NFL Picks 2015: The 3 Best Bets For Week 5

Road teams had a lot of success in Week 4, losing against the spread in just five of the 15 games. Teams at home could struggle just as much in Week 5 when some of the NFL’s top teams hit the road.

The two-time defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks are road underdogs at Las Vegas sportsbooks, getting three points in their visit to Cincinnati, according to vegasinsider.com. The undefeated Denver Broncos are also on the road, giving 4.5 points to the Oakland Raiders.

There’s no such thing as a “sure thing” when it comes to gambling, but here are the three best bets for Week 5 of the 2015 NFL season.

New England Patriots (-8.5)

New England easily covered the point spread in their last two games, and a meaningless touchdown by the Pittsburgh Steelers with two seconds left in Week 1 forced a push. As the Patriots look to steamroll the rest of the league after the Deflategate scandal, the Dallas Cowboys will be in for a long day when they host New England in Week 5.

Dallas is 0-2 with Brandon Weeden at the helm, and the fill-in quarterback has lost his last 10 starts. His favorite target had been Lance Dunbar, who is now out for the season with a torn ACL and MCL. Tom Brady has thrown nine touchdowns and no interceptions, and he should be able to take advantage of the Cowboys’ secondary, much like Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons did. The Patriots are 10-2 in the last 12 years after a regular-season bye week, winning seven of those games by at least nine points. Giving Bill Belichick an extra week to prepare for a banged up Dallas team will mean another blowout victory for New England.

Arizona Cardinals (-2.5)

Despite their Week 4 loss to the St. Louis Rams, the Cardinals are still among the best teams in the NFC. Since they only need to win by a field goal to cover the spread when they visit the Detroit Lions, Arizona is one of the best bets in Week 5.

Detroit is the last remaining winless team, and Arizona has dismantled the three losing teams they’ve faced, outscoring them by 77 points. The Cardinals nearly beat the Rams, even though they lost the turnover battle 3-0. Only two teams have more turnovers than the nine giveaways that the Lions have on the season, and Arizona will take advantage of those mistakes. Matthew Stafford entered 2015 with a 3-32 record against teams that finish the season with a winning record. He leads the No.29 ranked offense in the NFL, and the Lions will have trouble keeping up with the league’s No.2 scoring team.

Cleveland Browns (+6.5)

After losing three of their first four games, it’s becoming apparent that the Browns will miss the playoffs for a 13th consecutive season. But they have a chance to win in Week 5 when they visit the Baltimore Ravens, who have been involved in tight contests all season,

Baltimore lost their first three games, and they were fortunate to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, who lost because of missed field goals and having to start their backup quarterback. Each season, a top team from the previous year finishes with a losing record, and the Ravens might be that team in 2015. Their defense isn’t the same after losing players like Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata, allowing 26 points per game. Steve Smith will miss the game with an injury, leaving Kamar Aiken as Joe Flacco’s top target. Cleveland had chances late in the fourth quarter to win each of their last two games, and they usually play the Ravens close, covering the spread in four of their last five visits to Baltimore.

Season Record: 8-1