SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 27: San Francisco 49ers' Nick Bosa (97) high-fives fans after the 49ers 51-13 win over the Carolina Panthers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Long story short, here are my NFL picks for Week 5:
49ers 30, Panthers 10: It’s the NFL’s best defense vs. the NFL’s worst offense. It’s Bosa vs. Baker. And it’s just the way the 49ers’ pile up points before an East Coast layover in West Virginia (see: 31-13 win in 2020 over the New York Jets, 41-33 win in ’21 at Detroit). Line: 49ers -6
Broncos 26, Colts 13: No Jonathan Taylor for the Colts, clearing the way for another Russell Wilson win in prime time in Denver. The bigger mystery is whether Denver’s defense will flush Matt Ryan to retreat through the end zone. Line: Broncos -3.5
Packers 24, Giants 17: Aaron & Aaron Study Abroad. That would be Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones leading Green Bay to victory in its first London appearance. Line: Giants +8
Bills 31, Steelers 14: The Steelers pick Buffalo for Kenny Pickett’s first NFL start? May as well put him in a barrel and send him over nearby Niagara Falls. Line: Bils -14
Chargers 17, Browns 16: Back-to-back road wins for the Chargers, whose Khalil Mack will be Nick Bosa’s biggest challenger for the NFL sack title this year. Line: Browns +3
Jaguars 31, Texans 25: How long will Houston go winless under coach Lovie Smith? This snaps the Texans’ eight-game win streak in this AFC South series. Line: Texans +7
Vikings 28, Bears 20: The Vikings overcome their London jetlag and bid cheerio to Chicago’s upset bid. Line: Vikings -7
Patriots 28, Lions 27: Bill Belichick finds an easy mark in the NFL’s most generous defense (35.3 points per game). Line: Lions +3
Saints 27, Seahawks 7: All due respect to Geno Smith for winning the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award but he earned it against the NFL’s most generous defense (see: above paragraph). Line: Saints -5 1/2
Dolphins 23, Jets 17: Tua Tagovailoa is out (finally, thankfully, mercifully) and that leaves Miami coach Mike McDaniel to scheme his way past former 49ers colleagues Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur, the Jets’ coach and offensive coordinator, respectively. Line: Dolphins -3
Bucs 28, Falcons 14: Tom Brady could use some positive publicity these days, so consider this: he’s 9-0 against Atlanta, plus a titanic Super Bowl comeback; he’s thrown 15 touchdowns and two interceptions in sweeping the Bucs-Falcons series the past two years. Line: Bucs -8 1/2
Titans 20, Commanders 17: Tennessee heads into its bye week after extending Washington’s losing streak to four. Line: Titans -2 1/2
Cardinals 29, Eagles 26: Down goes the NFC’s last undefeated team. Kyler Murray channels his 2020 excellence against the Eagles (406 passing yards, four touchdowns in home win). Line: Cardinals +5
Rams 27, Cowboys 20: Cooper Kupp > Cooper Rush. Line: Rams -5 1/2
Ravens 24, Bengals 23: It’s all about the all-black uniforms the Ravens don for their only prime-time game on their current schedule. They’ve won six straight and are 17-5 all-time in them. Line: Bengals +3
Raiders 27, Chiefs 24: Now that they’re off the winless schneid, there’s no stopping Derek Carr and Davante Adams. This upset marks Carr’s fifth win in his past six Monday nighters. Line: Raiders +7
Last week: 11-5 straight up, 10-6 against the spread.
Season: 34-29-1 straight up, 32-32 against the spread.
Originally published at Cam Inman