Get ready everyone, because the game being billed as the "biggest game of the season" is here. This week, the Philadelphia Eagles will battle the Dallas Cowboys in what is sure to be a classic. Regarding my picks, I only finished at 9-5 last week, an underachievement in my book. Any time that I can't get at least ten wins in a week, it usually means that I was dumbfounded by a couple of results. That was the case last week, as I did not expect the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots to dominate the Seattle Seahawks and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively.

Don't let the Cowboys/Eagles game distract you too much from the rest of the contests though, because there are still plenty of important football games to see this week. In fact, since just about every other website is focusing on that game a little too much, I'm not going to list it as my first game of the week. Instead, I'll start with the other three games of the week, then the 11 "rest of the weeks", followed by the Owens Bowl to cap things off. So, let's started this week's games of the week (excluding the Eagles vs. Cowboys)...

(Red = Prediction)

The Other NFC East Rivalry
Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants
This game will have just as much impact as the other game, as the early position of the division will be determined or saved. The Redskins can win their third straight game in a row since the return of Clinton Portis, while the Giants are looking to bring their offense out of the dormant stages during the first three quarters of a game. Washington's offense is so dangerous because you don't know how they'll attack you. The Giants haven't even been able to mount an attack until they are down 41-3 in the fourth quarter of a game.

Washington's offensive performance against the Jaguars last week was impressive, but something you can't be surprised about. Of all the teams in the league, it doesn't seem to matter which defense Washington faces: they're either on or they're off. The Giants have had too much time to prepare for this game to come out and lay an egg, but the same can't be said about their defense. This game should be a shootout, but expect Manning to pull out the same antics e saw against the Eagles in overtime a few weeks ago - except he'll be battling in a tie game.

Still the Champs
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. San Diego Chargers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are still the champs, but they're falling fast. They're already looking up to the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens, and if they're not careful, they'll be looking up at the Cleveland Browns too. The Steelers did not win their two games before the bye week because of one reason primarily: Ben Roethlisberger. The Jaguars' defense deserved credit for their effort, but even a couple of plays would've put them in position to win. The same can be said for their game against the Bengals, when the Steelers were winning even with the struggles of Roethlisberger for awhile. He's had two weeks to get his head straight, but it won't be easy against the Chargers defense. The Steelers need to be very creative with their playbook, because if they're not, the Chargers will embarrass them.

I'm banking on the Steelers' offense getting things together this week and winning a very competitive game against the Chargers, who will suffer their second consecutive tough loss in as many weeks. LaDainian Tomlinson will run well against the Steelers defense, but they're going to need a lot more production out of Phillip Rivers if they want to win this game. Rivers was average-at-best against Baltimore last week, a performance that won't keep them in the game this week if the Steelers are on their game.


Road Woes Catch Up
Baltimore Ravens vs. Denver Broncos
The Ravens are 2-0 this year on the road already, after losing every game away from home a year ago. This week they run into a Denver Broncos team that played a picture perfect game against the New England Patriots before their bye last week. Jake Plummer found his big play threat in Javon Walker, which could be very useful this week, considering the Ravens secondary has been burned each of the past two weeks. The Ravens do not allow yards easily on the ground, so Plummer will be counted on to connect on screen plays often to open things up on the ground. The Ravens' defense has been very impressive this season, but the Broncos defense may even be playing a little bit better.

Steve McNair has led his team to come-from-behind wins the past two weeks, but there's no way he'll be able to get the job done himself on offense this week. Todd Heap needs to become a threat earlier in the game, while the running game needs a boost after a couple of average performances by Jamal Lewis. Overall, this should be a game consisting of field goals that'll play into the Broncos favor due to their home field advantage.

And now, the rest of the week...

Buffalo Bills vs. Chicago Bears
Ideally, the Bills should be able to compete with the Bears if you take into account this scenario: the Vikings almost beat the Bears if it weren't for a late turnover, but the Bills beat the Vikings with solid gameplay most of the game. Now, in reality the Bears will be too tough of a matchup for the Bills offense to get anything significant going. The Bears will be surprised with how well Buffalo's defense plays though, giving the Bills a glimmer of hope of actually upsetting the undefeated Bears. However, they'll put it away with a long drive in the fourth quarter to go up and win by ten.

Cleveland Browns vs. Carolina Panthers
Although the Panthers offense has been better since Steve Smith returned, you don't get that feeling that Carolina has been able to take full advantage of his presence on the field, as was seen by their long scoring drought against the New Orleans Saints last week. Charlie Frye has brought the Browns offense to a new high compared to the past after his success the past two weeks, including a near win against the Baltimore Ravens defense. The Browns defense has played a lot of "bend but don't break" type of schemes, but with how banged up their secondary is, Jake Delhomme shouldn't have too many problems if he's on target most of the game.

Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Lions haven't been able to play complete football games still, while the Vikings have lost a pair of close games the past two weeks. Expect the Vikings to be a little more aggressive this week so they can build an early lead, and then use their defense and slow-play offense to run down the clock the rest of the game. Jon Kitna will force things he shouldn't be forcing after being spoiled the past two weeks against secondaries that have played poorly.

Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots
Wouldn't it be something if Joey Harrington got the start this week, and led the Dolphins to a win over the Patriots? Or, more importantly, wouldn't it be something if Daunte Culpepper could muster a touchdown scoring drive when it actually means something? The chances of either of those situations happening are highly unlikely after the way Miami has played this season offensively, especially after they did nothing against the Texans last week. The Patriots will thrive on Miami's struggles and win convincingly.

St. Louis Rams vs. Green Bay Packers
Just as I picked the Redskins to upset the Jaguars last week, I'm taking the Packers to upset the Rams this week in a shootout. Marc Bulger finally had his offense clicking on all cylinders, but a weakness was exposed in the Rams' secondary. The Packers have either been really good offensively, or really bad. It coincides with the type of defensive team they are facing, although you do have to consider the fact that the Rams defense was dominating up until last week. Brett Favre will pull out the magic at home with a big day, including the return of Ahman Green in the running game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints
Four weeks into the season, two things are clear: the Saints are much better than everyone expected, and the Buccaneers are much worse than everyone expected. The Buccaneers showed some hope against the Panthers before their bye by capitalizing on several late fumbles by Jake Delhomme. However, with Chris Simms pretty much done for the season, rookie quarterback Bruce Gradkowski is forced to try and suddenly spark an offense that was struggling in the passing game and the running game. The defense hasn't done much either, and this should be a rather easy game for Drew Brees and the Saints. Look for Reggie Bush to have his best game of the season.

Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts
Opps, I mean Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts
Did I scare you there? In case you're confused, I'm picking the Colts in what should be the same pick for every other person in the country, even if you're the biggest, most homeristic Titans fan out there. It's not worth comparing the possibility that the Titans can do almost what the Jets did last week, because they can't. Vince Young still has a lot to learn, and the Titans defense might as well not even be on the field against Manning. Jeff Fisher will probably try his fake field goal/punt/onside kick type of plays, but the Colts will be expecting them, setting up the Colts for even better field position. The only thing stopping this game from getting ridiculously out of hand is the fact that the Colts are banged up, and they don't need to risk any more injuries just to pile it on.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Arizona Cardinals
This probably won't be a blowout like the Chiefs had last week, but they should be in command the majority of this game. Their defense finally looks like it's the real deal in terms of the amount of points they allow, which will be a tough matchup for Matt Leinart, who will be making his first start of his career. The Cardinals run defense has not been very good either, which should allow Larry Johnson to not only rush for a lot of yards, but to have a 4.0 average or better as well. Damon Huard could be 2-1 as the Chiefs starter, how awkward would that be?

New York Jets vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jets have refused to die against tough competition in the Patriots and the Colts, but this will be the week where the tides turn. The Jaguars defense will rebound from a couple of tough outings and will prevent Chad Pennington from getting the production he's gotten from his receivers the past two weeks. Byron Leftwich has done a fair job this season and shouldn't have too much of a problem working with the defense to combine on a dominating performance.

Oakland Raiders vs. San Francisco 49ers
The Raiders thought they would get their break last week against the winless Browns. After a collapse against Cleveland, they have switched that philosophy to the 49ers, who on paper, are probably the team they have the best chance of beating this season. The 49ers were blown out of the water last week by the Chiefs on the road, but they have not been nearly as bad at home. The Raiders just make too many mistakes as a team to earn the respect of being picked to win a game. The Browns deserve credit for coming back last week, but how do you blow a 21-3 lead against a team that hadn't scored 20 points in ages? One answer: play like the Raiders.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for (or not)...

Game of the Year
Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Wait, wasn't Eli Manning vs. Peyton Manning supposed to be the game of the year? And, what about the next time these two teams meet, what will that be considered? Well, ignoring those questions, this game is definitely up there with "most-hyped" game, but without question it involves the biggest rivalry: Terrell Owens vs. the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles are not one bit sorry to see Owens go, especially after the numerous problems he has already caused off-the-field for the Cowboys. A healthy Donovan McNabb has flourished offensively without Owens, but you feel like the hatred is still there.

With that said, the Cowboys have an advantage in this game because of several injuries on the Eagles. Philadelphia will see the return of cornerback Lito Sheppard, but primary offensive weapons Donte' Stallworth and Brian Westbrook are questionable to play. Without Westbrook, the Eagles will have a tough time running the ball, and without Stallworth, McNabb won't find it as easy to work the opposing secondary like he did against the Packers last week. Terrell Owens will get his shots early and often against the Eagles, but someone like Terry Glenn will prove to be the real threat in a close contest. Owens scores a touchdown, and delivers the ball to the Eagles sideline as his celebration.

There you have it, my predictions for the fifth week of the regular season. Last week, I took the winless Cleveland Browns to defeat the Oakland Raiders as my survivor pick, and I just barely squeaked out a win. It's always better to leave teams like the Colts, Patriots, and Bengals available to pick later in the season if you feel comfortable in some lower-level games earlier in the season. That's why I'm taking the New Orleans Saints to crush the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. The Buccaneers will get things going soon, but not in their first week with a rookie quarterback. The Saints are a good team, but against a tougher team, there's still some hesitation in comfortably picking them to win.

Predictions Record to Date: 39-21
Last Week: 9-5
Survivor Streak: Won 4 (Phi over Hou, Bal over Oak, Was over Hou, Cle over Oak.)

Whatever happens this week, let's hope Owens doesn't do anything overly stupid. You'd hate for a big play to basically be negated if he gets a costly taunting penalty late in the game.

-Chris Pokorny