NFL Picks Week 5: We should talk about the Steelers

All of Week 5's straight-up picks, from the Lions' latest get-right game to the Titans piling onto Jacksonville's misery.

Through four weeks, the NFL playoff picture is …

Pointless. Pretty much pointless. All we know right now is the Jaguars and Lions almost certainly won’t make it, even with a 14-team field. This is not new or particularly interesting information. It is something we understood back in March of 2020.

We do know which teams are fighting above their weight class and who needs to overcome their underachievement after roughly one quarter of the season. The Cardinals have staked their claim to the top of the NFC West through an undefeated start. The Chiefs couldn’t get out of their own way en route to a spot in the bottom of the AFC West. The Jets, Giants, and Texans are bad, but not 0-17 bad.

All this table-setting has given way to Week 5, our last 16-game slate of football before bye weeks kick in to ruin fantasy lineups across the globe. A handful of marquee matchups dot the schedule. The Bills and Chiefs will run back last season’s AFC title game for a primetime audience in Kansas City. The Browns and Chargers will provide another potential playoff preview. New Orleans and Washington will give us the most inscrutable game of the young season so far.

After a 10-6 record last week (stupid Jets/Giants), I’m 43-21 on the season to date. Here’s my full slate of Week 5 straight-up picks. Winners in bold, all odds via Tipico:

Jets at Falcons (-175)
Titans (-205) at Jaguars
Saints at Washington (+110)
Patriots (-420) at Texans
Lions at Vikings (-450)
Dolphins at Buccaneers (-500)
Packers (-160) at Bengals
Eagles at Panthers (-175)
Broncos at Steelers*(-117) 
Browns at Chargers (-135)
Bears at Raiders (-240)
Giants at Cowboys (-300)
49ers at Cardinals (-230)
Bills at Chiefs (-145)
Colts at Ravens (-300)

*pick subject to change pending Teddy Bridgewater’s availability.