NFL WEEK 5 PREDICTIONS

Chicago Bears (0-4) at Washington Commanders (2-2) (Thu) 8:15p (ET)

Just when you thought the Chicago Bears couldn’t be any worse, they blow a big lead to the Denver Broncos and drop to 0-4. Justin Fields threw for 300 yards for the first time in his NFL career and had four touchdown passes, but even that wasn’t enough to grab the first win of the season.
This week, the Bears travel to Washington to go against a Commanders team that nearly beat the reigning NFC Champions Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday. The Commanders have had some duds this season, but when their offense is hot, they are one of the most dynamic, efficient and exciting teams in the NFL. Expect WRs Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel to be very productive against the Bears’ secondary. On the other side of the ball, Washington’s pass rush should pressure Justin Fields into mistakes. The Commanders take this one on Thursday night by double digits.
Final Score: Bears – 20, Commanders – 33

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) vs Buffalo Bills (3-1) (London) 9:30a (ET)

The Buffalo Bills have won their last three games by an average of 30 points per game since the Week 1 loss against the Jets. Now, they travel to London, where the Jacksonville Jaguars will be playing their second straight game. Both these teams won in Week 4 and both got impressive showings from their defensive units. Buffalo’s defense managed to slow down a Dolphins offense that had scored 70 points the week prior. Jacksonville’s defense got a pick-six off of Falcons QB
Desmond Ridder.
The biggest storyline in this game will obviously be the QB matchup between Josh Allen and Trevor Lawrence, two of the most gifted players at the position in today’s NFL. The Jaguars have the weapons be highly competitive in Week 5, but I expect the Bills to win this game by a touchdown.

Final Score: Jaguars – 24, Bills – 31

Houston Texans (2-2) at Atlanta Falcons (2-2) 1:00p (ET)

The Houston Texans have won back-to-back games with scores of 30 and 37 points and they are playing better than most people anticipated. That’s a testament to the job being done by head coach DeMeco Ryans and the progression of rookie QB CJ Stroud, who has thrown for over 1,200 yards and six TDs with zero interceptions so far. The Atlanta Falcons seem to be on an opposite trajectory despite having the same record as the Texans up to this point. A nice 2-0 start to the 2023 season has rapidly turned bitter for the Falcons, who have lost games to the Lions and Jaguars consecutively, and in mediocre fashion. Stroud and the Texans have a great opportunity to steal another win on the road this season. This game could go either way, but I’m going to ride the wave the Texans are on.

Final Score: Texans – 27, Falcons – 24

Carolina Panthers (0-4) at Detroit Lions (3-1) 1:00p (ET)

The Detroit Lions return home following a successful NFC North rivalry matchup at Green Bay on Thursday night. It was an outstanding display by the Lions, as they dominated the Packers in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Carolina Panthers looked bad once again, this time at Minnesota in a 21-13 loss, failing to score an offensive touchdown. Playing at home against the Panthers this week, the Lions have a chance to prove how good of a team they are. Good teams beat the bad ones, especially playing at home. Bryce Young has to get rid of the ball quickly against Detroit’s strong pass rush, or things could get ugly early in the game. Detroit just has too many ways to beat you right now. Offensively, they can be explosive and dynamic as a running team or passing team, and they have one of the best offensive lines in football. They also have a dominant defensive unit. The Lions should pull out another impressive victory with their rushing game and move to 4-1.

Final Score: Panthers – 16, Lions – 34

Tennessee Titans (2-2) at Indianapolis Colts (2-2) 1:00p (ET)

The Titans blasted the Bengals at home and now travel to Indianapolis for a key AFC South matchup with the Colts. This rivalry has tilted toward the Titans – who have won their last five meetings. Indianapolis rallied back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter but fell in overtime to the LA Rams. Rookie QB Anthony Richardson has his team playing really well offensively. He is one of the most dynamic players at the quarterback position in the NFL right now, and the potential addition of RB Jonathan Taylor is great news for the team. As we witnesses versus the Ravens, Indianapolis can beat a run-focused offense, like the Titans. They couldn’t complete an impressive comeback victory in Week 4, but Anthony Richardson and the Colts showed a lot of character and grit. This game will be close, but the Colts should win by a field goal.

Final Score: Titans – 23, Colts – 26

New York Giants (1-3) at Miami Dolphins (3-1) 1:00p (ET)

The Giants have lost 5 of their last 7 road games, and desperately need a win to rebound from a rough 1-3 start of the season. Their offensive line remains absolutely horrendous, and they'll have less time to patch things up after playing last Monday. In Week 4, the Dolphins simply couldn’t keep up with the Bills, but Tagovailoa and company have looked unstoppable for most of this 2023 season. The Dolphins are still one of the best teams in the league, and a little butt-kicking courtesy of the Bills isn’t going to sway anyone’s opinion of the Dolphins this season, especially not with a home game coming up against the Giants. The Giants don’t stand a chance against the Dolphins in this one, going on the road, playing against one of the most high-powered offenses in the NFL.

Final Score: Giants – 20, Dolphins – 40

New Orleans Saints (2-2) at New England Patriots (1-3) 1:00p (ET)

It’s certainly not a vintage Drew Brees vs. Tom Brady type of showdown that’s about to go down in New England in Week 5. Saints and Patriots are likely to engage in a low- scoring defensive battle at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. The Saints come into this game sitting at 2-2 overall riding a 2 game skid after a horrible 17 point loss at home to the Buccaneers. The Patriots offense had a terrible performance against the Cowboys, which has been terrible most of the year so far. They’re averaging 13.8 points per game through the first four weeks, and Mac Jones' job security as the starting QB seems now to be on a week-to-week basis. And although the Saints haven’t exactly been much better (15.5 points per game), they have arguably been more efficient than their opponents. This matchup could come down to which team can make fewer mistakes offensively, and after what we saw in Week 4, I’m not exactly sure which way to lean. I still believe the Patriots have a good enough defense to win a low-scoring game at home. It’s difficult picking them after their performance against Dallas in Week 4, but I’ll back the Patriots at home in Week 5.

Final Score: Saints – 16, Patriots – 17

Baltimore Ravens (3-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) 1:00p (ET)

In one of the AFC’s greatest rivalries over the last few years, Ravens and Steelers square off at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett left last week’s game in Houston with a knee injury, leaving his status for this matchup up in the air. Lamar Jackson has got eight total TDs through four games and has a completion percentage of 74%, and he will present the Steelers with their most difficult task so far. The Steelers have won three of the last four meetings between these two teams, all of which decided by three points or less and none of which have had a winner put more than 20 points on the scoreboard. The Ravens have already gone on the road and beaten the Bengals this season. They went on the road and beat the Browns. Can they beat the Steelers on the road and complete the AFC North trifecta? With the way these Ravens team has been playing so far, I don’t see why not.

Final Score: Ravens – 23, Steelers – 17

Kansas City Chiefs (3-1) at Minnesota Vikings (1-3) 4:25p (ET)

There should be plenty of offensive fireworks in the matchup between the Chiefs and Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday. Kansas City lost the season opener, but they find themselves having won three consecutive games heading into Minnesota to face off against a struggling Vikings team that has just won its first game of the 2023 season.
Don’t let a 1-3 record fool you – Minnesota can light up a scoreboard. The Vikings are no longer in desperation mode with a win under their belt, but they’re going to be in a really difficult place if they can’t find a way to beat Kansas City at home this week. The Chiefs found a way to win with their running game leading the way against the Jets. Isiah Pacheco made some huge plays but their explosive passing game will need to make more appearances against the Vikings, a team capable of scoring lots of points. Expect Minnesota to keep it close at home, but the Chiefs to come out on top.

Final Score: Chiefs – 30, Vikings – 27

Dallas Cowboys (3-1) at San Francisco 49ers (4-0) 8:20p (ET)

The biggest game of Week 5 is at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night between the Cowboys and the 49ers. Dallas’ shocking loss in Week 3 to the Cardinals is the only thing standing between this matchup being a battle between two sides that have virtually dominated every single game they’ve played in this season. The Cowboys, who have the no. 1 defense in the NFL right now, are fresh off another impressive win, this time against the Patriots. The 49ers seem to have it all. They dominate on the offensive line, they have depth, they have speed, they make big plays downfield, and they have been dominant on defense. And their consistency has been impressive, as they have scored 30-plus points in every single game this season. The 49ers beat the Cowboys 23-17 and 19-12 in the playoffs the last two seasons. This is the same type of one-score battle. Expect the 49ers to remain undefeated. And yes, we will be seeing this matchup again at some point in the playoffs this season.

Final Score: Cowboys – 20, 49ers – 23

Green Bay Packers (2-2) at Las Vegas Raiders (1-3) (Mon) 8:15p (ET)

The Packers had some extra time to reflect on their 14-point loss to their NFC North rivals, the Detroit Lions, on Thursday Night Football. The Raiders lost to the Chargers 24-17 in Week 4 but gave their opponents a tough game, despite the fact that rookie QB Aidan O’Connell was making his first career NFL start and that Khalil Mack had six sacks for the Chargers. Green Bay’s pass rush is the team’s ace in the hole right now. They have one of the fastest and strongest defensive front seven units in the entire league, and they can bring pressure from the inside, from the edge, blitzing, from everywhere. So whether it’s O’Connell or Garoppolo out there on the field, someone is going to be under heavy pressure. Davante Adams, who was dealing with a shoulder injury, will go against his old team, but even playing on a limited snap count, he might be of help to the offensively-challenged Raiders. If the Raiders are able to feed RB Josh Jacobs the ball consistently and limit mistakes offensively, they can win this game at home.

Final Score: Packers – 20, Raiders – 24

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2023 NFL Football Season