We're back with another big week of NFL tips, kicking things off with a crucial game between the Colts and the Patriots on Thursday night. We're gunning for a clean sweep with our our Week 5 NFL betting tips below.
NFL Week 5 Betting Tips
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots (Friday 10.20am AEST)
Week 5 begins in New England as the Patriots and Colts face off in a crucial game. After two straight defeats, Tom Brady and the Pats put in a complete team performance as they thrashed the Dolphins. The scoreline read 24-0 at half-time and ended in a comfortable 38-7 win. Brady tossed 3 touchdown passes and rookie RB Sony Michel topped 100+ rushing yards for the first time in his short career. The return of Edelman into this passing attack gives Brady another weapon and he’ll look to continue his dominance of the Colts. Since 2010, New England is a perfect 7-0 when they face the Colts and the last 2 meetings in Foxborough have been in the playoffs, which includes the “deflate gate” game where Brady earned a 4-game suspension.
With back-to-back defeats under a touchdown, the Colts will be desperate as they hit the road. Last week, they lost an overtime thriller against the Texans at home. Their last road game was in Philadelphia and they came within 4 points of an upset. In this matchup, the key will be Andrew Luck and the Colts defence. Luck will likely need to air it out in a potential shootout with Brady, which won’t be easy as his top target, T.Y Hilton, is battling injuries on the short week. While on defence, the Colts pass D will need to figure out how to stop Brady. Over Tom Brady’s career, he’s recorded 29 touchdowns in 13 games and more recently, he’s dominated the Colts. With the Pats coming off a confidence building home victory, I think they’ll be comfortable winners in this matchup. They’ve won the last 3 against the Colts by 13+ and that makes the line of 8 points at BetEasy seem good value.
New England Patriots -8
$1.76
Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles (Monday 6.25am AEST)
In a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship game, the Eagles and Vikings meet again in Philadelphia. On that occasion, the Eagles absolutely dominated in the 38-7 win and went onto the Super Bowl where the rest is history. So far this year, games involving the Eagles are coming down the wire with all 4 games finished under a 7 point margin. They have won both games at home and their defence has been the key. They’ve given up just 28 total points in those games and that should give them confidence of stopping the Vikings passing attack.
The addition of Kirk Cousins hasn’t really worked out yet as the Vikes hold a 1-2-1 record so far in 2018. But the major problem is coming on the defensive side. The Rams put up 38 points on them last week and the Bills thrashed them 27-6 in Minnesota previously. It’s likely Cousins will need to air it out as the running game is not getting it done. They rank last in the NFL for rush yards and will now face the Eagles #1 ranked rush defence. So the Eagles defensive line will prove a handful. In the end, Wentz is back for the home side and I see them covering the line once again at home. They’ve beaten the Vikings in the last 2 meetings here by large margins and have already won both home games in the early season.
Philadelphia Eagles -3
$1.85
Dallas Cowboys at Houston Texans (Monday 10.20am AEST)
It’s an old fashioned Texas rivalry on Monday morning with the Texans hosting the Cowboys. These two sides don’t meet often so it’s a big occasion. The Cowboys hold the edge with 2 straight wins since 2010 and 3-1 all-time. But with home advantage, the Texans are the favourites in the betting. They finally recorded their first win of the season, taking down the Colts 37-34 in overtime last week. Hopkins was a beast in the passing game and QB Watson threw for 375 yards. Sitting at 1-3, they really need to win this if they’re any hope of winning the AFC South.
Dallas also pulled off a close win as they beat the Lions 26-24 at home. They’ve been inconsistent this year with a 2-2 record. But a pleasing sign is the form of Ezekiel Elliott after back-to-back games of 100+ rushing yards. So I do like the Cowboys as the underdog here. They’ve won the last 2 against them and their defensive numbers on the road look the difference. In Carolina and Seattle, they’ve allowed a total of just 21 points, which should see them stop the Texans scoring ability. While on the other side, the Texans pass D is near the bottom of the NFL and they allowed the Giants mediocre offence to score 27 points in their home opener.
Dallas Cowboys +3.5
$1.80
Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints (Tuesday 10.15am AEST)
Week 5 concludes in New Orleans with the Saints up against the Redskins. Drew Brees and the Saints have responded from a week 1 home loss with 3 straight victories. Last week, they comfortably outplayed the Giants in a 15 point win and previously beat Atlanta in a wild game 43-37. With the bye coming up, a 4-1 record is on the Saints radar.
Speaking of the bye, Washington had the week off and should be fresh for this contest. They beat the Packers 31-17 at home before the break and won their only road game 24-6 over the Cardinals. Looking at the previous meetings between these two sides, this is looking like a shootout between Drew Brees and Alex Smith. Since 2012, the total points has gone over 60 points in all 3 meetings. Last season’s meeting was one of the best games of the year as the Saints rallied in the 4th quarter at this venue, winning 34-31. The Saints pass D has been a problem this season as they rank 30th in the league and that should see Alex Smith throwing the ball often. The home side has a number of weapons to keep this game high scoring. Alvin Kamara is a gun in the backfield and Michael Thomas has 42 total receptions already. Get on the overs!
