts had to travel home across the Atlantic.
Rick's Pick: PITTSBURGH
Houston at Tennessee - Can C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans figure things out, or will they be in danger of starting 0-5 for the season. Something is off from last year's divisional winning team, but could have the best chance at figuring things out as they head to Tennessee. But divisional games can become unpredictable, which is the perfect opportunity for Cam Ward and the Titans to make a statement.
Rick's Pick: TENNESSEE
NY Giants at Washington - That first half was nerve-wrecking for Giants fans, and Cam Skattebo did not fire as much as one would have expected against the Arizona Cardinals last week. But opportunity's knocking for the NFC East leaders as they face a Washington Commanders team with questions who will line up under center. Jayden Daniels could be back, but how healthy will he be? It won't be Mariota, who is hit with a MCL tear.
Rick's Pick: NY GIANTS
Chicago at Green Bay - Green Bay is coming off a win, but it felt more of a "barely surviving" in a terrible game. Chicago is a tough draw, and while in the past Green Bay has "owned" Chicago at Lambeau, this one might be tougher.
Rick's Pick: CHICAGO
Sunday Late Afternoon
Denver at LA Chargers - The LA Chargers have yet to figure things out, and they're up against a Denver Broncos squad that will want to rebound after their loss to the San Francisco 49'ers.
Rick's Pick: DENVER
Detroit at Arizona - Arizona looked good for the first half against the New York Giants, but the game is 60 minutes in length. While the Detroit Lions secondary has struggled throughout the season, Jared Goff and Jaymir Gibbs are tough. It could be a shootout in Phoenix.
Rick's Pick: DETROIT
San Francisco at Seattle - The 49ers are a perfect 4-0 despite having issues with injuries. After a solid win over a Denver squad that likes slow starts, they'll get a tougher pairing in Seattle. JSN was contained last week, don't expect that to be the norm. Expect the 12's to come loud.
Rick's Pick: SEATTLE
Sunday Night Football
Baltimore at Atlanta - The first two weeks of the season gave outsiders fits about how Atlanta would have three straight nationwide distribution games. The return of Michael Penix Jr has turned this squad from question marks to a team ready to take the NFC South by storm. Baltimore has questions with Lamar Jackson dealing with a sprained ankle sustained in Week 4, and his health status could determine who comes out of this Sunday Night battle with the win.
Rick's Pick: ATLANTA
Monday Night Football
Buffalo at LA Rams - A lot of questions surfaced about the Buffalo Bills after New England came into Orchard Park and left with the win. The biggest question is centered around that Bills defense that allowed Drake Maye to convert from a 6 INT/1 TD slinger to the form that Maye had last year. But other doubts include Josh Allen's decision-making skills after his 2nd Down heave that ended things for the Bills when his hero heave got picked off by the New England defense. The Rams come with a relentless defense that will cause fits for Josh Allen all night at SoFi Stadium. The Rams had to come from behind to catch and defeat the Philadelphia Eagles, so Matthew Stafford will need to start strong.
Rick's Pick: LA RAMS (38-34)
