NFL Week 5 Staff Picks: Patriots heavy favorites to take down Cowboys

Each week during the NFL season, theScore's NFL staff will put on their prognosticator hats and offer up selections against the spread for all of the week’s games, highlighting several marquee matchups.

Unanimous Selections: Bengals -2.5, Bills -2.5, Patriots -9, Cardinals -2.5, Broncos -4.5

Unanimous selections are 11-6 ATS for the season.

Marquee Matchups

New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5)

Dan Wilkins: Drew Brees appears to be back on track after a strong performance in Sunday night's win. The Saints' secondary, now healthy after the return of Keenan Lewis and Jairus Byrd, should limit Philadelphia's offense just enough. Saints +4.5

Caitlyn Holroyd: The Saints got a much-needed win against the Cowboys in Week 4, but they also had the fortune of going up against a team missing several key starters. Look for things to swing in the Eagles' favor this week. Eagles -4.5

Joe Thomson: The Eagles giving the Saints 4.5 points is a gift. With Brees back, the Saints are still a dangerous team, and the Eagles have proven completely incompetent offensively. Everyone is waiting for the Eagles to get it together. It's not going to happen. Saints +4.5

New England Patriots (-9) at Dallas Cowboys

Holroyd: The Patriots will be well-rested after their bye and face a Cowboys team that's been decimated by injuries this season. Dallas should be able to keep the score close at home, but it won't be enough. Patriots -9

Wilkins: Dallas isn't going to be the first team to limit the unstoppable machine that is the New England offense. With Tony Romo and Dez Bryant still on the sidelines, this one could be out of reach in the first quarter. Patriots -9

Thomson: Linemakers are beginning to give the Patriots 2007 levels of respect, with massive spreads in their favor even on the road. The Pats match up well against the Cowboys, with Tony Romo unavailable to exploit their softer secondary. Patriots dominate. Patriots -9

Pittsburgh Steelers at San Diego Chargers (-3)

Thomson: The Steelers had the Ravens beat last week and couldn't close the deal. Not going to name any names as to why that happened, Josh, but that overtime loss, Scobee, proved this team can compete without Ben Roethlisberger. Against a worse Chargers team, the Steelers get it right. Steelers +3

Wilkins: Both teams enter with their share of injuries, but it's the Steelers who are going without a star quarterback. Doing so while traveling to the West Coast isn't exactly a recipe for success. Chargers -3

Holroyd: Bad kicking, poor coaching decisions, and a rusty quarterback all had a hand in the Steelers' ugly overtime loss to the Ravens, but they were also coming off a short week. The extra rest should pay off against the Chargers, who are 2-8 in their last 10 games against the Steelers, and 9-22 all time. Steelers +3

Wild-Card Selections

Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5)

Holroyd: The Bengals' offense is firing on all cylinders right now, as evidenced by the fact that four different Cincinnati players caught passes of 30 or more yards in Week 4. The Seahawks are coming off a big win over the Lions, but they won't be as fortunate in Cincinnati, where the Bengals are 16-3-1 in their last 20 games. Bengals -2.5

St. Louis Rams at Green Bay Packers (-10)

Wilkins: St. Louis has been one of the toughest teams to figure out through four weeks to start the season, but it simply doesn't match up with Green Bay. The Packers should cruise to their fifth straight win. Packers -10

San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants (-6.5)

Thomson: After knocking off the Bills in impressive fashion, the Giants may be looking past a terrible 49ers team. Colin Kaepernick, who probably shouldn't be throwing the ball, will run all over the Giants' defense and keep it close long enough to cover the 6.5 points. 49ers +6.5

(Lines courtesy: Pinnaclesports.com)