This weekend my fandom pulled off the trifecta against Minnesota sports, to the point where I almost felt bad. Badgers beat the Gophers, Yankees beat the Twins and Jets beat the Vikings. I don’t have much to offer the fans of the first two, but I’ll say this: the Vikings looked really explosive with the addition of Randy Moss. I think their offense is going to produce a ton of points for the remainder of the season. There were a few big upsets this week–the Cardinals over the Saints, the Redskins over the Packers and the Raiders over the Chargers, making it a brutal week for survivor fantasy football leagues (Oakland got me). Here’s the rundown of Week 5, and at the end you will find my Week 6 picks.

New York, New York. It’s great how there are already rumblings out of the New York media about a Jets-Giants Super Bowl. Can’t say I see it happening, but both teams are playing well right now, and Mike Francesa needs something to talk about, right? The Giants’ defense is finally playing to their potential. Their pass rush has been impressive, racking up 13 sacks in their last two games, and the run defense has been dominant. Eli Manning is zeroing in on Hakeem Nicks a lot, as he should, because as I’ve been saying since the middle of last season, Nicks will be the best receiver in the NFL in two years. Still, this team can go out and disappoint on any given Sunday, and they will have their struggles. The Jets are coming off a big Monday night win over the Vikings. The weather was a borderline monsoon (which produced some epic visuals), and made for a sloppy performance from both teams, especially in the passing game. Minnesota was awful in the first half but really turned it around toward the end of the game, showcasing the potential of their new offense. Luckily for the Jets, the game was sealed on a classic Favre interception. Still, if Favre avoids suspension, I think the Vikings have a strong chance of winning the NFC North.

Saints offense, where are you? I think you need to relive some 80’s rock to answer this question, because apparently you Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone). The Saints didn’t realize how important Reggie Bush was to their offense until he went out and broke his leg. Now that he’s out, defenses are able to put the safety that was normally assigned to Bush on Marques Colston or any of their other receivers, and Drew Brees is having a hard time throwing into the double coverage. He threw three interceptions in a terrible loss to the Cardinals on Sunday, including a pick six in the closing seconds. Luckily for Brees, what people will remember about this game is the three New Orleans defenders destroying Max Hall on a scary play that still somehow resulted in an Arizona touchdown. Is it time to worry about the Saints? I think it is.

Speaking of teams to worry about, don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, Packers fans. Mostly due to injuries, but cause for concern nonetheless, the Packers may be without some key personnel this week. Aaron Rodgers sustained a concussion, meaning he’ll likely miss a game; Clay Matthews faces a similar situation (hamstring), and their top target, Jermichael Finley (knee), will be out for three to six weeks. If I were a Packers fan I would be really worried. Injuries aside, the division is getting stronger. Unlike Green Bay who didn’t address its main concern (running back) via trade, the rival Vikings did (by picking up Randy Moss), and the Lions are finally starting to come together.

I think the 49ers are still winning the NFC West. I know, they’re 0-5, but the other teams in the division are 3-2, so it’s not an insurmountable deficit, and I think nine wins takes this division. Alex Smith had two brilliant drives against the Eagles, and he’s shown that he can make “the throw,” he just needs to be more consistent. How tense was that game though? After the fumble-six by Smith, arguably the most poorly executed play in the NFL this year, he and Singletary got into it on the sideline. After that, the boos were raining down, the “we want Carr” chants were deafening, but Smith went back out there and engineered a touchdown scoring drive. It’s not over yet for San Francisco.

My Week 6 Picks

BAL (+3) over NE

The Ravens are arguably the best team in the NFL, and the Patriots just lost their top offensive weapon. I’m predicting 300 plus yards for Joe Flacco and over 130 yards on the ground between Ray Rice and Willis McGahee. The Patriots won’t be able to keep up with that.

NYG (-10) over DET

Have fun stopping that offense, Detroit. Have fun slowing down Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, Lions’ offensive line. Also, if Calvin Johnson is sidelined with his shoulder injury, this could turn into a blowout.

TB (+4.5) over NO

Josh Freeman is turning into a great quarterback. He drove the Bucs down the field late last game like he was Tom Brady, setting up the game-winning field goal. This team is finding ways to win, and the Saints are finding ways to lose. I’ll take Tampa Bay at home.

WAS (+3) over IND

I don’t envy Redskins fans. It’s not fun rooting for a team that beats the Cowboys and Packers but loses to teams like the Rams, but what that tells us is that they sleep on bad teams and come to play against the elites. The Colts fall in that latter category.