5 betting takeaways from NFL Week 5

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Another week, another wild set of results in the NFL. Two undefeated teams lost, a winless team won, and the league's incredible over run came to a screeching halt.

Here are five betting takeaways from Week 5.

QB injuries shake up NFC East

The biggest news from Sunday was clearly the injury to star quarterback Dak Prescott, who fractured his ankle and will likely be out for the season. It's a devastating blow to a Cowboys team that took a half-game lead in the NFC East with Sunday's thrilling 37-34 win over the Giants.

Despite Prescott's injury, Dallas is still favored to win the NFC East (-125), but it's a distinct long shot to win the Super Bowl (+4400) with Andy Dalton at the helm. The Eagles (+130) are only half a game behind the Cowboys, while Washington (+900) and New York (+3500) are bringing up the rear in the division.

Prescott wasn't the only NFC East quarterback injured on Sunday. Kyle Allen was hurt and subsequently benched in Sunday's loss to the Rams (-7), which forced Alex Smith into his first game action since he suffered a gruesome leg injury in 2018. If he can regain even a fraction of his 2017 form, it could make Washington a compelling dark horse in a wide-open division.

Chiefs lose in stunning fashion

Only four unbeaten teams remained after the Chiefs (-10.5) were shocked at home by the Raiders, who led by as many as 16 points in the final minutes of a 40-32 win.

Kansas City's defense surrendered 490 yards in Sunday's loss, which snapped the Chiefs' 13-game winning streak and 12-1 run against the spread. The defeat was also just Kansas City's third divisional loss in its last 31 tries and only its ninth ATS loss in that stretch.

The Chiefs' pass defense ranked No. 1 in DVOA before this week, though Derek Carr had no problem shredding it for 347 passing yards and three touchdowns. Every team has an off game, but it's not wrong to ask whether Kansas City is worth the short title price (+450) with a defense that can't be trusted week to week.

AFC North race heats up

The only division with at least three four-win teams is the AFC North, which has become even more interesting after the strong showing over the weekend.

The Ravens (-165) are still favorites to win this division after blasting the Bengals (+12) in a 27-3 win, showcasing how dominant this squad is when its blitz-happy defense is clicking. Lamar Jackson looked off for the second time in three weeks, but health surely played a factor this time around.

The Steelers (+220) lead the division and are 4-0 for the first time since 1979 following Sunday's win over the Eagles (+7.5). Is it sustainable? Pittsburgh's four opponents have won a combined three games this year, yet the Steelers haven't beaten any of them by more than 10 points.

They'll face their first real test next week against the Browns (+500), who have once again showcased their offensive firepower with a 32-23 win against the top-ranked defense of the Colts (+1). Cleveland's defense also pitched in a pick-six and a safety to lead the league in takeaways (12) through five games. Baker Mayfield did take a shot to the ribs and needed an evaluation after the game, so keep that in mind before betting on the Browns in next week's divisional clash.

Falcons finally clean house

Last week, it was the Texans who were firing their head coach and general manager as a response to a winless record. This week, it's the Falcons' turn to hand out pink slips.

Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff are gone after Atlanta's 0-5 start, which includes two historic fourth-quarter collapses and another loss Sunday after blowing an early lead against the Panthers (+2.5). The Falcons are now the only team below .500 in the NFC South and a distant +6500 to win the division.

Could these dismissals be the spark they need to turn their season around? The Texans (-6) easily covered this week against the Jaguars after they made their own moves, but teams that replace their coach midseason are still 17-27-1 ATS since 1989. And none of those 45 teams made the playoffs.

Unders strike back

Entering this week, the over was 36-22-5 amid a record-breaking scoring surge in the NFL. So oddsmakers hiked up totals to a historic level - and it worked.

This week's average combined score of 50.9 was just a tick below the 51.3 average from the first quarter of the season. Yet the under went 7-5 through Sunday - by far the best mark for unders this campaign. The average margin against the total (+0.04) was also the lowest since Week 12 of last year.

Will it last in the future? This week's average total of 50.8 was 1.3 points higher than last week's record-high mark, which was a full point higher than the previous record. Oddsmakers can't keep raising totals without exposing themselves to sharp action on the under, so expect overs to make a comeback in the coming weeks.

C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.

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