Previewing Week 5

A joint baseball/football edition!

MLB Playoffs

Reds vs Giants: This looks like the most evenly-matched playoff series of the first round. Both teams have strong bullpens and solid lineups. Each has two great starters, but question marks after that. The Reds are probably stuck starting Bronson Arroyo and the Giants must choose between Barry Zito and Tim Lincecum (no right answer). San Francisco gets the slight edge because they're throwing their two best pitchers (Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner) at home in the first two games.
Prediction: Giants in 5 games.

Nationals vs Cardinals: It's offense against pitching. The Cardinals won a similar matchup in the wild card game, as well as a similar first-round series against the Phillies last year. The Nationals' top young pitchers seem to be wearing down after big workloads. And with Kyle Lohse, Adam Wainwright, and a healthy Chris Carpenter, it's not like the Cardinals don't have aces of their own.
Prediction: Cardinals in 4 games.

Yankees vs Orioles: Teams in the same division are now allowed to face each other in the first round. so these two know each other well after splitting 18 regular season games. They're the two best home-run hitting teams in the majors, so there should be some runs scored. The Yankees hope their edge in starting pitching (not even the Orioles are sure what their rotation looks like) will keep leads away from Baltimore's near-perfect bullpen. A huge factor will be Jason Hammel's knee; if healthy, he's the O's best pitcher.
Prediction: Yankees in 5 games.

Athletics vs Tigers: Probably the most intriguing matchup of the first round. It also seems like the most lopsided: the well-paid superstars against the no-name rookies. Yes, there's no question which team is more talented. But I think Jarrod Parker outduels Justin Verlander in Game 1 (go look up Verlander's postseason stats, or you can take my word for it when I tell you they aren't good). The A's can then return home just needing to win two out of three to advance. Oakland has a better bullpen, the deeper lineup, and superior defense. They can pull off the upset.
Prediction: Athletics in 5 games.

NFL Week 5

Last week's predictions: 11/15
Season tally: 37/63, 59%

Atlanta Falcons (-3) @ Washington Redskins
Should be a thrilling duel between perhaps the two best quarterbacks of the first four weeks: Matt Ryan and Robert Griffin. Still, Atlanta should be favored by more than three points; it's hard to imagine the porous Redskins defense stopping the Falcons' attack. Atlanta won't need its punter very much.
The pick: Falcons.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5)
The Eagles are probably the least-scary 3-1 team ever, except for perhaps the Cardinals (and the Eagles lost to them). The Steelers are coming off a bye, getting healthier, and Ben Roethlisberger has looked unstoppable in the early going.
The pick: Steelers.

Green Bay Packers (-7) @ Indianapolis Colts
It's stunning that the Packers aren't favored by more than 7 points. This Colts defense gave up a game-winning drive to Blaine Gabbert last week. He plays for the Jaguars. Packers roll.
The pick: Packers.

Cleveland Browns @ New York Giants (-8.5)
Last week, the miserable Browns secondary made Joe Flacco look like Eli Manning. So by the transitive property, the miserable Browns secondary will make Eli Manning look like...who? Mike Trout?
The pick: Giants.

Baltimore Ravens (-6.5) @ Kansas City Chiefs
The home field advantage of Arrowhead used to mean something. Just not when the Chiefs suck.
The pick: Ravens.

Miami Dolphins @ Cincinnati Bengals (-3)
So there's nothing much to say about this game except that neither of these football teams are very good football teams.
The pick: Bengals.

Tennessee Titans @ Minnesota Vikings (-5.5)
People are starting to realize that the Vikings are one of those sneaky-good teams. The overmatched Titans defense can't possibly stop dual-threat QB Christian Ponder, two electric wide receivers (Percy Harvin and Jerome Simpson), a red-zone beast (Kyle Rudolph), and oh yeah, Adrian Peterson.
The pick: Vikings.

Seattle Seahawks @ Carolina Panthers (-3)
Tempted to go with the Seahawks. But they're a different team away from Seattle and the odds of Russell Wilson outscoring Cam Newton are too low.
The pick: Panthers.

Chicago Bears (-5.5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars
The Bears defense handled Tony Romo pretty well on Monday night; Blaine Gabbert shouldn't pose too much of a problem. Disclaimer: this is in no way an endorsement of Jay Cutler.
The pick: Bears.

Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots (-6.5)
Six-and-a-half points seems to put too much stock into the Patriots. One bad quarter in Atlanta and everyone jumps off the Peyton Manning bandwagon? If I was picking against the spread, I'd feel very confident in taking the Broncos. Straight-up, I'll have to stick with the Pats. Like every Manning-Brady duel, this will come down to the fourth quarter.
The pick: Patriots.

Buffalo Bills @ San Francisco 49ers (-9.5)
Ryan Fitzpatrick is very, very generous when it comes to interceptions. The 49ers should force too many turnovers for the Bills to move the ball effectively. And why fear the Bills defense that allowed 52 points to the Patriots last week?
The pick: 49ers.

San Diego Chargers @ New Orleans Saints (-3.5)
On Monday Night Football, against the totally-unpredictable and not-as-good-as-their-3-1-record Chargers, this feels like the Saints' first win. They almost beat the Packers last week. They can't stay winless forever, right? Right?
The pick: Saints.