Week 5 expert NFL Picks against the spread – Del’s selections

Del was able to grind his way to another winning record of 8-7 in Week 4, but we are still waiting on that huge week to really kick things into gear for the 2015 season. Could this be the week?

After posting a rare 0-2 record in locks of the week, Del will be looking to bounce back in a big way. The good news is three games jumped out at Del as potential money-makers, so there’s a lot to feel good about — at least until Sunday does its thing and humbles us all. Here are Del’s Week 5 NFL picks, with some analysis after the chart.

Cincinnati has been rolling this season and looks like the second-best team in the AFC behind the Patriots. That said, they have not exactly been tested with top-flight defenses. The four teams the Bengals have beaten (Raiders, Chargers, Ravens, Chiefs) rank in the bottom 10 of the NFL in points allowed per game. The Seahawks rank third in that category and should only get better with safety Kam Chancellor in his third game back and anchoring the defense. Seattle is capable of beating Cincy, and I can see Pete Carroll’s team getting to 3-2 before the Bengals get to 5-0. Seahawks outright.

Next, we move to a New York Giants team that is still getting punished by oddsmakers for some boneheaded decisions in the first two weeks of the season. The G-Men looked decent against the Redskins in Week 3 and came away with a very impressive 24-10 road win over the Bills last week. They dominated Buffalo as a 6-point underdog. This week, the Giants face a 49ers team that didn’t exactly embarrass itself against the Packers but only managed to score 3 points. San Francisco’s offense is an absolute mess and its defense isn’t far behind. Don’t let hanging with Green Bay at home fool you into thinking the Niners will do the same traveling all the way across the country.

Finally, Del has a good feeling about the Chargers only laying a field goal against the Steelers at home in a primetime game. Yes, San Diego struggled to beat the Browns last weekend at home and Pittsburgh has had 10 days to prepare, but I’m simply not a believer in Michael Vick. Even if the Chargers can’t contain Le’Veon Bell (not many teams can), they should do their best to make Vick beat them through the air. Is he going to be able to do that? Not if he plays like he did against the Ravens last week. With Antonio Gates returning and Keenan Allen playing at an extremely high level, Philip Rivers should have no problem scoring points. I can’t say the same for Vick and his offense.