Bye weeks are upon us, as is the NFL’s International Series. The first of the London games is this Sunday, and four NFL teams are dark this week and on a bye – the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tennessee Titans.
Two teams remain unbeaten through four weeks, the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs, and just one team is still in search of its first win. That ignominious honor goes to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings (-2.5) – London
The New York Jets may eventually be the home of Davante Adams. The disgruntled Raiders wide receiver willingly left Aaron Rodgers behind in Green Bay, but now he wants to be reunited with his former quarterback. An Adams trade to New York pays -110. The New Orleans Saints are +350, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are +400.
No trade will happen before the Jets play the undefeated Vikings in London on Sunday, so don’t expect much movement on this spread. New York last played in London in 2021, losing to the Atlanta Falcons, 27-20. Rodgers played in London in 2022, losing to the New York Giants in that game.
The Vikings are a perfect 3-0 in the International Series, most recently beating the New Orleans Saints in London in 2022. For Sam Darnold, this game is less about London and more about him finally finding his footing as a starting quarterback, as he faces the team that drafted him six years ago.
Cleveland Browns at Washington Commanders (-3.5)
This is the tale of two quarterbacks. The Cleveland Browns are stuck with Deshaun Watson and his contract, which is one of the worst ever signed. He has played 16 games as a member of the Browns, and he’s won nine of them. But this year, the Browns are just 1-3. His dead cap next year is a whopping $172 million. He’s not going anywhere.
Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels also isn’t going anywhere. The Commanders love their new signal-caller. He has them in first place at 3-1, and he is the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Daniels and the Commanders have also covered each of the last three point spreads. Cleveland is 1-3 against the spread this season.
Buffalo Bills (-1) at Houston Texans
The last time we saw the Buffalo Bills, they were getting by the Baltimore Ravens. After three weeks of looking like the best team in the NFL, they finally looked human. But they are still great, and Josh Allen is still the second betting favorite to win the MVP award (+350). They are favored by a point on the road at the Houston Texans.
Houston has yet to materialize as the Super Bowl favorite that many envisioned in the preseason. They struggled last week to get past the Jacksonville Jaguars, the game following one week after getting blown out by the Vikings.
Houston wants a good showing against the best team on their schedule through five weeks, and one player in particular wants that. This is the Stefon Diggs revenge game. After four years in Buffalo, and four years of 1,000-yard seasons, he is now a part of the Texans’ high-powered offense.
Houston is 0-4 against the spread this season. The Bills are 2-2 against the spread.
Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5)
Two storied franchises, two rabid fan bases, and two teams with Super Bowl dreams meet in Pittsburgh on Sunday night.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in first place in the AFC North, but they are still looking for a little more juice on offense. They have been linked to Davante Adams, perhaps DeAndre Hopkins, and any other wide receiver who has trade availability. In the meantime, they will lean on T.J. Watt and a defense that ranks top 10 against the pass and run.
The Dallas Cowboys got a win last week over the New York Giants, but they continue to feed their doubters with less than impressive performances. Dak Prescott is playing well, but Dallas is one of the worst running teams in the NFL.
The Cowboys haven’t covered the point spread since Week 1. The Steelers are 3-1 against the spread.
New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs (-5.5) – Monday
To win the Super Bowl, you need to be good, but you also need to be lucky. The Kansas City Chiefs have had incredible injury luck over the last two years, which ended with them lifting the Lombardi Trophy. That luck is beginning to run out, with injuries to wide receiver Hollywood Brown, running back Isiah Pacheco, and now wide receiver Rashee Rice.
We still haven’t seen a final diagnosis on Rice’s injury, but we do know he won’t be playing for the foreseeable future. Be it weeks or months or the rest of the season, the Chiefs are in the market for a wide receiver.
Until then, they are going to rely on their defense to remain undefeated. Chris Jones was just named AFC Defensive Player of the Week, and K.C. is ranked seventh in the NFL in red zone scoring defense.
The New Orleans Saints are ranked first in keeping teams out of the end zone in the red zone, and they will present the Chiefs with a challenge at home.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
