play1:07Why Dan Orlovsky says Ravens-Texans is a must-win for BaltimoreDan Orlovsky rips the Ravens and explains why Sunday’s game against the Texans is a must-win, even if Lamar Jackson is sidelined.
play3:11Inside the anatomy of Tyreek Hill’s knee injury with Stephania BellUsing Virtual Medicine, Stephania Bell examines Tyreek Hill’s season-ending knee injury from an anatomical perspective.
play1:20Smith-Njigba on Seattle’s offense: Darnold has been next levelSeahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba joins “The Rich Eisen Show” to explain why Seattle’s offense has started to click this season.
play1:49Stephen A.: Bengals’ season is a ‘wash’ without BurrowStephen A. Smith breaks down the struggles facing the Bengals with star quarterback Joe Burrow injured.
49ers prevail in OT showdown with Rams (1:26)The Rams mount a valiant comeback to force overtime, but the 49ers ultimately prevail for a 26-23 win. (1:26)
Why Dan Orlovsky says Ravens-Texans is a must-win for BaltimoreDan Orlovsky rips the Ravens and explains why Sunday’s game against the Texans is a must-win, even if Lamar Jackson is sidelined.
Dan Orlovsky rips the Ravens and explains why Sunday’s game against the Texans is a must-win, even if Lamar Jackson is sidelined.
Inside the anatomy of Tyreek Hill’s knee injury with Stephania BellUsing Virtual Medicine, Stephania Bell examines Tyreek Hill’s season-ending knee injury from an anatomical perspective.
Using Virtual Medicine, Stephania Bell examines Tyreek Hill’s season-ending knee injury from an anatomical perspective.
Smith-Njigba on Seattle’s offense: Darnold has been next levelSeahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba joins “The Rich Eisen Show” to explain why Seattle’s offense has started to click this season.
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba joins “The Rich Eisen Show” to explain why Seattle’s offense has started to click this season.
Stephen A.: Bengals’ season is a ‘wash’ without BurrowStephen A. Smith breaks down the struggles facing the Bengals with star quarterback Joe Burrow injured.
Stephen A. Smith breaks down the struggles facing the Bengals with star quarterback Joe Burrow injured.
Browns rookie QB Dillon Gabriel is making his NFL debut in London against the Vikings. Old teammates in Carolina, QBs Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, will face off again in the Bucs-Seahawks matchup. And Commanders QB Jayden Daniels makes his return from injury against the Chargers.
Let’s get into the full Week 5 slate, which culminates with a “Monday Night Football” matchup between the Chiefs and Jaguars on ESPN. (Game times are Sunday unless otherwise noted.)
Jump to a matchup: CLE-MIN | DEN-PHI | HOU-BAL LV-IND | DAL-NYJ | MIA-CAR NYG-NO | TB-SEA | TEN-ARI WSH-LAC | DET-CIN | NE-BUF KC-JAX
Stat to know: The Browns have scored 17 or fewer points in nine straight games dating to last season, which is tied for the longest streak in franchise history. — ESPN Research
Bold prediction: Browns DT Mason Graham will record his first full sack as a pro. It’s hard to get a better opportunity than this, as QB Carson Wentz has taken sacks at a massive 11.5% clip so far this season. — Walder
Fantasy nugget: Vikings RB Jordan Mason has had 16 or more touches in consecutive games with Aaron Jones Sr. (hamstring) out. The good news: He’s seeing heavy usage. The bad news: The Vikings’ offensive line has been devastated by injuries and faces a Browns defensive front that previously shut down the Ravens’ Derrick Henry and the Packers’ Josh Jacobs. Cleveland’s defense has allowed just 2.9 yards per carry and the second-fewest rushing yards to backs. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody
Betting nugget: The Vikings are 14-7 ATS (against the spread) in their past 21 road/neutral games. Read more. — ESPN Research
Maldonado’s pick: Browns 24, Vikings 19 Moody’s pick: Vikings 20, Browns 14 Walder’s pick: Browns 18, Vikings 15 FPI prediction: MIN, 62.9% (by an average of 4.8 points)
Matchup must-reads: Browns bench Flacco, turn to Gabriel as starting QB … Vikings’ plan for week between Dublin and London … Vikings’ O’Neill, Kelly injured against Steelers
What we’re hearing on the Eagles: The Eagles need to get WR A.J. Brown going. He was held to two catches for 7 yards on nine targets last week and created a stir with a cryptic tweet postgame. Brown has been held to 27 or fewer yards in three of four games. Unsurprisingly, the passing game ranks 31st in the NFL. “I see that we’re struggling and I’m a guy that wants the ball in those times when we can’t find a way. Give it to me,” Brown said Wednesday. — Tim McManus
Stat to know: The Broncos’ defense ranks first in QBR (40.5) and sacks (15), as well as second in pressures (62). — ESPN Research
Bold prediction: Broncos edge Jonathon Cooper will record a sack against Eagles RT Lane Johnson. That’s a tall task considering the opposition, but Cooper has the fastest pass rush get-off in the NFL (among those with at least 50 pass rushes), crossing the line of scrimmage in 0.69 seconds, per NFL Next Gen Stats. — Walder
Fantasy nugget: Eagles TE Dallas Goedert posted a season-high 19.7 fantasy points in Week 4, despite seeing just four targets. He had only two targets in Week 1, missed Week 2 and saw just two in Week 3, yet he has totaled 41.4 fantasy points. Even though the Broncos’ defense is tough, Denver has allowed at least 10 fantasy points to tight ends in two of its past three games. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody
Betting nugget: The Eagles are 9-3 ATS in their past 12 games as favorites. Read more. — ESPN Research
Maldonado’s pick: Eagles 13, Broncos 10 Moody’s pick: Eagles 27, Broncos 23 Walder’s pick: Broncos 23, Eagles 21 FPI prediction: PHI, 61.2% (by an average of 4.2 points)
Matchup must-reads: Jones’ endless energy catalyst for Broncos’ defense … Inside the champagne problems of the Eagles offense
What we’re hearing on the Texans: The Texans know they’re going against a foe that they’ve struggled with. The Ravens have a 13-2 record against Houston, but coach DeMeco Ryans said, “The past is the past.” Wideout Nico Collins acknowledged the 31-2 blowout loss they suffered on Christmas to Baltimore but said it’s time to “turn the page.” — DJ Bien-Aime
Stat to know: The Ravens have allowed 35 points in three of four games this season, tied for the most such games in a season in franchise history (1996 and 2021). — ESPN Research
Bold prediction: Ravens RB Derrick Henry will record a season-high 22-plus rush attempts. The Texans have a ferocious pass rush but struggle to stop the run. QB Lamar Jackson (hamstring) could be out, so the Ravens are going to want to lean on the ground game. — Walder
Why Dan Orlovsky says Ravens-Texans is a must-win for Baltimore
Betting nugget: The Texans are the only team to go under the total in all four games this season, and the Ravens are the only team to go over the total in every game. Read more. — ESPN Research
Maldonado’s pick: Ravens 23, Texans 14 Moody’s pick: Ravens 23, Texans 20 Walder’s pick: Ravens 20, Texans 17 FPI prediction: BAL, 56.0% (by an average of 2.2 points)
Matchup must-reads: Emergence of rookie RB Marks gives spark to Texans … How the Ravens got to 1-3 and where they go from here … Texans look to beat Ravens for first time since 2014 … What’s wrong with the 1-3 Ravens? Injuries, consistency, more
Stat to know: Colts rookie Tyler Warren leads all tight ends in receiving yards this season (263), which is the most for the position through four career games in the Super Bowl era. — ESPN Research
Bold prediction: Raiders TE Brock Bowers will record under 30 receiving yards. Bowers hasn’t put up big numbers since injuring his knee in Week 1, and the Colts look like a particularly tough opponent. Only 14% of targets against Indianapolis have gone to tight ends, the fourth-lowest rate in the league. — Walder
Fantasy nugget: Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. has scored 15 or more fantasy points in three of four games this season while averaging 7.2 targets. He’s set up for a huge performance against a defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody
Maldonado’s pick: Colts 34, Raiders 28 Moody’s pick: Colts 34, Raiders 24 Walder’s pick: Colts 26, Raiders 21 FPI prediction: IND, 63.9% (by an average of 5.3 points)
Matchup must-reads: Why Booker IV and the Raiders’ D-line will be critical to a win in Indianapolis … Howard abruptly retires, citing ‘family first’
What we’re hearing on the Jets: The gloves are going on — literally. On Thursday, coach Aaron Glenn wore a boxing glove during a ball-security drill, trying to punch out the ball. The Jets have lost a league-high six fumbles, which explains the emphasis in practice. The Jets are a mistake-prone team — minus-seven turnover differential and 40 penalties (tied-seventh most). They’re seeking to avoid their third 0-5 start in the past 30 years. — Rich Cimini
Stat to know: The Jets have allowed 25-plus points in every game this season (the only team in the NFL to do so). Another such game will be tied for the longest streak of allowing 25-plus points in a season in franchise history. — ESPN Research
Bold prediction: Cowboys LB Jack Sanborn will lead the league in tackles this week. The Jets are running at an outrageous clip and are currently sporting a league-low minus-12% pass rate over expectation. As only light underdogs to Dallas, they very well could stick with the ground game for 60 minutes, inducing tons of tackling opportunities for Cowboys linebackers. — Walder
Fantasy nugget: Jets QB Justin Fields finished with 27.1 fantasy points last week and now faces a defense that has allowed the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Dallas has also given up the most rushing attempts and the fifth-highest rushing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody
Betting nugget: Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is 21-14-1 ATS in his career as a road favorite (49-36-2 ATS overall as the favorite). Read more. — ESPN Research
Maldonado’s pick: Jets 24, Cowboys 21 Moody’s pick: Jets 24, Cowboys 23 Walder’s pick: Cowboys 30, Jets 23 FPI prediction: DAL, 63.9% (by an average of 3.5 points)