NFL Picks Week 5: Jets vs. Patriots and 3 Games to Bet the Under

When it comes to betting on football, nobody truly likes to take the over. With each touchdown or field goal, you die a little inside when you're pulling for a low-scoring game. Despite that, the under can be the best play at times, but it's just a matter of picking the right one.

Plenty of things can contribute to a game going under, including a one-sided affair where only one team is putting up points or a defensive battle where inept offensive can't put up points, and sometimes the over/under is simply too high because of expectations of a shootout.

Here are three games that will go under in Week 5.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. San Francisco 49ers (42)

Few games this weekend are harder to predict than the 3-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the 3-1 San Francisco 49ers. Both teams have performed admirably this season, but neither is particularly explosive offensively, and they both have pretty strong defenses.

The Bucs and 'Niners have each gone down to the wire in each of their games as well, so this will be a tightly-contested affair in all likelihood. This could be a dangerous proposition, but as long as both teams stay at or below 20 points, it shouldn't be much of an issue.

Seattle Seahawks vs. New York Giants (44)

It's true that the 3-1 New York Giants are a high-scoring team, but the 1-3 Seattle Seahawks most certainly aren't. Seattle has played much better in recent weeks, but that has much to do with the fact that they were playing at home. When on the road, the Seahawks are simply a much worse team.

I fully expect a blowout in favor of the Giants, so they will hold up their end of the bargain, but I don't see the Seahawks putting up too many points. This type of game is certainly dangerous when it comes to the under, but I feel pretty confident that the Giants defense will be able to shut down Seattle.

New York Jets vs. New England Patriots (50)

It is very difficult to take the under in any game that involves the New England Patriots, but games between the Patriots and the New York Jets have been up and down in terms of whether they're high-scoring or low-scoring. 

I get the feeling that the Jets will attempt to run the ball more than they have in recent weeks in an effort to keep Tom Brady and the New England offense off the field, and head coach Rex Ryan has said as much. The Jets are desperate for a win at 2-2, so they will do everything in their power to make New England beat them in other ways, and that should keep the score on the low side.