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

The fourth week of the 2016 NFL season is nearly complete, and if we’ve learned anything over the first month, it’s that making accurate predictions can be tricky.

The New England Patriots, for instance, shocked nearly everyone when they blew out the Houston Texans in Week 3 with rookie third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett under center. Brissett and the Patriots turned around in Week 4 to do the unthinkable against the Buffalo Bills.

The Patriots got themselves shut out in Foxborough.

The first month has brought us some other surprises as well. Sure, we expected the Patriots to possibly lose a couple of games with Tom Brady suspended. However, few could have predicted the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals would both open the year at 1-3.

Trying to predict the outcome of individual games has been perhaps even more challenging than predicting the NFL landscape at large. More than a few people were probably surprised when the Los Angeles Rams got their third win of the season in Arizona on Sunday. Those same folks were probably surprised when the Pittsburgh Steelers secured a massive 29-point victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Well, Week 5 is already shaping up to be another slate full of surprises. We’re going to take a look at that slate, the early odds for each game and some important individual matchups. We’ll also be making our picks against the spread.

Early odds provided by Odds Shark.

Matchups to Watch

New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns

Why is a matchup between a 3-1 team and a winless one something worth watching? Well, this game should mark the return of Brady to the playing field.

The Patriots managed to go 3-1 without Brady, but they’ve played their last two games with rookie third-stringer Brissett under center. Even worse, Brissett played the game against Buffalo with an injured thumb, and it clearly impacted the New England offense.

Feels like Jacoby Brissett (injured thumb) could play a fifth and sixth quarter vs Rex’s D without scoring a point.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) October 2, 2016

The Browns have also played their last two games with a rookie third-string quarterback. Unfortunately, the results haven’t been as positive. USC product Cody Kessler has certainly played at a respectable level—he has completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 467 yards with one touchdown and …

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