NFL Picks Week 5: Over/Under Vegas Lines, Expert Predictions and Odds

The excruciating two days of time without NFL football is finally over as Thursday Night Football gears up to kick off a dazzling Week 5 of action. As such, betting lines are being looked over by those hoping to gain some extra coin.

Some choose to take the opening lines that drop on Monday with a grain of salt, and that's because they tend to change significantly as the week progresses. With six teams favored by at least a touchdown in Week 5, it's apparent some moving has taken place since the opening lines were released.

Las Vegas looks at every matchup one way, but many of the experts around the nation don't agree with their takes. Glance below at who some of the marquee NFL experts are picking, along with the odds and over/under lines.

NFL Week 5 Odds and Expert Picks

Game	Spread	O/U	Matt Miller, B/R	Mike Freeman, B/R	Jason La Canfora, CBS	Pete Prisco, CBS
Indianapolis at Houston	Even	45	Texans	Colts	Colts	Colts
Washington at Atlanta	ATL -9	48	Falcons	Falcons	Redskins	Falcons
Cleveland at Baltimore	BAL -7	43	Ravens	Ravens	Browns	Ravens
Seattle at Cincinnati	CIN -1	43	Bengals	Bengals	Seahawks	Bengals
St. Louis at Green Bay	GB -9.5	46	Packers	Packers	Rams	Packers
Chicago at Kansas City	KC -10	44.5	Bears	Chiefs	Bears	Chiefs
New Orleans at Philadelphia	PHI -4	49.5	Eagles	Saints	Saints	Eagles
Jacksonville at Tampa Bay	TB -3	42	Bucs	Jaguars	Jaguars	Jaguars
Buffalo at Tennessee	BUF -3	41.5	Bills	Titans	Titans	Titans
Arizona at Detroit	ARI -3	44	Cardinals	Cardinals	Cardinals	Cardinals
New England at Dallas	NE -7.5	49.5	Patriots	Patriots	Patriots	Patriots
Denver at Oakland	DEN -6	43.5	Broncos	Broncos	Broncos	Broncos
San Francisco at New York Giants	NYG -7	43	Giants	Giants	Giants	Giants
Pittsburgh at San Diego	SD -3	45.5	Chargers	Steelers	Steelers	Chargers

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Expert picks courtesy of Bleacher Report and CBS Sports.

Pittsburgh Steelers at San Diego Chargers

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

When this Monday Night Football showdown was initially scheduled by the NFL, they obviously had a different type of meeting in mind—one that pegged two of the AFC's best quarterbacks against one another.

Now that Ben Roethlisberger is out for the time being, that's no longer the case. And with both teams sputtering to a 2-2 record so far, this one could bring on more importance for these two teams than initially thought.

Despite having Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, the Steelers offense struggled in Mike Vick's first start with the team. Regardless, it still took some horrible kicking from now-free-agent Josh Scobee to give Pittsburgh its second loss against Baltimore last week.

With Martavis Bryant returning from suspension, the Steelers offense should benefit, as he shared on Twitter:

Bryant's return should bring less attention on Brown as the Chargers secondary has to do more to contain the Steelers' speedy wideout. San Diego has only allowed 225 yards passing per game, but its seven passing touchdowns allowed ranks seventh worst in the league.

After a treacherous start to 2015, Pittsburgh's defense is improving, but it has allowed the same number of passing scores on the year as San Diego. The Chargers also have a key piece returning from suspension in Antonio Gates, who could make a big difference.

One thing is certain—with the way these two teams need a win, it won't matter very much that Roethlisberger is out. It's still a pivotal early-season contest for both teams.

Arizona Cardinals at Detroit Lions

This one may put two NFC playoff teams from 2014 against one another, but so far this season, the Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions are headed in very different directions.

The Cardinals started the season on a tear just like last year, winning their opening three games all by a wide margin. They were brought back down to earth in a 24-22 loss to St. Louis, in which the Rams' defensive front repeatedly pestered Carson Palmer.

As for the Lions, things couldn't have started any worse. They're 0-4, after a controversial defeat to Seattle on Monday Night Football.

That being said, the Lions defense truly showed up in that one, holding the Seahawks to 13 points and forcing a fourth-quarter fumble recovery for a touchdown that swayed the momentum and gave Detroit a chance to win. 

Even Cardinals players have taken notice how the Lions offense has struggled, however, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN noted:

It won't be easy turning things around against this boisterous defense. The Cardinals have allowed just 199 passing yards per game, which will be a big deal considering the Lions can't run the ball to save their lives.

As it tends to in Detroit, this game will come down to Matthew Stafford and his ability to put up yards and points. He couldn't do that in Seattle, and it resulted in a heartbreaking loss.

Another suffocating NFC West defense is up Sunday, and they'd better be ready to solve it.