Andrew Wilsher
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NFL Week 5 has arrived as we gear up for Jets vs Vikings in London along with another 11 huge matchups on Sunday! Last week we saw the Ravens prove they’re once again Super Bowl contenders after a 35-10 demolition of the Bills, while things went from bad to worse for the Eagles as they were downed by the Buccaneers. What does Week 5 have in store? We already saw an incredible battle between the Falcons and Buccaneers that saw Atlanta triumph in overtime as Kirk Cousins had over 500 passing yards, so let’s hope for even more fireworks! Let’s get into the action with our Pickswise experts’ 3-star NFL best bets for Week 5, while you can also find out our NFL picks on the side and total for EVERY matchup this season.
NFL Week 5 best bet: New York Jets +2.5 over Minnesota Vikings (-110)
Odds available at Caesars Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to +1.5.
The New York Jets meet the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday morning in London, and for my Jets vs Vikings best bet I’m siding with the Gang Green to bounce back from last week’s disappointing defeat against the Broncos. New York was favored for this matchup in the lookahead line and likely would have been the favorite if Greg Zuerlein had scored the 50-yard field goal in the final minute to put the Jets ahead. That shouldn’t have much of an impact here, so I like the Jets’ chances of getting the win.
There were no doubt some issues with New York’s offense on Sunday, but the torrential rain was clearly a problem and shouldn’t be such a factor in this matchup. Before that game, Aaron Rodgers had looked to be building a strong rapport with his receivers while the backfield of Breece Hall and Braelon Allen has been building into one of the toughest tandems in the league. While the Vikings defense has held firm for the most part, they did show signs of fragility when they almost blew a 21-point lead in the 4th quarter against the Packers. They have allowed the most passing yards in the league this season and could be vulnerable to the threat of Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams.
As for Minnesota’s offense, you have to start with the huge revenge factor for Sam Darnold. The former Jet is finally living up to the potential that made him a first-round draft pick in 2018 and will no doubt have had this game circled in his calendar for a while. However, he will be facing a Jets defense that ranks 2nd in passing yards allowed and yards per attempt, while also allowing just 2 passing touchdowns in 4 games this season. There is no doubt that this Vikings team has been a feel-good story this year, but it seems like it’s only a matter of time before they are brought back down to Earth. With questions surrounding their defense while New York boasts one of the best in the league, I expect the Jets to be able to outscore the Vikes in this one. I’m going with the Jets and taking the points for insurance, as well.
Read our full New York Jets vs Minnesota Vikings predictions
NFL Week 5 best bet: Green Bay Packers -3 over LA Rams (-115)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable at that number.
The Green Bay Packers travel west for a matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, and I fully expect Green Bay to pick up a big win. QB Jordan Love returned last week from an MCL injury suffered in Week 1, and the Packers play-caller completed 32 of his 52 pass attempts for 389 yards and 4 touchdowns to go with 3 interceptions. It was a tale of two halves for the Packers, but Love looked like his normal self in the second half, and I expect much of the same against a Rams defense that allows 385.3 yards (31st in the NFL) and 28.8 points per contest (31st in the NFL). Los Angeles has 4 members of its secondary on IR, and they’re struggling to slow down any offense.
The hosts enter this game with a 1-3 record, and after pulling off a 27-24 upset against the 49ers in Week 3, they fell to the Bears 24-18 in Chicago. They outgained the Bears in that contest, but Matt Stafford fumbled at their own 13-yard line in the first half which led to a Bears touchdown, and threw an interception on the final drive of the game which sealed their fate. The Rams aren’t a bad team, but the number of injuries they’ve suffered this season is too hard to ignore. WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua will miss another week, and although Stafford has been able to somewhat produce with the help of RB Kyren Williams, I expect Green Bay to fully take away the Rams’ rushing attack, as they rank 11th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (109.3).
Green Bay will likely be without leading WR Christian Watson, but Love still has plenty of targets to dominate a weak Rams secondary. Additionally, the Packers are 10-0 against the spread in these teams’ last 10 meetings and are 9-1 ATS in their previous 10 games against NFC West opponents. Expect the Packers to bounce back from last week’s disappointing loss to the Vikings, as they should win by more than a field goal in LA.
Read our full Green Bay Packers vs LA Rams predictions
NFL Week 5 best bet: New England Patriots -1 over Miami Dolphins (-110)
Odds available at BetMGM at time of publishing. Playable to -2.5.
It’s not exactly a marquee matchup in Week 5 as the New England Patriots get ready to host the Miami Dolphins, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find value. Tyler Huntley is slated to start his second straight game for the Dolphins, and to say his first one didn’t go too well would be a dramatic understatement. Huntley was abysmal on Monday Night Football, when the Dolphins got blown out at home by a previously 0-3 Titans team that was also forced to play a backup quarterback in Mason Rudolph.
Now the Dolphins are on a short week going on the road into a hostile environment with a QB who still can’t possibly have fully digested head coach Mike McDaniel’s complicated offensive system. The Patriots haven’t looked great the last couple of weeks, but they have been on the road against very tough 49ers and Jets defenses. New England has only played one home game, back in Week 2, and they showed pretty well. The Pats took a very solid Seattle team to overtime in that one, losing on a field goal. And in Week 1 they pulled off a big upset on the road against the Bengals. Jacoby Brissett has a very limited ceiling, but he is at least a competent veteran signal-caller and provides stability at the position — which is the exact opposite of what Huntley brings to the table.
The Dolphins’ only win of the season was a very narrow one back in Week 1 at home against a Jaguars team that is now 0-4. And they only beat Jacksonville because Travis Etienne fumbled on the goal line late in the game. Even when Tua Tagovailoa was under center the team was still fledgling, and without him it has completely fallen apart. I’m rolling with the Pats.
Read our full Miami Dolphins vs New England Patriots predictions
