The beginning of NFL Week 5 also means the start of bye weeks. Apologies on behalf of the league if you've gotten accustomed to and have loved the first four weeks of 16-game slates, but that's now a thing of the past.
For Week 5, the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks all have the week off. However, there will still be plenty of action, including one of the worst Thursday Night Football matchups of the season, a fascinating London Game early on Sunday morning, an elite Sunday Night Football clash, and a star facing his former team on Monday Night Football.
It's going to be great. But who is going to come out of Week 5 with a win? Let's dive into our NFL picks and score predictions for every game on the slate this week.
2023 NFL Picks Record: 41-23 (Week 4: 11-5)
Week 5 NFL picks and score predictions for every game, TNF to MNF
Can we just pretend this game isn't happening? If not, then I'll roll with the Commanders. Washington's front should make for a lot of issues for Justin Fields, who hasn't appeared to need to much help from opposing defenses for that to be the case. Chicago just looks broken right now, which is why the Commanders at home is the easy pick.
Back to London this week, but the Jaguars are staying there after getting an international game last week too. For me, that will make this one pretty tight. That's a key factor in Jacksonville's favor to be more comfortable than Buffalo. Having said that, Josh Allen and the Bills will hit their stride late and push ahead to get an ugly, hard-fought win.
With the Titans whipping up on the Bengals last week, they're now road favorites in this game. Anthony Richardson has been imperfect for the Colts, but his flashes have been awesome. This comes down to having more faith in Indy's QB and offense as a whole to convert, even against a good Tennessee defense, enough to get the win.
Derek Carr looked a bit limited playing through injury last week. Mac Jones looked limited playing like himself. This could be an eyesore of a matchup on Sunday afternoon, one that might not make even a quad box. Even still, the Saints just look better on paper to me and I have more faith in their offensive weapons to elevate quarterback play than I do with the Patriots.
Is Matt Canada still the Steelers OC? Yes? Well, that makes this one pretty easy. Not only are the Ravens getting healthier, but they are clearly the substantially better team in this matchup. Maybe the rivalry aspect makes it closer, but I'm not buying that in these predictions.
Fantasy football managers have decried Arthur Smith for a long time now. While that may be true, though, the fact of the matter is that he was winning games -- keyword being was. Desmond Ridder is a true hindrance on this offense and, though the Texans defense isn't perfect, Houston has looked far more professional with rookie CJ Stroud at the helm, which is why they'll get the Week 5 win.
It's definitely become clear that Bryce Young and the Panthers might need more than the 2023 season to become a viable threat in the NFC South. The Lions, on the other hand, have looked worthy of the preseason hype for this team. In Detroit, don't expect this one to be all that close.
The Bills derailed the Dolphins hype train a bit last week but the Giants won't have the same. Even if Saquon Barkley is back for this one, Miami's offense should have far too much for New York to handle and the defense should continue to make Daniel Jones' life almost entirely miserable.
I'm not going to believe in the Bengals until they given me a real reason to. Losing 27-3 to the Titans last week was not that reason. Arizona hasn't been a world-beater, but they've been a functional NFL team through four games. That's more than I can say for Cincinnati, so I'm going with the Cardinals at home.
Sneakily one of the best games on the NFL Week 5 slate, I'm excited to see what the Eagles defense can do against what's been a consistently good Rams offense. Having said that, I expect Philly to control the lines of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, pushing them to another win in this one.
After Zach Wilson played one of the best games of his career, I'm almost inclined to predict a drop-off. On the other hand, that's hard to imagine against a hapless Broncos defense. The Jets defense should be the biggest story, though, as they should ultimately dominate the action and push New York to a win.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense need something to spark them. Playing the Vikings defense can certainly have that effect. Even with how well Kansas City has played overall defensively, Minnesota should move the ball efficiently. They'll just simply be outscored, as has already been the case too often this season.
Sunday Night Football should deliver the game of Week 5 with the Cowboys going to visit the 49ers as arguably the two best teams in the NFC. Especially at home, San Francisco is favored. But this feels like a prove-it moment for the Dallas defense. Dak Prescott and Co. should have the full offensive line back as well, which makes me think the Cowboys pull off the upset.
Davante Adams gets to face his former team in Vegas this week on Monday Night Football. We still don't know if Jimmy Garoppolo will be good to go but I'm not entirely sure it matters. Jordan Love has been better more often than not and the Raiders defense is still struggling to get pressure. With that and the strength of the Packers defense, Green Bay picks up a road win.
