1:00 PM EST

Arizona Cardinals @ Cincinnati Bengals

After today, one of these teams will no longer be winless. The Cincinnati Bengals are 0-4 and the Arizona Cardinals are 0-3-1. Both teams have first-year head coaches on the sidelines–Zac Taylor in Cincinnati and Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona–so neither is in jeopardy of losing their job. However, what is in jeopardy is draft positioning. The Cardinals got their quarterback of the future when they took Kyler Murray first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Another top pick would allow them to get another elite prospect of their choosing without needing to maneuver their way around the draft. For the Bengals, Andy Dalton has been serviceable during his tenure but given a chance to pick his signal-caller would Taylor and the rest of the franchise choose to go in a different direction? Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, Jacob Eason, and others have all played like first-round caliber players to date. While either team will feel great about a win, this game could be more pivotal for the future than it is for the present.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 31 , Bengals 20

Buffalo Bills @ Tennessee Titans

The Buffalo Bills are coming off a close contest against the New England Patriots. Josh Allen was knocked out of the game in the second half and it could be argued that had he remained in the game the BIlls could’ve possibly pulled off the upset. Allen is back after clearing concussion protocol and the team is facing another tough test. They go to Nashville to take on the Tennesee Titans who have earned the nickname of New England South. Former Patriot Mike Vrabel is the head coach and their secondary is headlined by two ex-Patriots and Super Bowl champions in Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan. Buffalo’s defense just stifled Tom Brady a week ago so they should be licking their chops about getting to see Marcus Mariota this week. He’s been inconsistent, to say the least, but when he’s on the Titans have the look of a top team in the AFC. If Buffalo can take this game it keeps them in a legit race with New England for the top spot in the AFC East. Bills will be without rookie running back Devin Singletary again so it will be Frank Gore leading the backfield once again.

PREDICTION: Titans 20 , Bills 17

Chicago Bears @ Oakland Raiders

After years of giving London of the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, this time around the English get a game that many have been waiting for since last season. Jon Gruden is in his second year running the Oakland Raiders but his first time in charge was marked with the move that sent Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears and breathed life back into the Monsters of the Midway. This game is Mack’s chance to remind Gruden and the Raiders exactly what they gave up when they opted to trade the edge rusher instead of giving him a new contract. The Bears will need their defense to lead the way once more as Mitchell Trubisky will miss this game after suffering a shoulder injury last week. Chase Daniels is a serviceable backup but Matt Nagy isn’t getting the same level of talent–or even escapability–out of him. Lost in the circus of the preseason Antonio Brown drama is the fact that Oakland has been able to stay afloat so far, managing a 2-2 record through four games. Derek Carr looks a lot better in his second season in Gruden’s system and rookie running back Josh Jacobs has been a steal for the team. In the end, this will come down to how impactful Mack and the Bears defense can be.

PREDICTIONS: Bears 24 , Raiders 13

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints

Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have looked like a completely different team in the last few weeks. At 2-2, they could make an argument that they are a few bad plays and poor decisions away from being undefeated. Bruce Arians has made a difference for this team and they find themselves with an opportunity to cement their status as a true contender in the NFC South. They will travel to the Superdome where the New Orleans Saints voodoo has impacted teams year after year. Teddy Bridgewater has been good stepping in for the injured Drew Brees. Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas are still the driving forces behind an explosive Sean Payton offense and they are trying to make amends for the disappointment that came from the NFC Championship game a season ago. However, the bigger emphasis for the Saints this week will be their defense. The Bucs are averaging 30-plus points per game through four weeks and just put up 55 points against the Los Angeles Rams last week. If New Orleans can keep them under control this should be a completely different game.

PREDICTIONS: Saints 35 , Buccaneers 31

Minnesota Vikings @ New York Giants

Daniel Jones is 2-0 as an NFL starter. He quickly made his naysayers and haters look foolish. Yet, this week will be a big test for him. Coming into town are the Minnesota Vikings who have one of the premier defenses in the entire NFL. Saquon Barkley won’t be back yet but he does get Golden Tate back from suspension. It will be interesting to see how he performs, he wasn’t as good a week ago as he was in his first start in Week 3. For the Vikings, they had committed to being a run-first team this season and they have done just that. However, it may have come at the detriment of their entire offense. Both Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs have voiced their frustrations with the lack of passes. Against the Bears last week, the run game was stuffed from the get-go and Kirk Cousins couldn’t make the necessary throws to keep the Vikings in the game. This week should bring a change, not only because of the displeasure of the two wide receivers but because the Giants have one of the worst collections of defensive backs in the NFL. If Cousins can find his arm talent once again this game could get out of hand early.

PREDICTION: Vikings 38 , Giants 24

New York Jets @ Philadelphia Eagles

What was initially thought to be the target return date for Sam Darnold has become another week of Luke Falk for the New York Jets. They had a bye last week so they should be rested and relatively healthy for this matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Le’Veon Bell is the entire offense at this point but maybe a return to Pennsylvania will give him the needed edge to carry this team today. Falk has not been anywhere near the answer for Adam Gase but he remains the best of a bad situation for the team. The Eagles meanwhile saved their season a week ago with a much-needed victory over the Green Bay Packers during Thursday Night Football in Week 4. Philadelphia is favored heavily in this matchup and Carson Wentz should have a field day against the Jets–as long as his receivers can hold on to the ball this game. The Eagles were considered Super Bowl worthy entering this year and they have a chance to get back on track his week playing a New York team that is still missing key pieces due to injury.

PREDICTION: Eagles 31 , Jets 10

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens were riding high early in the season after a 2-0 start and looked well on their way to walking away with the AFC North after disappointing starts from the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers. Entering Week 5 they have lost their hold on the division lead and are only a game ahead of Pittsburgh in the standings. Jackson has come back to Earth after an MVP-caliber start to the year but all it takes is one big play or two for the Ravens to once again look like one of the top offenses in football. Mark Ingram has had a resurgence with the franchise and the threat of Jackson using his legs still scares defensive coordinators. The Steelers look completely different this season with Bell and Brown gone and Ben Roethlisberger sidelined for the season with an elbow injury. They are now led by Mason Rudolph, James Conner, and Juju Smith-Schuster on offense and they’ll need all three to be at the top of their games if they are going to go into Baltimore and get a win today.

PREDICTIONS: Ravens 28 , Steelers 24

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Carolina Panthers

Both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers have turned their teams over to backup quarterbacks after their starters suffered injuries early into the season. For the Jaguars, a lot was riding on the signing of former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles this offseason. However, after throwing his first touchdown of the year, Foles had to leave the game. In his place, rookie Gardner Minshew has exceeded all expectations. He’s been one of the stories of the early NFL season and his play has helped Jacksonville remain in contention for the AFC South crown. The defense has been without Jalen Ramsey as he has requested a trade and tries to recover from a lingering back injury. The All-Pro cornerback will be out once again. That absence should make things easier for Kyle Allen. He’s replaced Cam Newton about as well as the team could’ve hoped for. Yet, this team is all about Christian McCaffrey and if he continues to be one of the most productive running backs in the league then Carolina can stand to wait for Newton to get 100 percent healthy.

PREDICTION: Jaguars 27 , Panthers 17

New England Patriots @ Washington Redskins

There isn’t much to say about this game. The lowly and winless Washington Redskins will host the New England Patriots. New England’s offense is chomping at the bit after being held in check on the road by the Buffalo Bills in Week 4. An angry Tom Brady is the worst type of Brady for an opposing team to face. Julian Edelman is active and it seems like that duo could be in line for a big day this week. The Patriots will also look to get second-year running back Sony Michel going as well. For the Redskins, Colt McCoy will become the third quarterback to play for this team and rookie Dwayne Haskins will operate as the team’s backup once again. Case Keenum finds himself on the inactive list this week. Jay Gruden is likely on his way out and if New England comes into FedEx Field and embarrasses this team (as is expected) he could be on his way out before Week 6.

PREDICTION: Patriots 34 , Redskins 6

Atlanta Falcons @ Houston Texans

The Atlanta Falcons have been one of the biggest letdowns in the NFL through the first four weeks of action. They have all the talent on offense to be a much better team than their 1-3 record shows. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones will look to give this group the spark it’s been missing of late. However, they’ll be on the road and the Houston Texans are no slouches. Deshaun Watson continues to look the part of a superstar and DeAndre Hopkins is one of the few wideouts who can be considered on par with Jones. Bill O’Brien went all-in during the offseason in hopes of trying to cement themselves as one of the AFC’s best teams. So far the returns haven’t matched what the team has given up to try and reinforce the offensive line. Watson is still running for his life in the backfield at times and if they continue to fail to protect him then this team won’t find themselves anyway near the expectations they placed on themselves heading into the season.

PREDICTIONS: Falcons 24 , Texans 20

4:05 PM EST

Denver Broncos @ Los Angeles Chargers

These two teams have had countless battles as AFC West foes. Going into this game, the Denver Broncos are reeling in the worst way. They are 0-4 but have had two of their losses come on last-second field goals. The Vic Fangio and Joe Flacco mashup has not been the smoothest to start off the season. They drafted rookie quarterback Drew Lock in the second round during the 2019 NFL Draft but an injury in the preseason has kept him from challenging Flacco’s starter status. An injury also cost Von Miller his rushing partner in Bradley Chubb. Denver needs to get a win in the worst way but the Los Angeles Chargers are getting stronger with each passing week. They welcome back Melvin Gordon, who was active a week ago, but only for emergencies. This week the plan is to get him on the field more but that doesn’t mean Austin Ekeler will immediately take a back seat to him. The Chargers will look to hold down the fort at home and keep the rival Broncos winless for at least another week.

PREDICTION: Chargers 28 , Broncos 17

4:25 PM EST

Green Bay Packers @ Dallas Cowboys

All eyes will be on this matchup between two of the most prominent NFL franchises. Both were knocked down from the ranks of the undefeated after close defeats. For the Green Bay Packers, this national stage gives them a chance to erase the bad taste leftover from losing to the Philadelphia Eagles on a late-game red-zone interception. Aaron Rodgers has never lost on the road to the Dallas Cowboys and he will look to keep that streak alive today. Matt LaFleur has brought his run-first system to the team and the offense has had mixed results but the result that matters is winning. When the team operated in-line with LaFleur’s wishes they didn’t lose a game. Part of that was their defense playing at an elite level as well. The Eagles gashed them on the ground and with Ezekiel Elliott lining up across from them this week they could be in for a repeat dosage of the ground game. Dak Prescott has been on a tear this season and is looking to get paid like one of the top quarterbacks in the league. This will likely be a back-and-forth game that comes down to one of these two teams getting a big stop from their defense.

PREDICTION: Cowboys 38 , Packers 34