Last week, everyone finished with a 3-2 record, which is not so surprising considering that out of the 25 possible picks, only two weren't identical.  This week, things will be equally as boring, as all five of us reached a consensus on the Jets, Ravens, Saints, and Lions coming out with wins this week.  I guarantee you that we won't get all of those four games right, but nobody seems to be willing to step out on a limb.  We may have to come up with a different plan going forward to spice up this game a tad.  The past two weeks have been a snooze-fest.

     

Game	Derek	Jason	Rick	Stephen	Trevor
BUF @ NYG
MIA @ NYJ
HOU @ BAL
NO @ TB
SF @ DET
Last Week	3-2	3-2	3-2	3-2	3-2
Record	12-13	12-13	15-10	16-9	17-8

Tom Brady

You’ll be starting all of the elements of the New England passing game this week against a thin and exploitable Dallas secondary. The Pats have focused on the run in recent weeks, but they figure to air it out this week to take advantage of favorable matchups through the air. Brady has thrown just 3 TDs in his past two games, but he should throw for 3+ TDs and 300+ yards against the Cowboys.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis/Stevan Ridley

The Law Firm stole the show against the Jets last week, and he should see his fair share of touches to keep the Dallas defense honest. Look for him to touch the ball around 15 times for 75 yards and a score. Ridley struggled to gain traction last week against the Jets, and it would be a surprise to see him get more than 6-8 touches and 40 yards. I’d shy away from starting him unless bye weeks are crippling your team in Week 6.

Wes Welker/Deion Branch/Chad Ochocinco

Any element of the New England passing game should be a safe start this week. Welker should see his usual 7-100-1 statline, but both Branch and Ochocinco could factor into the equation with well. Look for those two players to split up 8 catches for 90 yards and a score, with Branch likely getting the lion’s share of looks. I’d rank Branch as a WR3 this week, and I wouldn’t shy away from Ochocinco if you are desperate for a flex play.

Rob Gronkowski/Aaron Hernandez

Gronkowski hasn’t figured heavily in the passing game the past two weeks, but it’s hard to envision him having fewer than 4 catches and 50 yards against the Dallas secondary. Hernandez makes for an excellent play in PPR leagues, as he figures to reel in 4-5 catches for 50+ yards as well. I'd start either player with confidence.

Stephen Gostkowski

Dallas has a good front 7 that could force a few FG attempts in the red zone, but their secondary should allow the New England offense to visit the end zone a few times. Expect 4-5 extra points and 1-2 FGs this week.

New England Defense/Special Teams

The Patriots do not match up well against the Cowboys offense. The secondary could struggle to contain Dez Bryant and Miles Austin on the outside, and Witten should be able to find room to operate underneath. The Pats D could easily give up 30+ points and have no more than 2-3 turnovers and sacks combined. I’d look for other options this week.

 

Once again, it's time for our weekly Q&A session with a blogger who covers the Patriots' upcoming opponent.  Up this week is Darren Shetler from The Cowboys Nation.  Here's what Jon had to say about the Cowboys and Pats leading up to Sunday's game.

 

1. Everyone says the Dallas Cowboys should be 4-0, if not for two collapses against the Jets and the Lions. So, who is more to blame for those failures? Tony Romo or Jason Garrett?

The thing with the Jets game is that I blamed Jason Witten more for that loss more than anyone else. How do you allow a 5’8” guy to tackle you in the open field when scoring a TD at that moment puts the game away? The fumble and pick to Revis was Tony trying to make something happen but making a bad decision in the process.

The blame for a QB’s failures doesn’t rest on the shoulders of just one guy but the brunt of it has to be placed on the man in charge. Yes players should be held accountable for their failures but Jason Garrett has to recognize what he has in Tony Romo. We’re ok with allowing him to be the freewheeling QB that he is for 3 quarters of the game and if it wins us the game in the 4th or OT, like it did in San Fran, we look at Tony as our King. If not, it’s a week of throwing Tony Romo under the bus.

Jason Garrett needs to teach Tony Romo situational football because Tony doesn’t understand situational football. Let Tony be freewheeling Tony for the first 3 quarters but if the game is tight in the 4th quarter, Tony needs to learn (or be taught) how to be smart with the football. Don’t take more than a 3-step drop, look for the quick slant as opposed to the man downfield in double coverage and take the sack vs throwing off your back foot. These are the mistakes he makes and as a coach, you need to teach your QB how to handle certain situations and as a play caller, put your QB in the right situation. I don’t think Jason Garrett has done either but then again, he was never more than a backup level QB so maybe he himself doesn’t understand situational football. (Did you catch the license plate of the bus I just threw Garrett under??)

 

2. Miles Austin should be back this week at wide receiver for Dallas. How much of an impact does he bring to Dallas' wide receiving corps?

The return of Miles Austin is huge because it gives Dallas another big-play receiving option. Week 1 against the Jets, Rex Ryan had to choose which receiver he was going to stick Revis on. By putting Revis on Austin, that opened up Dez Bryant to make some big time plays until he got hurt. If Austin and Bryant can stay healthy, the Cowboys receivers can make some big time plays. If Austin and Bryant are getting too much defensive attention, there is always Jason Witten to help out. The Cowboys are much better with Austin on the field because the opposition has to be careful of his ability to make huge plays, something Holley and Olgetree lack.

Like years past, Bill Belichick made some controversial cuts over the summer.

With a shaky secondary flooded with youth and inexperience, the man in the hoodie opted to release former first-round pick Brandon Meriweather and the steady, yet unspectacular James Sanders.

Both players were quickly signed by the Bears and Falcons, respectively.

Jarrad Page, who was acquired from the Chiefs, was not re-signed and was scooped up by the Eagles.

Meanwhile, the Patriots went with a rotation of special teamers Josh Barrett and Sergio Brown next to the ascending Pat Chung.

The results were not impressive early on, but with James Ihedigbo drawing the start against the Jets, the Patriots allowed a season-low 158 passing yards.

So how have the castoffs performed?

Meriweather has started for the Bears and been essentially the same player as he was for four years in New England: an inconsistently frustrating starter.

Playing on Monday Night Football against Detroit, Meriweather was exposed as both a run and pass defender.

Calvin Johnson burned the Miami alum for a 73-yard touchdown, and running back Jahvid Best, another first-round pick, torched Meriweather in the open field on his 88-yard TD run.

Sanders, who was an underappreciated cog when Rodney Harrison retired, has only registered nine tackles and two passes defended. He has yet to record a sack, forced fumble or an interception. The Fresno State product has been part of a porous secondary that’s surrendered 294.2 passing yards per game.

The last guy on the totem pole, Page, has played so poorly for the thoroughly disappointing Eagles that he has been demoted from the starting lineup.

While the Patriots certainly haven’t played consistently well on defense, no one should be missing Meriweather, Sanders or Page.

The Hoodie seems to have gotten this one right.

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Overall, it was another calm week in the Top 12.  The Top 4 have been the Top 4 for weeks now.  The only major action occurred towards the bottom of the pile, with the Buccs and Titans getting thrown off the list in favor of two teams who haven't spent much time on the board over the past three years - the Raiders and Niners.  If you had told me this summer that Buffalo, Detroit, Oakland, and San Fran would be a combined - 16-4 by Week 5 I never would have believed you.  The Packers, Ravens, Saints, and Pats are 17-3 by comparison.  Unreal...
 

Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
1		1	0	5-0	vs. Rams
		Green Bay clearly deserves the top spot, but I'd appreciate it if eveyone could take a quick break from making out with Aaron Rodgers, and remember that the Pack almost lost to Carolina, eeked out a last-minute goal line stand against New Orleans, and have played Denver, Chicago, and Atlanta - none of which are Top 12 material.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
2		2	0	3-1	vs. Texans
		Baltimore holds firm at #2 during the bye week.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
3		4	+1	4-1	vs. Cowboys
		New England has played Buffalo, San Diego, Oakland, and New York so far this year - all of whom are Top 12 teams.  Take away 33 minutes of pure insanity in Buffalo - and you'd be looking at an undefeated team who had a very rough first five game.  Patriots nation has no reason to be down on this squad.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
4		3	-1	4-1	@ Buccaneers
		Bottom line - Spots 3 and 4 could've gone either way this week.  The Pats won a bigger game, so they get the nod.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
5		6	+1	5-0	vs. 49ers
		Can the Lions keep their hot streak going?  The surprising Niners will be a tough test this week.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
6		9	+3	4-1	@ Giants
		The Bills look like a bonafide playoff contender at the moment.  I'm convinced that they are for real.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
7		7	0	4-1	Bye Week
		Another mediocre win against a bad team.  It's not SD's fault that they have a weak schedule, but I'd expect some larger margins of victory.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
8		5	-3	3-2	@ Ravens
		The Texans had a chance to pull away in the AFC South and they blew it.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
9		11	+2	3-2	vs. Jaguars
		The Steelers rose to the occasion this week and kicked the Titans right off the board.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
10		N/A	N/A	3-2	vs. Browns
		The Raiders have played four straight games against Top 12 teams.  They have to be happy with their 3-2 record, which could easily be 4-1 if the Buffalo game had gone their way.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
11		N/A	N/A	4-1	@ Lions
		San Fransisco may have wrapped up the NFC West with their fourth win.  Will any of their division rivals make it to that number?
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
12		12	0	2-3	vs. Dolphins
		This spot could have gone to a number of teams.  Ultimately, there's no shame in playing a close game against the #3 team on the board.  I'll keep them around this week.

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Entering with the league’s 32^nd-ranked defense, the Patriots rose to the challenge against the struggling Jets offense.

While Mark Sanchez managed to post a 101.6 passer rating, the team came up with big stops when it mattered and moved the ball well against the Jets defense.

Tom Brady had another efficient game, going 24 of 33 for 321 yards and a touchdown, tying Vinny Testaverde for eight on the all-time leaderboard.

Meanwhile, without Jerod Mayo, the defense limited the Jets to 97 yards on the ground despite a solid effort by Shonne Greene.

With a 4-1 record, the Patriots look poised to be one of the top contenders in the AFC.

Risers

1. BenJarvus Green-Ellis: After rushing for 75 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders, The Law Firm saved his career performance for Sunday. The top-scoring running back since 2010 carried the rock 27 times for 136 yards (5.0 average) and scored two goal-line touchdowns. BJGE was particularly effective late in the game, piling up 71 yards in the second half as the Pats iced the game.

2. Wes Welker: While much of the pregame hype surrounded the Revis/Welker matchup, Welker emerged on top. The league’s leading receiver proved too much for the Jets to handle, racking up 124 yards on only five catches. His top play of the day was a beautiful 73-yard bomb where he got past Revis and safety Eric Smith (Revis ran him down). Welker has become more of a vertical threat this year, which has been necessitated by Chad Ochocinco’s poor performance.

3. Third-down defense: Even without a great pass rush, the Pats still managed to hold the Jets to just three of 11 on third-down. Andre Carter, Vince Wilfork and Mark Anderson got some solid pressure on Sanchez, although Albert Haynesworth didn’t have much impact. Pat Chung and James Ihedigbo played much better than Sergio Brown and Josh Barrett in the past weeks.

 

Fallers

1. Pass protection: Through the first four games, Brady had been sacked four times. The story was different on Sunday when the Jets took him down four times and hit him five more. Tackle/tight end Thomas Welch was badly beaten by Jets linebacker Jamaal Westerman and David Harris added a sack along with nine tackles. While some of the pass rush comes from good coverage by the Jets, keeping Brady upright will certainly be an issue of concern as the Pats face some excellent defensive fronts in the Cowboys, Giants and Steelers.

2. Special teams: The team had two holding penalties by Jermaine Cunningham and Dane Fletcher on returns and surrendered an 88-yard return to Joe McKnight which resulted in an easy drive for a touchdown by the Jets. Stevan Ridley also didn’t impress on kick returns.

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This time around, Wes Welker let his game do all the talking. 
Enjoy 2-3, Rex. no comments

Ever since the Jets embarrassed the Patriots in Foxboro back in January, New England fans have circled this first game of the most intriguing rivalry in football on the schedule. Tom Brady said in the offseason that that loss was the worst loss he has ever had, including the Super Bowl 42 loss to the New York Giants. This is clearly a revenge game and the trash talking has already begun. Take a look at some hilarious Jets’ quotes from this week.

Santonio Holmes on the Patriots’ defense: "The numbers speak for themselves about how well they're NOT playing”

Antonio Cromartie: "I hope I'm a target this game"

Note: Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick ordered his team to not engage in trash talking this week. If you need a lesson, just ask Wes Welker. He got the message when he talked about head Rex Ryan’s feet and had his foot in his mouth on the bench.

The New York Jets, on the field, have been dismal the last two weeks. They gave up 200+ rushing yards to Darren McFadden in Oakland. Then, last week, they were down 27-7 to the Baltimore Ravens by the middle of the second quarter. Shonn Greene and New York’s rushing game is 30^th in the NFL and are more like ground and pounded then ground and pound. This has forced Mark Sanchez to throw the ball 40+ times a game, thus leading to more turnovers. However, Rex Ryan has built this team to beat one team, the New England Patriots.

Here are my keys to this epic matchup in Foxboro:

1. The Man in the Middle: New England has had their share of injuries, including losing linebacker Jerod Mayo for up to six weeks. However, here in New York, Jets’ fans are ecstatic that they will likely get center Nick Mangold back after missing the last two games with a high ankle sprain. Without Mangold, New York has been one dimensional and quarterback Mark Sanchez has experienced a lot of trips to the ground. Now that he is back, the Jets can try to run the ball more with Shonn Greene to control clock. Greene has had a disappointing year so far, but he ran for 192 yards in three games vs. the Pats last year.

2. Tighten Up: The Patriots might also get some good news this week. Tight End Aaron Hernandez might finally be back after missing two weeks with a MCL sprain. He might not be 100% if he does play, but having him on the field means more double tight end formations to spread the field. The Jets always seem to leave the middle of the field open with Eric Smith and Jim Leonhard at safety. Leonhard is the captain of that defense, so they will have to get a good game from him to win. I look for Brady to go back to finding some big pass-catching tight ends.

3. He’s Finally On Our Side: Last year, the main thorn in the Patriots’ side was defensive end Shaun Ellis. Ellis had five tackles and two sacks in the win back in January. Now, he’s wearing the Patriot red on Sunday. He and Albert Haynesworth have been no-shows on this defense so far this year. In order to win this game, they have to get after Sanchez. Ellis knows the Jets well and might equal his three tackle total from the season so far at least in this game.

PREDICTION: Everyone thinks the Patriots will blow out the Jets in this game, including Las Vegas who has New England as a ten point favorite this week. I think the Jets will cover. New York seems to know how to handle the Patriots with the exception of a 45-3 win for New England back in December. The next two weeks will be tests for this offense going up against the Ryan brothers, who know how to contain Brady with those zones better than anyone. This is going to come down to the 4^th quarter and with the game at Gillette Stadium, New England gets the edge.

Shaun Ellis will be the difference on defense and give me Deion Branch on offense against the “target” Antonio Cromartie. Hey Antonio, remember what happened when Antonio Smith talked four years ago? Anyway, the Patriots win a close game.

PATRIOTS 34 JETS 27

Tom Brady

The Pats threw a bit of a curveball in Week 4 by focusing on the running game, limiting Brady’s numbers. Against a Jets defense that has been gashed on the ground in recent weeks, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brady’s numbers in the same ballpark. Expect somewhere close to 300 yards and 2-3 scores.

Benjarvus Green-Ellis/Stevan Ridley

Ridley emerged in a big way last week with close to 100 yards and a score in limited playing time. With Woodhead day-to-day with an ankle injury, Ridley will have an opportunity to carve out a substantial role in the running game as the primary change-of-pace back to the Law Firm. Look for BJGE to get at least 15 touches and close to 100 total yards and a score while Ridley helps move the chains with another 40-50 yards on the ground. I think you’ll see the Pats using both players in the passing game as well, so they both make a sneaky-good play in PPR leagues.

Wes Welker/Deion Branch

Branch hasn’t figured into the New England gameplan much the past two weeks. He figures to draw coverage from Revis again since the Jets favored that pairing in the playoffs last year. The Jets will focus on shutting down Welker with Cromartie and help, but the Patriots will move Wes around enough to keep the Jets guessing. Expect Branch to haul in 2-3 passes for around 30 yards and Welker to get his hands on 7 passes for close to 100 and a score.

Rob Gronkowski

The Pats used Gronk mainly as a blocker against the Raiders, and I think he’ll be helping open holes a lot this week as well. Still, the Patriots will probably not have the luxury of pounding the ball all day against the Jets, so I could see Gronkowski getting loose in the secondary for 4 or 5 grabs for around 70 yards and a possible score. The Pats offense will have to take what the Jets’ D gives them, so he should be a prominent part of the gameplan.

Stephen Gostkowski

Gostkowski hasn’t been called upon to kick many field goals since the offense has been putting the ball in the end zone so often. That could change this week. Expect 3-4 XPs and 2-3 FGs.

Patriots Defense/Special Teams

Mark Sanchez was beaten like a rented mule last week against the Ravens, and he doesn’t inspire much confidence even when he’s standing clean in the pocket. He should be good for around 2 turnovers. The Patriots haven’t gotten to the QB often this year with just 6 sacks in four games. Anything more than 2-3 in this game would be gravy. If 2 sacks, 2 turnovers and 24 points allowed is what you’re looking for, then you’ve found it here.

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