Last Week: 4-1

Season: 17-8

Dallas (2-2) at Baltimore (4-1)

How ’bout them Cowboys? Dallas had a bye week to think about a Monday night beatdown in Jerry’s World. The Ravens, who have one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL, can put up the points at M&T Bank Stadium, averaging 33 points a game. Expect the Cowboys’ offense to rebound, but Baltimore’s ability to force turnovers and hold onto the ball against the vaunted Dallas defense will be the keys to victory.

Ravens 24, Cowboys 22

New England (3-2) at Seattle (3-2)

Frightening is one word to describe the Seahawks’ defense this season. The league’s best leads the league in least yards per game and is second in least points allowed. At home, Seattle is even more dominant fueled by its home crowd that is so loud it is hard to think. But don’t expect Tom Terrific to be afraid. He has seen great defenses before and succeeded in the most pressure-filled environments. The Pats’ offense is starting to rev up while their defense is improved from last season. Expect the Pats to throw a lot of looks at rookie QB Russell Wilson, but also expect Brady to be thrown to the ground repeatedly. Great defense takes the cake.

Seahawks 21, Pats 18

New York Giants (3-2) at San Francisco (4-1)

This rematch of last years NFC Championship game gives the 49ers the chance to beat up on the other (and better) New York team. After committing numerous costly turnovers last January, the 49ers know that winning the turnover battle is key. The Giants have to depend more on their offense to make big plays with a defense that has stumbled out of the gate this season. This will play right into the hands of the 49ers, who have proven more effective this season on turning turnovers into touchdowns.  This factor combined with a more explosive 49er offense, excellent special teams, and a pinch of Colin Kaepernick give San Fran the slight edge.

49ers 28, Giants 25

Green Bay (2-3) at Houston (5-0)

Desperation is a term thrown around a lot at this point in the season with the ever present “must-win” game looming on the horizon. Green Bay has put itself behind the 8-ball after a shocking loss last week against the Colts. A 2-4 record would leave them a few games behind both the Bears and Vikings, a hole that will be tough to crawl out of.  Houston is flying high, the clear favorite in the AFC, but the loss of Brian Cushing is a major blow for one of the league’s best defenses. The is the type of game where you can throw out the stats and say that the team that wants it more will prevail. The Packers’ heart of a championship will tell.

Packers 27, Texans 24

Denver (2-3) at San Diego (3-2)

So what is the semester grade for the success of the Peyton Manning experiment?  At this point, it would have to be a B. Manning has been improving while the Broncos have faced an incredibly tough start, facing four playoff teams from last year. The Chargers, the usual favorite to win the AFC West, are off to a better start when you look at the record but they have not played nearly the same class of opponent. Right now, the Broncos have proven that are not good enough yet to beat a high-quality opponent.  Luckily for Denver, the Chargers are not one of those teams. Peyton gets through the toughest part of the schedule with a .500 record.

Broncos 25, Chargers 22