Survivor Pick Week 5

As expected, the Cincinnati Bengals made quick work of the lowly Miami Dolphins, winning 22-7 and advancing us on to Week 5.

This week there are two teams leading the pack in most Survivor pools. Tom Brady makes his triumphant return against a win-less Cleveland Browns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers host the New York Jets after thoroughly embarrassing the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football last week. This has led over 49% of entries to pick the Patriots and 23% to pick the Steelers, which combined accounts for nearly 3/4 of entries for the week.

While the Patriots seem like a lock, and Tom Brady may just break the whole league, we tend to shy away from being part of such a large cohort. The Steelers on the other hand have a choice matchup next week with the Dolphins, so we’ll be saving that pick, if we are to advance to Week 6. For that reason, we’re going with the team picked by less than 7% of entrants this week, the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have been quite impressive over the first 1/4 of the season, shutting down the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton, and Eli Manning in three consecutive weeks. Now, they host a Houston Texans team that, though they are 3-1, has not looked great over their first four games. Brock Osweiler has already thrown SIX interceptions, and faces off against a stout Vikings defense that already has 11 takeaways this season (ranking second in the league to the Arizona Cardinals who have 12 and already played this week). For context, this defensive unit is so good that it’s being compared to the infamous “Purple People Eaters” who donned the Vikings purple from the late 1960s to late 1970s.

Though the Vikings are not at 100% and are a little banged up, we like their above average offense and otherworldly defense to get them the W at U.S. Bank Stadium this week.

#SKOL