Week 5 NFL Picks: 4 Upsets to Chase

Week five has begun in the NFL, as the Green Bay Packers dismantled the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football to get things going. The rest of the teams set off on Sunday and Monday, with a slew of interesting matchups on the docket.

More importantly, there are a handful of solid games to bet on – especially potential upsets. Let’s take a look at four to consider chasing as we make some NFL picks for week five:

Kansas City Chiefs over San Francisco 49ers (Favorite: 49ers with -5.5 line)

Kansas City just demolished the Patriots in front of the nation last week, yet they’re the clear underdogs here. Perhaps they shouldn’t be, as their defense is starting to look legit and quarterback Alex Smith may be out for some blood in this revenge game – his first visit to San Fran since leaving the Niners. It’s a tough road game for the Chiefs, but the 49ers aren’t quite the formidable defense they were a year ago. Smith and co. have a shot in this one.

Houston Texans over Dallas Cowboys (Cowboys: -6.5)

The battle of Texas goes to Tony Romo’s ‘Boys in terms of odds here, but Houston is also 3-1 and isn’t anything to look past. Their defense appears to be legit and if they have a healthy Arian Foster in tow, they could be a handful. Foster is key, though. Without him the Texans aren’t a safe pick to top the Cowboys.

Arizona Cardinals over Denver Broncos (Broncos: -7.5)

Arizona will be without Carson Palmer for the third straight game, which isn’t great news on paper when the Cards’ are on the road against Peyton Manning. They’ve gotten by with Drew Stanton under center so far, though, and enter this matchup at a perfect 3-0. This is a solid line for an undefeated team.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers over New Orleans Saints (Saints: -10)

This is the biggest potential upset of the week, and one you might as well chase. Mike Glennon had some success against the Saints as a rookie last year and this 1-3 Saints club has a dreadful defense. It’s true the Saints are a different beast at home in the dome, but if this one turns into the shootout the paper suggests, all bets are off.