We're now one month into the NFL season, and teams are beginning to separate themselves from the pack.
Week 5 blesses us with five divisional matchups, exciting teams in primetime, some projected blowouts and our first pair of teams on bye weeks in the Chiefs and Panthers.
Here's the rundown on the Week 5 slate to help make your picks:
Davidson's record (7-9)
Thursday, Oct. 8
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Dallas Cowboys: 8:15 p.m. ET
The Dallas Cowboys and their struggling defence winning by more than a touchdown? Putting it like that is crazy, but the Cowboys have many things in their favour for Week 5's edition of Thursday Night Football.
For starters, rookie QB Jalon Daniels will be under centre as Baker Mayfield is out with a thumb injury. The young signal caller put together just two scoring drives last week against Green Bay's measly defensive unit.
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys' offence are also firing on all cylinders through Week 4, dominating opponents to the tune of 30 points-per game – good for the second-highest scoring attack in the NFL.
Offence has never been the issue in Dallas, and if there's any QB who can't solve the Cowboys defence, it would be the undrafted rookie that's making just his second start.
(Pick: Cowboys -8.5)
Sunday, Oct. 11
Philadelphia Eagles @ Jacksonville Jaguars: 9:30 a.m. ET
The last week has been an absolute whirlwind for the Philadelphia Eagles. DeVonta Smith missed Week 4 with a hamstring injury, then Saquon Barkley went down with an ailment of his own. Additionally, all-world right tackle Lane Johnson retired and, to top it all off, Pro Bowl centre Cam Jurgens got dealt to the Ravens on Wednesday.
Oh, and now they travel across the pond to London for a date with the 3-1 Jaguars.
With Philly down to their third-string back (backup Tank Bigsby is also hurt) plus all the other injuries to key players on the roster, its chances of keeping pace with Trevor Lawrence and company is slim.
(Pick: Jaguars -7.5)
Las Vegas Raiders @ New England Patriots: 1 p.m. ET
Drake Maye and the Patriots earned a solid bounce-back dub against the Bills last week, but the jury's still out on whether the team up in Foxborough is back to the squad it was last season.
If the Pats are still a struggling squad with a depleted cupboard of weapons (Christian Gonzalez and Mack Hollins didn't practice on Wednesday), the suddenly-decent Raiders can easily march into Gillette Stadium and exit with a win — as we saw in Week 1 last season.
Kirk Cousins has Las Vegas playing solid football at 3-1, and the off-season acquisitions brought in with the boatloads of cap space are paying dividends.
An improved defensive line and new linebacker duo of Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker has the Raiders' defence playing fast and physical, and pressure on Maye will lead to good things.
(Pick: Raiders +3.5)
Cincinnati Bengals @ Miami Dolphins: 1 p.m. ET
The Dolphins entered the season with an exceptionally low bar. Solid rookie contributions have brought a glimmer of hope to Miami, but losing star RB De'Von Achane hurt their chances of coming through with a big upset.
On the other sideline is Joe Burrow and the Bengals, who may be without star wideout Ja'Marr Chase after he suffered a concussion on Sunday.
With or without Chase, the Bengals' offensive attack will be too much to overcome for Malik Willis.
(Pick: Bengals -7)
Houston Texans @ Tennessee Titans: 1 p.m. ET
Simply looking at the records for this AFC South matchup will leave you wondering where on Earth a touchdown spread came to be, but the reality is, these are two very different 0-4 squads.
The Texans battled against four solid clubs in the Colts, Cowboys, Bengals and Bills. For last season's defence, these offences would have been no problem. One year removed, however, and DeMeco Ryans' team has surrendered 30-plus points twice.
The head coach will take over play-calling duties on defence come Sunday, a change that may be beneficial. Luckily, the opponent is an anemic Titans team that has struggled to get much going in any phase.
That being said, the Titans have the benefit of playing in front of their home crowd, and while they might leave as the lone winless AFC South squad, a divisional matchup may bring enough juice to the locker room to keep it close.
(Pick: Titans +7.5)
Cleveland Browns @ New York Jets: 1 p.m. ET
A familiar trend around the NFL in Week 5, the Jets are dealing with a few injuries to key players. Breece Hall and Adonai Mitchell are expected to be out yet again, leaving defences to key in on Garrett Wilson.
The Browns have thoroughly exceeded expectations in the first quarter of the season, winning as many games (3) as people thought they would come January.
Cleveland is playing solid football and getting competent QB play, giving it a great chance to leave MetLife Stadium 4-1.
(Pick: Browns +2)
Indianapolis Colts @ Pittsburgh Steelers: 1 p.m. ET
There's trouble brewing in Pittsburgh, and there doesn't appear to be a solution coming quickly.
Starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr., son of Steelers legend Joey Porter, was dealt to the Cowboys after a contract dispute. Then, after a loss to the Browns in primetime, head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters on Monday that prep for the Colts would begin a day later as their "house is not clean."
Not exactly ideal just one month into the regular season.
(Pick: Colts +2.5)
Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints: 1 p.m. ET
The Saints have faltered of late after taking down the Ravens and now sit 1-3, so a date with the undefeated Vikings isn't a welcome one.
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is calling plays as good as anyone in the sport right now, and they've done just enough on offence to pull out some victories.
That being said, a majority of their points come from field goals, so Tyler Shough finding the end zone just once or twice should keep it a close game.
(Pick: Saints +2)
New York Giants @ Washington Commanders: 1 p.m. ET
Jayden Daniels is likely back. How effective will he be? To be seen.
But having the starting QB back surely has to be a boost to team morale, especially after last week's loss in London saw backup Marcus Mariota also go down. Unfortunately, we don't know who Daniels will be throwing to. Wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs were both absent from practice on Wednesday with hamstring injuries, leaving an already-depleted roster even thinner.
Then there's Jameis Winston and the Giants, who stroll into Northwest Stadium with three wins under their belt. Even without Jaxson Dart and Brian Burns, John Harbaugh has the team in a good spot.
(Pick: Giants +3.5)
Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers: 1 p.m. ET
To say this season has been a mess for the Packers would be an understatement. No Micah Parsons, no Josh Jacobs, many problems.
Green Bay's two wins this season have come against the Jets in Week 2 and against the Bucs last week in Jalon Daniels' first start, and both games were narrow three-point victories.
Without Jacobs, the running game has fallen face-first on the ground, totaling just 232 yards through four games for an average of 58 yards a game.
Being too one dimensional has hurt the Packers, and expect it to continue once again as the Bears look to go 3-0 without Caleb Williams.
(Pick: Bears -2.5)
Denver Broncos @ Los Angeles Chargers: 4:05 p.m. ET
Bo Nix and the Broncos were completely outclassed last Sunday by the 49ers, but lucky for them, Week 5 brings the lone "easy" game on their schedule to start the season.
Already playing San Francisco, Kansas City, Jacksonville and the other Los Angeles squad, the Chargers, who sit at 0-4, provides Sean Payton a chance to get his team back on track.
On the other hand, the Chargers are a complete mess – nothing has gone right for them. Could this be the week? Absolutely. But Payton is the all-time winningest coach in October, and he'll have his team ready for this road game.
(Pick: Broncos -3.5)
Detroit Lions @ Arizona Cardinals: 4:25 p.m. ET
When Tuesday rolls around and you look at the top offensive performers from the last week, the common thread has been quarterbacks and receivers who face the Lions.
Yes, that's how bad Detroit's defence has been.
Tetairoa McMillan went off on Sunday for 192 yards and two touchdowns on 14 catches, Wilson had 10 grabs for 107 and a TD for the Jets, and the list goes on.
For a Cardinals team that features Jeremiyah Love (who may be hurt, but Mike LaFleur suggested otherwise), Michael Wilson and Trey McBride, points won't be hard to come by.
But this Lions offence is as potent as those that stand on the other sidelines come gameday, and Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown will lead the charge in an offensive explosion.
(Pick: Lions -5.5)
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks: 4:25 p.m. ET
As difficult as it is to not take the Seahawks in front of the 12s, the 2026 49ers team is even harder to pick against.
All three phases of the game are clicking, Brock Purdy is playing out of his mind and the defence – despite key injuries – is flying around the field at 100 m.p.h.
Over the last five meetings between these two NFC West rivals in Seattle, the Niners have been victorious in four, with the Seahawks win coming en route to their dominant Super Bowl run.
San Francisco has been just too good over the first month of the season to not take them by a field goal.
(Pick: 49ers +3)
Baltimore Ravens @ Atlanta Falcons: 8:20 p.m. ET
With Michael Penix on the field, the Falcons are putting the ball in their playmakers' hands and winning games. Bijan Robinson is as dominant as ever, and Drake London has put together two great outings with the third-year southpaw dishing it out.
The biggest question in this matchup is Lamar Jackson's health. The star QB exited last week's game with an ankle injury and didn't practice on Wednesday. If he's good to go, the Ravens have a far better shot to win, but ankles can always be tricky, especially with a QB as mobile as Jackson.
(Pick: Falcons -3.5)
Monday, Oct. 12
Buffalo Bills @ Los Angeles Rams: 8:15 p.m. ET
Arguably, the game of the week comes on Monday night when the Bills travel across the country to take on the Rams.
Already down Myles Garrett, L.A. may be without Aaron Donald again after he sat out last week, but just because the two superstars are down doesn't mean the Rams defence isn't dominant.
Byron Young and Braden Fiske are both great players on the D-line, while Trent McDuffie has shored up a previously-leaky secondary.
That being said, the 2024 MVP winner in Josh Allen has the offence firing at a high rate as the league's top-scoring outfit, but the key to rebounding from the loss to the Pats will be getting tight end Dalton Kincaid going.
Buffalo's first two games – when they scored 36 and 41 points – coincided with a heavy dose of Kincaid as he totaled 12 grabs for 225 yards. In the comeback win against the Chargers and last week's defeat, the 26-year-old was limited to just three catches.
Get him going, Joe Brady.
(Pick: Bills +3)
BetMGM lines are subject to change.
