Week 5 of the NFL betting season did the NFL schedule makers little favors. 

What could have been a big-time NFC matchup between Green Bay and the LA Rams occupies the FOX national slot at 4:25 p.m on Sunday. 

The most impactful game of the week takes place in the early time slot in Houston as the wanna-be Texans play host to the Buffalo Bills. The winner of that game could have an inside track in terms of chasing Kansas City for home field in the conference. 

RELATED: Super Bowl 59 Odds

Week 5 begins with an NFC South showdown on Thursday night as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Atlanta Falcons.

The Cowboys visit Pittsburgh Sunday night. That’s a nice 1970s throwback affair. But these Cowboys are those Cowboys. 

Monday night, the Saints march into Arrowhead to face off against Patrick Mahomes, Taylor Swift, and the NFL League Office at 345 Park Avenue. 

2024 NFL Week 5 Picks

Now it’s on to our Week 5 NFL picks to back on your favorite sports betting app. 

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Bye Week: Lions, Titans, Eagles, Chargers 

Thursday, October 3

Buccaneers at Falcons, 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)

Buzz: Baker Mayfield vs. Kirk Cousins in prime time. Welcome to 2019. The Buccaneers have turned Mercedes Benz Stadium into a home-away-from home, winning 4 of their last 5 in Hotlanta. And the Falcons had failed to cover in 7 straight games against the NFC South until their Sunday win over the Saints. And the Bucs have won outright in 6 of 7 as underdogs. They handled the Eagles with ease on Sunday. And Baker Mayfield has found his stride. Beware the total here. This one could go over early. 

Best Bet: Buccaneers +2.5 (-105) at BetMGM 

Sunday, October 6

Jets vs Vikings (London), 9:30 p.m. (NFL Network)

Buzz: The 2nd international game of the season kicks off at 9:30 a.m. Eastern from London. The Shield showcases its resident GOAT in Aaron Rodgers. A full house at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will watch the Vikings play in the UK for the 4th time. Rodgers faces the Vikings for the first time as a member of the Jets In 29 regular-season games against the Vikings as a Packers, Rodgers is 17-11-1 straight up. He connected on 68% of his attempts for 7,157 yards. 57 TDs and just 8 picks. QB Sam Darnold leads the Vikings. The Jets chose Darnold with the No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft. And he's poised for payback. The Jets hit major turbulence in a stunning loss at home to Denver as 7.5-point favorites. It could all come apart in London this week. Especially if Rodgers turns on Robert Saleh. This number flipped 4 points Sunday. The Vikings were +1.5 when we locked this one in early. They're now 2.5-point favorites. 

Best Bet: Vikings +1.5 (-110) at DraftKings 

Sunday, October 6

Bills at Texans, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: Bragging Rights for the No. 2 team in the AFC are at stake as Jim Nantz and Tony Romo make the call from Houston. This is a good test for the Texans. But bettors have gotten burned backing the 3-1 Texans this season, as Houston fell to 0-4 ATS in their 24-20 win over Jacksonville. Houston was a 5.5-point favorite. The Bills got curb-stomped at Baltimore Sunday night. But the Texans lack Baltimore's offensive line and Derrick Henry. (Joe Mixon was out in Week 4.) 

Best Bet: Bills -1 (-110) at DraftKings 

Panthers at Bears, 1 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: The Red Rifle will be firing blanks against the Bears defense. And Caleb Williams is slowly progressing toward the No. 1 overall QB he was drafted to be. The Bears could well pitch a shutout here. Four of the Bears' past 5 games have gone under the total. 

Best Bet: Under 43 Points (-110) at DraftKings 

Ravens at Bengals, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: Both teams started this season 0-2, The Ravens have since scored decisive wins over the Cowboys on the road and the Bills at home. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry have found their groove behind a punishing offensive line and fullback Patrick Ricard. The Ravens are playing like a team destined for an AFC title game rematch against Kansas City. Their offensive front will control the line and the clock. The Bengals landed in the win column Sunday - but that was against Carolina. And the Ravens have beaten Joe Burrow in 3 of their past 4 games.  

Best Bet: Ravens -2.5 (-110) at DraftKings 

Colts at Jaguars, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: The Mac Jones watch continues. As does the Doug Pederson watch. The Colts lost Anthony Richardson in their win over Pittsburgh. But 39-year-old Joe Flacco had the answers for Mike Tomlin's defense. The Colts will have Richardson back this week. The Jaguars have lost 8 straight against the AFC. And since the Colts are getting points, we'll happily take the money line here. 

Best Bet: Colts ML (+124) at DraftKings 

Dolphins at Patriots, 1 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: Tyler Huntley vs. Jacoby Brissett? A 36.5-point total during the first week of October at Gillette Stadium? It might be time to ban sports betting. 

Best Bet: Over 36.5 Points (-110) at DraftKings 

Browns at Commanders, 1 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: Jayden Daniels has begun to justify the faith shown in him by the Commanders. More importantly, he's begun to elevate the play of his teammates. The Browns are in the midst of a two-season tailspin. We locked in the Commanders when they were 1-point favorites. And as expected, this number moved away from Washington. The Commanders are now 3.5-point favorites. We're a little uneasy about the hook. At that price, lean into the over at 43.5 points thanks to the Commanders' offense. 

Best Bet: Commanders -1 (-110) at DraftKings 

Cardinals at 49ers, 4:05 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: The 49ers active roster remains in flux. They had George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel all back and producing against New England. Their defense should be enough to win this one at home. But a full TD cover might be too much to ask, especially given how the Cardinals can score big-yardage-play TDs with Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. Especially in garbage time. The hook here is dangerous. Both teams should be able to produce points. Their past 5 clashes have gone over the points total. And they are combined 6-2 on the over this season. 

Best Bet: Over 49.5 (-110) at DraftKings 

Raiders at Broncos, 4:05 p.m (FOX)

Buzz: The Broncos completed a two-game East Coast sweep with upset wins at Tampa Bay and over the Jets at MetLife Stadium. QB Bo Nix has exceeded expectations. He is playing like the "veteran" 24-year-old rookie the Broncos and Sean Payton hoped he would be when he was taken 12th overall. But Antonio Pierce's defense could be the anecdote for this rookie QB. Even on the road. The Raiders have won 8 straight over the Broncos, and covered in 4 of their past 5 road games. 

Best Bet: Raiders +2 (-108) at DraftKings 

Packers at Rams, 4:05 p.m (FOX)

Buzz: What might have been if Jordan Love had been healthy all season? Or if Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp weren't injured. SoFi will be packed with green and gold clad cheeseheads. Matthew Stafford threw to 6 different targets in the Rams' loss to Chicago. Love, limping and all, led the Packers back from a 28-0 deficit against Minnesota Sunday, only to fall short 31-29. The Packers will be back to their full selves this week. And 8 of 10 times the Packers have gone over the total against the NFC. 

Best Bet: Over 47.5 Points (-115) at FanDuel 

Giants at Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: The Seahawks are quietly making a claim for the NFC West. That will be the only thing quiet at Lumen Field here (except the Giants offense). Big Blue has lost 6 straight as underdogs against the NFC West. The Seahawks are coming off a tough Monday night game against Detroit. Lean on the under until further notice. 

Best Bet: Under 41.5 Points (-110) at DraftKings 

Cowboys at Steelers, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

Buzz: The juiciest matchup of the week. If only it was 1994, or 1974. These two multiple-Super Bowl combatants bring plenty of historic buzz to this Sunday night. The Steelers won and covered in their first 3 games by scoring just 3 offensive TDs. But the Steelers need to find a way to get an early lead. They trailed 17-3 Sunday and were exposed, making key mistakes. Then scored 3 TDs in the second half. The Cowboys are a soap-opera, mixed with a bad football team, mixed with an angry fanbase, all stirred up by the presence of Bill Belichick coming in to save the day. Calamity looms. The Cowboys enjoy the mini-bye after having played Thursday in Week 5. If Dak Prescott is going to right the ship and beat a quality opponent, this is the time to do it. The road team has won in Dallas' past 4 games, and the Cowboys are better with the extra time off, having covered in 4 straight. 

Best Bet: Cowboys +2 (-110) at DraftKings 

Monday, October 7

Saints at Chiefs, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Buzz: The Saints are smarting after a last-second loss at Atlanta. They limp into Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes, a few billion Swifties, and the full might of the NFL Headquarters at 345 Park Avenue. The Chiefs have won 10 straight, going 8-1-1 ATS during that span. Even as Mahomes is constantly having to find new targets each week. The Chiefs lost Rashee Rice likely for the season with a torn ACL in their 17-10 win and push against the Chargers. Still, the Chiefs have perfected the "Next Man Up" mentality that drove the Patriots' dynasty. Andy Reid is always happy to take the "W" and move on to next week. And we're not about to swim against the Mahomes tide.

Best Bet: Chiefs -5 (-110) at DraftKings