Week Five of the 2023 NFL season gives us the biggest game of the year to date when NFC powerhouses the Cowboys and 49ers collide in San Francisco.
That game features in a five-strong accumulator we’ve put together from Sunday’s action that returns at more than 16/1 at the time of writing.
Recommended five-fold: Under 42.5 points in Saints at Patriots, Indianapolis Colts to win, Philadelphia Eagles +4, Cincinnati Bengals -3 and San Francisco 49ers to win @ 16/1.
- Under 42.5 points in New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots
- Indianapolis Colts to beat Tennessee Titans
- Philadelphia Eagles -4 at Los Angeles Rams
- Cincinnati Bengals -3 at Arizona Cardinals
- San Francisco 49ers to beat Dallas Cowboys
Saints @ Patriots
The New Orleans Saints head to New England riding a two-game losing streak with divisional rivals the Tampa Bay Buccaneers strolling to victory in the Big Easy in Week Four.
Quarterback Derek Carr played with a bad shoulder in that game and it showed as the Saints put up just nine points, even with top running back Alvin Kamara back in the line-up. Carr’s issue isn't likely to go away any time soon and his performances should continue to be affected going forward.
New England have quarterback issues of their own and head coach Bill Belichick must be weighing up a change after Mac Jones threw three interceptions in the heaviest loss of Belichick’s career, a 38-3 beatdown by the Dallas Cowboys.
Even with the injuries mounting on defence for the Pats, a response to that humbling is expected in a game that shapes up to be a defensive arm wrestle.
Neither side has broken the 20-point barrier this season and the under appeals to kick off the Week Five acca.
Carr's shoulder remains a problem
Titans @ Colts
The AFC South is delicately poised with all four teams sat at 2-2 ahead of a divisional showdown between the Titans and Colts.
Tennessee have enjoyed this rivalry recently, reeling off five straight wins, and enter this latest clash having stomped the Cincinnati Bengals 27-3.
But the Titans’ road form is woeful, losing five of the last six, and the Colts are a feisty outfit with rookie Anthony Richardson at quarterback.
Indy will get top running back Jonathan Taylor back this week too and the Colts’ excellent offensive line can keep the strength of Tennessee - a nasty defensive front - at bay, giving them a platform for victory.
Bengals @ Cardinals
A month into the season and the Bengals are in crisis mode after losing three of their first four games, putting up just three points for the second time this season in the Week Four loss to Tennessee.
At 1-3, a team viewed as Super Bowl contenders in the summer can’t afford any more mistakes.
From a betting angle, this looks like a nice spot to take the Bengals, who were far bigger favourites for the trip to Arizona a matter of days ago.
The Cardinals have been better than advertised this season but go into this game following a tough loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
If quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals can’t get it right in this game against an Arizona team who lack talent, they never will this season.
Eagles @ Rams
The last two NFC winners collide at SoFi Stadium on Sunday with both fresh from nail-biting overtime wins.
The Rams took down the Colts on the road as they continue to perform above expectations, but this meeting with the undefeated Eagles doesn’t stack up well for them.
Philadelphia should manhandle LA’s bottom-five-ranked offensive line, while on the other side of the ball the Eagles will expect to get their ground game going against a defence that’s 29th against the run in DVOA.
Cooper Kupp’s return from injury for LA may give Philly something to think about, but they have too many weapons to let the Rams end their undefeated streak and have covered a four-point handicap in three of their four wins this season.
Kupp's return a boost for the Rams
Cowboys @ 49ers
The only other undefeated team left a month into the season are the San Francisco 49ers and they face a stiff test in the early hours of Monday morning against the 3-1 Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys did a number on the Patriots in Week Four but are yet to come up against serious playoff contenders and have some troubling health concerns.
The offensive line is a little banged up, while on defence Trevon Diggs is out for the year and stud linebacker Micah Parsons is hurt and playing through the pain.
Throw into the mix Dallas being the sixth most penalised team in the league and talk of them getting revenge on the 49ers for last year’s playoff defeat starts to look fanciful.
There doesn’t appear to be an obvious weakness on this San Francisco team with Christian McCaffrey the heartbeat of an offence outscoring opponents by an average of 16.7 points per game.
The defensive front is as nasty as they come, ranking second in QB hurries and third in pressures, while the defence as a whole has given up the third-fewest points per game through the first month.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan appears to have this 49ers roster as he wants it and is putting it to good use.
The Niners have won ten straight at home and although Dallas pose a threat, this is a chance for the Super Bowl favourites to flex their muscles.
