Stick with Saints and Broncos on the road
Top wagering picks for NFL Week 5 based on lines from Tipico Sportsbook:
Saints at Washington
The Saints lost 27-21 in overtime to the the Giants in their long-awaited home opener in Week 4. Washington outscored the Falcons in each of the third and fourth quarters for a 34-30 road win. The once-vaunted WFT pass rush registered just one sack against a weak Falcons offensive line and has seven sacks through four games; it’s also allowing a middling 7.4 yards per pass attempt.
Saints QB Jameis Winston has taken a modest seven sacks. He has been pressured on 25% of his dropbacks, but he’s also averaging a career-best 8.6 yards per scramble attempt. His 64.0% completion rate would be the second-best clip of his career if it persists, and he has a strong eight touchdowns to two interceptions.
The WFT front is too talented to struggle all season, but the SAINTS (-2.5) can be backed with the improvement seemingly a long way off.
Broncos at Steelers
The Broncos closed as 1-point favorites at home against the Ravens last week before taking a 23-7 loss. They’re now road underdogs against an inferior opponent. The Steelers grabbed an early 7-0 lead on the road against the Packers but were outscored 27-3 in the second and third quarters. Pittsburgh salvaged some respectability with a garbage-time score from RB Najee Harris.
Denver is second in the league with just 6.1 yards allowed per pass attempt and Pittsburgh is 30th with 6.1 yards per attempt offensively.
The BRONCOS (+2.5) will keep the ball in the hands of Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger by shutting down Harris, and Big Ben will instill no fear in the stout secondary.
Bills at Chiefs
After being upset on home field by the Steelers in Week 1, the Bills have outscored Miami, Washington and Houston by a collective 118-21 margin. They’ll face their toughest test of the season in a rematch of the AFC championship game, which the Chiefs won 38-24 at Arrowhead Stadium in January.
The Chiefs got back on track with a 42-30 road win over the Philadelphia Eagles last week after back-to-back losses against the Ravens and Chargers. Their schedule stays tough on “Sunday Night Football,” but back the more battle-tested CHIEFS (-2.5) as they fight to keep pace in their much more competitive divisional race.
2021 record: 9-4