NFL Picks Week 5: Detroit Lions Among 5 Favorites Who Are Easy Money

Heading to Week 5, the Detroit Lions lead five NFL favorites that are locks to win and cover.

As the NFL season begins to take shape, the good teams are beginning to separate themselves from the bad. Yet, in a few notable cases, it seems that Vegas hasn’t caught up to this reality.

It’s always unnerving to lay points, but you can rest easy with these favorites.

All lines from betus.com

Indianapolis Colts -2.5 over Kansas City Chiefs

Neither the Indianapolis Colts, nor the Kansas City Chiefs are a very good football team. Both have been crippled by injuries to their leaders. Both showed signs of life in Week 4, but only the Chiefs were able to emerge with a win.

Each team's weaknesses far outnumber its strengths; this matchup will come down to the Colts’ superior individual talents.

Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis will be too much to handle for the Chiefs offensive line, and without a reliable runner to keep the defense honest, Matt Cassell will be under siege.

On offense, Curtis Painter has been surprisingly effective in relief of Kerry Collins, lending credence to Reggie Wayne’s preseason claim that it would be impractical to bring in a new quarterback to run the complex Indianapolis offense.

Painter certainly doesn’t have a skill set to match Peyton Manning, but he does seem to have an understanding of how the offense is supposed to work.

For perhaps the first time all season, the Colts offense will finally begin to work as it’s supposed to, and Indianapolis will grab a much-needed home win against KC.

Prediction: Indianapolis Colts 17, Kansas City Chiefs 14

Philadelphia Eagles -3 over Buffalo Bills

Over the past few weeks, many in the national media have delighted in burying the Philadelphia Eagles.

But, without Vince Young’s “dream team” comments during training camp, would the reaction be so severe?

Considering that this team was pulled together just a few weeks before the start of the season, it seems understandable that it’s taken a few weeks for the Eagles to get their sea legs.

This will be the week that Philly finally figures it out.

The Buffalo Bills have been a great story. Yet, even as they've rolled to a 3-1 record, the defense is allowing over 400 yards of offense per game.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has guided an outstanding offense, but it’s hard to believe that Buffalo’s secondary receivers will be able to get loose against the Eagles' defensive backs. Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie have struggled to adjust to a new scheme, but they remain two of the most talented cover men in the NFL.

Michael Vick will cut up the Bills through the air, and LeSean McCoy will shred Buffalo on the ground. The Eagles will once again roll up an early lead, but this time, it’ll be insurmountable for Fitzpatrick and his Bills.

Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles 35, Buffalo Bills 27

New Orleans Saints -6.5 over Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton has been electrifying in his first five games for the Carolina Panthers. But, with each game, defenses learn more and more about how to contain the NFL’s most exciting rookie.

Removing the washout against Jacksonville, Newton’s completion percentage and yards per attempt have declined in each game this season. He’s an outstanding player, but Newton will experience growing pains just like any other rookie.

Carolina can’t count on him to carry them to many wins, and unfortunately, the Panthers don’t have much to hang their hats on outside of Newton.

On the other side of the ball, Carolina has been completely unable to slow down opposing running games, which bodes well for Mark Ingram, Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas. The Saints will easily establish the run early, then Drew Brees will stretch the Panthers' secondary with the long ball.

New Orleans will rack up points at will. The Panthers will score, but won't be able to keep up with the prolific Saints.

Newton has become the master of the back-door cover through the first few games of his career, and while he may well lead a late rally in this game, the Saints will have already put it out of reach.

Prediction: New Orleans Saints 34, Carolina Panthers 23

San Diego Chargers -4 over Denver Broncos

This line just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Yes, the Denver Broncos are traditionally better on their home field, but there isn’t a field on earth on which the Broncos are only four points worse than the San Diego Chargers.

The Broncos’ only victory was a narrow win at home over Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals. On the two occasions that the Broncos have faced capable passing offenses, Denver has allowed an average of 365 passing yards per game.

Even without his full complement of weapons, Philip Rivers will be able to dice up the Broncos secondary with relative ease. Combine that with the running of Ryan Mathews against an average Denver rush defense, and 30-plus points seems a certainty for the San Diego Chargers in this game.

Kyle Orton, Willis McGahee and new-found threat Eric Decker will put up a fight for the Broncos, but San Diego’s overall talent advantage will eventually lead the Chargers to an overwhelming win.

Prediction: San Diego Chargers 38, Denver Broncos 27

Detroit Lions -5.5 over Chicago Bears

Though the Detroit Lions have struggled in the first halves of their last two games, they’ve been able to correct their shortcomings in fairly short order, which indicates that the team lacks a major weakness.

Unfortunately, the Chicago Bears are not so lucky. The Bears' offensive line may be the most glaring singular weakness in the NFL.

The Mike Martz offense is notorious for exposing its quarterback, and these Bears have lived up to that reputation. Opposing defenses have sacked Jay Cutler 15 times in just four games.

The Lions enter their first Monday night game since 2001 riding an eight-game regular season winning streak and, more recently, back-to-back comebacks from 20-plus point deficits. It’s hard to imagine how a team could possibly have more momentum working in its favor.

There’s no position group on the field that relies more on momentum and sheer will than the defensive line.

The Detroit Lions' fearsome front will be in full effect on Monday night. With Ndamukong Suh leading the charge, the Lions front will smother Cutler and diffuse the Chicago offense.

The Bears' defense will be able to corral Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson to some degree, but Matt Forte and the Bears will struggle to get anything going against a fired-up Lions defense.

Detroit will cruise to 5-0.

Prediction: Detroit Lions 23, Chicago Bears 13