NFL Week Five Betting Preview

The NFL season rolls into October with a pivotal Week 5 slate of games headlined by a divisional showdown in Los Angeles, a London clash of teams with quarterback issues, and a Monday night meeting of AFC contenders. UK viewers can catch the action on Sky Sports NFL, with RedZone available via NFL Game Pass. 

The early window begins at 6pm BST on Sunday, followed by the late games at 9:05pm, while the Minnesota Vikings’ clash with the Cleveland Browns will be live on Channel 5 at 2:30pm BST.  Sunday Night Football sees the Buffalo Bills host the New England Patriots at 1:20am BST on Monday, while the Kansas City Chiefs meet the Jacksonville Jaguars at 1:15am BST on Tuesday.

Game 1 – Los Angeles Rams vs San Francisco 49ers (Friday 1:15am BST)

Thursday Night Football returns to SoFi Stadium with an NFC West battle between two 3-1 teams. Los Angeles have won three straight against the 49ers and boast one of the league’s fiercest pass rushes, tied for second-most sacks through four weeks. That spells trouble for San Francisco, especially with Brock Purdy nursing a turf toe injury. If he can’t go, Mac Jones will be under center for the visitors.

Meanwhile, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford orchestrated two length-of-the-field fourth-quarter drives to seal a 27-20 comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday. Puka Nacua is coming off a career-best performance of 170 receiving yards and a touchdown and with Davante Adams, who also scored last week, attracting some double coverage, he could be in for another big game. 

However, the best prop bet here could be to take Kyren Williams to top 68.5 yards rushing, which he has done in each of the last two weeks having narrowly failed to reach that mark in his 66-yard performances in Weeks 1 and 2. Williams logged over 100 yards in a 12-6 win over the 49ers last season and goes up against a 17th-ranked run defence currently allowing 115.5 rushing yards per game

Tip 1: Kyren Williams Over 68.5 Rushing yards @ 10/11

Game 2 – Minnesota Vikings vs Cleveland Browns (Sunday 2:30pm BST – London)

Minnesota’s perfect record in International Series games was halted in Dublin last weekend, but an injury-ravaged Vikings team made a fist of it by rallying from 15 points down to run the Pittsburgh Steelers close. Carson Wentz looks set to get the start at quarterback again with J.J. McCarthy still recovering. The former Philadelphia Eagles starter has thrown for an average of 260 yards per game but has been sacked nine times. 

Meanwhile, Cleveland’s quarterback situation looks even less certain with Joe Flacco struggling and rookie Dillon Gabriel waiting in the wings. The Browns have the NFL’s top run defence, so expect Wentz to air it out again. But they also have one of the league’s best pass rushing units, led by Myles Garrett, so his time in the pocket will be limited. This one looks likely to be a defence-dominated slugfest with few big plays, especially in the passing game.

Tip 2: Under 2.5 Passing Touchdowns @ 1/2

Game 3 – Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots (Monday 1:20am BST)

Sunday Night Football features the top two teams in the AFC East but, in reality, there is a gulf in class between the undefeated Bills and rebuilding Patriots. Josh Allen has led Buffalo to a 4-0 start, and the defence ranks top-three in takeaways. New England are 2-2 and still looking for some big playmakers on both sides of the ball.

The Patriots have lost four straight in Buffalo but they have run the Bills close a couple of times, losing 24-21 and 27-21 in the past two seasons. They might be good for a touchdown in each half, which feels almost inevitable for the Bills’ high-powered offence to match or better.

Tip 3: Both teams to score 1+ touchdowns in each half @ 29/20