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

A division matchup between two teams with 3-1 records—what better way to start Week 5 of the NFL season?

In what should be one of the best games of the week, the Seattle Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night in an NFC West rivalry contest. With the San Francisco 49ers in first place in the division at 3-0, this Rams-Seahawks matchup could be key for positioning heading into the rest of the season.

Week 5 will also feature the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and 49ers all looking to stay undefeated, as well as an exciting NFC matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys.

Here's a look at the full slate for this week, along with odds and predictions.

Week 5 Odds, Predictions

Picks are made against the spread

L.A. Rams at Seattle (-1): Seahawks 21-17

Arizona at Cincinnati (-3): Bengals 24-16

Buffalo at Tennessee (-3): Titans 28-24

Chicago (-6) at Oakland: Bears 24-10

Tampa Bay at New Orleans (-3.5): Saints 30-21

Minnesota (-5.5) at N.Y. Giants: Vikings 28-20

N.Y. Jets at Philadelphia (-13.5): Eagles 28-14

Baltimore (-3.5) at Pittsburgh: Ravens 31-17

New England (-15.5) at Washington: Patriots 34-7

Jacksonville at Carolina (-3.5): Jaguars 24-23

Atlanta at Houston (-5): Texans 30-24

Denver at L.A. Chargers (-6.5): Chargers 22-13

Green Bay at Dallas (-3.5): Packers 29-28

Indianapolis at Kansas City (-11): Chiefs 30-17

Cleveland at San Francisco (-3.5): Browns 31-20

Odds obtained via Caesars

Thursday Preview, Predictions

The Rams may be coming off a 55-40 loss to the Buccaneers and heading to a hostile environment in Seattle, but road matchups against the Seahawks haven't been an issue for them in recent years. Los Angeles has won at Seattle three of the last four seasons, including the past two.

However, the Seahawks are focused on this season.

"What happened last year, what happened the previous years before doesn't really matter," Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "If you don't bring your game this year, then all of that is erased."

Coming off their Super Bowl appearance last season, the Rams opened this year with three consecutive wins. However, they took a surprising step back when they lost to the Buccaneers at home last week. Jared Goff passed for 517 yards, but he also threw three interceptions for Los Angeles in the loss.

The Rams will also likely need a better defensive showing to beat the Seahawks, whose only loss so far came against the Saints at home in Week 3. Seattle is coming off a 27-10 win at Arizona last week.

As for betting, this could be one of the trickier games this week. The Rams and Seahawks are both strong teams, and they should be fairly even, hence Seattle being only a one-point favorite at home. That's the closest betting line of the week.

However, the Rams turned the ball over four times against the Buccaneers, and that could be an issue again when facing the Seahawks' defense. On Seattle's offense, Russell Wilson is off to a great start, passing for 1,141 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions through four games, and he should continue that against a Los Angeles defense that has proved to be beatable.

So, while this should be a competitive game, bet on the Seahawks to improve to 4-1, which could potentially help them take over first place in the NFC West this week, should the 49ers lose.

Betting on Thursday's game isn't one of the safest bets of the week, however. If you're looking for more favorable matchups to bet on, consider picking the Browns and Jaguars as road underdogs. Both teams won road games last week and have a lot of momentum entering winnable matchups in Week 5.