Week 5 - Is This Surprise Sunday?
Well the Bears pulled it off on the road on Thursday night against an impressive Commanders team fresh off a tough loss in Philadelphia in overtime, so was that game the prelude? Did Dick Butkus RIP suit up as the 12th man on defence to give the Bears the decisive …uh, wait, never mind.
Also known as “Any Given Sunday,” is this NFL Sunday perhaps the first Surprise Sunday of the season?
In every season, there seems to be at least one Sunday full of upsets and unimaginable human drama of athletic competition.
Irrespective of your pool picks, are these the games that will be upsets, or contain explosive surprises, or be down to the wire and close? Yes we all know about the game of the week, and either it will live up to the hype with the great ratings or be yet another nothing burger, but let’s look at these games.
Or will we have another entire slate of nothing burgers and have to wait for another Sunday?
Jaguars at Bills -5 / 48.5 in London, UK
This game is actually the equivalent of an extra home game for the Jaguars, for they played in London last weekend even though it was in a different stadium. I suppose that technically this counts as their derby match, but let’s not argue semantics today. I don’t know folks, but I think those Jaguars are sneaky kind of like those Bills were sneaky last week to show up those Dolphins on quite a roll. Who will be sneaky better?
If the owner Shahid Khan with his sneaky moustache, which is impressive enough to be admired by CFL and NFL non-legend Ron Burgundy, is trying to hide his future intentions for his team, he’s doing poorly. Of course many here have known Khan as a dead ringer for Nintendo legend Mario, but that’s all for yet another expansion thread.
Ravens at Steelers +4.5 / 38
This is almost always a very mean game. In fact, everybody playing at least one down is beaten up slap silly and banged up until even pre-game warmups for the next game. Just for stepping on the field in this divisional matchup, it is your duty and tradition to deliver and to take a solid smacking. It is said that some like it too, but let’s not get off track, but don’t you feel meaner right now just thinking about this game? Yeah you do, I see you now trying to move to the side to hide from your screen or grabbing your drink for a sip. Just embrace your inner Mr. or Ms. Hyde now and get on with it.
Pickett is back and playing for his future as a pro quarterback. Will he fight through the additional pain in healing from injury? Who wants it MORE?!
I had picked the Steelers, but then I changed my pick. This feels now kind of like when folks step out of the Dragon’s Den or the Shark Tank for a quick and private discussion of an offer of vulture capital, and then when they return the deal is worse or gone. But who else here has a guilty pleasure with such early season wicked drama!?
Texas at Falcons -2.5 / 42
What until last week appeared to be a giant nothing burger of a matchup is now most intriguing. We have two young quarterbacks facing off. Who are they? No, I mean yes we know their names, but like when reporting to mini-camp when a coach ran into them, “WHO ARE THEY?” But each one appears to have the locker room on his side now, and it appears this will be another mean game. Once again, who wants it MORE!?
Bengals at Cardinals +3 / 45
WHAT IS HAPPENING?! Who are these teams? Will the Real Slim Shady please …oh never mind.
But I don’t think we know who these teams really are. Will they be who we thought they were, even though we don’t know now who we think they are?
Yes this is all very confusing and a bit much for a Sunday I know, but will we know by Sunday evening? I’m going to say - YES!
Eagles at Rams +4 / 50.5
Speaking of wicked and scary, this one has begun to give me the heebie-jeebies already folks. This is actually a home game for the Eagles. Those fine fans of the Eagles do show up and travel well in also Southern California mind you. The fans of those Rams or Chargers don’t. Hey the weather is always so nice in California and well, everybody has so many options, or maybe it’s just not the day to deal with the awful traffic again like every day!
And so the Eagles have much in their favour. But therein lies the problem. With the Rams now with a fine rookie receiver plus Cooper Kupp back, well this one has begun to smell like TRAP GAME already. And look at that line only +4 in a higher-scoring affair.
I would not be surprised, even though modestly miffed, if the Rams pulled off the upset. Play your game Eagles, and don’t make those mistakes like you did in prior games that you still won. Or else.
Chiefs at Vikings +3.5 / 52.5
Wow look at that slim line with the high total points for the home team that has a record of 1-3. Hmmm. There’s a lot more money on the Vikings than perhaps many imagined there would be against those mighty Chiefs. The masses are circling like when the vikings invaded the British Isles over the course of three centuries, which no doubt a few of you remember all too well. Okay, well maybe these Vikings are not at it for quite that long, but you get the idea.
As the Chiefs struggled on Monday night, do they have a hangover? Or will that Mahomes emerge out of his shell of sorts? Something tells me Mahomes was not eating Subway sandwiches all week or drowning his meals in as much ketchup, and Andy Reid may have gone lighter on the cheeseburgers and Kansas City BBQ for this trip.
Like the legendary Keith Jackson used to say, “you gotta hold 'em back because you want 'em HON-GRY for the big one!”
And so we shall find out how HON-GRY are these Chiefs in their performance today after exhibiting their might only against the formerly lowly Bears so far this season.
!Hasta pronto y buena suerte a todos!