2024 NFL Week 5 bold predictions: Steelers run over Cowboys; Aaron Rodgers and Sam Darnold go OFF

Fresh off its first loss of the season, Pittsburgh returns home to host a Cowboys team that will be without big-time defensive playmakers Micah Parsons (ankle) and Demarcus Lawrence (foot). Dallas ranks 26th against the run, and the Steelers, who are 10th in rushing offense, will be sure to exploit that weakness. On Sunday night, Pittsburgh will become the second team this season to rush for more than 200 yards against Dallas with Najee Harris recording more than 100 rush yards for only the seventh time in his career and Justin Fields hitting 100 rush yards for the sixth time. 

Geno Smith has been balling out, but he’s had only one touchdown pass in each game. His TD rate is way lower this season than it has been during his Seahawks tenure. When (positive) regression hits, it tends to hit hard. Smith connects for four scoring strikes against the Giants.

Aaron Rodgers and Sam Darnold have only faced off as starters once, in 2018 when Rodgers was with the Green Bay Packers and Darnold was a member of the New York Jets. The former won that contest in a 44-38 shootout, and the pair combined for seven total touchdowns. This week when they meet in London, Rodgers and Darnold again combine for seven TDs with the latter’s Vikings winning the high-scoring affair to improve to 5-0.

It’s not fair to kick people when they’re down. In fantasy, continuing to go after bad or struggling defenses is the name of the game. And so we say hello to the Los Angeles Rams. Jordan Love’s return energized the Packers’ passing game. Now they take on a L.A. secondary that has given up big plays galore. Love’s string of games with multiple passing TDs (eight contests, dating back to last year) should continue in a big way, as he throws for four scores.

In nine career starts against the Bengals, Lamar Jackson has averaged 76.7 rushing yards per game — the most by any QB against any team in recorded history (min. six games). After a slow start, Derrick Henry has totaled 350 rushing yards … over his last two outings. Meanwhile, the Bengals rank 28th in defensive rushing efficiency. This is a tale of unstoppable force meets very moveable object — Baltimore’s thunder and lightning duo will combine for more than 250 rushing yards on Sunday.

I can’t wait to wake up at the crack of dawn to see Aaron Rodgers and Brian Flores duke it out at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. This is going to be a must-watch chess match that has as many negative plays as positive gains. Even though Rodgers has never faced  Flores as a defensive coordinator or head coach, I ultimately give the slight advantage to the 40-year-old quarterback, as he’ll have the last move in each play. Rodgers bounces back in a BIG way by throwing four touchdown passes to earn the first international win of his career.