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For the first time all season, there will be several teams on a bye this week and one of those teams will be the Packers, which is probably for the best, because they're going to need at least a week to recover from what happened to them in Week 4. 

If a tie is like kissing your sister, then things definitely got extremely awkward for the Packers, because they're coming off the second-highest scoring tie in NFL history (a 40-40 game with the Cowboys). 

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That got me wondering whether we might see a tie this week, and yes, I spent way more time thinking about this than I care to admit. Anyway, if there's one game where a tie might happen in Week 5, it's definitely Texans-Ravens: Houston has an offense that can't move the ball and Baltimore has a defense that can't stop anyone. it's the immovable object vs. the unstoppable force except the object is movable and the force is stoppable. 

Will I actually pick the game to end in a tie? 

Let's get to the picks and find out. 

Actually, before we get to the picks, here's a quick reminder that you can check out the weekly picks from every CBSSports.com NFL expert by clicking here, but you don't need to click over this week, because we have more important things to go over right now, like why you should sign up for the Pick Six newsletter that we have here at CBSSports.com. 

Based on my unscientific research, I've found that roughly 57% of the people who read this picks column wish they could get an an email from me twice a week. Well, YOU CAN. I write the Pick Six NFL newsletter here at CBS Sports and it comes out twice a week (Monday and Thursday). If you want it sent to your inbox, all you have to do is click here and subscribe. Once you sign up, you'll immediately start getting the newsletter where I'll be touching on every NFL-related topic I can think of and even ones that I can't think of. If you're wondering how that's possible, you'll have to subscribe. 

Alright, I'll stop pushing things on you, let's get to the picks. 

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NFL Week 5 picks

San Francisco (3-1) at L.A. Rams (3-1)

Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET (Amazon Prime)

Let me just start off here by saying that picking a winner in any game involving the 49ers is nearly impossible because I never know who's actually going to be playing for San Francisco. Everyone on their roster is always injured. And if they're not injured, it's only a matter of time before they're going to be injured. 

If you're wondering just how injured the 49ers are heading into this week's game. Here's your answer: 

To be honest, I'm surprised they had enough players to field a team against the Jaguars on Sunday. 

The most concerning injury on this list is definitely Brock Purdy. The 49ers QB returned to action in Week 4 against Jacksonville after sitting out two games with a toe injury and it seems that he has aggravated his toe injury. If I was the coach of the 49ers, I would have kept Purdy on the bench for Week 4 so that he would be ready for this game. I know, brilliant. This is why more NFL coaches should listen to me. 

The backup QB in San Francisco is Mac Jones, but he's dealing with a knee injury. The two banged up receivers being referred to are Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ribs). They rank first and third on the team in receiving yards through four weeks. The 49ers have 12 players on their injury report this week, which is 22.6% of their roster. 

So the 49ers are banged up, and now, they have to play a road game on a short week against a division rival that has beaten them three straight times. Also, the 49ers are going to be starting a banged up QB and that's exactly what you don't want to do when you're about to face a Rams defense that's tied for the second-most sacks in the NFL this year. The Rams defense is going to feast. 

And now, I've made it through this entire pick without mentioning the Rams offense or the fact that Puka Nacua leads the NFL in receiving yards. I think we all know where I'm going with this one. My colleague Will Brinson also has a strong take on how Davante Adams will do in this game at SportsLine. 

PICK: Rams 24-17 over 49ers | Rams -5.5 | Odds via Caesars Sportsbook, where you can get 20 100% profit boosts with the promo code CBS20X. Get started here:

Cleveland (1-3) vs. Minnesota (2-2) in London

9:30 a.m. ET (NFL Network, Fubo, try for free)

If you've ever wondered what it was like to watch football back in 1942, you can actually find out this week by watching this game. The Browns and Vikings might actually end up setting football back 83 years with their offensive play in this game. Through four weeks, both teams are averaging UNDER 200 passing yards per game. I mean, the forward pass had barely been invented in 1942, and even then, we had a team throwing for more than 200 yards per game. 

The Browns are averaging under 200 yards per game because the Joe Flacco experiment isn't working. Through four weeks, Flacco has a QB rating of 60.3, which ranks 33rd in the NFL. And this is the part where I remind you that there are only 32 teams. It might be time for a QB change (OCT. 1 UPDATE: Less than 24 hours after I wrote that "It might time for a QB change," the Browns listened because Dillon Gabriel will be starting this week). 

With Dillon Gabriel starting on Sunday, the Browns' game plan should be simple: Run the ball 71 times. The Vikings have surrendered the eighth-most rushing yards in the NFL this year and the Browns need to do everything they can to take advantage of that. 

On Minnesota's end, Carson Wentz has been better than Flacco, but I don't feel about great about his chances this week. In two starts, Wentz is averaging 261.5 passing yards per game, but he's also been sacked NINE TIMES. And now, he has to face the best defense in the NFL. As a matter of fact, it's almost fitting that this game is being played in London, because the Browns have the best defense anyone has seen in England since the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Wait, I think the English actually lost the Battle of Hastings, so their defense wasn't good, so this analogy doesn't work. Look, with the game being played in London, I told myself I'd try a history analogy this week so I'm going to give myself a pat on the back for trying. 

Speaking of history, the Vikings will be making NFL history in this game by becoming the first team to play back-to-back games in two different foreign countries. They played in Ireland in Week 4 and will now be playing in England. Their international tour is already off to a bad start and I don't think things are going to get any better. 

This game feels like a situation where the first team to 20 is going to win, but I'm not sure anyone is going to get to 20, so I'm just going to go with the Browns. And just for the record, I was going to take the Browns with Flacco as the starter, and I'm sticking with them even though they're making the move to Gabriel. 

PICK: Browns 19-16 over Vikings | Browns +4.5 | Odds via DraftKings, where new users get $200 in bonus bets with a wining $5 wager. Click here to get started:

Bonus: NFL betting expert R.J. White is on an incredible 37-13 run on picks in Vikings games and he's already locked one in for this game at SportsLine.  

Houston (1-3) at Baltimore (1-3)

1 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)

If I had to rank my three favorite games of Week 5, this one would definitely crack the list. Sure, neither team is above .500, but that almost makes this game even better, because there's more riding on what happens. If the Texans lose, it could send their season into a tailspin. If the Ravens lose, the city of Baltimore might cease to exist. I'm not sure people there could handle having a last place team and the Ravens could be alone at the bottom of the AFC North if they lose, which is something that exactly zero people predicted before the season started. 

Based on what I know about these two teams, this game is going to play out in one of two ways. Either the Texans are going to pile up 700 yards of offense and Houston is going to win OR Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson are going to steamroll the Texans defense into oblivion like they did last year in a 31-2 win on Christmas Day. I've never been steamrolled into oblivion, but I can't imagine it feels good. 

A big reason the Texans are 1-3 is because the CJ Stroud ends up running for his life on nearly every play. Stroud has already been sacked 10 times this year and that's happening because the offensive line has been bad. Things have gotten so ugly that the Texans already traded away one of their Week 1 starters on the offensive line. 

When you're a team with no offensive line depth, I'm not sure it makes sense to start trading your offensive linemen away, but the Texans are doing it anyway. 

The good news for the Texans is that if your offensive line is struggling, there's only one team in that NFL that you want to be facing and that's the Ravens. 

Through four weeks, the Ravens have surrendered the most yards in the AFC and the second-most in the NFL. They can't stop the pass (they've given up the second-most passing yards), they can't stop the run (they've given up the sixth-most rushing yards) and when they stop anyone, it almost seems like an accident. 

If the Texans offense can't move the ball against Baltimore, they might want to just to give up on the season. 

This game is going to tell us whether the Texans offense is broken or whether the Ravens defense is broken, or both. I guess both could be possible. 

On top of all of that, Lamar Jackson is dealing with a hamstring injury that could hamper him this week. Even if he plays, it could be struggle. Jackson has already been sacked 15 times this year, which is the second-highest total in the NFL and he'll be going up against a Texans defense that features Danielle Hunter (four sacks this year) and Will Anderson Jr. (Three sacks this year). 

Besides Jackson, the Ravens also have 41 other injured players. 

At this point, the NFL might want to think about combining the Ravens roster with the 49ers roster so they have enough players to field a team. 

Lamar's injury is the one that concerns me the most and with his status up in the air, I'll be making two picks for this game, one for if he plays and one for if he doesn't. 

PICK (If Lamar Jackson plays): Ravens 27-24 over Texans | Texans +3.5
PICK (If Lamar Jackson doesn't play): Texans 27-17 over Ravens | Texans +3.5

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Seattle (3-1) at Tampa Bay (3-1)

4:05 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)

The NFL should be allowed to flex one game per year based on the uniform matchup and for 2025, that should be this game. Both of these teams entered the NFL in 1976, so they've both decided to wear a 50th anniversary uniform on Sunday. What that means is that we're getting the greatest road uniform of all-time (Tampa Bay's white creamsicle) vs. one of the greatest home uniforms of all-time (Seattle's royal blue jersey). 

Roger Goodell, if you're reading, please move this game to the 4:25 p.m. ET national window. I know it's Fox's week to exclusively have the 4:25 p.m. ET window, but sometimes, you have to do things for the greater good. If this game doesn't get flexed -- and it won't, because Roger doesn't do me favors any more -- that means that only a small portion of the country will be getting the game. Hopefully it's not on in Charlotte, because I'm not sure Panthers fans will be able to handle watching a duel between Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. 

Man, the Panthers blew that.   

Not only is this a top-tier uniform matchup, but it's also one of the top games of the week. We have two cast-off quarterbacks who have both found a home with a new team. On Mayfield's end, he's done a great job of extending plays and keeping Tampa Bay's offense alive in situations that look dire. Mayfield has been pressured at a high rate, but he's only been sacked eight times, because he almost always finds a way to escape.

I do not think there will be any escaping in Seattle. The Bucs will be facing one of the best pass defenses that they've seen this year. Only four teams have held opposing quarterbacks to a QB rating of 76 or less and the Seahawks are one of them. Only six teams have recorded 12 or more sacks this year and the Seahawks are one of them. Only three teams have seven or more interceptions this year, and yup, the Seahawks are one of them. 

The Bucs haven't won in Seattle since 2009 and I don't feel like the drought is going to end this year. 

PICK: Seahawks 23-20 over Buccaneers | Bucs +3.5 |  Odds via BetMGM. Get up to $1,500 in bonus bets at BetMGM Sportsbook if your first bet doesn't win. Click here to get started:

Kansas City (2-2) at Jacksonville (3-1)

Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN,  Fubo, try for free)

This game is giving us the most surprising 2-2 team in the NFL against the most surprising 3-1 team. No one thought the Chiefs would be 2-2 heading into Week 5 and no one outside Duval County thought the Jags would be 3-1 heading into Week 5. The crazy thing about the Jags is that they're literally just one play away from being 4-0: They would be undefeated right now if they didn't get called for a questionable pass interference on a fourth down play with under two minutes left to play against the Bengals in Week 2. 

I think what I'm trying to say is that the Jags are way better than anyone thought they would be, but if there's one thing Liam Coen still hasn't figured out how to do, it's fix Trevor Lawrence. The Jags QB has completed less than 60% of his passes, he's thrown four interceptions and his QB rating is 75.1, which is the fifth-worst in the NFL (Even Spencer Rattler has a QB rating higher than Lawrence). 

Coen has tried to hide Lawrence by getting the Jaguars' rushing attack going, and so far, that's worked. The Jags are averaging 144 yards per game on the ground, which is the third-highest total in the NFL. Most of that total has come from Travis Etienne, who has had his career totally revitalized under Coen. In Jacksonville's upset win over the 49ers on Sunday, Etienne rushed for 124 yards on just 19 carries. The Jags will be facing a Chiefs defense that has struggled to stop the run, so if they can get Etienne going, that could be the secret to pulling off an upset here. 

If the Chiefs were 4-0, I'd say this has all the makings of a trap game. Kansas City is coming off a win over Baltimore in Week 4 and will be facing the Lions in Week 6, and then you have Jacksonville sitting in the middle of that stretch here in Week 5. However, at 2-2, the Chiefs can't really afford any losses, so I'm pretty confident that they won't be overlooking anyone. 

For the first two weeks of the season, the Chiefs' dynasty looked like it might be over, but the kings are back. The return of Xavier Worthy last week sparked a Chiefs offense that desperately needed a spark. Worthy is such a big part of what the Chiefs do that even Taylor knows how much he means to the offense. 

Taylor knows ball. 

The Jags have not won a Monday night game since October 2011 and that kind of scares me, so I'm going with Kansas City. 

PICK: Chiefs 27-23 over Jaguars | Chiefs -3 | Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook, where new users get $300 in bonus bets after a winning $5 wager:

NFL Week 5 picks: All the rest

Colts 30-20 over Raiders
Giants 19-16 over Saints
Cowboys 31-24 over Jets
Eagles 23-20 over Broncos
Dolphins 23-16 over Panthers
Cardinals 24-13 over Titans
Lions 27-17 over Bengals
Bills 30-23 over Patriots
Chargers 27-24 over Commanders

BYES: Falcons, Bears, Packers, Steelers

Last Week 

Best pick: Last week, I predicted that the Rams would score 27 points and beat the undefeated Colts and guess what happened? The Rams scored exactly 27 points and beat the undefeated Colts. Now, did I know that Adonai Mitchell was going to forget the rules of football? I did not. Mitchell cost the Colts two touchdowns in the game. The big one came when he appeared to have a touchdown in third quarter, but he started celebrating too early, which caused him to fumble out of the end zone for a touchback. Even the German announcers were in shock. 

Mitchell also made another gaffe. In the fourth quarter, Jonathan Taylor had a 53-yard TD run, but it got called back due to holding by Mitchell. Daniel "Indiana" Jones had a solid week, but it wasn't enough. I'm starting to think that his next crusade might be teaching Mitchell the rule book.  

Worst pick: The Browns have been bad for so long that I almost always pick against them without even thinking about it, but for some reason, I decided they were going to pull off the upset of the year last week against the Lions and let me just say, that pick absolutely backfired in my face. In my picks last week, I said that I was slightly nervous about taking the Browns because I didn't trust their offense or special teams and guess what happened? Their offense and special teams let me down. Joe Flacco turned the ball over THREE TIMES. If the Browns had any other quarterback or had even just simply played without a quarterback, I think they might have won. And clearly, I didn't learn my lesson, because I'm picking the Browns again this week. I wish the Browns were on a bye, because then, I wouldn't have been able to talk myself into picking them this week. 

Picks Record

Straight up in Week 4: 8-7-1
SU overall: 45-18-1

Against the spread in Week 4: 6-10
ATS overall: 30-34

You can find John Breech on Facebook or Twitter, and if he's not doing one of those things, he's sitting in a dark corner somewhere regretting every Browns pick that he's ever made in his life.