Scully's Week 5 NFL picks: Carson Wentz has Eagles back on track
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)
October 8th, 2020
Houston was the first team in the NFL to fire its coach, when it dismissed Bill O’Brien after a disappointing home loss to Minnesota, and the Texans aren’t out of the division race in the AFC South, if they can get things turned around. I like their chances in Week 5.
We have nowhere to go but up after a disappointing Week 4, and I will try to bounce back with this trio of picks.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans
Houston will finally earn its first win of the season, and I’m expecting an offensive explosion.
O'Brien took over the play calling, after a competitive performance at Pittsburgh in Week 3, and it was brutal to watch the predictable run calls for little to no gain, as the Texans once again failed to capitalized on the skills of Deshaun Watson and lost a winnable home game to Minnesota.
Watson will have a big game against arguably the worst defense in the league. Jacksonville ranks last by Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA), and the Jaguars offense is reeling, after they started the year with a couple high-scoring performances.
Deshaun Watson's pocket presence is unreal 😳
— ESPN (@espn) October 4, 2020
(via @thecheckdown) pic.twitter.com/dwmysidG1W
After being it was dominated, 31-13, by Miami, Jacksonville did little in the second half of a 33-25 loss to Cincinnati in Week 4.
The Jaguars will face a much tougher challenge against a motivated Houston team.
Pick: Houston -6.5
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Carson Wentz turned things around last week, when he helped lead Philadelphia to a comeback win at San Francisco, and Pittsburgh is laying too many points in a what should be a low-scoring contest.
Travis Fulgham said before the play Carson Wentz said get ready. They only repped it one time in practice. Travis said he lost the ball but then found it. Jalen Mills says Travis catches every ball in practice
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 5, 2020
pic.twitter.com/UahT4uYAw6
The early bye week probably did Pittsburgh no favors. The Steelers needed reps on offense, after a couple inconsistent performances — late wins over Denver and Houston — and Pittsburgh’s first three opponents are a combined 1-11.
Philadelphia’s offense gained much-needed confidence in its first win of the season, and the defense is gaining traction, which puts the Eagles in position to win.
Pittsburgh may have too much in the end, but battle-tested Philadelphia will stay competitive.
Pick: Philadelphia +7
Miami Dolphins vs. San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco will bounce back after an underwhelming loss to Philadelphia.
The Niners easily outgained Philadelphia, and held the Eagles to 267 total yards, but squandered a fourth-quarter lead, as poor quarterback play and three turnovers caught up to them. San Francisco had managed to win back-to-back road games despite a rash of injuries, but it dropped to 0-2 at home and must right the ship in Week 5.
Miami provides that opportunity. The Dolphins don’t run the ball effectively, and left offensive tackle Austin Jackson is nursing a foot injury. Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could make his first appearance of the year, but San Francisco remains formidable defensively.
Brian Flores says Tua Tagovailoa has checked all the medical boxes but “if it was my kid and he had a serious injury like that, I wouldn’t want his coach to be in a rush to put him in there because of media pressure... No one is going to pressure me into doing anything.”
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) October 5, 2020
Defense is a major concern for Miami. Ranked 31st by DVOA, the Dolphins defense will spend a lot of time on the field getting gashed by San Francisco’s running backs.