We're onto Week 5 of the NFL season. Last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans were postponed due to COVID-19, and the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots were pushed into the Monday Night slot. Points and over continue to be a thing as the NFL sees less holding and false start calls, and more defensive pass interference. Let's get into the early lines of Week 5.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5.5) @ Chicago Bears
Thursday, October 8, 8:20 PM ET Tampa Bay heads to Chicago for a Thursday night showdown. The Buccaneers continue to impress as Tom Brady threw for five touchdowns in their win over the Chargers on Sunday. The Bears quarterback and the offensive situation look awful against a good Colts team. The inflated 3-0 record showed in Sunday's lackluster performance. Now, they have to go up against a Tampa Bay defense that ranks second in efficiency, while also limiting a potent Tom Brady offense.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (-13.5)
Sunday, October 11, 1:00 PM ET After picking up their first win this season, Cincinnati will head to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. Joe Burrow felt satisfied beating the Jaguars on Sunday, while Baltimore bounced back from their ugly Monday night loss against the Chiefs. The Ravens are still heavy favorites over Cincinnati and rightfully so. Cincinnati still struggles to move the football, and the Ravens have one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Bengals offensive line needs to do extra prep this week to face a very good Ravens front seven.
Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons (-3.5)
Sunday, October 11, 1:00 PM ET Carolina moves to 2-2 on the season after knocking off the
Arizona Cardinals at home. The Falcons will be on the short week after heading to Green Bay for their Monday night showdown with the Packers. Atlanta has struggled to close out games this season, resulting in a 0-3 record. Their offense is still really good, but the defense has been one of the worst in the league. There would not be many surprises if the Falcons found themselves holding a double-digit lead against the Panthers late Sunday, only for Carolina to come back and win with Teddy Bridgewater under center. Even without McCaffery, Carolina has been impressive so far.
Buffalo Bills (-3.5) @ Tennessee Titans
Sunday, October 11, 1:00 PM ET There is no telling if this game will go on this week, but Buffalo plans to travel to Tennessee to take on the Titans. Tennessee has a COVID outbreak this past week, and players continue to test positive, as their game against the Steelers was postponed due to the spread of the virus. Buffalo was able to play and take care of the Raiders in Las Vegas. The Bills are now 4-0 on the season and continue to roll with Josh Allen under center. If the Bills and Titans do paly, then Buffalo should have the edge given the health of Tennessee.
Las Vegas Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs (-11.5)
Sunday, October 11, 1:00 PM ET After a tough loss on Sunday, the Raiders will be traveling to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. The Raiders defense has been very suspect this season, and it will not help going up against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense. However, the Chiefs will be on a short week after playing on Monday night due to the Chiefs and Patriots having a player test positive for coronavirus. This could be advantageous for Las Vegas now that they have an extra day to prepare over Kansas City. Regardless, the Raiders will need to do a lot this week to take on a high flying Kansas City team.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-7)
Sunday, October 11, 1:00 PM ET An in-state battle between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh will take place on Sunday. The Eagles are coming off a Sunday night victory over San Francisco, while the Steelers had a week off after the Titans had a COVID outbreak canceling their game. The Eagles getting in the win column is huge and is now in first place with a 1-2-1 record. Pittsburgh will be fresh, however, after having to use their
bye week in Week 4.
Sunday, October 11, 1:00 PM ET The Rams and Football Team play in Washington this Sunday. Los Angeles pulled away late against the Giants in Week 4, as Washington did not have an answer going up against Baltimore in a bounce-back spot. The Rams could have a tough time moving the football against a pretty good Washington front seven. Also, having to travel east to play in the early time slot. This could affect their mojo. However, Washington's offense ranks 29th in efficiency, so it is not like the Rams will be concerned about stopping them.
Arizona Cardinals (-7.5) @ New York Jets
Sunday, October 11, 1:00 PM ET The Arizona Cardinals will be looking to bounce back after their loss to the Carolina Panthers. They head to New York to face the Jets on back to back weeks of traveling to the east coast. This could benefit the Jets, who have been awful this season. However, they do have extra rest after playing on Thursday on top of the Cardinals tough travel spot. The Cardinals' defense has been great, but the offense has been stagnant, which is a bit of a surprise with Kyler Murray running the show. The Jets are a dumpster fire, and there is no telling if they will even win a game in 2020.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans (-6.5)
Sunday, October 11, 1:00 PM ET Jacksonville will try to keep Houston winless in their Week 5 showdown. The Jaguars have lost three straight games as the Texans have yet to find a win this season. Houston has had a tough schedule thus far, and opening as a 6.5-point favorite against the Jaguars is telling. Bill O'Brien has been terrible coaching the team this season, and part of the reason they are 0-4. After upsetting the Colts Week 1, the Jaguars have been able to find another win. Maybe they will be able to knock off a disappointing Texans team this week.
Miami Dolphins @ San Francisco 49ers (-8.5)
Sunday, October 11, 4:05 PM ET Miami and San Francisco square off in the bay area on Sunday. The Dolphins gave the Seahawks a run for their money this week, as the 49ers lost to the Eagles on Sunday night. This game should be a close one as injuries have decimated this San Francisco team. The Dolphins do put up a decent fight despite a lackluster roster. Traveling across the country is tough, but Miami should be able to hang around in San Fran. Maybe, they'll even be able to pull off the upset.
New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys (-9)
Sunday, October 11, 4:25 PM ET The Giants and Cowboys find themselves in a Week 5 matchup in Dallas. New York has been pretty bad this season, as the Cowboys can't stop any offense in 2020. The Giants are struggling without Saquon Barkley, so maybe Dallas will limit a bad Giants offense this week. Despite Dak Prescott having an impressive start to the season, it still hasn't been enough as the Cowboys are 1-3 through the first quarter of 2020. Maybe they will be able to come away with a win this week to get back on track.
Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots (-5)
Sunday, October 11, 4:25 PM ET Denver will head to New England on Sunday for an afternoon showdown against the Patriots. The Broncos have the extra rest this week, which should help their roster get healthy. It also helps Denver that Cam Newton has been placed on the COVID/Reserved list and will most likely be out in their matchup this week. Both teams will have backup quarterbacks going on Sunday, which should play towards the under as fewer points will be had. The Broncos beating the Jets could give this team some momentum heading into a tough Week 5 matchup.
Indianapolis Colts (-2.5) @ Cleveland Browns
Sunday, October 11, 4:25 PM ET The 3-1 Colts take on the 3-1 Browns in Cleveland for what should be an entertaining game. This matchup will be between the Browns offense and the Colts defense as Cleveland put up 49 points last week, while the Colts are holding teams to 14 points per game. Also, do not sleep on the Browns defense as they are the 8th most efficient defense in the NFL. The Colts have struggled to move the football in recent weeks, so while everyone will be watching the Browns offense vs. the Colts defense, it could come down to the matchup on the other side.
Minnesota Vikings @ Seattle Seahawks (-7)
Sunday, October 11, 8:20 PM ET Minnesota finally picked up a win this season against a struggling Texans team, while the Seahawks made the six-hour flight to Miami and took down the Dolphins. This matchup already screams public, taking the Seahawks at -7, and rightfully so. No team has been able to slow down the Seattle offense, and Minnesota will have their hands full for another week. Beating the Texans should give them some confidence heading into their Sunday night matchup, but it will be a tough one, no doubt.
Los Angeles Chargers @ New Orleans Saints (-8)
Monday, October 12, 8:15 PM ET The Monday night matchup will feature the Chargers and Saints in the Superdome. Los Angeles could not hold off Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on Sunday while the Saints took care of Detroit this week. New Orleans has been relatively stagnant this season, and they could find trouble against the Chargers team that feels like they are getting things going with Herbert under center. Despite being at home, eight points will be a lot to cover for New Orleans, who haven't had the best success defensively. However, the Chargers could give Bress and Co. fits this week trying to move the football.
