The NFL season is now in full swing as we are getting ready to kick off Week 5. Heading into this week, we are already a quarter of the way through the season and that is a scary thought. After four weeks, we are all giving our best guesses on which of the six remaining are contenders and who are the pretenders. With my three best bets for NFL Week 5, I hope they can help you decide who stands where.
Three Best Bets For NFL Week 5
3. Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons
Pick: Carolina (PK)
In one of the seven early window games, we have what could be one of the stinkers the NFL lays out for us this week. But that doesn’t stop us from betting this game. Here, we have the banged-up Carolina Panthers traveling south to take on the abysmal Atlanta Falcons. This game has snooze written all over it, but I am still loving this line.
Starting with the team who can’t seem to buy a win: the Falcons. Atlanta has already blown two comfortable leads this year and they have only played four games. What happened in the other two games, you ask? Well, they faced the two hottest teams in the NFC in the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, so I’ll let you figure that one out. Nonetheless, I always go back to last year with the Falcons. They started the season with a horrendous 1-7 record which included a six-game losing streak. After the bye, Atlanta looked like a completely new team. In their last eight games, they went 6-2 and finished the season 7-9. They had a chance to mail in the season last year and get rid of head coach Dan Quinn. Instead, they were stuck with a mediocre draft pick, the same head coach, and no playoff spot. Who knows, maybe with a new coach, Atlanta may be a very different team.
Onto the Panthers, this team just makes no sense to me. In the first two weeks, they look like they have the potential to earn the number one overall pick. Then, arguably the best running back in the league gets hurt in Christian McCaffrey. One would think the team could only get worse, right? Well, you would be wrong if you thought that. Yes, it’s only been two games, but Carolina is undefeated since the McCaffrey injury. They have looked pretty good in those two games if I might add. Those two games came against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Arizona Cardinals. I expect to see more of the same from the previous week in this matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
For all of the reasons listed above, I have the McCaffrey-less Panthers extending their win-streak to three in my three best bets for NFL week 5.
2. Philadelphia Eagles @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick: Under (45.5)
In another early window game on Sunday, there will be a cross-state rivalry with the Philadelphia Eagles traveling west to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. This will be the battle of Pennsylvania and it would be so much better if Heinz Field was able to host a game at full capacity. However, only a limited amount of fans will have to do as the health guidelines still prohibit stadiums from being at full capacity.
Back to the actual matchup, the Eagles come in as a hot dumpster fire who barely squeaked out a win against the severely banged-up San Fransisco 49ers last week. They are currently 1-2-1 and are a handful of losses away from the firing of head coach Doug Pederson. On top of Pederson, fans have been calling for Carson Wentz‘s job as he has just not been himself ever since he got injured back in 2017. With the team’s offense struggling heavily, the Philadelphia faithful have been eager to see how 2nd-round pick Jalen Hurts will pan out. If Philly continues this cold streak, the Eagles could look very different come week 1 next season.
As for the Steelers, they head into this game coming off an unexpected bye week due to their game against the Tennessee Titans getting canceled because of positive Covid-19 cases. Before their early bye week, they started the season perfect and are one of the six remaining teams who are still undefeated. What can I say about Pittsburgh other than how good their defense is. The Steelers have always had a rich history of great defenses and this year is no different. With an aging Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh needs to rely on their defense now more than ever. I believe the defense is the reason they win this week, however, I believe the Eagles could very well cover the 7.5 point spread.
With that being said, I believe the combination of Pittsburgh’s great defense and Philly’s rough offense will create a lower-scoring game. The under is the best bet in this game for my three best bets for NFL week 5.
1. Minnesota Vikings @ Seattle Seahawks
Pick: Seattle (-7.5)
For my favorite bet of the week, the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks will be hosting the Minnesota Vikings. In the beginning of the year, the NFL scheduled this game to be on Sunday Night in hopes of both teams living up to their expectations. On Seattle’s side, they have held up their end of the bargain posting a perfect 4-0 entering this Week 5 matchup. Minnesota, not so much. They are currently just 1-3 and have not looked nearly as good as their fans had hoped.
Once the Vikings lost a numerous amount of pieces on defense this past offseason, I knew they would struggle. Their defense has been the staple of their franchise for the past couple years and has been the main reason they’ve stayed relevant. In addition to the defensive losses, they also lost stud receiver Stefon Diggs. This season their only win so far is against the winless Houston Texans. You can expect to see more of the same from the Vikings against the Seahawks this Sunday.
Seattle has been arguably one of the best teams so far in this young season. Their leader Russell Wilson is once again an MVP candidate and is currently the favorite to win. This guy is unbelievable, he has willed this team to victory time after time and I am finally seeing the respect he deserves. I think it’s absolutely insane that he doesn’t have an MVP on his resume. If he keeps up this domination, I’d be crazy not to say he should win the award. On top of Wilson’s dominance, the Seahawks’ front office has finally given him some weapons to make him even more dangeRUSS (sorry I had to).
I truly cannot see Seattle’s excellence stop here. I’m taking the Seahawks easily with the points in my three best bets for NFL week 5.
Whoever you bet this week, just always remember one thing: scared money is lost money. Let’s ride.
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