Week 5 of the NFL season is here and there are already a few must-win games on the schedule for some teams. Still, the headline of the week will be the return of Tom Brady, who is finally back after his four-week suspension. The timing couldn’t be better as the Patriots are coming off a shutout loss at Gillette Stadium.
New England Patriots @ Cleveland Browns
Odds: Patriots -10
The Patriots are 3-1 after getting shut out by Buffalo, but all is well as Brady’s four-game suspension is over. That doesn’t look good for the 0-4 Browns, who lost 31-20 in Washington last week. The Patriots will probably also use Rob Gronkowski more as they’ve eased him back into the lineup. The sportsbooks are so confident that the Patriots are favored by 10 points on the road, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see it rise. The Patriots are 6-2 SU and 4-4 ATS against the Browns (whom Bill Belichick coached from 1991 to 1995) since 1999.
Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers
Odds: Cardinals -2.5
A pair of 1-3 teams clash in San Francisco and this game is much bigger for the Cardinals, who lost 17-13 to the Los Angeles Rams at home last time out. Their 10 turnovers through four games isn’t helping as the Cardinals were thought to be an NFC contender. Now, they’re battling to stay in the hunt. Their NFC West rivals from San Francisco didn’t have high hopes for the season anyway as they lost 24-17 to Dallas and the 49ers have to be looking towards Colin Kaepernick as the Blaine Gabbert experiment is coming to an end. The 49ers could shake things up for Thursday as they’re 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 against Arizona, who lost Carson Palmer to a concussion against the Rams; Drew Stanton will play if Palmer can’t.
New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Odds: Steelers -7
The Steelers woke up against Kansas City in a 43-14 thrashing on Sunday night. They have Le’Veon Bell back now, which means they’re downright frightening on offense. The Jets are 1-3 after a 27-17 loss to Seattle and Ryan Fitzpatrick has now thrown 10 picks this season; nine have come in the last two games. The 3-1 Steelers will be favored at home and they’re 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 with the Jets since 2001.
San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders
Odds: Raiders -4.5
San Diego’s Mike McCoy might be the new favorite to lose his job after the Chargers found another way to lose in a 35-34 debacle against New Orleans. The Raiders are 3-1 as they didn’t play their best against Baltimore but they found a way to win by a score of 28-27. A loss this week and McCoy’s seat will be extremely hot. The Raiders are 4-6 SU in their last 10 with the Chargers, but Oakland is also 6-4 ATS in those games. The Raiders are a 4.5-point favorite.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers Monday
Odds: OFF
There is no line for this Monday night game yet as Carolina’s Cam Newton is in the concussion protocol. That is one reason why the Panthers are 1-3 after a 48-33 loss at Atlanta where the line couldn’t protect Newton and the defense couldn’t stop Julio Jones, who had 300 receiving yards. The Bucs are also 1-3 after a 27-7 home loss to Denver, which makes this is a huge game for both sides, but more for Carolina, the reigning NFC champions. A loss and their season might be over already. The Panthers should have the edge here as they’re 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 with Tampa Bay.