Week 5 NFL Picks: Browns Beat Colts, Seahawks Handle Vikings
This is another strange COVID-affected NFL weekend, with two Monday night games and an extremely rare Tuesday night game between the Bills and Titans. Let's run through my picks for every single game.
Note: home teams in BOLD. Record last week: 6-7
Noon games
Panthers over FALCONS
The Panthers have won two in a row despite not having Christian McCaffrey. Teddy Bridgewater still has some nice weapons to throw to, and this defense has been surprisingly solid. They'll make sure the Falcons stay winless, potentially resulting in Dan Quinn being fired.
CHIEFS over Raiders
The Chiefs could legitimately go 16-0 this year. They're just that good on offense, and with Chris Jones coming back they've got plenty of playmakers on defense. KC has won 10 of its last 11 games against the Raiders. Make it 11 of 12.
Cardinals over JETS
The Cardinals need to bounce back from two straight losses, and there's no better team to do that against than the Jets, who are on 0-16 watch.
STEELERS over Eagles
The battle of Pennsylvania might not be much of a battle. This Steelers defense is dominant and they've got plenty of firepower on offense. Carson Wentz is in for a long day in Pittsburgh.
Rams over WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM
Kyle Allen taking over for Dwayne Haskins at QB for Washington isn't going to make things better for that offense. Haskins has been bad, but Allen isn't exactly much better. The Rams win a low-scoring affair on the road.
RAVENS over Bengals
I think the two-touchdown spread here is too high considering how good Joe Burrow has been, so I like the Bengals to cover. I just don't think they'll actually win the game. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will put up too many points.
TEXANS over Jaguars
It says a lot about the Jags that they're almost a touchdown underdog against an 0-4 team. But that's what happens when you lose to the Dolphins and Bengals in consecutive weeks. The Texans will be fired up by their coaching change and will finally win a game in 2020.
Late afternoon games
49ERS over Dolphins
This could be a sneaky-interesting game, as Ryan Fitzpatrick always seems to have the Dolphins in the game in the fourth quarter. But the 49ers are the better team, especially with Jimmy G back.
BROWNS over Colts
Who would've thought that Browns-Colts would be the game of the week? 2020 is wild. This is an incredibly fascinating matchup of 3-1 teams – the Browns' dominant running game against the Colts' dominant defense. I'm going with Kevin Stefanski and Cleveland to find a way to get it done at home.
COWBOYS over Giants
The Cowboys' defense has been atrocious, but I'm not sure Daniel Jones and the Giants will even be able to take advantage of that. Dallas can put up points in a hurry and this one shouldn't be close.
Sunday Night Football
SEAHAWKS over Vikings
I've been impressed with the Vikings' offense over the past two weeks, particularly when it comes to the emergence of rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson. He looks like the real deal and could be in for another impressive performance on Sunday Night Football. Like most people, I think this is going to be a shootout considering what we've seen from these two defenses. I just trust Wilson more than Kirk Cousins to get the job done late in a close game.
Monday Night Football
PATRIOTS over Broncos
If Cam Newton is able to start for the Patriots, this one might not be close. But even if Cam can't play, I'll still trust Bill Belichick's defense to shut down Brett Rypien and the Broncos.
SAINTS over Chargers
I picked Justin Herbert and the Chargers to upset the Buccaneers last week, and it nearly happened. I'm tempted to pick them again, but the Saints impressed me in their comeback win over the Lions. Drew Brees still has some life left in his arm and will get the job done.
Tuesday Night Football (!!!)
Bills over TITANS
What a strange and scary couple of weeks for the Titans. Luckily, they've had a few days with no new positive tests, allowing this game to actually happen. Off-the-field distractions aside, the Bills look awesome right now. They'll win this one.
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