NFL Week 5 Sunday picks

It is already Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season, so the contenders should start separating themselves from the pretenders. Are the Minnesota Vikings for real at 4-0? Are the Jacksonville Jaguars as bad as their 0-4 record suggests? Are the Baltimore Ravens the best team in the league despite a modest 2-2 mark? Those are just some of the questions being asked that could be answered at least in part on Sunday. 

Here are our best bets for Week 5 of the NFL season on what is an intriguing Sunday lineup: 

Predictions 

Pick #1 - New York Jets +2.5 over Minnesota Vikings (-105) 

Pick #2 - Washington Commanders -3.5 over Cleveland Browns (-102) 

Pick #3 - Arizona Cardinals +7 over San Francisco 49ers (-105) 

PICK #1: Jets +2.5 over Vikings (-105) 

The London Series kicks off with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings playing a game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. As mentioned above, the Vikings are still perfect 4 weeks into the year. That surely comes as a surprise to everyone, as expectations were not particularly high for head coach Kevin O’Connell’s squad. The Kirk Cousins era is over and heir apparent J.J. McCarthy – the No. 10 overall pick – was ruled out for the season with a knee injury before it even began.  

Sam Darnold has impressed so far under center for Minnesota, but he faces a difficult matchup against New York this weekend. The Jets are 2nd in the NFL in passing defense and 2nd in yards per pass attempt allowed. On the other side of the ball, the Vikings are last in the league in passing defense. The Jets’ offense was stymied by a stout Denver Broncos defense in Week 4 (New York still should have won the game – and would have if a late field goal had been successful), but Aaron Rodgers will likely rebound at the expense of Minnesota’s secondary. Give me Rodgers and company to cover and perhaps even win outright. 

PICK #2: Commanders -3.5 over Browns (-102) 

All aboard the Jayden Daniels bandwagon! The No. 2 pick in this year’s draft is off to an incredible start as a rookie. He has passed for 897 yards, rushed for 218 yards and accounted for 7 total touchdowns through 4 games as a professional. He has the Washington Commanders flying high at 3-1, having reeled off 3 wins in succession. They have scored 38 and 42 points in their last 2 games. 

Up next for head coach Dan Quinn’s crew is a team at the opposite end of the success spectrum. The Cleveland Browns are 1-3 and getting next to nothing out of the quarterback position in Deshaun Watson. At best, Watson has become a mediocre QB. At worst, he is completely washed up. Whatever the case, this Cleveland squad is in shambles despite having a decent defense. A confident Commanders team should be able to win by more than a field goal at home against a struggling opponent. 

PICK #3: Cardinals +7 over 49ers (-105) 

Will the real Arizona Cardinals please stand up? They were competitive against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 (lost 34-28) before crushing the Los Angeles Rams 41-10. Since then, Arizona has taken losses to the Commanders and Detroit Lions. Despite those recent results, you should have faith in the Cardinals – especially on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Kyler Murray and rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. make for a dynamic passing attack, plus the ground game is averaging 153.3 yards per game. 

When healthy, the San Francisco 49ers are a more talented team. However, Arizona appears to be catching its NFC West rival at the right time. Star RB Christian McCaffrey is still sidelined, while the defense could be without LB Fred Warner and DT Jordan Elliott, who are both dealing with ankle injuries. Even if the Cards don’t pull off an outright upset, they should be able to keep this game close.