If you’re batting .333 in baseball, you’re doing okay. If you only nail one out of three predictions, there’s a ton of room for improvement.
Last week, the Washington Commanders did not knock off the Indianapolis Colts in London, and the New York Jets did not stun the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. However, the Atlanta Falcons’ running game had another huge outing in a 45-24 Monday night conquest of the Saints.
Home teams were just 8-8 a week ago and just 36-28 this season. In any case, two of the three picks have a pair of underdogs prevailing in their own building.
Here are 3 bold predictions for NFL Week 5
Dolphins score season-high in points, but still fall short to Bengals
It’s tempting to pick an outright upset here as Zac Taylor’s club has dropped two straight games in a row after a 2-0 start. Of course, this is a Miami Dolphins’ team off to its worst start since it lost its first seven games in 2019. It’s also a club that has scored a total of 46 points in four games—13 or fewer points in each contest.
After not giving up a touchdown pass in their first two games, Cincinnati’s defense has been burned for four aerial scores the last two weeks. The run defense was shaky against the Steelers and Jaguars. And after forcing four turnovers in their Week 1 win over the Buccaneers, the Bengals have a combined one takeaway in their last three games. That gives Miami’s offense a glimmer of hope on Sunday.
Saints hand Vikings first loss of 2026 season
Only the Tennessee Titans have gained fewer total yards per game, while Kevin O’Connell’s club has scored only six offensive touchdowns and settled for 12 field goals. Yet, the Minnesota Vikings are one of three undefeated teams after four weeks of play. And the key has been a team that has allowed just four offensive touchdowns and a league-low 51 points.
The Purple Gang heads south to the Big Easy, which is also one way to describe how opponents have found the New Orleans’ defense to move the football against. The team is giving up 360.3 total yards per game, has allowed 16 offensive touchdowns and surrendered a league-high 128 points—45 of those in a 21-point Monday night loss to the Falcons.
While the struggling Vikings’ offense could have success here, don’t be surprised if O’Connell’s club has problems keeping pace with Tyler Shough, Chris Olave, and the NFL’s fourth-ranked passing attack.
Cardinals stun defensively deficient Lions in the desert
A year ago, the Arizona Cardinals won their first two games, then close out 2025 with 14 losses in their last 15 outings. This season, new head coach Mike LaFleur led his team to a Week 1 upset of the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Now the Cards have been dealt three straight losses, allowing 30 or more points in each setback.
Speaking of giving up 30-plus points, enter the Detroit Lions. If you’ve watched all four games played by Dan Campbell’s club this season, you have seen a combined 246 points scored—an average of 61.5 points per contest. The Lions have scored 30 or more points in all but one game, and allowed 30-plus points in three out of four contests. Detroit has allowed 11 touchdown passes—tied for the most in the league. Jacoby Brissett and company pull off the upset in a (shocker) shootout.
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