Matt Youmans – NFL Week 5 Best Bets:
It’s fitting the NFL’s longest-running rivalry is being renewed Sunday in Green Bay, where there will be a moment of silence to remember Mike Ditka, a legendary player and coach for the Chicago Bears who passed away Friday at age 86. Ditka was among the most colorful characters and toughest men in the history of the league.
The first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Ditka played for Chicago’s 1963 NFL championship team and the Dallas Cowboys team that won Super Bowl VI. He coached the 1985 Bears, with their historically dominant defense, to the franchise’s only Super Bowl title.
As coach of the Bears, Ditka had a 15-5 record against the Packers. Green Bay owned the upper hand in the rivalry from the 1990s until recently thanks to the long careers of quarterbacks Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, but the Packers are currently dealing with all sorts of problems and the Bears are favored at Lambeau Field for the first time since 2006.
Bears coach Ben Johnson will probably give a fiery, Ditka-type motivational speech, but his team will be missing its starting quarterback and leading rusher because of injuries. I’ll pass on the game and recommend some other best bets for Week 5.
Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5)
It has been 10 days since we’ve seen Aaron Rodgers blame a coach or teammate for a problem on the field. The heated exchange between Rodgers and coach Mike McCarthy during the Steelers’ 27-24 loss at Cleveland could be a good thing. The Pittsburgh offense needs to show improvement, and Rodgers needs to be better. Rodgers has completed only 57.5% of his passes with seven touchdowns and four interceptions while taking 13 sacks. Running back Jaylen Warren has been a consistent weapon with a total of 220 yards in the past two games. It’s not easy to lay points with Pittsburgh, but the rain in the forecast should favor the home team against a dome team. And the Colts, who played in London last week and are away from home for the third time in four weeks, are a pedestrian team aside from running back Jonathan Taylor. Indianapolis is 2-9 in its past 11 games.
Best Bet: Steelers -2.5
Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots (-3.5)
The Raiders are for real, in terms of being far more competitive this season, but they need to prove it on the road against one of the AFC’s top teams. Drake Maye and the Patriots bounced back nicely with a win at Buffalo as Maye accounted for 323 total yards (269 passing, 54 rushing) and three touchdowns while avoiding the costly mistakes that plagued him in the playoffs carried over through September. New England’s defense, which ranks No. 5 in yards allowed (293.8 per game) and sixth in scoring (19.3 ppg), held up well against Bills quarterback Josh Allen and now gets an easier task against immobile veteran Kirk Cousins.
In the 2025 season opener, Las Vegas pulled off an odd 20-13 upset in Foxborough. It turned out to be an extremely misleading result because the Raiders finished the season 3-14 and in the toilet bowl while the Patriots went 14-3 and reached the Super Bowl. New England should get its revenge, but laying 3.5 is risky and I bet the favorite at -185 on the moneyline.
Best Bet: Patriots -3.5
Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams (-3)
Josh Allen is a do-it-all quarterback who can cover many of his team’s flaws, but the Buffalo defense continues to get exposed. The Bills rank 27th in yards allowed (372 per game) and 25th in scoring (26.8 ppg). The Rams are more than capable of taking advantage with Matthew Stafford pulling the trigger while complemented by running back Kyren Williams and receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. On their recent two-game road trip, the Rams outgained Denver (482-257) and Philadelphia (415-172) in total yards by large margins. Allen is typically attractive as an underdog, but Rams should take care of business Monday night.
Best Bet: Rams -3 (-120)
Two more plays for Sunday:
Eagles +7.5 vs Jaguars (London)
Ravens +3.5 at Falcons
Last week: 4-2 against the spread
Season: 16-11
For more NFL Week 5 best bets, visit the NFL Week 5 betting hub, exclusively on VSiN.
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