NFL Week 5 Survivor Pool Picks (Cardinals, AFC South Squad Highlight Top Predictions)

The SI Betting team breaks down who they're picking in Survivor for Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season.

The Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Kyler Murray are massive favorites in Week 5. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Four weeks are down in the 2025 NFL season, and if you stayed alive in your Survivor Pool in Week 4, you're in a great spot.

There were a bunch of upsets on Sunday in Week 4, as the New York Giants beat the Los Angeles Chargers, the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers knocked off the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin.

Luckily, if you tailed the SI Betting’s teams pick – Houston and Detroit – you have advanced to Week 5 of the 2025 season. 

This week features a few large spreads, as Arizona, Detroit, Buffalo and Indianapolis are all favored by 6.5 or more points. Our team is eyeing two of those squads to win in Week 5, but first let’s recap last week’s picks. 

NFL Week 4 Survivor Picks Recap

• Iain MacMillan: Houston Texans (W)
• Peter Dewey: Detroit Lions (W)

It was a great week for the SI team, as both the Texans and Lions won easily on Sunday, and we’ll take any stress-free Survivor week that we can get. 

Here’s a breakdown of each of the picks for Week 5 of the 2025 season. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

NFL Week 5 Survivor Pool Picks

Indianapolis Colts

Whether or not you're still fully bought in on the Indianapolis Colts being contenders this season, you have to at least appreciate the numbers. 

They lead the NFL in yards per play and their advanced metrics are amongst the top in the NFL. 

It's best to strike the iron while it's hot and use the Colts in survivor before they potentially cool down as the season progresses. 

Now is as good a time as any to use the Colts when they host a reeling Las Vegas Raiders team that is sitting at 1-3 with losses to the likes of the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders without Jayden Daniels. The Colts are the team to back this week. – Iain MacMillan

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals have dropped back-to-back games, but I’m buying them as 9.5-point favorites at home against the helpless Tennessee Titans.

The Titans failed to score a point against the Houston Texans in Week 4, and they rank 29th in EPA/Play on defense and 31st in EPA/Play on offense. 

Not only that, but in the Brian Callahan era, the Titans are just 3-18 against the spread, meaning it’s highly unlikely that they cover and win outright in this game.

Arizona is a middle-of-the-pack team in the 2025 season, ranking 14th in EPA/Play on offense and 16th in EPA/Play on defense. However, the Cardinals have been able to beat inferior competition, knocking off both the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers in Survivor spots earlier this season.

I have saved the Cardinals to this point, but this may be the last time they’re worth taking. Arizona’s easiest remaining games after Week 5 are in Week 9 against Dallas and Week 17 against Cincinnati – but there’s a chance Joe Burrow is back by then.

I’ll fade the Titans any chance I get this season, and this seems like a perfect spot to use a fringe playoff team and save some of the top contenders for down the line. – Peter Dewey

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