Tennessee, Washington and Green Bay all had high expectations coming into the 2004 NFL season, yet they suffered devastating losses this weekend.  And remember when the Bengals and Buccaneers were laughing stocks?  Amazing how some things come full circle huh?

Titans backup QB Billy Volek threw the ball nearly 60 times last week against San Diego.  Unless the score is 45-42, that’s no good.  Redskins RB Clinton Portis lost another fumble as they lost to an up and down Cleveland team, while Green Bay QB Brett Favre got hurt as the Packers lost in Lambeau…again.  The worst part is, I picked each of those teams to win last week.

Week 4 in the NFL is one that I will put behind me and chalk it up to a “who knew” kind of week.  But it’s almost turning into a “who knew” kind of season.  At this point, it seems like Cincinnati wasted their number one pick in 2003 with QB Carson Palmer.  “Who knew” he’d keep throwing to the opposition?  The Buccaneers have only won seven games since their Super Bowl win nearly two years ago.  “Who knew” Jon Gruden was that hated by his players.  And “who knew” the Dolphins would be 0-4 at this point?  Hey, let’s be honest, when Ricky Williams retired, we all knew.

Okay, I admit I have nothing to brag about from my picks last week however, I did pick the Chiefs to beat Baltimore as my upset special.  Other than that…eh.  My fantasy team even hit a big snag.  So what’s on tap for Week 5?  It’s looking like a week where the elite teams get back on track.

In the early games, New England plays host to the winless Dolphins looking to make their win streak an all-time record at 19.  The last team to beat the Patriots was the Redskins, but that was in September…of last year!  The Pats don’t seem to have any holes in their team whatsoever.  Even if you give the Miami defense the respect they somewhat deserve, the ‘Fins won’t be able to move the ball offensively against New England’s insanely fast defense.  No running game, no quarterback, no chance for Miami.  The Patriots move to 4-0 by spanking Miami, 27-9.

The late afternoon games feature one that I think will be a barnburner.  I kid because I care, but the Cardinals travel up the coast to take on San Francisco.  It’s almost too bad that Arizona beat New Orleans last weekend because games between winless teams are so much fun.  It’s like watching two four-year-old kids duke it out in a mad game of Candyland.  The Cardinals will accidentally win this game, 21-17.

Your other victorious teams in Week 5 will be: Atlanta over Detroit, Dallas beats the Giants, Minnesota ends Houston’s win streak, Indy beats up on Oakland at home, New Orleans pushes Tampa Bay to 0-5, Roethlisberger leads Pittsburgh to another win over Cleveland, the Jets beat Buffalo, Jacksonville out duels San Diego, Seattle destroys St. Louis, Baltimore beats Washington, and my upset special is Carolina over Denver at Mile High.

Monday Night Football nailed the schedule this year, but for reasons I’m sure they didn’t predict.  With Tennessee and Green Bay each at 1-3, something’s got to give.  In the history of the NFL, only eight teams have ever made the playoffs after starting 1-4, meaning the winner of this game still has a shot and the loser has a very long season ahead of them.  Whether the Packers are 6-6 in their last 12 home games (which they are) or 0-12 in their last 12, the simple fact that QB Brett Favre will play and they are at home, I can’t go against them.  In another tight Monday matchup, the Pack wins, 28-24.

My player of the week for Week 5 is Atlanta Falcons TE Alge Crumpler.  The five-year veteran out of North Carolina is the favorite target of QB Michael Vick.  As one of the most underrated players in the NFL, Crumpler seems to be the only target of Vick this year.  Atlanta takes on Detroit this weekend, who has been decimated since the preseason with injuries.  The Lions best cover linebacker, Boss Bailey, has been out since July, and the secondary has been banged up as well.  Week 5’s stat line on Crumpler will look like this:  11 rec., 126 yds., 2 TD’s. 

A quarter of the way through the season, Priest Holmes leads the league in rushing, Donovan McNabb leads the league in passing and Isaac Bruce leads the league in receiving.  Well, “who knew” the NFL hadn’t changed that much.