Another week of NFL action is nearly in the books with just the Rams and 49ers left to duke it out on Monday Night Football. So far, it's been a jam-packed slate that included several high-scoring affairs. The Lions and Seahawks combined for 93 (!) points, Bucs-Chiefs on Sunday night popped off for 72 total points, and even Chargers-Texans got north of 50. Will that continue in this NFC West showdown in Santa Clara on Monday? That remains to be seen, but a rematch of last year's NFC title game is appointment viewing regardless of how many times these teams hit paydirt.
As we wait for that game to kick off, it's never too early to take a look at what's to come in Week 5. Below, we'll take our first glimpse of these matchups and get our impression of the opening lines for these games to see if there is anything they can tell us about who the oddsmakers see coming out on top.
Week 5 early odds
(All lines from Caesars Sportsbook, all games on Sunday unless noted)
Colts (1-2-1) at Broncos (2-2), Thursday
Opening line: Broncos -3.5
This number opened at Broncos -3.5 back in the spring when the schedules were first released and went down to Broncos -2.5 in the lookahead line following Week 3. Since then, we've seen this line bump up to a field goal with Denver laying the full three points as of Monday morning following Week 4. Both of these teams could be without their star running backs for this matchup as the Broncos' Javonte Williams is feared to have suffered a serious knee injury, while Indy's Jonathan Taylor injured his ankle.
Both of these teams have not exactly lived up to the preseason expectations that were given as they either sit at or below .500 coming into Week 5. They've also been two of the worst teams in the NFL to wager on throughout the early portions of the year as they are both 1-3 ATS. That said, Indy has played well on the road, owning an 11-5 ATS record in their last 16 games away from Lucas Oil Stadium.
Giants (3-1) at Packers (3-1)
Opening line: Packers -7
This ticked up to Packers -7.5 on the lookahead last week and even jumped as high as Packers -8.5. Coming out of Week 4, Green Bay is laying eight points to New York. It's important to note that this is a neutral site game as this Week 5 matchup will kick off Sunday in London. Both of these teams are 3-1 on the season with the Giants just recently taking down the Bears, while Green Bay outlasted the Patriots in an overtime win at Lambeau Field.
Through the first month of the year, New York has been the better bet as they are 3-1 ATS while the Packers are 2-2 ATS. While Green Bay failed to cover against New England on Sunday, they have historically bounced back well, owning a 20-8 ATS record in their last 28 games following an ATS loss.
Steelers (1-3) at Bills (3-1)
Opening line: Bills -9
After opening at Bills -9 back when the schedules were released in the spring, this line has ballooned tremendously. The lookahead had Buffalo as a 13-point favorite and that has only increased coming out of Week 4 as they are now 14-point favorites. The Bills mounted a 17-point comeback against the Ravens on the road to move to 3-1 on the season, which also gave them a push to sit at 2-1-1 ATS this season. As for Pittsburgh, they are 1-2-1 ATS through the first month and are now possibly on the verge of a quarterback switch after Mitch Trubisky was benched for Kenny Pickett in Sunday's loss to the Jets. In their last five home games, the Bills are 4-0-1 ATS.
Chargers (2-2) at Browns (2-2)
Opening line: Chargers -3
The early line of this game had the Chargers -3, but that did dip a bit in the lookahead before Week 4 when the status of various Los Angeles players -- including Justin Herbert -- were still in question. At that point, the Chargers were laying just 1.5 points. After a Week 4 win over the Texans, that line has reverted to Chargers -3. Cleveland is coming off a loss to the Falcons where they were decimated on the ground for 202 yards and two touchdowns, so Austin Ekeler -- fresh off a three-touchdown performance last week -- is likely licking his chops to face this defense.
However, the Chargers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following a straight-up win, so you may want to proceed with a little caution here.
Texans (0-3-1) at Jaguars (2-2)
Opening line: Jaguars -3.5
Jacksonville's solid start to the season has boosted this number considerably as they jumped up to a 7-point favorite in the lookahead and that line has held through Week 4's action. While a touchdown favorite, the Jags will be looking to bounce back off a loss to the Eagles where they committed five turnovers as a team with all of those coming from Trevor Lawrence, who fumbled four times and threw one pick. That'll naturally need to improve if they wish to cover against a Texans team that is still looking for its first straight-up win on the season. Despite not hitting the win column thus far, Houston is 2-1-1 ATS through the first month.
Bears (2-2) at Vikings (3-1)
Opening line: Vikings -5.5
The lookahead on this line moved Minnesota to a 6.5-point favorite and that grew to Vikings -7 by midweek and has held through Week 4. Chicago just fell to the Giants to move down to .500 on the year, while the Vikings narrowly escaped London with a win over the Saints. Neither one of these teams have been particularly kind to bettors this season as the Vikings are just 1-3 ATS while the Bears sit at 1-2-1 ATS with one month in the books. In the last five meetings between these NFC North rivals, the Bears are 1-4 ATS.
Lions (1-3) at Patriots (1-3)
Opening line: Patriots -6.5
This number had dropped considerably and may continue to as the week progresses depending on New England's quarterback situation. The lookahead had New England as a 1.5-point favorite and this was even pushed down to a pick'em last week. Coming out of Week 4, the Patriots are back to being the favorite and are laying 2.5-points, but there is plenty of uncertainty. Mac Jones missed last week due to a severe high ankle sprain and could be held out again. In his place, Brian Hoyer got the start in Green Bay but left that matchup early due to a head injury. If he can't clear concussion protocol in time, that could lead to rookie Bailey Zappe getting the start. As for the Lions, they fell to 1-3 on the season after a shootout with the Seattle Seahawks. Detroit's defense has been a problem for them this season and is allowing a league-high 35.3 points per game. Still, they have been a great bet this season as they are 3-1 ATS.
Seahawks (2-2) at Saints (1-3)
Opening line: Saints -4.5
New Orleans did move to a 6-point favorite last week, but that advantage has started to come down following Week 4, and they are now laying four points to Seattle at home. Andy Dalton started in place of Jameis Winston and New Orleans was also without Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara for their international game against the Vikings in London. With their statuses all still in question, this line will likely remain rather slim. Meanwhile, Seattle dropped 48 points on the Lions last week as Geno Smith totaled three touchdowns. The Seahawks have been the better bet between these two teams this season, but are only 2-2 ATS. New Orleans heads into Week 5 at 1-3 ATS.
Dolphins (3-1) at Jets (2-2)
Opening line: Dolphins -3
Miami was a 6-point favorite in the lookahead but has dropped back down to a 3-point favorite in the aftermath of Week 4. Of course, Tua Tagovailoa's scary head injury and uncertain status for this game is the likely case for this number dropping. If he can't go, Teddy Bridgewater will get the start for the Dolphins. The veteran has historically been a great QB to back as he has covered 66.6% of his career starts. Meanwhile, the Jets welcomed back Zach Wilson with a win in Pittsburgh and are also 2-2 ATS. Miami has owned this matchup as of late as they are 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine meetings, which includes a 4-0 ATS record in their last four trips to MetLife Stadium.
Falcons (2-2) at Buccaneers (2-2)
Opening line: Buccaneers -11
Tampa Bay dropped to a 9-point favorite in the lookahead last week and that advantage continued to drop as they now sit at -8.5 coming out of the weekend's action. The Bucs did welcome back their collection of pass catchers, but couldn't slow down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, who dropped 41 points on Sunday night. Meanwhile, the Falcons moved to 2-2 on the season after a Week 4 win over the Browns. Not only is Atlanta back to .500, but they are a perfect 4-0 ATS through the first month of the season. The Falcons have struggled to cover against the Bucs as of late (2-5 ATS in their last 7 meetings), so that perfect record could be put to the test here.
Titans (2-2) at Commanders (1-3)
Opening line: Commanders -1
Washington was a slim home favorite when this line opened in the spring but moved to a pick'em in the lookahead last week. Now, the odds have shifted completely in the other direction and Tennessee sits as a 2.5-point road favorite. The Commanders have dropped three-straight games with the most recent loss coming against the Cowboys, where Carson Wentz threw two picks and finished with a 56.7 passer rating. Washington is 1-3 ATS through the first month of the season and is 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games following an ATS loss. Meanwhile, the Titans earned a statement win over the Colts as Derrick Henry totaled 147 yards from scrimmage. They are 2-2 ATS to begin the season.
49ers (1-2) at Panthers (1-3)
Opening line: 49ers -3.5
The lookahead moved this to 49ers -3, but the line has begun to surge towards San Francisco who is now a 5-point favorite over a Carolina team that fell to 1-3 on the season after losing to the Cardinals in Week 4. The Panthers are 3-15 ATS in their last 18 games overall and have not taken advantage of playing at home as they are 7-20-1 ATS in their last 28 home games. Of course, this line could change depending on the events of San Francisco's matchup on Monday, but the Niners are currently 6-1 ATS in their last 7 vs. NFC teams.
Eagles (4-0) at Cardinals (2-2)
Opening line: Cardinals -3
As you may expect, this line has been turned on its head after opening at Cardinals -3 in the spring. The lookahead last week had the Eagles as a 4-point road favorite and that has only increased through Week 4 as they are now laying 5.5 points. Philly continues to look like a legit Super Bowl threat and is the last remaining undefeated team in the league. They are also 3-1 ATS, which includes a cover against the Jaguars on Sunday. As for Arizona, they have been pretty inconsistent through the first month and are 2-2 ATS. The Cardinals are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 home games, so this could be an area to attack and keep riding the Philly hype train.
Cowboys (3-1) at Rams (2-1)
Opening line: Rams -5.5
Los Angeles moved to a touchdown favorite against the Cowboys in the lookahead line, but that advantage has come down leading into the Rams' Monday Night Football matchup with the 49ers. Currently, they are 4.5-point favorites. Of course, it's unclear who'll be under center for Dallas as Dak Prescott had previously circled this game as a possible spot for him to make his comeback from a thumb injury he suffered in the Week 1 opener. If he doesn't return, it'll be Cooper Rush, who is 3-0 in his starts this season. Dallas has also played well on the road, owning a 5-0 ATS record in their last handful of games away from AT&T Stadium.
Bengals (2-2) at Ravens (2-2)
Opening line: Ravens -2.5
This line jumped out to Ravens -3.5 before Week 4 and has continued to hold at that number through the weekend's slate of games. Baltimore looked like they it was going to take down the Bills at home on Sunday, but blew a 20-3 lead, allowing Buffalo to push the the Ravens down to .500 on the year. That's the second biggest lead blown by the Ravens this season, which is concerning for not only their prospects going forward, but also makes them an even riskier bet. As for Cincinnati, they pulled out the win over the Dolphins on Thursday and are looking to improve on what is already a solid record in Baltimore. In their last five trips to take on the Ravens, the Bengals are 4-1 ATS. Cincy is also 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games overall.
Raiders (1-3) at Chiefs (3-1), Monday
Opening line: Chiefs -6
Kansas City moved to a 6.5-point favorite in the lookahead line last week and that eventually bumped up the full point to Chiefs -7. They are coming off a massive road win over the Buccaneers where Patrick Mahomes led the offense to 41 points. Meanwhile, the Raiders enjoyed the first win of the Josh McDaniels era thanks to a dominant effort by Josh Jacobs, who rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns against the Cardinals. In this AFC West rivalry, the Chiefs have owned their recent matchups as they are 5-2 ATS in their last seven and 5-1 ATS in their last six contests at Arrowhead Stadium.
