NFL Quick Pick: Complete Week Five Schedule, Vegas Lines, Stats, VAVEL Picks

14 games are on the week five docket with the Miami Dolphins (1-3), New York Jets (3-1), Minnesota Vikings (2-2), and Carolina Panthers (4-0) on their scheduled byes. Odds makers have the Green Bay Packers (4-0) the biggest favorite with a nine-point spread at home over the St. Louis Rams (2-2), while the Buffalo Bills (2-2) have just a two-point spread on the road against the Tennessee Titans (1-2).

Week five features games with struggling teams that began the season with legitimate playoff aspirations. Injuries along with a failure to live up to their potential have placed these teams in jeopardy of seeing their postseason chances eliminated.

New Orleans Saints (1-3) on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles (1-3) is the perfect example of teams who were early favorites to play in January but now see any legitimate chance of making the playoffs vanishing. Both teams sit at 1-3 and must win on Sunday to keep any playoff hopes alive.

The Indianapolis Colts (2-2) will once again be without quarterback Andrew Luck on Sunday as they go on the road to take on the Houston Texans (1-3). Matt Hasselbeck will get the start as Luck continues to deal with an injured shoulder. The Colts are a .500 team but sit alone in first place in the AFC South. The Texans face a perfect opportunity to knock off the Luckless Colts and move into a potential first place tie.

Spotlight Games:

New England Patriots - Dallas Cowboys

What appeared to be one of week five's marquee matchups has diminished a bit due to injuries suffered by Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Dez Bryant.

The Patriots come in to Dallas off a bye with a record of 3-0 and a first place lead in the AFC East. Tom Brady has been on a roll out of the gate for the Patriots, completing 72.2 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Cowboys enter their week five matchup with the Patriots trying to shake off an overtime loss on the road to the New Orleans Saints 26-20. Despite the injuries to their offensive stars, the Cowboys at 2-2 sit in a three-way tie for first in the weak NFC East.

Dallas gets two big defensive players back on Sunday as defensive end Greg Hardy and linebacker Rolando McClain return from suspensions. Linebacker Sean Lee suffered a concussion in the loss to the Saints last Sunday and spent the week going through concussion protocols. His playing status more then likely will be a game time decision.

Seattle Seahawks - Cincinnati Bengals

A controversial call in the endzone that negated what could have been a game-winning drive by the Detroit Lions in the final minute of their Monday Night Football game against the Seahawks handed Seattle a 13-10 victory and evened their record at 2-2.

Seattle heads to Cincinnati with renewed confidence in their "Legion of Boom" defense, but plenty of questions remain regarding their offense and the offensive line in particular. The line has given up 18 sacks in four games which ties the Kansas City Chiefs for most in the NFL. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll puts the blame on the entire offensive unit, saying that Russell Wilson is holding on to the ball too long in some cases and wide receivers are unable to shake defenders.

The Bengals are undefeated at 4-0 and viewed by many as one of the elite teams in the AFC. Their game on Sunday versus the Seahawks gives the Bengals an opportunity to prove it. A home game against a back-to-back Super Bowl team is the perfect opportunity to gage how well this team can compete with established contenders in the league.

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton will be facing his toughest challenge so far this season as he navigates a Seahawks defense that thrives on rushing the passer and creating turnovers. In the past, Dalton has wilted in these kind of games. He has the chance to show everyone that those days are in the past.

Stats:

All stats via NFL.Com

Pick in BOLD denotes a correct pick. *Did not pick in Week 1. **Did not pick in Week 1 and Week 3. +Did not pick in Week 1-3.

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