NFL picks, Week 5: Packers, Ravens, Texans looking for a rebound

SB Nation’s panel of experts is unanimous that the Packers will beat the Lions this week, but that’s about where the consensus ends for the Week 5 picks.

by Ryan Van Bibber

Oct 2, 2013, 2:30 PM UTC

Scott Boehm

There are 14 NFL games this week and, on first glance, some pretty good ones. But here’s the thing about expectations for “good” games: it makes them hard to pick. Nevertheless, SB Nation’s panel of experts gave it their best shot.

Take for instance Sunday's NFC North showdown in Green Bay. Our panel picked the Packers to win, unanimously (these aren't picks against the spread, by the way). Detroit's proving to be a tougher draw than imagined, however, as evidenced by their win over the Bears last week.

Another game on the schedule to circle is Seattle at Indianapolis, also known as the Russell Wilson vs. Andrew Luck showdown. The panel is split 3-2 in favor of the Seahawks, a reasonable pick, but the Colts have a knack for finding ways to win games.

There's also the outlier pick. This week it's Baltimore at Miami. Only one panelist picked the Ravens to win that game, but it could very easily go the other way. The Ravens are a hard team to figure out this year.

Joel was the panel's top picker last week with an impressive 11-4 record. He was the only one among the five to pick the Lions over the Bears and the Patriots over the Falcons. So, a big congratulations to Joel who wins a congratulatory handshake for his efforts.

Matchup	Ryan Van Bibber	Joel Thorman	Jason Chilton	Stephen White	David Fucillo
Buffalo at Cleveland	Browns	Browns	Browns	Browns	Browns
Detroit at Green Bay	Packers	Packers	Packers	Packers	Packers
New Orleans at Chicago	Saints	Saints	Saints	Bears	Bears
New England at Cincinnati	Patriots	Patriots	Patriots	Bengals	Bengals
Kansas City at Tennessee	Chiefs	Chiefs	Chiefs	Chiefs	Chiefs
Seattle at Indianapolis	Colts	Seahawks	Colts	Seahawks	Seahawks
Jacksonville at St. Louis	Jaguars	Rams	Rams	Rams	Rams
Baltimore at Miami	Dolphins	Ravens	Dolphins	Dolphins	Dolphins
Philadelphia at NY Giants	Eagles	Eagles	Eagles	Eagles	Giants
Carolina at Arizona	Panthers	Panthers	Panthers	Panthers	Cardinals
San Diego at Oakland	Chargers	Chargers	Chargers	Chargers	Raiders
Denver at Dallas	Broncos	Broncos	Broncos	Broncos	Broncos
Houston at San Francisco	Texans	49ers	49ers	49ers	49ers
NY Jets at Atlanta	Falcons	Falcons	Falcons	Falcons	Falcons

Our panel consists of: David Fucillo, SB Nation’s fantasy guru; Stephen White, retired NFL defensive end and SB Nation NFL contributor; Jason Chilton, SB Nation NFL contributor; Joel Thorman, manager of SB Nation NFL blogs; and Ryan Van Bibber, SB Nation’s NFL editor.