Two teams remain unbeaten, and three are still searching for their first win as we look ahead to another all-important Week 5 in the NFL.
The unbeaten Chiefs have the week off alongside the Panthers, while the 4-0 Vikings head to the Superdome on Monday to face the Saints.
It’s a big week for rivalries with the AFC South in focus when the winless Texans and Titans square off, followed by a rematch of last year’s thrilling Wild Card game when the Bears travel to Lambeau Field to facve the wounded Packers.
The London Game, plus a must-see Monday Night Football clash between the Rams and Bills complement the week, and you can find our tips and predictions for every NFL Week 5 game below!
Another difficult assignment for a winless Bucs team littered with injuries. Rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels had a few promising moments in the loss to Green Bay, but turnover and poor pass protection made for another long afternoon. The Cowboys’ second-rank offence is racking up big scores for fun, and with the Bucs now down one of their starting safeties, this has all the makings of a Friday blowout.
The early signs aren’t great if you’re an Eagles fan. Philly managed only 172 total yards of offence in last week’s loss to the Rams, a defeat that may be felt in more ways than one with Saquon Barkley popping up on the injury report with a hamstring issue. The Jags have put together two tidy wins over quality AFC opponents in New England and Cincinnati, although there are some big concerns around Liam Coen’s defence after allowing the Bengals to throw for over 400 yards in the air. With the Eagles banged up however, the Under looks to be the logical play here.
Another loss could prove catastrophic for the already 0-4 Dolphins – the only team in the league not to hold a lead at any point this season. Turnovers and abandoning the run ultimately cost the Bengals last week in a five-point loss to Jacksonville, but we still got the absolute best version of Joe Burrow, who threw for over 400 yards and a touchdown. With a bye week to follow, this shapes as a favourable matchup for Cincinnati against a Miami team that has already allowed 21 passing touchdowns.
The Raiders were handed their first loss of the season last week against division rivals Kansas City. Overall, it was another glass-half-full performance from Klint Kubiak’s side, who dominated possession and converted twice on fourth down. The Patriots steadied for their own division win over the Bills, but there are still big question marks over their offence, which ranks 30th in points scored. New England’s defence, like last year, has been top of the league mind you, and it could make for an interesting watch against a Raiders team that loves to air it out and throw caution to the wind behind Kirk Cousins.
Minnesota’s 4-0 start has caught everyone off guard, but can we read much into wins over Green Bay, Chicago, Tampa Bay, and Miami? The Week 2 victory over the Bears in the rain is the outlier, but this will be a much sterner test at the Superdome against a Saints outfit that was arguably the most disappointing team of Week 3. New Orleans gave up 45-points to the red-hot Falcons, struggling to run the ball in a game that got away from them in a hurry. Running the ball against this stout Vikings front will be a no-go, while Tyler Shough is in for another difficult afternoon against a defence that has allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards on the year.
Count the Jets in as another team left licking their wounds following a brutal Week 4. A double-digit loss to the Bears was compounded even further with star running back Breece Hall suffering a quadriceps injury, placing further strain on an offence averaging only 19 points a game. At the same time, the Browns aren’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard either. Their walk-off win over the Steelers last week came on the back of some bad turnovers from Pittsburgh’s offence. All up, these two sides have put on some fun, tight games in recent memory, and this one figures to be no different.
A vitally important game as far as the AFC playoff picture is concerned. Both sitting 2-2, the Colts and Steelers have been two of the tougher teams to get a read on this season as each side continues to struggle with turnover. This matchup is basically a somewhat high-scoring Colts offence (13th in points scored) against a stout Steelers defence that has averaged just over 21 points to opponents. No more than a touchdown has separated the pair over their last two meetings, so you can expect this one to boil down to an Aaron Rodgers turnover or the Steelers completely shutting down Daniel Jones through the air.
It’s officially D-Day for this pair of AFC South cellar-dwellers. The Texans remain a mess off the field due to injury, but the offence finally came to life last week in a 34-30 shootout loss against the Cowboys. The Titans put up a good fight in garbage time against the Ravens, but there are growing concerns at running back with Tony Pollard picking up a foot injury and failing to practice through the week. The Texans have won their last three over the Titans and hands down the more battle-tested team given they’ve faced the Bills, Bengals, Colts and Cowboys so far. They should be winning this one.
The Giants look to be one of the better value bets this week with the bookies perhaps putting too much stock into the return of Jayden Daniels at QB for Washington. Jameis Winston has been airing it out for Big Blue in back to back wins over Tennnessee and Arizona, and he should have ample opportunity to do the same this week against a Commanders defence allowing over 30 points a game.
Things have gone from bad to worse in Green Bay. Star linebacker Edgerrin Cooper has been ruled out for the year with an Achilles injury, placing enormous strain on a defence still at least a week away from seeing the return of Micah Parsons. The Packers have caught somewhat of a break with Caleb Williams still on the shelf, but with their offence struggling to hold onto the football and the ground game looking stagnant, the Bears look a nice price to add further salt to the wound of Green Bay’s Wild Card loss in January.
Another loss could prove catastrophic for Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert this week. The 0-4 Chargers have been the biggest disappointments of the young season, and things aren’t about to get any easier with division rivals Denver up next. The Broncos, meanwhile, look more like a Wild Card team than a top AFC seed this year, and sooner than later, their first half scoring woes are going to catch up with them. In a game featuring two stop-start offences, the Chargers look a good bet to at least keep this close.
The Lions were humbled last week by the Panthers with big cracks in Kelvin Sheppard’s defence starting to appear. The Cardinals have lost three in a row and are difficult to trust, but it might only take a few big passing plays to Trey McBride to keep this one close. With the news around Jeremiyah Love suggesting he’ll play this week through an ankle injury, there’s a big case to be made for Arizona at home against a Detroit defence that has allowed just under 32 points a game.
A rematch of last year’s Divisional Round game, one the Niners have been trying to forget after being pulled apart 41-6. The Seahawks have hardly missed a beat since going on to win the Super Bowl, losing to Washington two weeks ago, only to bounce back with a seven-point win over the Chargers. The Niners are undefeated and out for revenge behind an offence that ranks second in the league in points scored. On the flip side, Seattle’s defence is very good, but with a somewhat soft schedule to start the year, San Francisco look the more battle-tested side coming off a gritty win over Denver last week.
Two weeks is a long time in football. The Falcons have gone from easy beats to one of the most exciting teams to watch in the span of a fortnight, racking up points in back-to-back blowout wins against the Packers and Saints. Meanwhile, we’re on Lamar Jackson watch in Baltimore with the two-time MVP nursing an ankle injury that has kept him out of practice. Tyler Huntley is a servicable backup, but if the Ravens plan to go run-heavy with Derrick Henry, they might want to think again with the Falcons allowing the fewest rushing yards in the league.
A fun cross-conference game to wrap up the week. Aside from a couple of turnovers, the Bills didn’t do a whole lot wrong last week in a close division loss to New England, while the Rams arrive after erasing a double-digit deficit to beat the Eagles. There’s nothing major to report on the injury front for either side, although some slight question marks around Matthew Stafford remain after he missed some basic throws last week in the win over Philly. Match-up wise, this is the top scoring team (Buffalo) against a talented Rams defence allowing the ninth-fewest points to opponents in the league. Their last four meetings have amassed 40 points or more, but with the Total set as high as 54.5 points and Stafford looking a little rusty, the Under might be the play.