NFL 2026 Week 5 Prequel
Thursday, October 8, 2026, 8pm
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys (-8 1/2) — The Cowboys have no defense but the Buccaneers are winless, witless and worthless.While they are not the 1976 Buccaneers, they are playing badly. Todd Bowles may finally be out of luck. Cowboys cover
Sunday October 11, 9:30am
Philadelphia Eagle at Jacksonville Jaguars (-6 1/2) in London. This is the Jaguars second home. They are playing good football. Trevor Lawrence is airing it out. The Eagles barely survived Tennessee and last week blew a double digit lead at home to the Rams in the final 5 minutes. The spread is still high given that the Eagles play to the level of their competition. Jaguars win but fail to cover
1pm
Cincinnati Bengals (-7 1/2) at Miami Dolphins — The Bengals are good. The Dolphins are awful. Yet the spread is too high for a road team that plays close games. A garbage time touchdown to beat the spread is realistic. Bengals win but fail to cover
Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots (-3 1/2) — last year the Raiders went into New England in the season opener and beat the Patriots. Yet the Raiders finished 3-14 with the top Draft pick and the Patriots went 14-3 and reached the Super Bowl. This year the Raiders started 3-0 before losing a heartbreaker against unbeaten Kansas City. The Patriots had been stumbling but got a quality road win at Buffalo. Go with the hoe crowd in a close one as long as Drake Maye protects the ball. Patriots win but fail to cover
Minnesota Vikings (-2) at New Orleans Saints — The Vikings are unbeaten with a tenacious defense and very little offense. The Saints looked horrendous at home against Atlanta. On a short week for the home team, trust the unbeaten road team that is rested. Vikings cover
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets (-2 1/2) — The Jets defense is not bad but their offense has yet to gel. The Browns are actually good. Deshaun Watson has played well. Give the Browns the benefit of the doubt for the first time in forever. Upset special, Browns win outright.
Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers (-2 1/2) — neither team is playing well. Daniel Jones and Aaron Rodgers are not getting help at receiver. Jonathan Taylor can sill run the ball, but the Steelers should have enough firepower at home. Steelers cover
Houston Texans (-7) at Tennessee Titans — Both teams are winless, but the Titans were expected to be bad. The Texans are again off to a slow start. Bill Parcells said that “You are what your record says you are,” but the Texans have too much talent to lose a game like this, especially on defense. The spread is too high for a road team struggling. Texans win but fail to cover.
New York Giants at Washington at Commanders (-3 1/2) — Both teams lost their starting quarterbacks to injury, but Jayden Daniels is back. Jameis Winston throws touchdown passes to both teams. The spread is too high for a Giants team that fights hard and can run the ball.
Chicago Bears (-3) at Green Bay Packers — The Packers are not playing well but Caleb Williams will miss another game to injury. The Green bay defense will face off against Mike Bagent. The calls for Matt LaFleur’s scalp will grow louder if they cannot beat a backup quarterback. Upset special, Packers win outright
4pm
Denver Broncos (-3 1/2) at Los Angeles Chargers — The Broncos are good. The Chargers were supposed to be but instead are winless. This is another example of a team with talent that cannot put it together. The spread is high for a road team against a desperate division rival. Broncos win but fail to cover
Detroit Lions (-4 1/2) at Arizona Cardinals — The Lions have no defense while the Cardinals seem to have nothing. This is the last time to give the Lions the benefit of the doubt. The spread is too high for a road team playing inconsistently. Lions win but fail to cover
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (-3) — Both teams are very good, with the 49ers being unbeaten. Yet this is a series where the home field matters significantly. With all other factors considered equal, go with the 12th man at home. Seahawks cover
8pm
Baltimore Ravens (-3) at Atlanta Falcons — The Falcons are a completely revitalized team with Michael Penix back in the lineup. Bijan Robinson is running wild. The Falcons went on the road and stomped New Orleans. Yet lamar Jackson is still a duel threat. Go with the experienced quarterback. Ravens cover
Monday, October 12, 8pm
Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams (-2 1/2) — The Rams were 5 minutes away from being 1-3 before overcoming a double digit deficit at Philadelphia last week. The Bills suffered a surprising home loss to New England last week. With Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford, this could come down to who has the ball last. The Rams are desperate and can win a shootout. Rams cover