Week 5 NFL Picks: Over/Under Advice, Final-Score Predictions and Odds

Four teams sit on a bye week in Week 5, narrowing the field of potential wins for those who like to make NFL picks.  

As if it wasn't hard enough already.  

Those who partake in NFL picks each week know how difficult the start of a season can be, though this one has been especially tough with regulars like the New England Patriots falling flat and the Los Angeles Rams looking like playoff contenders. 

That means Week 5 is a minefield of sorts, with interesting divisional battles like Seattle Seahawks-Los Angeles Rams, not to mention matchups like Baltimore Ravens-Oakland Raiders, Green Bay Packers-Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs-Houston Texans, to name a few. 

Here's a full breakdown.  

NFL Week 5 Schedule, Odds

Arizona at Philadelphia (-6.5)  | O/U 45

Buffalo at Cincinnati (-3)  | O/U 39

Carolina at Detroit (-3)  | O/U 43.5

Jacksonville at Pittsburgh (-8)  | O/U 44

L.A. Chargers at N.Y. Giants (-3.5)  | O/U 44.5

N.Y. Jets (-1) at Cleveland  | O/U 39

San Francisco at Indianapolis (-1.5)  | O/U 44

Tennessee (-3) at Miami  | O/U n/a

Baltimore at Oakland (-3)  | O/U n/a

Seattle at L.A. Rams (-1.5)  | O/U 47

Green Bay at Dallas (-2)  | O/U 52

Kansas City (-1) at Houston  | O/U n/a

Minnesota (-3) at Chicago  | O/U n/a

Bold denotes predicted winner against the spread and over/under projection. 

Easiest Call: Arizona at Philadelphia (-6.5) 

There aren't any really easy calls this week, not with bad teams like the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns colliding. Something like the Tennessee Titans over the Miami Dolphins would take the slot if there wasn't an injury cloud chasing Marcus Mariota. 

This makes the Philadelphia Eagles beating the Arizona Cardinals the line looking the easiest. 

And why not? The Arizona Cardinals are notoriously bad on the road, and this year hasn't been an exception. They would've lost both road games so far this season were it not for a cupcake matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, and Carson Palmer seems shot, sitting on five touchdowns and interceptions while his offense struggles without David Johnson. A three-point escape of the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5 says it all. 

By comparison, the Eagles have looked great while winning three games, including two on the road and another road trip to Arrowhead Stadium of all places only resulting in a 27-20 loss. 

Philadelphia's defense hasn't been great, but Carson Wentz looks comfortable this year compared to his shaky late-season form a year ago. A new weapon like Alshon Jeffery (two touchdowns) helps, as does LeGarrette Blount averaging 5.9 yards per carry out of the backfield. 

Look for the Eagles to grind this one out as a Palmer-led offense stalls on the road. 

Prediction: Eagles 30, Cardinals 17 

Toughest Call: Buffalo at Cincinnati (-3)

Slap on a blindfold and throw a dart at the schedule to find the toughest game of the week. 

The Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals might register as the toughest by a small margin, at least. As some might get confused here, the 1-3 Bengals are indeed favorites against the 3-1 Bills, perhaps in large part because this one takes place in Cincinnati. 

It's a tough outlook from oddsmakers, all things considered. The Bills have wins against the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons. The Bengals have a win against the Cleveland Browns and already had to fire an offensive coordinator. 

The Bengals looked good against the Browns as Andy Dalton tossed four touchdowns, but his running game was still a mess. Vontaze Burfict is back for one of the league's best defenses, yet his unit is on par with Buffalo's defense given the talent on both. 

In a picks situation like this, the final call likely comes down to an X-factor like Tyrod Taylor, who can make ridiculous plays like this: 

Granted, Cincinnati has a big-play artist of its own in A.J. Green. The difference is a porous offensive line struggling to the point coaches are rotating offensive tackles, not to mention the unit won't have Tyler Eifert or John Ross to take attention away from Green. 

On the road, Taylor's ability to extend plays like above will make the difference as it has against teams much better than the Bengals. 

Prediction: Bills 24, Bengals 17

Upset Call: Minnesota (-3) at Chicago  

Risky, right? 

This would be a bigger upset than Buffalo in Cincinnati even if the Minnesota Vikings are only 2-2 compared to the 1-3 mark of the Chicago Bears, the latter of which has the home team resorting to starting rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. 

A rookie getting the nod under center in his career debut on Monday Night Football against a defense that has allowed more than 20 points in a game once so far is a great unknown. 

Still, Trubisky brings a new element to this Chicago offense we haven't seen, mostly because he has a better field-stretching arm than Mike Glennon and has the athleticism to escape the pocket and make plays, meaning no more one-reception games overall for Chicago wide receivers. 

And the Vikings are an injury-riddled mess at this point. Case Keenum had one fluky three-touchdown game in relief of Sam Bradford and hasn't otherwise thrown a score. Bradford's status remains an unknown. Now the Vikings have to go without rookie star back Dalvin Cook, too, which doesn't have head coach Mike Zimmer sounding confident in backup Latavius Murray. 

"Dalvin was an exceptional back with great big-play ability," Zimmer said, according to Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. "I don't know whether we'll get the big-play ability out of Latavius. But we expect him to continue to help the running game as best (he) can."

Add a raucous crowd ready to usher in a new era supporting a stout defense and an offense capable of scoring more points than usual, and it is safe to pick the Bears to best the odds here and pick up an eyebrow-raising win.

Prediction: Bears 20, Vikings 17 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Odds according to OddsShark.