After a bit of a rough week for the NFL in Week 4 in terms of the number of interesting matchups, things are getting back on track for Week 5 action, especially with the league's primetime matchups.
For the first time this season, we've got a few teams on bye weeks this week, but there are still must-see matchups in every time slot.
Which teams are going to win in primetime matchups ahead of Week 5? We're taking a look at each game being played under the lights, including the international game being played in London.
NFL Picks and score predictions for every Week 5 game in primetime
San Francisco 49ers (3-1) @ Los Angeles Rams (3-1)
Thursday, October 2, 8:15 PM ET
Despite the fact that this is a matchup between two teams with 3-1 records, the oddsmakers in Vegas have the Rams as 7-point favorites. And frankly, that doesn't quite feel like enough.
At this point, the 49ers have just lost their first game of the season and they are one of the most beaten-up rosters in the NFL right now. Brock Purdy knocked off a bit of the rust after missing two games due to an injury, but it just feels like this is a matchup where the Niners are completely overmatched.
The Rams, on the other hand, have played extremely well on both sides of the ball this season and are coming off of an impressive win against the Colts where they were a bit of a buzzsaw for an offense that had barely made any mistakes all year.
With how well Matthew Stafford and the Rams' offense have played this season so far, it's hard to see the 49ers keeping up for four quarters.
Prediction: Rams win 31-21
Minnesota Vikings (2-2) vs. Cleveland Browns (1-3)
Sunday, October 5, 9:30 AM ET (Game being played in London)
The Cleveland Browns just saw how much of a spark the New York Giants got from their rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart in an upset win against the Los Angeles Chargers, and figured, why not try that out?
This Sunday in London will mark the first start of Dillon Gabriel's young career, and the Browns got him some reinforcements up front as well, trading for veteran tackle Cam Robinson to (hopefully) stabilize one of this roster's plethora of weaknesses.
For all the Browns' faults offensively, they have some young pieces on that side of the ball, and their defense is playing elite football this season. They might have gotten the score run up on them late against the Lions, but this Cleveland defense is for real.
With that said, the Brian Flores-led Vikings defense is also for real, and they're going to do everything in their power to make life miserable for Gabriel. The Vikings are slight favorites in this game, even after the announcement of Gabriel starting for the Browns, but who do we really have more confidence in?
Are we more confident that the Carson Wentz-led Vikings are going to make fewer mistakes against Cleveland's defense, or that the Dillon Gabriel-led Browns will make fewer mistakes against the Minnesota defense? I actually don't hate a little Browns upset here in Week 5.
Prediction: Browns win 20-19
New England Patriots (2-2) @ Buffalo Bills (4-0)
Sunday, October 5, 8:20 PM ET
The New England Patriots are fresh off of a dominating win against the Carolina Panthers in Week 4, while the Buffalo Bills left a 31-19 win against the New Orleans Saints with a little bit of a bad taste in their mouths.
The Bills are one of the most well-oiled machines in the NFL offensively so far to start the season, but Bobby Babich is coming under some fire this year with the performance of his defense. They are going to have to be on point on Sunday night, because Drake Maye is starting to pick up a little bit of steam here early in the season.
Maye has been one of the most anticipated breakout player candidates in the NFL this year, and after having a 3 TD performance against the Panthers (with only 3 incomplete passes, as well), the hype is starting to look legit.
This will be such a great early test for Maye, who gets to go on the road and toe-up with Josh Allen. The Bills are understandably huge 8.5-point favorites, but I don't hate the Patriots to cover and keep this a close game, at the very least. You Maye even see an upset.
Prediction: Bills win 27-24
Kansas City Chiefs (2-2) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1)
Monday, October 6, 8:15 PM ET
For some reason, I just feel like the Monday night matchup against the Jaguars and Chiefs has the potential to be an ugly but wildly entertaining game.
I don't think we've gotten a clear picture from either of these teams so far this season as far as what we can realistically expect on a week-to-week basis. The Chiefs looked like they were going to be taking two or three steps back this season before blowing out the Ravens in Week 4, and the Jaguars have been surprisingly clutch in every game except their loss to Jake Browning and the Bengals.
The turning point for the Jaguars as an organization seems to be their playoff loss against the Chiefs a couple of years ago. That game seemingly stole their mojo. Can they get it back in this game? That atmosphere should be electric but I don't know how we can bet against the Chiefs after what we all just witnessed in Week 4.
Still, they're only 3-point road favorites. It could be a wacky game.
Prediction: Chiefs win 23-19