How time flies! We’re already a month into the 2015 NFL season and we are slowly seeing teams starting to emerge from the pack. The Patriots, Bengals, Broncos, Packers, Panthers and Falcons are the only remaining teams without a loss this season and it will be interesting to see if they can keep those unbeaten slates intact when NFL action resumes in Week 5.
To find out which will team will surprise this week, check out our complete NFL Week 5 picks below. And while you’re at it, don’t miss out on our preview of the Monday Night Football game between Pittsburgh and San Diego.
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2015 NFL Week 5 Picks
Thursday, October 8
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans
[sc:NFL240banner ]All is right in Indianapolis once again after the Colts recorded their second consecutive win Sunday to storm into the AFC South lead. They will have to thank backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck for their latest fight back as he produced a sterling performance in place of the injured Andrew Luck. He completed 30 of 47 passes for 282 yards with one touchdown to lead the Colts to a nail-biting 16-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Luck is expected to make a swift return, though, to the Colts’ starting lineup for the game against the Texans. He will fancy his chances against a Houston side that is seventh-worst in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 27.0 points per game this season. The Colts are 5-0 SU and 4-0-1 ATS in their last five meetings against the Texans.
Writer’s Prediction: The Texans return to winning ways with a narrow 24-21 victory.
Sunday, October 11
Chicago Bears (+9) at Kansas City Chiefs (-9)
Kansas City’s losing woes show no sign of abating as the Chiefs absorbed their third consecutive setback with a humiliating 36-21 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Chiefs’ seven field goal tries were no match for Cincinnati’s five touchdowns as the Bengals cruised to their fourth victory of the season.
It’s back to the drawing board for head coach Andy Reid and the rest of the Chiefs who will next face the revitalized Chicago Bears. For the Chiefs to snap their losing skid this coming Sunday, they will need to find ways to limit the opposing team’s quarterback. In their past two outings, Aaron Rodgers and Andy Dalton went a combined 41 of 59 for 654 yards with six touchdown passes against them.
They won’t be fazed by the sight of the Bears’ Jay Cutler, though. His 83.8 rating is 31st among all starting quarterbacks in the NFL this season. He showed his worth, however, in Chicago’s last game against Oakland, completing 28 of 43 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears won that contest, 22-20.
Click here for an in-depth analysis of this NFL encounter.
Writer’s Prediction: The Chiefs (-9) cover the spread against the Bears.
Seattle Seahawks (+3) at Cincinnati Bengals (-3)
Cincinnati maintained its perfect start to the season with a resounding 36-21 victory over Kansas City on Sunday. Jeremy Hill ran for three touchdowns for the Bengals who are 4-0 for just the fourth time in their franchise history. Things are bound to get tougher, though, for the Bengals as standing in their way in Week 5 are the Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle is fresh off a thrilling 13-10 conquest of Detroit on Monday night. Key to the Seahawks’ resurgence has been their stellar play on the defensive end. Seattle is third in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing just 17.8 points per game this season.
You can check our complete preview of the game here.
Writer’s Prediction: Seattle (+3) snaps Cincinnati’s winning streak at four with a narrow three-point victory.
Washington Redskins (+7.5) at Atlanta Falcons (-7.5)
Who can bet against the Atlanta Falcons after their amazing offensive display Sunday afternoon? Running back Devonta Freeman had a performance for the ages as he recorded another three-touchdown game in Atlanta’s 48-21 win over the Houston Texans. He’s the first player with three rushing scores in three consecutive games since LaDainian Tomlinson had three such games with the San Diego Chargers back in 2006. With the victory, the Falcons are 4-0 for just the fourth time in their franchise history.
That being said, the Falcons can expect a tough challenge against a Washington side that possess one of the league’s best defenses this season. The Redskins are fourth in the NFL in total defense, allowing just 288.0 yards per game this campaign.
Click here for an in-depth breakdown of this contest.
Jacksonville Jaguars (+3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3)
Something’s gotta give. The Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will put their respective losing streaks on the line when they square off at Raymond James Stadium this coming Sunday. One of the key matchups to watch in this game is the showdown between young quarterbacks Blake Bortles and Jameis Winston.
For the Bucs to emerge victorious in this game, they will need Winston to improve on his highly-erratic play. He has thrown a league-worst seven interceptions in his first four games. Bortles, on the other hand, will have to find ways to convert Jacksonville’s numerous red zone opportunities for the Jaguars to snap their two-game losing skid this coming weekend. The Jaguars were the worst team in the red zone in 2014 – scoring an NFL-low 13 touchdowns and completing an NFL-worst 39.1 percent of passes on 32 possessions. They have not improved on that front this season, scoring touchdowns on only 3-of-8 red-zone possessions entering Sunday’s game against the Bucs.
Click here for an in-depth breakdown of this contest.
Writer’s Prediction: Jacksonville (+3) ekes past Tampa Bay, 20-17.
New Orleans Saints (+4.5) at Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5)
The New Orleans Saints finally barged into the win column with a thrilling 26-20 overtime victory Sunday over the injury-plagued Dallas Cowboys. Drew Brees, who missed the Saints’ previous game because of a bruised rotator cuff in his right (throwing) shoulder, completed 33 of 41 throws for 359 yards and two touchdowns in his return. He’s now the fifth quarterback in NFL history to throw 400 touchdown passes.
He will look to make it back-to-back wins when the Saints take on the reeling Philadelphia Eagles this coming Sunday. The Eagles (1-3) are languishing at the bottom of the NFC East standings after absorbing a gut-wrenching 23-20 defeat to Washington on Sunday. Kirk Cousins spoiled Philadelphia’s comeback bid, completing a spectacular 90-yard drive with 26 seconds left in the game clock.
For Philadelphia to return to winning ways against New Orleans, the Eagles need to give more touches to prized signing DeMarco Murray. After leading the NFL in rushing last season for Dallas, Murray only has 47 rushing yards on 29 carries this season for the Eagles.
You can check out a complete breakdown of this NFL game here.
Writer’s Prediction: The Eagles (-4.5) beat the Saints by double-digits.
Cleveland Browns (+6.5) at Baltimore Ravens (-6.5)
Where would the Ravens be without kicker extraordinaire Justin Tucker? The Baltimore kicker hit a 42-yarder to tie the Steelers in the final seconds of regulation and made a 52-yard field goal attempt with 5:08 remaining in overtime to give the Ravens a much-needed 23-20 victory Thursday night. It was a huge victory for the Ravens who narrowly avoided plunging into a 0-4 hole.
They will look to keep the momentum going against a Cleveland side that has been simply atrocious of late. The Browns stumbled to their second consecutive defeat with a heart-breaking 30-27 loss Sunday to the San Diego Chargers. The Browns had no answer for Philip Rivers who threw for 358 yards and three touchdowns. Cleveland’s defense has been a disaster this season, allowing a whopping 406.2 total yards per game, the highest in the NFL this year.
Writer’s Prediction: The Ravens (-6.5) cruise to a double-digit victory.
St. Louis Rams (+10) at Green Bay Packers (-10)
There’s just no stopping the Green Bay Packers right now after they recorded their fourth consecutive victory with a comprehensive 17-3 win over San Francisco on Sunday. Aaron Rodgers passed for 224 yards and a touchdown for the Packers who are 4-0 for the first time in four years.
They will look to solidify their hold of the top spot when they face the St. Louis Rams who are fresh off a thrilling 24-22 upset of the previously unbeaten Arizona Cardinals. Rookie Todd Gurley was simply sensational for the Rams, rushing for 146 yards on 19 carries against the Cards. He will look to create that same kind of success against a Green Bay defensive line that’s allowing 115.0 yards per game on the ground this season, 12th-worst in the NFL.
Writer’s Prediction: The Packers (-10) cover the spread against the Rams.
Buffalo Bills (-3) at Tennessee Titans (+3)
The Buffalo Bills were sent crashing back to earth by the New York Giants on Sunday as they lost 24-10 to the four-time Super Bowl champions. The Bills’ penalties cost them dearly in this game as they were flagged 17 times for 135 yards. That comes two weeks after they were penalized 14 times for 140 yards in a 40-32 loss to the New England Patriots.
They will need to maintain their discipline this coming Sunday when they face Marcus Mariota and the rest of the Tennessee Titans. The rookie quarterback has certainly lived up to the hype, throwing eight touchdown passes in his first three games. He threw for a franchise-record 367 yards in Tennessee’s 35-33 loss to Indianapolis in Week 3.
Find out more about this showdown in our game preview here.
Things are going from bad to worse for the Detroit Lions who crashed to their fourth consecutive loss with a heart-breaking 13-10 defeat to Seattle on Monday night. Kam Chancellor punched the ball free from Detroit wide receiver Calvin Johnson at the 1-yard line in the dying seconds of the game to deny the Lions their first victory of the season. The Lions are the only NFL team that’s still winless this campaign.
It won’t get any easier for them this coming weekend as standing in their way are the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona is second in the NFL in scoring, averaging 37.0 points per game this season. Arizona’s highly-efficient offense took a stumble, though, on Sunday with the Cards converting just 20 percent of their red-zone opportunities in their two-point loss to the Rams.
Writer’s Prediction: Arizona (-2.5) not only wins but also covers the spread against Detroit.
New England Patriots (-10) at Dallas Cowboys (+10)
Can anyone stop the New England Patriots? That’s the question on everyone’s lips after the Pats’ dominating performance in Week 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tom Brady starred in New England’s 51-17 victory, throwing for two touchdowns including the 400th of his career. He’s one of only five NFL players to accomplish such a feat.
The Patriots have been on a tear on the offensive end this season, averaging a league-best 39.7 points per game. They will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a Dallas team that has been ravaged by injuries early this season. Sean Lee and Lance Dunbar are the latest Cowboys to suffer major injuries, joining Tony Romo and Dez Bryant on the Dallas’ sideline.
Writer’s Prediction: New England (-10) clobbers Dallas, 38-17.
Denver Broncos (-5.5) at Oakland Raiders (+5.5)
Denver’s hot start continued on Sunday with a gutsy 23-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Ronnie Hillman recorded his third career 100-yard game for the Broncos who are 4-0 for the second time in the last three years. For the Broncos to preserve their perfect slate this coming Sunday against the Raiders, they will need to continue their excellent play on the defensive end.
The Broncos are first in the NFL in total defense, allowing just 275.5 yards per game this season. That will serve them in good stead against the Raiders who are second-worst in the NFL in this department, surrendering a whopping 403.8 total yards per contest.
Want to know more about this matchup? Click here for an in-depth breakdown of this AFC West clash.
Writer’s Prediction: Denver wins their fifth straight game but Oakland (+5.5) covers the spread.
San Francisco 49ers (+7) at New York Giants (-7)
The New York Giants will look to extend their winning streak to three games when they face the struggling San Francisco 49ers this coming Sunday. The Giants’ confidence is at an all-time high after they hacked out a commanding 24-10 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. It has been a remarkable recovery for the Giants who coughed up fourth-quarter leads in each of their first two games.
Key to the Giants’ turnaround has been the improved play of Eli Manning. He threw three touchdown passes against the Bills, his third game in a row with more than one. He will look to punish a San Francisco defense that allowed a total of 362 yards in its recent loss to Green Bay. The 49ers currently sit at the bottom of the NFC West standings with a 1-3 record.
Writer’s Prediction: The Giants (-7) pile on the 49ers’ misery with an easy 10-point win.
Monday, October 12
Pittsburgh Steelers (+3) at San Diego Chargers (-3)
The San Diego Chargers bounced back from a humiliating loss to the Minnesota Vikings s a week ago with a gritty 30-27 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Quarterback Philip Rivers completed 23 of 38 passes for 358 yards and three touchdowns to help the Chargers climb to within two games of the AFC West lead.
The Chargers will look to sustain the momentum of that huge victory when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers in a blockbuster showdown this coming Monday. They will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have fared extremely well at home this season. The Chargers are 2-0 at Qualcomm Stadium this year. That won’t faze the Steelers though, who are 4-1 SU in their last five road games dating back to the 2014 season.
Click here for an in-depth breakdown of this Monday Night Football clash.
Writer’s Prediction: Philip Rivers leads the Chargers (-3) to a 24-17 victory.
