By Darin Hayes October Showdown: Pigskin Daily History Dispatch Previews NFL Week 5
The 2025 NFL season barrels into Week 5, promising more unpredictable outcomes and high-stakes matchups. On the latest edition of the Pigskin Daily History Dispatch podcast, hosts Darin Hayes and Ed Kleese dove into the chaotic nature of the NFL, reviewed a shocking Week 4, and made their bold predictions for the upcoming slate of games.
The Wild World of Week 4: Results and Observations
Ed Kleese’s theme for Week 4 centered on the “luck factor”—how crucial it is to play a team at the right (or wrong) time based on their prior week’s performance or internal changes.
Ed’s Week 4 Score: 7 Points (Season Total: 15 Points)
Ed correctly predicted the Jaguars winning outright against the battered 49ers, the Giants’ emotional victory with Jackson Dart at quarterback, and the Rams holding the Colts to 24 or fewer points (thanks, in part, to a premature end zone celebration). His biggest miss was predicting the Vikings would “dominate” Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers.
Darin’s Week 4 Score: 5 Points (Season Total: 17 Points)
Darin was spot-on with the Jaguars winning in San Francisco. He also earned points for his analysis of the Seahawks/Cardinals game and his prediction about Texans QB C.J. Stroud against the Titans. Darin’s major miss was the Ravens winning easily over the Chiefs, a game that saw the Ravens defense get thoroughly outmatched and their star QB injured.
NFL Cut List Update 🔪
Ed’s list of teams whose 2025 season is essentially over continues to grow, with one notable addition:
- Tennessee Titans (Cut Twice): After being cut last week, they were re-cut after losing 26-0.
- New Orleans Saints (Cut in Week 3)
- New York Jets (New Cut): Cut this week following an “uninspired” and penalty-riddled loss to the Dolphins.
Teams On Watch for a Week 6 Cut: The Cleveland Browns (whose offense is struggling) and the New York Giants (despite their recent win, they lost key offensive weapon Wan’Dale Robinson). The loser of the Dolphins-Panthers Week 5 matchup is an automatic candidate for next week’s cut list.
Week 5: Bold Predictions and Picks
Injuries to key players like Lamar Jackson (Ravens) and Tyreek Hill (Dolphins) threaten to shift the competitive landscape dramatically as the league struggles with attrition. Here are the hosts’ predictions for the Week 5 matchups:
Brains Aligned: Ed and Darin Drop Their Uncanny Week 5 NFL Predictions!
The prediction battle is heating up! After an impressive Week 4 surge, Ed Kleese has closed the gap against Darin Hayes, bringing the season score to a tight 17-15 lead for Darin. With the standings so close, both hosts are looking to take the lead in Week 5, but what’s really strange is their mind-meld on the upcoming slate!
“I’m locked in now,” Ed declared, ready to catch fire. However, Darin is “going crazy” with his picks, leading to an uncanny alignment of predictions. Despite covering a limited slate of just five games, the hosts chose the exact same five matchups and agreed on the outcome of four of them!
In one of the boldest moves, both men are betting on the struggling New Orleans Saints to get their first win against the Giants. Furthermore, both Ed and Darin believe the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles’ luck is about to run out, picking the Denver Broncos for the massive road upset! The only two points of divergence this week are the outright winners for the Commanders/Chargers and Patriots/Bills games.
Will Ed finally take the lead, or will Darin’s “crazy” picks extend his reign? Tune in next week to find out!
Week 5 Predictions & Season Scores
| Matchup | Ed’s Pick | Darin’s Pick |
| Giants at Saints | Saints (Win) | Saints (Win) |
| Broncos at Eagles | Broncos (Upset) | Broncos (Upset) |
| Raiders at Colts | Shootout (Both score ≥ 24 pts) | Shootout (Geno & Jones ≥ 300 passing yards) |
| Commanders at Chargers | Commanders (Upset) | Chargers (Win) |
| Patriots at Bills | Patriots (Keep it close, Bills Win) | Patriots (Upset – Maye ≥ 250 passing, ≥ 50 rushing) |