Week 5 NFL Picks: Full Lines, Best Odds, Spread Advice and Predictions

Even though the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys suffered losses in Week 4, their Week 5 meeting at AT&T Stadium could generate plenty of buzz. 

Two of the top teams in the NFC will be under the national spotlight, with just two contests taking place in the late-afternoon window. 

If the two sides continue to play well, the victor may end up with a head-to-head tiebreaker that improves its playoff seeding in December. 

After those teams dropped results, San Francisco is the lone unbeaten NFC team. The 49ers return to action Monday vs. Cleveland in what could be a showcase of two young quarterbacks. 

For the Browns, the visit to Levi's Stadium allows them to prove they can rack up results on a consistent basis following their road win in Baltimore. 

NFL Week 5 Schedule and Odds

All Times ET. 

Odds from Caesars; predictions against the spread when available in bold. 

Thursday, October 3

Los Angeles Rams at Seattle (-1.5) (8:20 p.m., Fox/NFL Network) 

Sunday, October 6

Baltimore (-4) at Pittsburgh (1 p.m., CBS) 

Buffalo at Tennessee (No Line) (1 p.m., CBS) 

Jacksonville at Carolina (-3) (1 p.m., CBS) 

New England (-15.5) at Washington (1 p.m., CBS) 

New York Jets at Philadelphia (No Line) (1 p.m., CBS)

Atlanta at Houston (-5) (1 p.m., Fox) 

Arizona at Cincinnati (-4.5) (1 p.m., Fox) 

Chicago (-4) vs. Oakland (1 p.m., Fox; Game in London) 

Minnesota (-4.5) at New York Giants (1 p.m., Fox) 

Tampa Bay at New Orleans (-3.5) (1 p.m., Fox) 

Denver at Los Angeles Chargers (-6.5) (4:05 p.m., CBS) 

Green Bay at Dallas (-3.5) (4:25 p.m., Fox) 

Indianapolis at Kansas City (-11) (8:20 p.m., NBC) 

Monday, October 7

Cleveland at San Francisco (-3.5) (8:15 p.m., ESPN) 

Predictions

Green Bay at Dallas (-3.5) 

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Dallas lost consecutive games once in 2018. 

The Cowboys followed up five of their six losses with victories, and four of those occurrences took place on home soil. 

Jason Garrett's team could take a page out of Philadelphia's game plan and utilize the run to wear down the Packers defense. 

Since giving up 46 rushing yards to Chicago in Week 1, Green Bay conceded triple digits in the run game to Minnesota, Denver and Philadelphia. 

The Eagles duo of Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders totaled 159 yards on 26 carries, which is a sign Ezekiel Elliott could be in store for a 100-yard game. 

The 24-year-old has a pair of triple-digit performances from Weeks 2 and 3, and he is coming off a disappointing 35-yard outing vs. New Orleans. 

Elliott's best numbers came against two of the four worst rushing defenses and Green Bay has given up the seventh-most yards on the ground.

If he produces at a high clip, Dak Prescott will not be under pressure to put up enormous stats against a secondary that has held four opponents under 225 yards. 

Aaron Rodgers could struggle with Dallas' pass defense, as the Cowboys have given up 5.5 yards per attempt and held their last three foes beneath 220 yards. 

The Dallas defensive backs could be aided by the health of Davante Adams. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Packers "will be careful" with bringing the wide receiver back after he suffered a non-serious toe injury Thursday. 

If Adams is not at 100 percent, the Cowboys can lock in on Marquez Valdes-Scantling and force Rodgers to beat them with a collection of receivers that have not totaled over 100 receiving yards.

Dallas won its first three games by an average of 17.6 points, and it could earn a double-digit advantage if it stops the Green Bay quarterback from finding a rhythm. 

Cleveland (+3.5) at San Francisco

Brien Aho/Associated Press/Associated Press

Cleveland could be the top underdog pick of Week 5 since it is coming off a 15-point win in Baltimore. 

The last time the Browns played on Monday night they dominated the New York Jets by 20 points. 

Of course, San Francisco is a step up in opposition, but over the last two weeks, Baker Mayfield and Co. have proved they can play with some of the league's best teams. 

Freddie Kitchens' offense enters Levi's Stadium off a 530-yard output led by Mayfield's 342 passing yards and Nick Chubb's 165 rushing yards. If Cleveland provides itself with a similar offensive balance, it could be too much to handle. 

However, Chubb may face a difficult matchup against a 49ers defense that has conceded the fewest rushing yards. 

Some may take those numbers less seriously because they occurred against Tampa Bay, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

The argument can be made that this is the first true test for Kyle Shanahan's team as one of three remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL. 

The key for the 49ers is to continue its success on the ground through Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson. Their production resembles Mike Shanahan's old Denver teams where unheralded running backs were plugged into the system and thrived. 

San Francisco's trio will have to get by Myles Garrett, Joe Schobert and Larry Ogunjobi, who combined for 11 tackles for loss. 

If Cleveland's front seven suffocates the 49ers rushing attack, Jimmy Garoppolo must rise to the occasion. 

Although he has thrown for 739 yards, the signal-caller has been picked off on four occasions, and he threw a pair of interceptions in Week 3. 

The Browns enter Week 5 with four interceptions, and if they earn a turnover or two, that could make the difference. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.