Laugh at Bill’s Week 5 NFL Picks; Plus Updated Packers Season Predictions

The Green Bay Packers are on their bye, which means there won’t be another embarrassing outcome on their schedule or the special teams won’t deliver a critical blunder this week.

Here are the Week 5 NFL predictions along with a Packers update.

Week 5 NFL Predictions

Thursday: Rams over 49ers

Sunday early: Vikings over Browns; Ravens over Texans; Panthers over Dolphins; Colts over Raiders; Giants over Saints; Cowboys over Jets; Eagles over Broncos.

Sunday afternoon: Cardinals over Titans; Seahawks over Buccaneers; Lions over Bengals; Chargers over Commanders

Primetime: Bills over Patriots; Chiefs over Jaguars.

Last week: 10-6.

Season: 44-20.

Updated Packers Predictions

Following the Micah Parsons trade, I had the Packers starting 3-1, which isn’t bad, with the caveat that I had the Packers losing to the Lions and beating the Browns and Cowboys.

I’m still bullish on the Packers, no matter that they wasted wins at Cleveland and Dallas the last two weeks. Here’s I see the rest of the regular season shaking out.

Week 6: Cincinnati Bengals

With one of the worst defenses in the NFL, the Bengals were a flawed team with Joe Burrow. A bad defense with a bad quarterback? This should be a layup.

Prediction: Win (3-1-1)

Week 7: at Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have a quality defense, but they’ve got two running backs on injured reserve and a quarterback who’s never quite been the sum of his talented parts.

Prediction: Win (4-1-1)

Week 8: at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are 3-1 through four games but haven’t really been impressive in any of the wins. They are 30th in yardage differential. Aaron Rodgers is off to a strong start and you know he’s going to want to prove a point in what might be his farewell season. Still, Green Bay’s defense is too fast for all the underneath passes that Rodgers throws.

Prediction: Win (5-1-1)

Week 9: Carolina Panthers

The Panthers looked like a team ready to make at least a little noise. Instead, they’re 1-3. Their lone win was a blowout at home against Atlanta, which they followed up with a blowout loss at New England.

Prediction: Win (6-1-1)

Week 10: Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles haven’t done anything well. Their offense and defense are both below average, meaning they are 29th in yardage differential. But good teams find ways to win close games. The Eagles, obviously, are a good team. And they’re coming off their bye.

Prediction: Lose (6-2-1)

Week 11: at New York Giants

Jaxson Dart to Malik Nabers was a fun combination until Nabers wrecked his knee last week. What a horrible blow to that franchise’s momentum. New York’s pass rush is real but that’s about it.

Prediction: Win (7-2-1)

Week 12: Minnesota Vikings

First-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy was off to a poor start before he missed a couple games. Was that early growing pains or serious concerns about last year’s first-round pick?

Prediction: Win (8-2-1)

Week 13: at Detroit Lions

The Packers had all offseason to think about Detroit’s dominance in the series. With the addition of Micah Parsons, they trounced the Lions in Week 1. The Lions have rebounded and now they’ll want revenge.

Prediction: Loss (8-3-1)

Week 14: Chicago Bears

The Bears have shown some glimmer of life with the marriage of quarterback Caleb Williams and coach Ben Johnson. The Packers will have a few extra days to get ticked off about losing to Chicago and Lambeau last year.

Prediction: Win (9-3-1)

Week 15: at Denver Broncos

Bo Nix looks like a solid complementary quarterback to one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Packers are 1-8 all-time in the Mile High City.

Prediction: Loss (9-4-1)

Week 16: at Chicago Bears

Nothing like facing a division rival twice in a span of three weeks. The Bears haven’t beaten the Packers at Solider Field in forever – a rough guess but perhaps correct. That’s got to change sometime. This isn’t that time, though. The Packers need to have this game and get it.

Prediction: Loss (10-4-1)

Week 17: Baltimore Ravens

In any meeting between two really good teams, the hungriest team generally wins. The Packers might have clinched a playoff berth by now. The Ravens, after a rough start, might still be in catch-up mode.

Prediction: Loss (10-5-1)

Week 18: at Minnesota Vikings

Last year, coach Matt LaFleur tried to walk a fine line of keeping his team sharp but healthy in Week 18 against Chicago. Neither happened. Lesson learned, with the Packers stepping on the gas to build some momentum for the playoffs.

Prediction: Win (11-5-1)

Packers In the Playoffs

Green Bay is really good. Don’t let what happened the past two weeks fool you. This is a team capable of getting to the Super Bowl. It won’t quite get there, though, as it will lose at the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.