The NFL’s Week 5 slate comes with three bold calls, and the theme is pretty clear: a few shaky favorites are about to get pushed to the edge. One undefeated team is on upset alert, another unbeaten club is heading into a matchup that could turn ugly, and a high-scoring track meet in the desert has upset written all over it.
The first prediction centers on Miami, where the Dolphins are still searching for traction after opening the season in rough shape. They’ve scored just 46 points through four games, and they haven’t topped 13 in any of them.
That makes Sunday against Cincinnati a tricky spot, even if the Bengals have shown cracks of their own. Zac Taylor’s team has lost two straight after a 2-0 start, and the defense has been leaking production lately, including four touchdown passes allowed over the last two weeks.
The run defense has also been vulnerable, and after forcing four turnovers in Week 1 against the Buccaneers, Cincinnati has managed only one takeaway over its last three games. The pick here is that Miami finally posts its highest point total of the season, but still comes up short.
The second bold prediction takes aim at one of the league’s three unbeaten teams: Minnesota. Kevin O’Connell’s club has stayed perfect despite a rough offensive profile, with only six offensive touchdowns and 12 field goals through four weeks.
The defense has carried the load, allowing just four offensive touchdowns and a league-low 51 points. But this trip to New Orleans looks like the kind of game that can flip a record.
The Saints have been leaky on defense all season, surrendering 360.3 total yards per game, 16 offensive touchdowns and a league-high 128 points. That total includes 45 points in a 21-point Monday night loss to the Falcons.
The Vikings’ offense may find some openings, but the call here is that Tyler Shough, Chris Olave, and the NFL’s fourth-ranked passing attack do enough to hand Minnesota its first loss of 2026.
The final prediction goes to the desert, where Arizona and Detroit look primed for a scoreboard bonanza. The Cardinals have already shown they can spring a surprise, knocking off the Chargers in Week 1 under new head coach Mike LaFleur.
Since then, though, they’ve dropped three straight and allowed at least 30 points in each defeat. Detroit has been even more volatile on the defensive side.
Dan Campbell’s team has played in games that have produced 246 combined points across four weeks, an average of 61.5 per contest. The Lions have scored 30 or more points in three of four games, but they’ve also given up 30-plus in three of four, and their 11 touchdown passes allowed are tied for the most in the league.
In this one, Jacoby Brissett and company are projected to steal it in a shootout.
In Other News...
Cardinals Suddenly Have A Quarterback Question That Could Define Next Year
A rough outing from Jacoby Brissett has pushed the Cardinals into an offseason conversation they probably hoped to avoid this soon. Arizona is now taking a hard look at its quarterback options, with Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck among the names in the mix as the staff and front office sort through what the position should look like beyond this year.
Brissetts deal runs through the end of the current season, and the timing matters because the Cardinals are set up with meaningful cap space and a high draft pick next offseason. That combination gives them flexibility, but it also raises the stakes of getting the quarterback decision right, especially if Oregons Dante Moore becomes a real target down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Already Face A Bigger Problem Than Their 0-4 Start
Early in the 2026 NFC race, the first month has already made a mess of the standings and the hierarchy. Tampa Bays 0-4 start has become the easy talking point, but the bigger lesson for teams like Arizona is how quickly one surprise win can get folded into a larger, shakier picture once the season settles in. The Cardinals opened with an upset and looked like they might belong in the conversation, only to follow it with a stretch that has made their place in the conference feel far less secure.
What makes this part of the season so tricky is how little the early rankings mean if the follow-up is uneven. Arizona has already shown enough to get attention, but not enough to remove the uncertainty that comes with a young season and a volatile NFC board. For the Cardinals, the question now is less about whether the opener was real and more about whether they can turn a promising start into something more stable before the rest of the conference sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Suddenly Have A New Defensive Concern Before Lions Game
The Cardinals defensive front picked up a new concern this week as Walter Nolen III landed on the Week 5 injury report with a calf issue ahead of the Lions matchup. Nolen had been a full participant earlier in the week before being limited in practice, a notable shift for a player Arizona is counting on to help stabilize the line as the team prepares for one of the leagues more demanding offenses.
Mike LaFleur also addressed the situation while taking a broader look at Detroits attack, which has become a major test for any defense trying to hold up for four quarters. Arizonas report included a mix of players returning from rest and others missing consecutive days, so the Cardinals are navigating more than one health question, but Nolens availability stands out because of both his role and the timing with a tough opponent on deck. [Read more 🡒]