The Ravens bared their teeth, the Vikings won a huge NFC North clash to remain unbeaten while Aaron Rodgers and the Jets were upset by the Broncos.
Another NFL week is in the books and it was as competitive as ever with shocks abound and some terrible injury news as some teams lost key players for the season. Let’s look at week five.
Sunday, October 6
Cleveland Browns at 
Washington Commanders
The Commanders are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. They followed up a huge road win in Cincinnati in week three with an impressive demolition of the Cardinals in Arizona. Jayden Daniels has no doubt been the pick of the rookie QBs so far, throwing the ball over the field and also gaining lots of yards on the ground as a true dual threat QB. He threw for 233 yards and a TD against the Cardinals, while Brian Robinson Jr added 101 yards and a TD on the ground as the team put up an impressive 42 points. These Commanders are an exciting watch at the moment.
It is the polar opposite for the Browns. They were playing a Raiders team last week that was missing star receiver Devante Adams and their best defensive player in Maxx Crosby. Even with those key players missing, the Browns came up short, losing 20-16 with an offense stuck in the mud led by QB Deshuan Watson who continues to struggle. This team is a bit of a mess at the moment and now sits at 1-3, I can see the problems continuing here.
Commanders Moneyline @ -162
Carolina Panthers at 
Chicago Bears
The Bears defense proved it is a unit to be taken seriously and was the major reason for the team’s victory over the Rams last week. They managed to discombobulate Matthew Stafford all afternoon and it means Caleb Williams only needed to be solid rather than spectacular to get the win. Williams threw for 157 yards and a TD with no interceptions, while D’Andre Swift finally came to the party this season with 93 yards and a TD on the ground. The Bears will need to continue to run the ball well.
The Panthers have certainly been far better offensively since head coach Dave Canales decided to place Bryce Young on the bench for Andy Dalton. After their fist win in week three they came up short last week, but still showed some good signs in the 34-24 defeat to the Bengals. Dalton threw for 220 yards and two TDs while running back Chubba Hubbard had 104 rushing yards and a TD. The Panthers suddenly have an NFL offense, but I think the Bears will be too strong here.
Bears Moneyline @ -215
San Francisco 49ers at 
Arizona Cardinals
The San Francisco 49ers haven’t really looked themselves through four weeks, but got back to .500 last week with a comfortable win over the Patriots. After a shocking defeat to the Rams in week three, they got back on track thanks to Jordan Mason continuing to do a good job of filling in for Christian McCaffrey, running for 123 yards a TD in the 30-13 win over New England. They still weren’t at their best, but they will hope to get healthy quickly and then will surely go on a run.
The Cardinals defense took a pounding against Washington. They just couldn’t stop the run and had no answer on offense apart from running back James Connor recording 104 rush yards and a TD. Marvsin Harrison Jr did score a TD put only had 45 receiving yards and Kyler Murray will need to get him the ball more going forward. I think the 49ers will have too much in this divisional game.
49ers Moneyline @ -390
Baltimore Ravens at 
Cincinnati Bengals
Baltimore finally looked like potential Super Bowl winners last week, dismantling the Bills both through the air and on the ground. Derrick Henry showed his intentions early, running for an 87 yard TD on the first offensive Baltimore snap of the game. Henry would finish with 199 yards as he ran all over the Buffalo defense. Lamar also contributed 156 yards and two TDs through the air and their defense troubled Josh Allen all afternoon. Play like this and they will take some stopping.
The Bengals finally recorded their first win of the season against the Panthers last week. Receivers Chase Brown and Ja’Mar Chase feasted, with Brown having 80 yards and two TDs while Chase finished with 85 yards and a TD. This team does contain serious weapons, with QB Joe Burrow one of the best. But their defense will need to be far better to stop Lamar and Co and I can’t see them being able to contain them.
Ravens Moneyline @ -146
Green Bay Packers at 
Los Angeles Rams
The Packers almost completed the comeback in their tough 31-29 loss to division rival Minnesota las week. Starting QB Jordan love did return, but it was very a much a rollercoaster game for him. He threw 389 yards with four TDs and three interceptions, with those takeaways proving crucial in the end. Jayden Reed gobbled up 139 yards and a TD but the team lost fellow receiver Christian Watson to a high ankle sprain.
The Rams have been decimated by injuries since the start of the season, but with one of the best head coaches in the league in Sean McVay they always give themselves a chance. They were edged out in Chicago as Matthew Stafford struggled and they couldn’t really get anything going on offense. Kyren Williams did record 94 yards and a TD on the ground, but I think the Packers will have tough much for an underhanded Rams team.
Packers Moneyline @ -200
Week 5 Parlay Picks
I feel confident in the first three picks on this list for this week, well, as confident as you will ever be. Baltimore looked so good last week and I think they will want to make a statement on the road against a division rival. The Packers travel to a Rams team still missing several key players which is why I think they will be too strong on the day.
