NFL Week 5 Betting Marquee Matchups:
Packers @ Redskins
Since the Redskins now have Donovan McNabb under center, the denizens of D.C. have reason to believe that their professional football team might amount to something. The presence of credentialed head coach Mike Shanahan on their sideline doesn’t hurt matters. In this contest against the Green Bay Packers, we’ll see the West Coast Offense very much in action. Aaron Rodgers and Mr. McNabb, who have both been tutored in the NFL’s most pervasive offensive system, should throw a lot of passes across the gridiron at FedEx Field. This contest should be entertaining, and it should also tell us how formidable these teams are as the season approaches the 1/3-mile post. When Shanahan and Packer coach Mike McCarthy study game film, they’ll recognize plenty of tendencies and formations on the other side. The coach who can make the more effective tweaks and adjustments will greatly improve his team’s chances of winning.
Saints @ Cardinals
As New Orleans goes from stadium to stadium as the NFL’s most-marked team, coach Sean Payton will see just how well other teams gear up to play his Saints. One of the more interesting case studies in this regard is Arizona. The Cardinals have enjoyed the most successful stretch in the post-Chicago history of the franchise, making their first Super Bowl and turning playoff appearances into expected occurrences. This year, however, the outlook in the Grand Canyon State is grim. Kurt Warner, the face of the franchise, has retired. Karlos Dansby and Antrel Rolle, two dependable defensive playmakers, have moved on to other teams. Receiver Anquan Boldin has also left town. There’s good reason to doubt the Cardinals in 2010, given the depleted nature of their roster. Quarterback Matt Leinart’s work habits have been questioned throughout his career, even though Warner naturally deserved to be the starting signal caller for coach Ken Whisenhunt. It’s hard to think that a showhorse like Leinart will suddenly put all the pieces together this fall. If he wants to make a statement, he’ll need to do so against the defending champions of professional football.
Vikings @ Jets
If Donovan McNabb returning to Philadelphia as the quarterback of the Washington Redskins is a juicy storyline, this game offers a slightly less enthralling but still substantial parallel. Brett Favre played only one season in New York, but it was a contentious and tumultuous one. Therefore, the sparks will fly – and the Big Apple will be electric – when Favre takes the field at the spanking-new Meadowlands pleasure palace to take on the Jets. The fact that this is a Monday night game will only heighten the drama at the Jets’ new lair. What will be lost in the shadows amidst the Favre festival is that these are two front-of-the-line Super Bowl contenders. The two teams who lost in their respective conference championship games are well positioned to meet in Super Bowl XLV. The matchup between Favre and the Jets’ elite secondary will be a must-see game-within-the-game.