NFL WEEK 5 PICKS: Can Minnesota Vikings cover as home dogs vs. Chiefs?
The lines are from Sportsbook Review and the home teams are in CAPs.
Chicago +5.5 over WASHINGTON
You never know what to expect on a Thursday night, except for one thing: At least one team is going to look terrible.
Buffalo -5.5 over Jacksonville in London
While the Bills could be very susceptible to a let-down game here after beating up on a rival and then flying to London, it’s still hard to buy into the Jaguars. A win against the Falcons just isn’t enough yet.
Houston +1.5 over ATLANTA
The Falcons come back from their dud in London to face a feisty Texans team. Desmond Ridder has been a big negative for what should be an otherwise decent Falcons offence. With Houston’s defence looking solid, we’re looking for Ridder to once again struggle.
DETROIT -10 over Carolina
The poor winless Panthers have had all sorts of trouble so far and it won’t get any easier in Detroit. The Lions have had some extra time to prepare after playing last Thursday and should take advantage of it.
Tennessee -2.5 over INDIANAPOLIS
The Colts have yet to win at home but the Titans are winless on the road – one of these things will have to give. We’ll go with the offence that has more juice, which is Indy’s outfit led by exciting rookie Anthony Richardson. But really, this is a coin flip.
MIAMI -11 over New York Giants
It’s hard to look at the Giants and not see all of the problems this team has. The offensive line is a mess and conventional wisdom is that bad lines don’t travel well. Miami’s offence will look to start firing at will again after last week’s loss and shouldn’t have much trouble.
New Orleans +1 over NEW ENGLAND
The Patriots lost arguably their two best players to injury last week and Mac Jones has continued to struggle against good defences. The Saints qualify as just that and Bill Belichick seems to be running out of tricks.
Baltimore -4 over PITTSBURGH
Is it better or worse that Kenny Pickett is trying to play through his knee injury? The Steelers offence is a mess either way and offensive coordinator Matt Canada simply has to go for this unit to even start to improve.
Cincinnati -3 over ARIZONA
The Bengals season continues to spiral downwards but this line might be taking it a bit too far. The odds are stacked against the Bengals with Tee Higgins out and Joe Burrow hobbled, but we have to fade the public on this one as the Cards have seen more than 80% of bettors back them here.
Philadelphia -4.5 over L.A. RAMS
We’re not counting on much of a home-field advantage for the Rams considering how many Philadelphia transplants there are in L.A. The Eagles haven’t looked nearly as good as last year, but remain undefeated and should still be after this weekend.
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New York Jets +1.5 over DENVER
Zach Wilson finally showed some signs of improvement and it looks like Breece Hall is off of his pitch count after four weeks. The Broncos have been an absolute mess and also have a Thursday nighter against the Chiefs on deck.
MINNESOTA +4 over Kansas City
While it was the right move, Patrick Mahomes’ slide to clinch the win over the Jets cost bettors a cover on Monday night. It’s just another reminder that the Chiefs only care about winning. The Vikings seem content to continue to play one-score games – win or lose – so a cover should be in the cards.
SAN FRANCISCO -3.5 over Dallas
With how efficient and excellent the 49ers offence is right now, even Dallas’ strong defence will have problems slowing it down. Christian McCaffrey is having an MVP-calibre season – which is saying something given he’s a running back.
Green Bay -1 over LAS VEGAS
Going from a Thursday nighter to a Monday nighter gives the Packers even more time to see their ailing players reach 100%, which should put them over the top against a struggling Raiders team.
