Here are our week five picks, and I really hope I can start making my way back to a winning record overall.

Bears @ Colts (-4.5)

The Colts are the first team to waive their right to have a bye after playing in London as they wanted one later in the season and so welcome the Chicago Bears into Indianapolis this week. How they play will be a test that many with an interest in a London franchise will be watching carefully, the problem being that the Colts are not exactly playing well to begin with. The Bears picked up their first win of the season last week, with Brian Hoyer offering stability at quarterback, and I find it hard to believe that the Colts should be giving four and a half points to anyone so I’ll back the Bears to at least cover in this one.

Gee’s Pick:          Bears
Dan’s Pick:          Colts

Patriots @ Browns (+10.5)

The Cleveland Browns look like they have found some skill players on offence, even if they have not managed to convert any of their performances into anything like a win. Everybody is expecting Tom Brady to walk back into the Patriots team and pick up where he left off last season, but with Rob Gronkowski playing limited snaps as a blocking tight end things might not be that straight forward. However, I’m not prepared to pick against them even after last week’s surprising loss to the Bills.

Gee’s Pick:          Patriots
Dan’s Pick:          Patriots

Eagles @ Lions (+2.5)

The Detroit Lions are really missing Ezekiel Ansah and DeAndre Levy on defence, and have dropped three straight games after their opening weekend win. The Eagles are coming off a bye, and I don’t see anything in this game that would make me hesitate in picking the Eagles. That is likely something that should worry the fans in Philadelphia.

Gee’s Pick:          Eagles
Dan’s Pick:          Eagles

Titans @ Dolphins (-3.5)

I am finding this game hard to pick as the Titans have not been playing well, and Marcus Mariota has not looked like he has progressed. However, their defence has been pretty solid and the Dolphins have really been struggling. I can easily see the Titans keeping this close, or the Dolphins using this as a get right game. In the end I think it might be close and that extra half point is leading me to take the Titans, which should be good news for Dan.

Gee’s Pick:          Titans
Dan’s Pick:          Dolphins

Texans @ Vikings (-6.5)

The Texans may sit atop the AFC South with their 3-1 record, but I think that visiting the Vikings in their new stadium is one of the tougher assignments in the NFL at the moment. The Texans are only one game into life without JJ Watt on defence for the season, but my real worry is Brock Osweiler who has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns this season, and still needs time to settle into an offence that has a lot of new receivers. I think it could well come good for Osweiler in the end, but Minnesota is not the place to succeed without an established offence.

Gee’s Pick:          Vikings
Dan’s Pick:          Vikings

Jets @ Steelers (-7.5)

The Jets are really struggling, with Ryan Fitzpatrick really throwing too many interceptions in the last couple of weeks and the injuries racking up at receiver. Their problems in the secondary mean that their defence is ranked twenty-eighth in DVOA despite their fearsome front. The Steelers got back to winning ways last way in a big way, and the shuffling of their offensive line should worry me going into this game, but Ben Roethlisberger is such a tough quarterback to bring down, and with all the options he has in the passing game I see the Steelers having far too much for the Jets to worry them.

Gee’s Pick:          Steelers
Dan’s Pick:          Steelers

Washington @ Ravens (-3.5)

This is a really hard game to call for me as I don’t have strong opinion on either team. For Washington it seems that Kirk Cousins is beginning to find some form, whilst the Ravens are coming off their first loss of the season. With no game decided by more than six points this season, and their last two games won or lost by a margin of two points or less, I am picking based on the Ravens specialising in close games.

Gee’s Pick:          Washington
Dan’s Pick:          Washington

Falcons @ Broncos (-6.5)

I am really looking forward to this game as we are going to see one of the hottest offences in the league go up against one of the toughest defences. However, the Falcons defence is almost as bad as their offence is good, and playing on the road in Denver I still fancy the Broncos to cover this line.

Gee’s Pick:          Broncos
Dan’s Pick:          Falcons

Bills @ Rams (-2.5)

The LA Rams stand atop of the NFC West with the Seahawks thanks to a defence that is playing well and an offence that is playing really badly. I don’t have a handle on how they are doing this, but that is fine because the Bills have broken my expectations by firing their offensive coordinator and winning two straight. To say I don’t know what to do in this game is an understatement, but given the gap in overall DVOA and the fact that I have more faith in Tyrod Taylor than Case Keenum I am going to pick the Bills and see how wrong I can be.

Gee’s Pick:          Bills
Dan’s Pick:          Bills

Bengals @ Cowboys (+0.5)

The worry for me is that Tyler Eifert now has a sore back and so is out of this game, so whilst the Bengals are coming of a Thursday night win and have had a little extra time to prepare, the red zone efficiency is still a big worry. They travel from Cincinnati to face a Cowboys team who don’t have the best home field advantage and have a rookie quarterback who has played very well but not faced a defence of the quality of the Bengals. I am concerned that this is a pick of fandom over reason but I am making it anyway.

Gee’s Pick:          Bengals
Dan’s Pick:          Cowboys

Chargers @ Raiders (-4.5)

The Oakland Raiders have managed to get themselves three road wins with an offence that is playing as well as anybody and a defence that has really struggled. There have been a lot of struggles in the secondary and this week they go against one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Luckily for the Raiders, the Chargers have not put Rivers in a position to win often enough and the injuries have piled up again. It is likely the Chargers are going to be competitive again, which makes me hesitant to pick against them but I feel like the Raiders are heading in the right direction whilst I worry about how the Chargers are constructed and where they are headed.

Gee’s Pick:          Raiders
Dan’s Pick:          Raiders

Giants @ Packers (-7.5)

All the headlines surrounding the New York Giants are regarding Odell Beckham, and whilst these are justified to an extent, the balance of the offence and how the Giants were on defence did not inspire last week against the Vikings and this week they travel to face the Packers in Green Bay. The Packers are coming off a bye and it looks like Jordy Nelson is beginning to find his timing with Aaron Rodgers. The points worry me as the Packers let the Lions back into their week three game that they were leading 31-10 at halftime, but their defence has looked good, although they will miss Sam Shields, and so I’m nervously backing the Packers to win big here as I think they are the better team.

Gee’s Pick:          Packers
Dan’s Pick:          Packers

Buccaneers @ Panthers (-3.5)

The Panthers are without Cam Newton and have not been playing well this season, but Tama Bay are ranked near the bottom of the league in offence and overall DVOA, with a first year head coach that is struggling on the side of the ball he is responsible for. I am not sure whether the Panthers can turn their season round, but I think they should run out winners over the Bucs in this one.

Gee’s Pick:          Panthers
Dan’s Pick:          Buccaneers