NFL Viewer Guide for Week 5: Ranking the Matchups and Predictions

Each week we'll be counting down the weekend games in terms of viewer appeal and later share our predictions — confidence pool style.

As usual, there are several intriguing matchups on the schedule and we've ranked them (in reverse order) based on the expect quality of the game along with Dolphins-related impact, if applicable.

COUNTDOWN OF THE BEST MATCHUPS

15. New England (1-3) at Houston (1-3), 1 p.m. ET: This actually might be a more competitive game than expected considering the Patriots practiced Thursday without four of their five starting offensive linemen. But the Texans are just really bad right now.

14. Detroit (0-4) at Minnesota (1-3), 1 p.m. ET: Former Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell is still looking for his first win with Detroit, and the Lions' lack of talent doesn't exactly make them must-see TV.

13. N.Y. Jets (1-3) at Atlanta (1-3), 9:30 a.m. ET: The first of the two London games isn't exactly a thrilling matchup, though the Jets are coming off their first win over new coach Robert Saleh and it's always good to keep an eye on rookie QB Zach Wilson.

12. Tennessee (2-2) at Jacksonville (0-4), 1 p.m. ET: This normally would be an absolute dud, but the curiosity factor regarding how the Jaguars and the Jacksonville crowd will respond after the Urban Meyer fiasco of last weekend should be off the charts.

11. Miami (1-3) at Tampa Bay (3-1), 1 p.m. ET: The Tom Brady factor always comes into play anytime the Bucs play, but this game will be a dud if the Dolphins offense can't come to life against an injury-riddled Bucs secondary.

10. Philadelphia (1-3) at Carolina (3-1), 1 p.m. ET: The Panthers are for real, even after their loss last week against Dallas, while the big story with the Eagles will be how rookie WR DeVonta Smith builds on his first 100-yard receiving game in the NFL.

9. N.Y. Giants (1-3) at Dallas (3-1), 4:25 p.m. ET: Does anybody really think the Giants have turned a corner because Daniel Jones had a big game in the upset win against New Orleans? Me neither, which is why I don't understand the need for FOX to give this game to practically the entire country as its doubleheader game.

8. Denver (3-1) at Pittsburgh (1-3), 1 p.m. ET: There's something sad about watching a battered Ben Roethlisberger trying to get things done behind an uncharacteristically bad Steelers offensive line. The Broncos have their own issues on offense despite their 3-1 record.

7. New Orleans (2-2) at Washington (2-2), 1 p.m. ET: The Saints always are a fun team to watch just to see Taysom Hill run a few plays at quarterback ... I'm kidding. No, Taylor Heinicke is the QB to watch in this game, though we'd still like to see old friend Ryan Fitzpatrick back in action.

6. Indianapolis (1-3) at Baltimore (3-1), Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET: The Colts' convincing victory against the Dolphins in Week 4 seemed to be more about Miami's struggles because the Colts are still really banged up. And it just doesn't bode well for a great Monday night matchup against a Ravens team that's on a roll.

5. Chicago (2-2) at Las Vegas (3-1), 4:05 p.m. ET: Well, waddya know, the Bears actually finally decided to name Justin Fields as their permanent starting QB. Not sure how much that will help them here, but Khalil Mack facing his former team for the first time adds something to this matchup.

4. San Francisco (2-2) at Arizona (4-0), 4:25 p.m. ET: The Cardinals now stand as the only defeated team in the NFL and, as an added bonus here, we might get to see Trey Lance making his first career start.

3. Green Bay (3-1) at Cincinnati (3-1), 1 p.m. ET: Easily the best of the early-afternoon matchups. The upstart Bengals get the chance to make a big statement here against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

2. Cleveland (3-1) at L.A. Chargers (3-1), 4:05 p.m. ET: This should be a great game between two just under-the-radar Super Bowl contenders, and a great test for Justin Herbert against Myles Garrett and a very good (if not fully appreciated) Cleveland defense.

1. Buffalo (3-1) at Kansas City (2-2), 8:20 p.m. ET: The rematch of the AFC Championship Game is the game of the week regardless of what the records say. The Josh Allen-Patrick Mahomes matchup alone is must-see TV.

GAME PREDICTIONS

In a different way of doing this, here are projected winners, and they are ranked in order of confidence that the projection will be accurate with No. 1 being the most confident. Note that the Dolphins game will not be included in this exercise; the Dolphins prediction will come in a Saturday column.

Week 3 record: 6-8 (Yikes!)

1. Minnesota over Detroit

2. Baltimore over Indianapolis

3. Dallas over N.Y. Giants

4. New England over Houston

5. Carolina over Philadelphia

6. Tennessee over Jacksonville

7. Green Bay over Cincinnati

8. Pittsburgh over Denver

9. Las Vegas over Chicago

10. New Orleans over Washington

11. N.Y. Jets over Atlanta

12. Arizona over San Francisco

13. L.A. Chargers over Cleveland

14. Kansas City over Buffalo

Add us as a preferred source on Google