The NFL season continues to roll along in Week 5 with more epic matchups on the schedule, but especially in primetime slots.
The league doesn't always get the top matchups for their biggest audiences early in the season, but it feels like they've been batting close to 1.000 so far this season.
This week is no different, starting with a Thursday night matchup featuring the Dallas Cowboys and ending with a duel on Monday night between the last two league MVPs: Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford.
We've already made our full slate of picks and score predictions for Week 5, but here, we're going to focus on just the games getting the bright lights of primetime.
NFL picks and score predictions for Week 5 primetime games
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4) @ Dallas Cowboys (2-2)
Thursday, October 8, 8:15 PM ET
This matchup between the Buccaneers and Cowboys has the look and feel of a game where Cowboys fans will all be wondering afterwards: Why can't we play like that every week?
The Buccaneers are down really bad this season so far, not only starting 0-4 but also playing without starting quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The Bucs gave a valiant effort on Sunday when they faced off against the Green Bay Packers in Tampa Bay, but even a stellar effort from their defense wasn't good enough to get their first win of the season.
Jalon Daniels made his starting debut, and the Packers sent a ton of pressure at him, forcing him to make quick decisions with the ball, and it was just overwhelming by the time the game was done. Daniels gave it all he had, but even that wasn't enough.
The Cowboys have been needing a "get right" game defensively, and this could be exactly that. The Dallas offense almost always plays lights-out when they're playing at home, so that's what we're going to be expecting from Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and the gang. They are favored by a healthy 8.5 points, and should be able to easily win by that much. I'm going to say they win by two touchdowns, and the defense makes some big plays to complement the offense.
Prediction: Cowboys win 34-17
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