Each week, Yardbarker previews prime-time NFL games on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights, predicting the result of each. Here are our Week 5 picks.
Thursday night: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4) at Dallas Cowboys (2-2) (Prime Video, 8:15 p.m. ET)
Against Tampa Bay, Cowboys cornerback Joey Porter Jr. — recently acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers — should play more after lining up on just 25 snaps in a 34-30 Week 4 win over the Houston Texans.
“I’m a dog at the end of the day, and I want to be out there with the guys,” Porter said following the win over Houston. “So I have to prove why they got me here, and I feel like I did that [Sunday].”
Porter, who allowed no receptions in Week 4 (via Pro Football Focus), should keep backing up the talk against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is without starting QB Baker Mayfield (right thumb). Jalon Daniels, an undrafted free agent from the Kansas Jayhawks, replaced him in Week 4 and flopped, tossing two interceptions in a 17-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Dallas ranks 24th in passing yards allowed (239.3 YPG). But with Porter in the fold, the unit should begin gaining momentum in a potential mismatch.
Prediction: Cowboys, 31-23
Sunday night: Baltimore Ravens (3-1) at Atlanta Falcons (2-2) (NBC, 8:20 p.m. ET)
Safety Jessie Bates said the Falcons are a “whole different team” with QB Michael Penix Jr. in the lineup; he’s right. In two games with Penix starting, Atlanta has averaged 40 PPG and 239.5 passing yards per game. In the two games backup QB Cooper Rush started, it logged eight PPG and 144 passing yards per game.
THE FALCONS ARE DOMINATING ON THE GROUND AND NOW THROUGH THE AIR
Michael Penix Jr. puts Atlanta up 21 in the fourth quarter with this TD pass to Jahan Dotson
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 6, 2026
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The Ravens hope they’re the same team if starting QB Lamar Jackson doesn’t play on “SNF.” Jackson suffered an ankle injury in the 24-18 Week 4 win over the Tennessee Titans and reportedly has an “outside chance” of playing against the Falcons. Expect backup QB Tyler “Snoop” Huntley to start if Jackson is ruled out.
Huntley — who went 2-0 in two starts for Baltimore last season — is a dependable backup. Still, he may struggle to carry the Ravens against Atlanta’s surging offense, led by Penix and running back Bijan Robinson (494 rushing yards, No. 2 in NFL). Baltimore — tied for 19th in points allowed (24 PPG) — may not have an answer for the QB-RB duo.
Prediction: Falcons, 28-24
Buffalo Bills (3-1) at Los Angeles Rams (2-2) (ESPN/ABC, 8:15 p.m. ET)
As of Wednesday, DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Bills as a three-point underdog against the Rams. If that line holds, that would be the biggest underdog Bills QB Josh Allen has been in a game since Dec. 12, 2021, when Buffalo was listed as a 3.5-point underdog against the Buccaneers, per Yahoo Sports’ Ben Fawkes.
The Buffalo Bills are currently a 3-point underdog at the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5.
➡️That would be the biggest underdog Josh Allen has been in a game in nearly FIVE years (+3.5 at Tom Brady’s TB Bucs on Dec. 12, 2021)
Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) October 6, 2026
With Allen cooling after another hot start, that line may not change. The QB has thrown one TD pass and three interceptions over his past two games after throwing five TDs and no picks in his first two.
The Rams’ second-ranked passing defense (145.5 YPG) poses an unfavorable matchup for Allen and Buffalo, especially if defensive lineman Aaron Donald returns from a back injury that sidelined him in Week 4. On Monday, L.A. head coach Sean McVay said Donald is trending toward a return.
Prediction: Rams, 30-23
