NFL Week 5 Must-Bet Games: Expert Analysis and Odds, with Minnesota as the Best Team?

By the time Week 5 rolls around on the second Sunday in October, most teams will have figured out who they are. And bettors will have a much better idea of which teams are going to disappoint against the spread and which teams are going to surprise.

See below for NFL betting odds and analysis for all the games happening on Week 5 of the 2023 season.

NFL Week 5 Must Bet Games | MyBookie NFL Preview

NFL Week 5: October 5-9, 2023

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills

NFL Odds: Jaguars +3.5, Bills +3.5
When: Sunday, October 8, 2023, 2023 at 4:05 pm ET
Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium | London, England

Normally you wouldn’t take the team from Florida on the road at Buffalo, but this game has the Jaguars as the road team in London, where they are as close to a home team as anyone gets.

The ascension will continue for the Jags as Trevor Lawrence continues to grow and Calvin Ridley finds a home in Doug Pederson’s offense. They also have an improved offensive line that will begin jelling by Week 5 and better depth at running back.

Buffalo is still one of the elite teams in the AFC, but they are getting too many points for their first trip to London since 2015 and only their second-ever trip overseas. Take the points for the far more experienced Jacksonville Jaguars.

NFL Week 5 Betting | Bet Jaguars vs. Bills
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game

Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams

NFL Odds: Eagles -5, Rams +5
When: Sunday, October 8, 2023, 2023 at 4:05 pm ET
Where: SoFi Stadium | Inglewood, CA

Back on this side of The Pond, the last two NFC champions will meet at SoFi Stadium. With all due respect to the 2021 conference champions, the five-point spread in favor of the 2022 conference champions is not enough. The Los Angeles Rams are not good, and the Philadelphia Eagles are still great.

The Rams aren’t quite in tank mode, but there are so many pieces missing from their Super Bowl-winning team of just two seasons ago they are barely recognizable. And age and injuries are finally catching up to Matthew Stafford. Sean McVay will keep them somewhat competitive during the season, but not against great teams.

And the Eagles are great and just as dominant as the team that marched to the Super Bowl a year ago and was the last team in the NFL to take a loss in 2022.

This feels like an easy double-digit win for Philadelphia, and if you can get the Eagles for less than a touchdown, you should absolutely take it. Fly, Eagles, fly, and give those points.

NFL Week 5 Betting | Bet Eagles vs. Rams
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game

Cincinnati Bengals at Arizona Cardinals

NFL Odds: Bengals -7.5, Cardinals +7.5
When: Sunday, October 8, 2023, 2023 at 4:05 pm ET
Where: State Farm Stadium | Glendale, AZ

In Arizona, tank mode has been in full effect since the draft, and by Week 5, it will be apparent that they are the worst team in the NFL and staring at a possible 0-17 season.

The Bengals are one of the favorites in a loaded AFC, and they will light up the Cardinals all afternoon. Arizona was 1-4 last season against the AFC, losing to the Chiefs by 23, the Patriots by 14, and the Broncos by nine. This is an even worse Arizona team, the Bengals have one of the best offenses in football, and 7.5 points isn’t nearly enough of a spread.

Give those points and take Cincinnati. The Bengals are a potential Super Bowl team. Arizona is the early favorite to run away with the first overall pick in the draft.

NFL Week 5 Betting | Bet Bengals vs. Cardinals
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game

NFL Week 5 | 2023 Season

Must Bet NFL Games Week 5

Over the last few seasons, there has been a lot of talk about the increased parity level in the NFL, which you have to say seems correct. Here we are, just 4 weeks into the season, and we only have 1 unbeaten team remaining. That would be the Philadelphia Eagles, who some might see as an unlikely lone perfect team, but that’s where we are. There is also only 1 winless team (Houston Texans). Yes, there is still a lot of football to be played, but this season already seems to be shaping up to be one where the playoff races will go right down to the wire. We head into Week 5 with a 17-9 record across all of our picks thus far, which includes being 6-3 ATS. Let’s see if we can improve on both of those stats with some winning ATS picks for Week 5 of the NFL season.

The Best Bets Of Week 5 NFL

LA Chargers (-3) at Cleveland Browns

Both of these teams are coming into this week with 2-2 records, and while .500 is not the worst place to be, both are going to need to push on if they want to win a division or get into the playoffs. There is some concern about the health of Justin Herbert at QB for the Chargers, but he did lead his team to a win this past weekend despite reports of injured ribs. He should be even better this weekend in what is sure to be a tough road trip to Cleveland. The Chargers have not been great against the spread in recent visits to Cleveland, but they are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 overall, and I like them to win and cover here.

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals (+5)

As we mentioned at the top of this piece, the Eagles come into Week 5 of the season as the only team with an unbeaten record. 4 wins does not a season make, so do not expect them to get too comfortable this early in the season. In fact, they had to dig out of a 0-14 hole against Jacksonville last weekend to keep that record intact. This is going to be a tough trip to face a Cardinals team that is 2-2 and in need of a win. In terms of the point spread, there is a lot to like about Arizona, with the most convincing trend being that they have covered the spread in each of the last 5 times that Philadelphia has come to town.

San Francisco 49ers (-6 ½) at Carolina Panthers

If you are not a fan of playing teams coming off a short week then you may want to skip this one. The 49ers are coming off a huge Monday night win over the LA Rams, and I have to say that I think they look like a good bet here, even though they do have to go on the road with a short turnaround. There is not a lot to like about Carolina at home, as they have covered just twice in their last 10 games on home turf. On the flipside, the 49ers have covered in 7 of their last 9 games overall.

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MyBookie Betting Lines for the bout

With 16 games on the schedule for each team in the NFL, it is never really a good idea to write a team off after the first few weeks of the season. This may well prove to be especially true this year, with one extra team from each conference making the playoffs. That said, we usually begin to have a good idea of how the rest of the season might play out once we get to Week 5. As we have mentioned before, some teams may well have a difficult time adjusting to life in the NFL during a pandemic, but you would certainly think that most will have adjusted by the time we reach this stage of the season. Let’s now look ahead to Week 5 and pick out some games that are definitely worth watching and wagering on against their NFL odds.

2020 NFL Betting Preview for Games in Week 5

Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans

Both of these teams were part of the Wild Card picture in the AFC last season, with the expectation being that both should be in the mix again. For the Bills, they will feel that there is a shot at ending the dominance of the New England Patriots in the AFC East now that Tom Brady has moved on. Plus, they will be looking to do better than their one and out in the postseason last year. After their playoff exploits last season, the Titans might well be the team to beat in the South. Either way, this is a huge game for both teams in their quest for a playoff spot.

Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers

While the Eagles made it into the postseason last year, you always had the feeling that they were doomed for an early exit, which indeed proved to be the case. Much of their success this season is once again going to depend on the health of Carson Wentz, a very good QB who cannot seem to make it through the season without picking up an injury. Likewise, the success of the Steelers, who missed the playoffs in an injury-ravaged season, will depend on how well Big Ben recovers from elbow surgery. An intriguing battle of Pennsylvania.

Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks

In the salary cap era, teams tend to have a window of opportunity where they can realistically win the Super Bowl. Many pundits are of the belief that the window is now barely open for the Minnesota Vikings, so this may be a pivotal season for them. The Seattle Seahawks are coming into this season as a bit of a dark horse, but you would expect them to be challenging for a playoff spot in what looks to be a very tough NFC West division. This will be a good test for both teams in a game that is one of the best on the schedule this week.

LA Chargers at New Orleans Saints

The Monday night game is not exactly what you would consider a totally even fight, but we could be at an interesting point for the LA Chargers. They bid farewell to longtime starter Phillip Rivers in the offseason and drafter Justin Herbert as their QB of the future. They also have Tyrod Taylor, who looks a good bet to start the season, but if things go south, might this be the game where Herbert gets the call? It would be fun to see the rookie go head to head with Drew Brees.

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MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game

A quartet of legitimate Super Bowl hopefuls will all be in action in Week 5 of the upcoming 2019 NFL regular season when Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks host Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams out west and Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas Chiefs host Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in the Midwest. Now, let’s find out which teams are offering the best betting value in their respective matchups.

 2019 NFL Week 5 Must-Bet Games

LA Rams at Seattle Seahawks

• When: Thursday, October 3, 2019 at 7:20 PM ET
• Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle
• TV: FOX/NFL
• NFL Odds: LA Rams -1

The Rams went 13-3 in the regular season a year ago while getting past Dallas and New Orleans to reach Super Bowl 53 before coming up small against in their 13-3 title game loss against New England. While Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and the rest of the Rams’ high-powered offense averaged a healthy 32.9 points per game to finish second in scoring, Los Angeles’ defense, which they made significant upgrades to last offseason, came up well short of their expectations in allowing 24.0 points per game to finish 20th in points allowed.

While the Rams beat Seattle twice in their two regular season meetings against their NFC West division rivals, they also failed to cover the chalk in both meetings, including their 33-31 road win in Week 5 and their 36-31 home win in Week 10.

On the other side of the field, Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks are coming off a fine, 10-6 season that saw them surpass expectations to reach the playoffs before narrowly losing to Dallas 24-22 in the wild card round. Now, as they get set for the upcoming 2019 campaign, Seattle is one of the teams that I believe is poised for even bigger and better things this coming season after finishing a solid eighth in scoring (26.8 ppg) and respectable 11th in points allowed (21.7 ppg).

Seattle recorded a fantastic 9-5-1 ATS mark last season while going 5-2-1 ATS at home. The Seahawks have also covered the chalk in each of their last three home games against the Rams where they’ve been listed as underdogs. Not to mention the fact that they’ve gone 5-1 ATS in their last six road games overall. Maybe it’s me, but I’m thinking payback will be the name of this game as Russell Wilson leads Seattle to the narrow home win and ATS cover.

Pick: Seattle +1

Arizona Cardinals at Cincinnati Bengals

• When: Sunday, October 6, 2019 at 1:00 PM ET
• Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
• TV: FOX
• NFL Odds: Cincinnati -4

Arizona will be a month into their new era of Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray by the time this Week 5 matchup rolls around and by this point, I’m expecting the Cardinals to be putting up plenty of points in Kingsbury’s high-octane offensive system after averaging a pitiful 14.1 points per game a year ago (32nd). On the other side of the field, Cincinnati will also be heading into their fifth game under first-time head coach Zac Taylor after going 6-10 under former head coach Marvin Lewis last season.

While the Bengals have a roster that features many of the same veterans they’ve had for the last few seasons, starting with quarterback Andy Dalton and Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green, really, everything is new for the Bengals. Maybe it’s me, but these two rebuilding teams look a lot more evenly matched than anything else right now and I’m going with Murray and the Cards to push Dalton and company at home for the outright win.

Pick: Arizona +4

Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs

• When: Sunday, October 6, 2019 at 7:20 PM ET
• Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
• TV: NBC
• NFL Week 5: Over/Under Total 56

Things are looking up for Indianapolis as they get set for the upcoming 2019 regular season. A year ago, Andrew Luck returned with a vengeance after missing the entire 2017 season to lead Indianapolis to a stunning 10-6 record and a berth in the postseason The Colts’ franchise superstar quarterback completed a blistering 67.3 percent of passes for 4,593 yards with 39 TD tosses and now, Indy looks poised for even bigger and better things in Year 2 of the Frank Reich era.

By now, NFL fans and betting enthusiasts everywhere know the Kansas City Chiefs have a high-powered offense that led the league in scoring last season (35.3 ppg) and is centered around the incomparable talents of reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes. Now, as they get set for the upcoming 2019 regular season, Kansas City is looking to take another step forward in their evolution after going 12-4 a year ago and reaching the AFC Championship game where they fell to New England 37-31 in overtime.

For this intriguing Week 5 inter-conference clash, I like the Over 56 total points simply because the Chiefs and Colts combined to put up a whopping 62.4 points per game while allowing a combined 47.8 points per contest defensively. I know Patrick Mahomes led Kansas City to an overpowering 31-13 win over Indy in the divisional round, but this time around, I’m expecting Luck to help the Colts get in the end zone early and often in a contest that looks like a Wild West’ kind of shootout just waiting to happen.

Pick: Over 56 Total Points

When it comes to Week 5 of the 2018 NFL regular season schedule, there are a handful of intriguing matchups that look like must-see TV just waiting to happen. The revamped Cleveland Browns host the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC North divisional battle that could be a thriller. The Detroit Lions host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in their NFC North disional showdown.

It’s Big Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown versus Matt Ryan, D’Onta Freeman and Julio Jones as Pittsburghs hosts Atlanta in an Inter-Conference meeting of Super Bowl hopefuls. The Los Angeles Rams will look to get the road win against the Seattle Seahawks in another division showdown and the Philadelphia Eagles host the Minnesota Vikings in a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship game.

However, if you’re looking for value, none of these games is offering the best value when it comes to Week 5, but guess what NFL betting faithful? I know where that value lies and I’m going to share it with you.

NFL Week 5 Must Bet Games – 2018 Season

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots (-10.5)

I genuinely believe the Indianapolis Colts made a really good hire by naming former Philadelphia Eagles offensiv ecoordinator Frank reich as their new head coach for the 2018 season and beyond. Having said that, it would take the Colts bringing back a young Don Shula, plus Johnny Unitas and some of their other legendary Hall of Famers in order for them to even think about beating a far superior New England Patriots team in this Week 5 matchup of former AFC postseason rivals.

While the Colts ranked an awful 30th in scoring (16.4 ppg) and identical 30th in points allowed (25.2 ppg) last season, the perennially powerful New england Patriots were well on their way to making another Super Bowl appearance. While Tom Brady and company came up short against the Philadelphia Eagles, the AFC East-based resident ar by far, the better team on both sides of the ball in this Week 5 matchup. You might not like what appears to be a high point spread in this contest, but I personally wouldn’t think twice about the Pats covering it. New England has covered the chalk in three straight home games as a double digit favorite and eight of their last nine overall.

NFL Week 5 Betting Pick: New England -10.5

Miami Dolphins at Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5)

The Cincinnati Bengals may have one just one more game than the 6-10 Miami Dolphins did last seasom, but if you know anything about the way these two teams finished out their respective 2017 campaigns, then you know the Cincinnati Bengals are the easy pick to hold it down at home in this Week 5 matchup of AFC playoff hopefuls.

The Dolphins will have starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill back on the field after he missed the entire 2017 season and they foolishly went out and signed veteran Jay Cutler out of the broadcast booth to play the mediocre football he’s always played. Still, that may not be a good thing, seeing as how Tannehill is and always has been equally mediocre throughout his career since being drafted with the eighth pick in the 2012 NFL draft. The Benglas are playing at home and they’ve got the edge at quarerback, running back and wide receiver after Miami foolishly traded away Jay Ajayi and Jarvis Landry. Cincy wins by a minimum of three points and more like a touchdown to cover the chalk in this one!

NFL Week 5 Betting Pick: Cincinnati -2.5

New York Giants at Carolina Panthers (-6)

By now, everyone knows that Eli Manning and the New York Giants were mostly awful last season in going 3-13 under former head coach Ben McAdoo. If you don’t know, new York made a wise coiaching hire by naming former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to take control of their team and give them a new identity.

Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen overnight, which means the Giants will be no match for a perennial winning team like Carolina. Cam Newton and the Panthers went 11-5 last season to tie Atlanta for the most wins in the competitive NFC South and they did so by ranking a respectable 12th in scoring (22.7 ppg) an 11th in points allowed (20.4 ppg). While the Panthers ranked an encouraging fourth in rushing, they didn’t utilize gifted rookie running back Christian McCaffrey nearly enough last season, as both, a runner and receiver while becoming too dependent upon their former league MVP in Newton.

The Panthers are the far better team in all three phases of the game and have what looks like a much better plan on offense as they look to get the ball to McCaffrey early and often. I love the hiring of Shurmur for the Giants and drafting of gifted running back Saquon barkley, but it’s going to take some time for the G-Men to get back to being a respectable NFL Franchise. The Panthers win this one by a touchdown at the very least!

NFL Week 5 Betting Pick: Carolina -6