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Unfortunately, we suffered our 1st loss of the season by selecting the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4 of our NFL survivor pool. Cincinnati was a total disappointment, losing at the Tennessee Titans 27-3 as a 2.5-point favorite.
For those who went with our 2nd option in the San Francisco 49ers — who easily handled the visiting New England Patriots 38-3 as 6-point favorites — or with a different winning team entirely, we’ll continue to move forward and select the best teams to pick to advance in a survivor pool.
Plus, some survivor contests allow for 2 or 3 losses before elimination.
Follow the USA TODAY NFL Survivor Pool.
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The chalk: Detroit Lions
Who they play: Home vs. Carolina Panthers – 1 p.m. (FOX)
Carolina and the Chicago Bears are the remaining winless teams – both 0-4 –entering Week 5. In last Sunday’s 21-13 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Carolina jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter. It was an early tease for those who took 4-points with the Panthers.
Rookie QB Bryce Young has yet to take hold of the Panthers offense. With just 204 passing yards (25 of 32 attempts), the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft was unable to take advantage of a Vikings defense which had struggled to start the season.
Detroit, which will have an extra 3 days of rest after beating Green Bay 34-20 as a 2.5-point road favorite last Thursday, returns home looking to remain in 1st place in the NFC North.
Already having suffered a 37-31 home loss to Seattle as 5-point favorites in Week 2, the Lions will not want to drop a 2nd home game this early in the season.
The Panthers traded away RB Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco last season. They later traded their top WR in D.J. Moore to Chicago to gain the No. 1 draft pick – which they used on Young. This could work well in the future if Young proves to be what the Panthers hope, but coming into this game, winless and hoping to beat the better team in Detroit, is not a safe bet.
DETROIT, with QB Jared Goff leading the way, is my BEST PICK for NFL survivor pools in Week 5.
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No. 2 option: Baltimore Ravens
Who they play: At Pittsburgh Steelers – 1 p.m. (CBS)
Baltimore comes in after dismantling Cleveland 28-3 – the Ravens were 1-point road favorites vs. the Browns, who were without QB Deshaun Watson.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh was dismantled as a 3-point favorite by rookie QB C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans 30-6. The loss was made worse by a knee injury to QB Kenny Pickett. The 2nd-year QB, who was coming off the first 2-passing TD game of his career vs. the Raiders in Week 3, is expected to practice this week, but it’s uncertain if he’ll play this Sunday.
If he’s is unable to go, the Steelers will turn to QB Mitch Trubisky. Plus, Pittsburgh is still without WR Diontae Johnson, who is on the Injured Reserve list with a hamstring injury suffered against Cleveland Sept. 18.
While Pittsburgh will be missing its top wideout and could be without its No. 1 quarterback, Baltimore will have QB Lamar Jackson and TE Mark Andrews. Both Ravens could be the best players on the field in the game.
While Jackson isn’t known as an elite passer, he completed 15 of 19 attempts for 186 yards and 2 TDs, both to Andrews (5 receptions, 80 yards), in the win vs. Cleveland.
This should be another close AFC North battle, but when the game is close, I will take K Justin Tucker over any other kicker in the league.
Other to consider
Miami Dolphins: Home vs. New York Giants – 1 p.m. (FOX)
2023 survivor game log
NO. 1 OPTION
Week 1: WIN – Ravens 25, Texans 9
Week 2: WIN – Cowboys 30, Jets 10
Week 3: WIN – Dolphins 70, Broncos 20
Week 4: LOSS – Titans 27, Bengals 3
NO. 2 OPTION
Week 1: WIN – Commanders 20, Cardinals 16
Week 2: WIN – Bills 38, Raiders 10
Week 3: WIN – Chiefs 41, Jets 10
Week 4: WIN – 49ers 35, Cardinals 16
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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