Trav’s 2024 Week 5 NFL Picks

Week 4 is in the books, and we only have two undefeated teams remaining in the league. The Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings enter this week with 4-0 records. Last week my record was 6-3 and now my overall mark is 25-20. My winning percentage jumps from 52.8% to 55.6%. Minnesota beating the Packers was my first defeat over the weekend. The Vikings have jumped out to a surprising 4-0 record this season. Sam Darnold is arguably the league MVP during the first quarter of the season. The Washington Commanders beating down Arizona was my second loss. The Commanders are for real, and they’re led by Jayden Daniels, who’s been flawless thus far. The final defeat came in the first Monday Night game. The Tennessee Titans picked up their first win of the season by blowing out the Miami Dolphins.

Mason Rudolph replaced an injured Will Levis and help guided the Titans to the road win. In their win over the New York Giants, the Cowboys had two of their best defenders injured. Demarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons are those players, and Lawrence is a little more serious than Parsons. Pittsburgh loss their first game after Joe Flacco relieved an injured Anthony Richardson. Cincinnati and as mentioned earlier the Tennessee Titans picked up their first win of the season. Jacksonville is the only team in the league without a win as we enter Week 5. Could Davante Adams be on the move soon? This week I’ll be picking 8 games. Hopefully, I’ll improve my record to more than five games above 500. Check out Trav’s 2024 Week 5 NFL picks below.

 

We kick things off with a critical NFC South matchup on Thursday Night. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to Atlanta to meet the Falcons. The winner of this game will take over first place in the division. Tampa enters this game with a 3-1 record with their only blemish coming against the Broncos. Baker Mayfield is playing at an incredible high level in the first quarter of the season. The defense ranks in the top 10 for scoring thus far. Atlanta is coming off a tough home win against their division rival New Orleans. The Falcons are still trying to figure things out with all the new faces on defense. Atlanta ranks only 22^nd in rushing, which is surprising seeing they have Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier in the backfield. In a tough one, I’m picking the Falcons to distract Mayfield enough to win. Atlanta Win 24-20

 

 

This is a 9:30 in the morning game as it’s being played in London. The New York Jets will try to get back on track against the Minnesota Vikings. The Jets are coming off a very disappointing home loss against the Denver Broncos. The offense only managed to put up 9 points. With the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Breece Hall, and Garrett Wilson this is unacceptable. Can they rebound against a stingy Vikings defense? Minnesota is the only undefeated team in the NFC remaining. Sam Darnold is playing at an MVP level thus far. The offense and defense are ranked in the top 5 for scoring. Minnesota is looking to remain undefeated entering their bye week. Can Sam Darnold continue to play at the level he’s playing against the Jets defense? I’m going to continue to roll with the Vikings in this one. Minnesota Win 20-19

 

 

We have a battle between two AFC North teams that’s looking to turn their season around. The Baltimore Ravens head to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. After dropping their first two games, the Ravens are finally looking like themselves after winning the last two games. Baltimore blew out the previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills by 25 points. The defense looked like what we expected, and Derrick Henry is beating down opposing defenses. Cincinnati finally won their first game last week. The win came against Carolina, but it was needed as they hope to turn their season around. On offense, the Bengals need to run the ball better to help the defense stay off the field. On defense, this team rank near the bottom in scoring as they’re allowing 26 points a game. In a tough one, I’m picking the Ravens to win on the road. Baltimore Win 31-27

 

 

We have a potential playoff matchup as the Buffalo Bills head to Houston to face the Texans. Buffalo suffered their first defeat against the Ravens last Sunday Night. They were blown out after Derrick Henry rushed for almost 200 yards. Nothing went right for Buffalo, but it was only one loss, and it was their first one. The Bills still rank 2^nd in scoring offense with over 30 points a game. The defense gave up an average of 16 per game before the Baltimore game. Houston rebounded from their blowout loss to Minnesota last week. The Texans took down division rival Jacksonville to win their third game. C.J. Stroud is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but they miss Joe Mixon in the running game. I’m riding with the Bills to pull off the upset on the road. Buffalo Win 30-24

 

 

We head to the AFC West for a battle between two surprising 2-2 teams. The Las Vegas Raiders head to Mile High Stadium to face the Denver Broncos. The big news coming out of the Raiders organization is the Davante Adams situation. Adams has officially requested to be traded, and things could get interested. Las Vegas is coming off an impressive win over the Browns. The Raiders are having issues with running the ball as they rank 31^st in the league. Denver have won two in a row after dropping the first two games of the season. They rank in the bottom five of the league in points and passing. The defense is what’s carrying this team. They allowed a total of 16 points in the last two games, and they were against Baker Mayfield and Aaron Rodgers. I’m riding the Broncos defense in this one. Denver Win 19-17

 

 

We head to the Pacific Northwest as the Seattle Seahawks host the New York Giants. New York have dropped three of their first four games of the season. Despite Dallas owning them over the last few years, they almost pulled off the win. Daniel Jones haven’t played bad for the most part. The offense misses Saquon Barkley because they are in the bottom three of rushing. Will Malik Nabers be available after suffering a concussion? Seattle dropped their first game last week in Detroit in a high scoring game. Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense rank 1^st in the league. Despite giving up 42 points against Detroit, the defense is still in the middle for points given up. Can Seattle get back in the winning column ahead of their game against the Niners next Thursday? The Seahawks are legit and should win this one. Seattle Win 27-21

 

 

We have the Sunday Night game between two of the most successful franchises ever in the league. The Dallas Cowboys will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. Dallas just ended their 2-game losing streak last week with a win over the Giants. Dallas ranks in the top 5 in passing, but dead last in rushing. The defense is in the bottom five in scoring, and it could get worse. Demarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons could miss time with injuries. Pittsburgh is coming off dropping their first game of the season in Indianapolis. The defense gave up 27 points to the Colts, but they remain second in the league in points scored. With the Cowboys being without Parsons and Lawrence, who will contain Justin Fields? The Steelers are looking to rebound from their only loss and I’m thinking they will. Pittsburgh Win 31-21

 

 

The final game of the week is the Monday Night game of course. The New Orleans Saints will make the trip to Kansas City to meet the Chiefs. The Saints were the talk of the town after the first two weeks of the season. After losing to the Eagles and Falcons, they have some soul searching to do. The offense is still ranked atop the league in scoring. The defense is still one of the best in the league. Kansas City is the only undefeated team in the AFC, but they’re reeling. They already lost Isiah Pacheco for an extended period, but now Rashee Rice could be done for the season. Patrick Mahomes isn’t playing at an MVP level and teams are doubling Travis Kelce. Who will step up? This feels like a trap game where the Saints steal this one. New Orleans Win 20-19

 

 

What do you think about my Week 5 picks? What games would you pick differently. Below you can check out my top 5 teams from the AFC and NFC. Leave some feedback below about anything related to my Week 5 picks.

 

Trav’s Top 5 AFC Teams

1. Kansas City Chiefs (Only Undefeated Team in the AFC)
2. Baltimore Ravens (I Know They’re 2-2, But They Look Great Now)
3. Buffalo Bills (They Suffered Their First Loss Against Baltimore, but Looked Bad)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (The Defense is Top Notched)
5. Houston Texans (The Defense Is Scaring Me)

 

Trav’s Top 5 NFC Teams

1. Minnesota Vikings (Only Undefeated Team)
2. Detroit Lions (Still A Believer in This Team)
3. Seattle Seahawks (Still a Great Team Despite Loss in Detroit)
4. Washington Commanders (3 Game Winning Streak)
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (They Had One Hiccup, But the Team Look Great)