By Zach Alvira
Head of Content
Hard to believe we're already in Week 5 of the NFL season.
With that, From the Couch returns with five games I'm looking forward to watching this week.
New York Jets at Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, 10 a.m.
Aaron Rodgers' battles with the Minnesota Vikings continues Sunday, as the Jets visit the Vikings in a showdown that many didn't expect to have as many implications as it does at this point in the season.
The Jets have been less than impressive this season, with Breece Hall struggling out of the backfield. The defense hasn't lived up to the hype, either, which presents problems for New York as they face a Minnesota team that has exceeded expectations with Sam Darnold leading the charge. Luckily, he avoided a major injury against the Texans. And for that reason, I think the Vikings continue to play well.
Best bet: Vikings -2.5
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, 10 a.m.
Will we ever get sick of Lamar Jackson vs Joe Burrow? Maybe some people, but not me. This, to me, is another look into one of the great battles we have to look forward to for the foreseeable future of the NFL.
The Ravens looked great against the Bills, rendering Josh Allen useless against the Baltimore defense. Jackson, meanwhile, manned the offense well. I see the same result to a certain extent coming Sunday, as the Bengals still appear to be working out some kinks. For some reason, the Cincinnati offense just isn't clicking.
Best bet: Ravens ML
Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans, Sunday, 10 a.m.
Yet another good quarterback battle as Josh Allen foes toe-to-toe with CJ Stroud. The Bills looked awful against the Ravens on Sunday Night last week. But I see that as an outlier to a good Buffalo team.
This game should have some fireworks, especially with players like Allen and Stefon Diggs looking to show out against one another. The two were electric in Buffalo (they even won me a Fantasy championship). Now, they're opponents. And I imagine Stroud will try to feed Diggs early and often to give him the opportunity to one-up his former team.
Best bet: Diggs over 4.5 receptions
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, 1:05 p.m.
The Arizona Cardinals are in trouble. The offense is out of wack. The defense can't stop a soul. They enter a matchup with a 49ers team that is feeling pretty good about themselves after last week, as Brock Purdy looked more like himself.
This is gut check time for the Cardinals and Kyler Murray. Local media is on his head yet again, two weeks after touting him as a star for the performance against the Rams. I've even heard some questions regarding Jonathan Gannon and whether he should be on the hot seat. That, I think, is an overreaction. But this game is pivotal for the Cardinals. Sadly, I don't think things get much better.
Best bet: 49ers -7.5
New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs, Monday, 5:15 p.m.
The Saints have been a surprise this season. Sure, a 2-2 record seems average, but Derek Carr has been better than advertised. But, there is still plenty of room for improvement for New Orleans, and doing so against the Chiefs would be a statement, to say the least.
Kansas City struggled against the Chargers but, in true Chiefs fashion, found a way to win. But it was at the cost of losing Rashee Rice after friendly fire from Patrick Mahomes. That leaves Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce as the two top pass-catchers. It'll be interesting to see how big of a role Worthy has now.
Best bet: Xavier Worthy over 42.5 receiving yards.
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