NFL picks and predictions are a little tougher this week, because we are not able to operate with the automatic loss tied to the Dolphins. Miami has a bye in Week 5, leaving us one less game to pick correctly.
Thankfully, though, three NFL teams opened as double-digit favorites this week, per Sportsbook Review. So we’ll spoil a few of our predictions off the bat and let you know we’re picking the Patriots, Eagles and Chiefs to beat the Redskins, Jets and Colts, respectively.
MORE: Get the latest NFL odds at Sportsbook Review
As for the rest of the NFL games in Week 5, predictions are as difficult as usual. More than 40 percent of the league (13 out of 32 teams) have 2-2 records. And even some of the league’s best teams, like the Cowboys and Packers ahead of their game in Dallas this week, are coming off rough performances that led to their first losses of the season. Only the Patriots, Chiefs and 49ers remain undefeated.
As always, upsets are in the cards. The Buccaneers reminded us of this when they dropped 55 points on the defending NFC champion Rams last week. Below is our latest attempt to navigate the good and the bad among the 30 NFL teams in action this week.
Here are our Week 5 NFL picks and predictions, all the way through the Monday night game in San Francisco.
NFL POWER RANKINGS:
Bears, Eagles, Browns jump; Cowboys, Rams slip
NFL picks, predictions for Week 5
- Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks (-1, -105)
Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET, Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime Video
If the Rams’ loss to the Buccaneers last week was indeed the wake-up call Sean McVay said it was, it came at a perfect time for Los Angeles. The Seahawks are riding some momentum from their dismantling of the Cardinals, and depending on what happens with the 49ers this week, at least a share of first place in the wide-open NFC West could be at stake. Seattle has been better than LA in both rushing and stopping the run. Jared Goff has been struggling. The Seahawks are at home in a prime-time game. All of these factors should lead to a Seattle win, but the NFL is weird, and Goff proved in the playoffs last year he is capable of random, big-time performances. Make it four straight wins for LA in this rivalry.
Prediction: Rams 27, Seahawks 23
- Baltimore Ravens (-4, -110) at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Picks for Steelers vs. Ravens will be added upon completion of Steelers vs. Bengals on Monday Night Football.
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
American football fans in London are out of luck if they wanted to see Mitchell Trubisky play for the Bears. (Which is a big if, anyway.) The Chicago QB’s injury, though, is one of many that will impact the result of this game. While the Raiders proved last week they can’t be taken lightly, Josh Jacobs and Co. are running into what might be the best rush defense in the NFL. The first NFL game in Tottenham’s new, beautiful stadium will be ugly, but the favorites will ride their diverse scheme to a win.
Prediction: Bears 20, Raiders 14
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
Picks for Bengals vs. Cardinals will be added upon completion of Steelers vs. Bengals on Monday Night Football.
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Winning streak catalyzed by fill-in quarterback, meet winning streak catalyzed by fill-in quarterback. Team operating on the strength of its defense and top-10 NFL Draft pick at running back, meet team operating on the strength of its defense and top-10 NFL Draft pick at running back. These teams are similar in many ways, including the fact that they’re dealing with key injuries beyond those of their QBs. Chances are, though, the Jaguars won’t have Jalen Ramsey for non-injury-related reasons. That will make Kyle Allen’s job a little easier while Gardner Minshew has to deal with Luke Kuechly.
Prediction: Panthers 24, Jaguars 17
- Minnesota Vikings (-5, -110) at New York Giants
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
Minnesota went into Chicago thinking it could run the ball against the Bears and failed miserably. If the Vikings think they can run the ball on the Giants … well, they’re probably right. New York has not been as bad defensively as expected, but it is now dealing with Ryan Connelly’s season-ending knee injury, giving Dalvin Cook an ideal chance to regain his lead in NFL rushing yards. This is a good opportunity for Kirk Cousins to get back on track, too, against a shaky secondary. He can’t afford (figuratively speaking; he can afford a lot with his massive salary) to look like the second-best passer in this game.
Prediction: Vikings 27, Giants 14
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
In a development that surprises nobody, the Redskins are lost. They apparently have no idea how to handle their quarterback situation, particularly with the development of rookie Dwayne Haskins, and Jay Gruden is coaching for his job even though the effort at this stage seems pointless. Given that background, New England is the last team Washington wanted to see on its schedule at this point (or any point) of the season. It’s the NFL’s all-time greatest dynasty against the league’s most dysfunctional franchise.
Prediction: Patriots 26, Redskins 6
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The bye helped, but one week wasn’t enough for the Jets to get Sam Darnold back from his illness in time for this game. That means Luke Falk is up against the same (albeit still banged-up) defense that just gave Aaron Rodgers and the Packers some trouble. Le’Veon Bell can’t do everything for New York, especially in Philadelphia. The Jets will need to come up with more takeaways to have a chance, but the Eagles can afford to be careful with the ball as their offense gets closer to full strength.
Prediction: Eagles 27, Jets 13
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
As long as Drew Brees and Cam Newton are out of the picture (and, frankly, even when they return), the NFC South will remain difficult to fathom. Both the Buccaneers and the Saints are coming off wins that were considered upsets for different reasons, but Tampa Bay’s victory in Los Angeles was particularly impressive. The Bucs are quietly maintaining one of the NFL’s best rush defenses in terms of yards allowed, and their at times potent offense will test the Saints’ secondary in a way the Cowboys did not. Tampa Bay in first place? Tampa Bay in first place.
Prediction: Buccaneers 30, Saints 20
- Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans (-5, -110)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
Welcome to the Hot Seat Bowl, a game featuring Atlanta’s Dan Quinn and Houston’s Bill O’Brien as both try to hold job security chatter to a minimum. The Falcons are running out of excuses for both a defense that ranks 21st in the NFL with 24.8 points allowed per game and an offense that ranks 27th in the NFL with 70.3 rushing yards per game. The Texans, meanwhile, are coming off a head-scratcher of their own against the Panthers, but they have enough favorable matchups against the Falcons to rebound. Houston will have trouble with Julio Jones, but Atlanta will have even more trouble with DeAndre Hopkins.
Prediction: Texans 28, Falcons 24
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
This game is a toss-up, because we have no idea whether we’ll see the Titans team that was smooth offensively against the Browns and Falcons or the Titans team that was horrendous offensively against the Jaguars. One thing we do know: The Bills’ defense is legit. Against another strong defense in Tennessee, all Buffalo needs is competent quarterback play. Even if Josh Allen plays, though, we don’t feel good about the Bills getting it.
Prediction: Titans 20, Bills 17
- Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers (-7, -110)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS
This should be simple. The Chargers are better than the Broncos in pretty much every aspect of the game. Yet Los Angeles has a tendency to let games like these become more interesting than they should be, and their home-field advantage is nonexistent. Still, this is a chance for Melvin Gordon to begin his 2019 season with a massive rushing game against a bad run defense.
Prediction: Chargers 27, Broncos 21
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
Many will make this high-profile matchup all about the high-profile quarterbacks with good reason. Unless last week’s clunker was a new trend and not an anomaly, Dak Prescott is playing the best football of his career this season, and Aaron Rodgers is Aaron Rodgers (as if we needed to remind those in Dallas). The Packers’ issues stopping the run will be amplified by the Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott-led rushing attack, which ranks fifth in the NFL at 145.5 yards per game. But the Packers are capable of winning even with a one-dimensional passing offense thanks to Rodgers; they almost did it against the Eagles. For Dallas, the impact of Tyron Smith’s injury will be felt.
Prediction: Packers 28, Cowboys 24
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
The Colts lost to the Chiefs in last season’s divisional playoffs because the couldn’t run the ball or convert on third downs. Those to areas of the game will be key in Indy’s return to Arrowhead, especially against a vulnerable Kansas City defense, but … too much Patrick Mahomes.
Prediction: Chiefs 27, Colts 20
Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
This one’s tricky, because we’re not completely sold on the Browns after they trampled a struggling Ravens defense, and the 49ers have not been adequately tested. Regardless of how one feels about Jimmy Garoppolo, his matchup in this game is less daunting than the defense Baker Mayfield faces. Plus, we trust Kyle Shanahan more than Freddy Kitchens when it comes to offensive play-calling, especially coming off an extra-long bye week.
Prediction: 49ers 24, Browns 21