NFL Week 5 Predictions: Early Vegas Odds Advice, Lines and Spread Picks

The Baltimore Ravens will be the heaviest favorite for the second straight week of NFL play.

John Harbaugh's team opened as a 13.5-point favorite for its Week 5 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, and that number could be significant when evaluating the spread bet. 

The Ravens were projected to win by 14 points in Week 4, but they could only muster a push after a late touchdown from the Washington Football Team.

If you believe Baltimore will control its matchup with a weaker opponent once again, it may be wise to lock it in at 13.5 points to avoid another push. 

The Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams opened with the second-largest numbers in their favor, but it may be hard to trust either team with that high of a number after Week 4. 

The Rams failed to cover the double-digit spread against the New York Giants, and the Cowboys were beaten by the Cleveland Browns. 

Week 5 Schedule and Odds

All Times ET; Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Thursday, October 8

Tampa Bay (-5.5) at Chicago (8:20 p.m., NFL Network) (Over/Under: 45)

Sunday, October 11

Buffalo at Tennessee (1 p.m., CBS) (N/A)

Cincinnati at Baltimore (-13.5) (1 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 52)

Jacksonville at Houston (-6.5) (1 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 54)

Las Vegas at Kansas City (1 p.m., CBS) (N/A)

Arizona (-7.5) at New York Jets (1 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 46.5)

Carolina at Atlanta (1 p.m., Fox) (N/A)

Los Angeles Rams (-9) at Washington (1 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 45.5)

Philadelphia at Pittsburgh (1 p.m., Fox)  (N/A)

Miami at San Francisco (4:05 p.m., Fox) (N/A)

Denver at New England (4:25 p.m., CBS) (N/A)

Indianapolis (-1) at Cleveland (4:25 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 47)

New York Giants at Dallas (-9) (4:25 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 54)

Minnesota at Seattle (-7.5) (8:20 p.m., NBC) (O/U: 57.5)

Monday, October 12

Los Angeles Chargers at New Orleans (-8) (8:15 p.m., ESPN) (O/U: 52)

Picks against the spread in bold. 

Picks

Cincinnati at Baltimore (-13.5)

Baltimore was in cruise control for most of its Week 4 win over Washington, as it outscored its regional rival 28-10 through three quarters. 

But the Ravens let the 18-point lead drop to 14 after Robert Griffin III threw an interception that led to a fourth-quarter score by the NFC East side. 

Although the Week 4 push may turn away some bettors from the high Week 5 spread, it is worth considering the Ravens at 13.5 points.

They outscored Cincinnati 72-30 in their two meetings a year ago, and although Joe Burrow has been inserted in the Bengals offense, the Ravens are familiar with the offensive scheme designed by Zac Taylor. 

The former LSU quarterback has settled into his new role fine over the first four weeks, but the main issue he has dealt with is the lack of pocket protection.

The Bengals have let the No. 1 overall pick get sacked on 14 occasions, and Baltimore possesses a strong front seven that could wreak havoc on the Cincinnati offensive line. On Sunday, the Ravens recorded nine quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss and three sacks. 

If Matthew Judon, Patrick Queen and others get into the Bengals backfield on a constant basis Sunday, Burrow may face a tough time in the pocket. 

The one personnel advantage Baltimore could have comes through Queen, who should know some of Burrow's tendencies from practicing against him at LSU. 

As long as Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, Mark Ingram and the rest of the Baltimore offense put the Bengals under pressure in the first half, like they did against Washington, the Ravens should not face much trouble keeping a two-score lead. 

But just to avoid any late spread drama, it would be wise to pick up the Ravens at -13.5 before the number shifts more in their favor.

New York Giants (+9) at Dallas

There is no way you should trust Dallas to win a game, let alone cover a nine-point spread. 

Yes, the Cowboys are a better team on paper than the New York Giants, but they have not been able to prove they can stop any offense through four weeks. 

Until Dallas' defense improves on its current form, you either have to take the other team on the spread or stay away from betting the number assigned to the game. 

The Cowboys conceded an average of 36.5 points, and their defensive unit looked worse in Week 4's loss to Cleveland than it did in the Week 3 defeat to Seattle.

On Sunday, Dallas struggled to stop the run, even with Nick Chubb dealing with an injury, as it was gashed for 307 yards. 

Dak Prescott did his best to pull the NFC East side back into the game with 502 passing yards and a few fourth-quarter scoring drives, but the defense was torn to shreds for the final time by Odell Beckham Jr.'s 50-yard game-clinching touchdown run.

The Giants have not hit the 20-point mark in a single game in 2020, but their defense held the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears to 17 points in two of their last three contests. 

New York outgained the Rams by 45 yards Sunday and held Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson under 40 rushing yards each. 

If the Giants contain the rushing aspect of Dallas' offense, they could remain close and may have a chance to put up high numbers on offense if their NFC East rival does not improve on that side of the ball. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.