Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season has a game for every taste: a London kickoff, the league’s most-played rivalry, a winless Chargers team hosting a division rival, a Super Bowl-sized test in Seattle and a Monday night shootout in Los Angeles. Here are five games to watch in kickoff order, with the numbers, the injuries and a pick for each.
Table of Contents
- Eagles vs. Jaguars (London)
- Bears at Packers
- Broncos at Chargers
- 49ers at Seahawks
- Bills at Rams
- Week 5 picks at a glance
Eagles vs. Jaguars (London): Philadelphia arrives short-handed
Eagles 2-2, Jaguars 3-1
The Jaguars have the form and the Eagles have the injury list. Jacksonville has won two straight, 35-6 over the Patriots and 22-17 over the Bengals, and leads the NFL with a +6 turnover differential. Through four games it has scored 104 points and allowed 53, or 26.0 and 13.3 per game. Trevor Lawrence has completed 72 of 104 passes (69.2%) for 843 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions, and running back Bhayshul Tuten leads the ground game with 277 yards.
Philadelphia has lost two in a row, 27-7 to the Bears and 24-20 to the Rams, a game it led 20-10 before finishing 0-for-12 on third down with 172 total yards, just 3.0 per play. Jalen Hurts has 713 passing yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions through four games, and managed only 93 yards on 12-of-27 passing against Los Angeles while being sacked four times.
The bigger problem is who is left to play. Right tackle Lane Johnson retired on Tuesday after 14 seasons (the Eagles went 122-63-1 in his career when he started and 18-30 when he did not), center Cam Jurgens was traded to the Ravens and Landon Dickerson is on injured reserve. In bigger names, Saquon Barkley left the Rams game with a hamstring injury and DeVonta Smith is viewed as no better than questionable. The Eagles are underdogs by as many as six points, a spot they have rarely been in lately.
Jacksonville has the pieces to exploit that. Two-way star Travis Hunter played all 71 defensive snaps last week and has allowed a 59.2 passer rating when targeted. Coordinator Anthony Campanile’s defense has interceptions from Foyesade Oluokun and Jourdan Lewis (two each) and 1.5 sacks apiece from Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, while receiver Parker Washington has 16 catches for 228 yards and doubles as a dangerous punt returner. This is the Jaguars’ record 15th trip to the UK and they are 7-7 in London, including a 35-7 loss to the Rams there a year ago. The Eagles beat them at Wembley in 2018.
Our Prediction: Jaguars 27, Eagles 17. An Eagles line rebuilt on the fly and a thin group of skill players will struggle against a defense that takes the ball away, and Jacksonville has the better recent form.
Bears at Packers: another chapter in the NFL’s most-played rivalry
Bears 3-1, Packers 2-2
Bears-Packers has been played 213 times, more than any other matchup in NFL history, with Green Bay leading the all-time series 109-98-6. Recent meetings have been remarkably close, with each of the last five decided by a single score. The rivalry has also swung in Chicago’s favour lately, with the Bears winning three of the last four encounters after suffering 11 consecutive defeats between 2019 and 2024. Their most recent playoff clash came in last January’s wild-card round, when both quarterbacks delivered big performances, with Jordan Love throwing for 323 yards and four touchdowns and Caleb Williams recording 361 yards and two touchdowns.
This edition has its own twists. The Bears are road favorites at Lambeau for the first time since 2006, even though Caleb Williams is out again and undrafted Tyson Bagent is starting. Chicago has won back-to-back games with two different undrafted quarterbacks, and the defense is the reason: over the last three games the Bears have allowed a league-low 28 points and 366 yards, and they were on the field for only 32 snaps against the Jets, the third-lightest workload for a defense in the Super Bowl era. The offense leans on the run, carrying the ball 50 times in the 23-12 win over the Jets, with Kyle Monangai getting 30 of them for 146 yards.
Green Bay is thin as well, and struggling to score: the Packers have the fifth-fewest points in the NFL and Love’s passer rating is the lowest of his career as a starter. Micah Parsons is expected to miss the game, and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper suffered a season-ending Achilles tear last week, a blow to a run defense that had been a strength.
The Packers followed a 35-14 home loss to the Falcons with a 17-14 win at Tampa Bay, where Love went 22-of-30 for 197 yards and two touchdowns. They have won nine of the last 10 home meetings with the Bears, and Love has 13 touchdown passes and two interceptions in seven games against Chicago. The forecast high of 79 degrees would tie the hottest Bears-Packers game ever played in Green Bay.
Our Prediction: Bears 24, Packers 17. Expect another one-score game. Chicago’s ground game and the Packers’ defensive losses tip it narrowly, but Lambeau and Love keep Green Bay in it until the end.
Broncos at Chargers: something has to give in the AFC West
Broncos 2-2, Chargers 0-4
Los Angeles is in a real hole. The Chargers are 0-4, have lost seven straight games dating to Week 16 of last season and have scored just 67 points (16.8 per game). Justin Herbert has thrown at least one interception in every game, including two in last week’s 30-23 loss at Seattle (19-of-31 for 189 yards and one touchdown), and is completing 59.7% of his passes, 24th in the NFL. His yards per attempt have fallen every week.
The offensive line is a patchwork, with four rookies (Logan Taylor, Jake Slaughter, Jacob Spomer and Travis Burke) finishing that game next to veteran Cole Strange, and receivers Quentin Johnston and Brenen Thompson are out with Ladd McConkey questionable. The Chargers committed 16 penalties for 130 yards in Seattle and allow 5.5 sacks plus turnovers per game, 30th in the league.
Denver is not humming either. The Broncos rank 27th in both scoring and total yards, and coach Sean Payton took back play-calling duties this week after a 24-14 loss at San Francisco in which Bo Nix went 25-of-42 for 214 yards. Nix is completing 60% of his passes (23rd) at 6.1 yards per attempt, and Denver’s 37.9% passing success rate ranks 25th.
The defense has a hole of its own, allowing 142.8 rushing yards per game, near the bottom of the league, though it is mid-pack at 23.5 points allowed. All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II is out with an ankle injury. Still, the Broncos are the defending AFC West champions, beat the Chargers 19-3, however, Nix is still looking for his first win over Justin Herbert: he is 0-3 against the Chargers quarterback, and that January victory came with Herbert resting. The Broncos are 3.5-point favorites.
Both offenses sit in the bottom 10 of the league in EPA per play, the Chargers are 0-4 against the spread and the under is 8-2 in their last 10 games, so points could be hard to come by.
Our Prediction: Broncos 23, Chargers 16. Denver’s defense should win the matchup against a rebuilt Chargers line, but without Surtain the margin stays slim.
49ers at Seahawks: the league’s hottest team meets the defending champions
49ers 4-0, Seahawks 3-1
San Francisco is one of three unbeaten teams, alongside the Chiefs and Vikings, and tops most power rankings with an NFL-best +58 point differential, the league’s best yards per play and its best third-down conversion rate. It has beaten the Rams, the Cardinals 36-30 and the Broncos 24-14. Brock Purdy’s 126.2 passer rating is on pace to beat the single-season record of 122.5 set by Aaron Rodgers in 2011, though he is still 34 attempts short of qualifying. The 49ers are doing it through a wave of injuries: Nick Bosa (calf) and fullback Kyle Juszczyk (knee) are out, although pass rusher Mykel Williams could return.
Seattle is the toughest test yet. The Seahawks are the defending Super Bowl champions and lead the all-time series 33-24. They beat San Francisco twice last season, 13-3 in Week 18 and 41-6 in the divisional round, after the 49ers took the opener 17-13. In those two games Purdy threw for 127 and 140 yards with no touchdowns and an interception each time, and Seattle sacked him five times.
Their defense has allowed 579 passing yards through four games, the fewest in the league. The concerns are discipline and the ground game: Seattle racked up a franchise-record 150 penalty yards in its 30-23 win over the Chargers and has struggled to generate production on the ground. Oddsmakers have the Seahawks as 3-point home favorites.
Our Prediction: Seahawks 24, 49ers 21. Home field, the league’s stingiest pass defense and Bosa’s absence give Seattle a slim edge in what should be another tight NFC West fight.
Bills at Rams: Allen and Stafford headline Monday Night Football
Bills 3-1, Rams 2-2
Two of the league’s most dangerous passing offenses meet, and both arrive with something to fix. Buffalo’s perfect start ended with a 29-26 home loss to the Patriots, sealed by a Josh Allen interception on the final drive.
The Bills still lead the NFL in scoring at 31.8 points per game. Allen has thrown for 1,039 yards and, in the first two games, had nine touchdowns (five passing, four rushing) with no interceptions. James Cook, who led the league with 1,621 rushing yards last year, has 421 so far, and the team averages 5.1 yards per carry, third-best in the NFL. The defense is the question: it allows 26.8 points and 390.0 yards per game, the secondary has struggled, and receiver DJ Moore is a doubt after hurting his shoulder in Week 4.
Los Angeles is 2-2 after rallying from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Eagles 24-20. The Rams score 21.3 points per game (19th) but are second in the league in total offense at 417 yards per game. Reigning MVP Matthew Stafford has 1,189 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions, and went 32-of-51 for 317 yards with two picks against Philadelphia.
Puka Nacua returned with nine catches for 125 yards, Davante Adams leads the team with 390 receiving yards, and Kyren Williams ran for 80 yards and caught 10 passes in Week 4. The Rams have turned the ball over multiple times in four straight games, the first such streak of the Stafford era, and both teams rank in the bottom 10 in turnover differential.
The last meeting was a classic: the Rams won 44-42 at SoFi in December 2024 in the only game in NFL history in which both teams scored 40 points without a turnover. They combined for 902 yards, Allen accounted for six touchdowns (three passing, three rushing) and Nacua caught 12 passes for 162 yards. Los Angeles is favored by 2.5 to 3 points, and the Bills, led by 37-year-old Joe Brady, the NFL’s youngest head coach, will probably need another shootout to win.
Our Prediction: Rams 30, Bills 27. Buffalo’s defense is the weak link against Stafford, Nacua and Davante Adams, and the Rams have home field. Allen keeps the Bills in range, but the Rams get over the line.
Week 5 picks at a glance
Here are our five Week 5 predictions, in kickoff order:
- Eagles vs. Jaguars: Jaguars 27, Eagles 17
- Bears at Packers: Bears 24, Packers 21
- Broncos at Chargers: Broncos 20, Chargers 16
- 49ers at Seahawks: Seahawks 24, 49ers 21
- Bills at Rams: Rams 30, Bills 27
FAQs
How many games are in an NFL regular season?
Each NFL team plays 17 regular-season games across an 18-week schedule, with each team receiving one bye week.
How many teams are in the NFL?
The NFL consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC).
When does the NFL season start and end?
The NFL regular season typically begins in September and runs through January, followed by the playoffs and the Super Bowl in February.
How do NFL playoffs work?
Fourteen teams qualify for the NFL playoffs, with seven teams from each conference. The playoffs use a single-elimination format, culminating in the Super Bowl.
What is the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is the NFL’s championship game, played between the winners of the AFC and NFC Championship Games.
How long is an NFL game?
An NFL game consists of four 15-minute quarters, although stoppages, timeouts, reviews and halftime mean games typically last around three hours.
