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Five things to watch during Week 5 of the NFL Season

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Max Wagers

10-08-2022

  1. Can Ravens exact revenge?

Last year the Bengals had the Ravens number, dropping 40 burgers on them in both of their meetings. The Ravens will look to get back on track when they host the Bengals on Sunday night. The Ravens are 3 point favorites and are looking to bounce back from losing 2 of the last 3 games against perceived playoff contenders.

Lamar Jackson has been playing well but has left a lot to be desired in crunch time situations against the Dolphins and Bills. Their defense has been a sieve so far and will need to amp up the pass rush as that will be the key to beating the Bengals.

The Bengals on the otherhand have had an up and down season. They got their signature win on the season last Thursday as they knocked off the Dolphins but it wasn't with question marks. They live and die by the big play. If you take away some of the large plays they have gotten on the season their offense has been relatively stuck in mud. Joe Mixon is not his old self. He is not averaging as many missed tackles as last season along with average around 3 yards per carry.

The Ravens are the play here. They are better coached and they have a bone to pick from last year. Their season has been jekyll and hyde but Lamar does just enough to get the Ravens the win.

Prediction: Ravens -3

  1. Packers head to LondonTown

In the early game on Sunday, The Packers take on the Giants giving 8 points. The Packers have been hit or miss this year and definitely seem to be missing Davante Adams. Their defense has been solid but Aaron Rodgers and the WR core have yet to get on the same page. Romeo Doubs has entered the fray and has become one of Rodgers new go-tos. Allen Lazard is rounding into form and Aaron Jones has been racking yards on the ground.

The Giants on the other hand may be down to a 3rd string QB with injuries to Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor. The Giants are a surprising 3-1 and right behind the Eagles for first in the NFC East. Saquon Barkley is making his case for comeback player of the year and is currently leading the league in rushing. Barkley is showing that big play ability he had going back to his rookie year. The London games always provide some strangeness and were hitting the under 41.5. The London under has hit 7 out of the last 10 games and also favorites do well at 21-8-1.

Prediction: Under 41.5

  1. Dallas gets a real defensive test

The Cooper Rush experience has been sold out every week. He has taken the Cowboys to 3 straight wins in a row. And in the process has not turned the ball over. This is neccessity for a backup QB and he is cementing himself as a solid game manager. The Cowboys arguably haven't faced the stiffest of competition since their Week One loss to Tampa Bay but they will get a solid defensive test against The Rams pass rush lead by Aaron Donalad on Sunday.

The Cowboys also bring a solid defense of their own. Micah Parsons is leading the conversation for DPOY and their pass rush has wrecked offensive lines all season. This has been the major driver in their success, play great defense and Cooper Rush does just enough to get the job done. The Rams have been a bit of a free fall since their Super Bowl victory. Stafford is under durress and this week it won't get any easier. Allen Robinson is in witness protection, their key offseason WR signing has yet to make any impact and the backfield is not generating any net positive yards. The Rams rank 26th in offensive DVOA and the only connections are the Stafford to Cooper Kupp hook ups. Cooper Kupps receiving props have now hit in 17 of 19 games. Just an absurd number.

Prediction: Dallas +5.5

  1. The Carolina Panthers are a horrendous ATS team.

Since hiring Matt Rhule The Panthers are 1-26 straight up and 5-22 ATS when their opponent scores more than 17 points. As NFL fans know, 17 points is an extremely common number to hit with todays offenses and this is the reason why Rhule is the odds-on favorite to get fired first this season.

They brought in Baker Mayfield via trade with Cleveland in the offseason and were hoping to polish that turd but what they have gotten instead is the skittish quarterback we saw last season in Cleveland. He ranks dead last in quarterbacks and is up to his usual tricks of fighting with the media. The Panthers fan base was cautiously optimisic heading into the season regarding Mayfield but just 1 month into the season they are already done with this experiment. DJ Moore is getting the Odell Beckham Jr. treatment with clips of him being wide open surfacing on social media. The only bright spot so far has been Christian McCaffrey seems to be regaining his dominant form. Hopefully he can stay healthy because he is an electric player to watch, however not even McCaffrey can potentially outweigh the Mayfield shortcomings. They host the 49ers on Sunday and that defensive line should wreak havoc on The Panthers and Mayfield.

Prediction: Under 39

  1. Showdown in the AFC West on Monday Night

The Chiefs host the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football laying 7 points currently. The Chiefs obliterated the Raiders last year hanging 40 on them twice after the previous season the Raiders gave them hell. And had then coach Jon Gruden driving around Arrowhead Stadium after victory. The Chiefs are coming off a dominant win against Tampa Bay and The Raiders potentially saved their season with a victory over the hapless Broncos.

Las Vegas has been middle of the road in pretty much every stat this season while KC is looking to be their dominant self. It's Monday Night Football, scoring usually happens, but not this year as the primetime under is displaying a decided advantage. This game should be a shootout. We're looking for a lot of points and back and forth matchup. The Raiders might even keep it close with that 7 spread heading into late 4th quarter but Chiefs will pull away.

Prediction: Over 51