NFL Week 5 Picks: Predictions for Vegas Odds Before Thursday Night
The Houston Texans bounced back from an awful performance against the New England Patriots in Week 3 with a 27-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Week 4.
In addition to allowing head coach Bill O'Brien and quarterback Brock Osweiler to look at themselves in the mirror with a little bit of self-respect, the Houston defense held the Titans to a field goal in the second half.
Now the Texans go back on the road against the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. More than their 4-0 record, the Vikings have shown the tendency to fight hard on every play for head coach Mike Zimmer.
When the Vikings face a challenge, such as losing quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a brutal knee injury, they have continued to fight. By adding quarterback Sam Bradford, they have given themselves a chance to make a run at becoming one of the NFL's dominant teams.
| Arizona at San Francisco | Ariz. -3 | 42 | SF; under |
| Washington at Baltimore | Balt. -3.5 | 45 | Wash.; over |
| Tennessee at Miami | Mia. -3.5 | 41.5 | Tenn.; under |
| Houston at Minnesota | Minn. -6.5 | 40 | Minn.; under |
| Chicago at Indianapolis | Ind. -4.5 | 47.5 | Chi.; over |
| N.Y. Jets at Pittsburgh | Pitt. -7 | 48.5 | Pitt.; over |
| Philadelphia at Detroit | Phil. -3 | 46 | Det.; over |
| New England at Cleveland | NE -10.5 | 46.5 | NE; under |
| Atlanta at Denver | Den. -5.5 | 47.5 | Atl.; under |
| San Diego at Oakland | Oak. -3.5 | 49.5 | SD; under |
| Buffalo at L.A. Rams | LA -2 | 39.5 | Buff.; under |
| Cincinnati at Dallas | Even | 45.5 | Cin.; under |
| N.Y. Giants at Green Bay | GB -7.5 | 48 | NYG; over |
| Tampa Bay at Carolina (MNF) | N/A | N/A | Carolina |
The Vikings are 6.5-point favorites, according to Odds Shark. While that number may seem high, these teams are two opposites. The Vikings rise up when they have a challenge, while the Texans shrink away when they have to prove themselves against a strong team.
They were blanked by the Kansas City Chiefs in last year's playoffs, and they have already been shut out by the Patriots. While a shutout is not likely here, we don't expect the Texans to get anything but a couple of field goals.
The Vikings will take control by halftime, and they will win this game by double digits.
Philadelphia at Detroit
The Philadelphia Eagles are a surprising 3-0 under rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, and they are coming off an early-season bye week.
They return to action this week against the 1-3 Detroit Lions, who just lost to the previously winless Chicago Bears.
Wentz has not thrown an interception, and he has looked calm and in control in each of Philadelphia's three games while accumulating a 103.8 passer rating and averaging 250.3 passing yards per game.
However, the Eagles may not be a great team. They may not be much more than an ordinary team that has gotten off to a hot start.
Wentz is going to find out what it means to confront a desperate and talented team when the Eagles go to Detroit Sunday. The Lions don't want to fall to 1-4, and they should be good enough to win this home game.
The Eagles are three-point road favorites, but we like Matthew Stafford to find his stride once again. He will make excellent use of wide receivers Marvin Jones and Golden Tate, and the Lions will win their second game of the season.
New England at Cleveland
The Cleveland Browns can't catch a break. While they are winless in their first four games, they have played well in spurts and could have beaten the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively.
Normally, one might be able to make a case that any opponent may be looking past the Browns, but when that opponent is coached by Bill Belichick and quarterbacked by Tom Brady in his first game back after a four-game suspension, that is simply not going to happen.
The Patriots are robust 10.5-point favorites over the Browns, and while that seems like a lot on the road, the Patriots are coming off a shutout loss at the hands of the Bills.
Look for Brady to get off to a sharp start, and this could be the week that tight end Rob Gronkowski finds his stride for the first time in 2016. If Gronkowski can make one or two key plays early, that should open things up for wideouts Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola.
We like the Pats to put the Browns away by two touchdowns or more.
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