Friday Five, Week 5

We’re already to Week 5 of the NFL Season. It brings with it our second London game and plenty of other intriguing matchups. But which will be the best to see on Sunday? Let this weekly post be your guide as I highlight the five games on the Sunday slate I’m most excited to see. Below are my Week 5 selections!

Sunday Early Games:

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3) at Buffalo Bills (3-1)
About: Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season as the Steelers’ coach. He’s now 1-3, has turned the team over to rookie Kenny Pickett and is traveling to take on possibly the NFL’s best team in the Buffalo Bills. In short, it’s not looking promising. The Bills, meanwhile, had a stumble in Miami in Week 3 and a fierce battle in Week 4 in Baltimore, but they’re continuing to look solid despite injuries. I’m not expecting this to be particularly close, but I am curious to see what the Kenny Pickett era brings.

Detroit Lions (1-3) at New England Patriots (1-3)
About: The Lions have the best offense in the NFL through four weeks but the defense has been one of the worst. That explains the Lions’ 1-3 start. On the flip side, the Patriots have struggled to keep a quarterback on the field. They’ve used three, and there’s a chance we see Bailey Zappe yet again. Can Bill Belichick keep the Lions’ offense in check? Can the Patriots score enough points to keep up? I’m actually curious to see what happens in this one.

Sunday Late Games:

Dallas Cowboys (3-1) at Los Angeles Rams (2-2)
About: This is two teams that want and need a win. After an opening week loss, the Cowboys are 3-0 with Cooper Rush under center. It’s possible Dak Prescott is back this week, but either way the Cowboys want to make it four-in-a-row to keep pace with the Eagles. The Rams, meanwhile, haven’t looked like the team that won the Super Bowl. They won two games between losses but none have looked convincing. Matthew Stafford is struggling and Allen Robinson has yet to find his place in the Rams’ passing attack. The Rams need a win at home to get back on track. This has all the makings of a classic battle Sunday afternoon.

Philadelphia Eagles (4-0) at Arizona Cardinals (2-2)
About: The Eagles are the NFL’s only unbeaten team. They’ve handled a variety of challenges and dispatched them all as Jalen Hurts settles in during his second full year as the Eagles’ starting quarterback. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have been up-and-down. They lost to the Chiefs and Rams but managed to win over the Raiders and Panthers. Like the rest of the NFC West, they sit at 2-2. Someone needs to make a move and break out, and for a Cardinals team that has struggled in the back half of the season in recent years, the pressure is on to start that win streak now. Can Kyler Murray out duel Hurts in the dessert? This is one of the better games in Week 5.

Sunday Night Football:

Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) at Baltimore Ravens (2-2)
About: The Bengals are the reigning AFC Champions but they didn’t look like it in the early going. The team got off to an 0-2 start before winning their last two games against AFC East foes to move back to .500. The AFC East has been less kind to the Ravens, whose losses have come to the Dolphins and the Bills. Both these teams want to be on top in 2022, and both are keeping an eye on the also 2-2 Cleveland Browns. In the AFC North, every division game matters. This clash pits Joe Burrow and the stout Bengals’ passing attack against Lamar Jackson, who’s looking like an early season MVP Candidate. This figures to be a good one to close Sunday in Prime Time.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.