NFL picks against the spread: Seahawks and Lions are live underdogs in Week 5

NFL picks against the spread are back with a look ahead to the most worthwhile Week 5 matchups in the 2022 NFL regular season.

Week 4 in the league offered up some major news when it comes to the various starting quarterbacks around the sport. Of course, the NFL was rocked by the scary injury to Tua Tagovailoa. And the sports world is now wondering what becomes of what was once a pretty powerful Miami Dolphins offense. Josh Allen outdueled Lamar Jackson in a clash of signal-caller elites. New York Jets young gun Zach Wilson got back on the field, and Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Kenny Pickett was finally called up to save the team’s struggling offense.

Week 5 in the league is sure to be just as entertaining with featured matchups that will see the surprise New York Giants battle the Green Bay Packers in London, Pickett facing a major test against the Buffalo Bills in his first start, and the red-hot Dallas Cowboys and backup QB Cooper Rush battling the defending champion Los Angeles Rams.

Also Read: Everything you need to know about the NFL Sunday Ticket

In this latest edition of the column, we will focus on the five games (listed below) that offer up NFL picks against the spread worth your bet.

New York Jets will surprise vs. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins will head into Week 5 with Teddy Bridgewater as their starting QB instead of Tagovailoa. And that could very well be the case for many more weeks ahead. At first glance, a matchup with the Jets at home seems pretty favorable for the ‘Fins. However, the Jets will not be an easy out on Sunday and Gang Green is surprisingly in the top 10 for yards on offense, and yards against on defense this season.

Now, with Wilson back under center, the offense will be even more dynamic than in weeks past.

At the end of the day, the Dolphins should still walk away with a victory and move to 4-1. Yet, don’t be surprised if the Jets’ talented cornerback duo, led by rookie Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, could end up making it a long afternoon for Bridgewater and be key in a surprise upset in South Beach. New York is a solid underdog pick against the spread on Sunday.

Detroit Lions offense will be too much for the Patriots

If not for their terrible defense, the Detroit Lions could very well be at least 3-1 right now. That defense is surely going to make Baily Zappe’s first career start in a relief role for injured starting QB Mac Jones and backup Brian Hoyer a bit easier. Nevertheless, the Lions’ offense has been fantastic in 2022. Even with D’Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown last week they still scored 45 points.

The Lions as a +3 point underdog is a terrific pick against the spread. Coaching legend Bill Belichick will certainly have some tricks up his sleeve for Jared Goff on Sunday, but the Lions seem on too much of an offensive roll to be slowed down by a slumping Patriots squad.

Geno Smith and Seattle Seahawks’ offense deserve respect on their names

It is crazy to think, but Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks offense are performing far better than Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos after four weeks. Their performance this year has made the Wilson trade almost look brilliant. On the flip side, while the New Orleans Saints defense hasn’t been bad, per se, they have still underperformed the top-five potential some observers thought they had this season.

The Seahawks head into the game as a +5.5 betting underdog. The combination of their strong showing on offense with the Saints’ less effective play on defense seems like a recipe for Seattle to be a strong pick against the spread this week.

Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive beast is awakening

After a sluggish start that was mostly due to all-around poor line play, the Cincinnati Bengals offense has started to look more like the group that helped carry them to the 2022 Super Bowl. The run game has still been weak over the first four games, but that could change this week versus the Baltimore Ravens. A team that has given up the third most total yards in the NFL.

Joe Burrow vs. Lamar Jackson in a showdown of star QBs will get the focus, but how the Ravens’ defense manages the Cincy offense will be the biggest battle in this one. And since they have been on of the worse so far this season, they may not manage them well. The Bengals are a +3.5 underdog and seem primed for an upset victory this weekend.

Las Vegas Raiders keep it close against the Chiefs

Last week, Josh McDaniels stopped playing around with throwing it all over too much and just fed Josh Jacobs the ball. And the talented back delivered a monster performance. The Las Vegas Raiders will need that balance and more against the Kansas City Chiefs and their offense that is having another elite season.

This matchup is built to be a straight-up shootout that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are likely to win. However, following their first victory of the season and getting some needed confidence, the Raiders being a +7 underdog seems too high a number for the talent on their squad. They are a perfect bet against the spread as they keep this game close down to the final minutes.

This article was originally published on Sportsnaut.com and is republished here with permission.