For some teams, the bye is coming at the perfect time. (We’re looking at you, spiraling Philadelphia Eagles.)
Meanwhile, other teams — hello, Washington Commanders — can’t wait to get back on the field.
Ahead of Week 5 games, Yardbarker NFL writers offer a prediction for every NFC game.
NFC East
DALLAS COWBOYS (2-2) | WR CeeDee Lamb sets career mark in targets | Owners of the NFL’s worst rushing offense (75.3 yards per game), the Cowboys have little chance of running against Pittsburgh’s third-ranked rushing defense (86.8 yards per game) on the road. Lamb hasn’t had more than seven targets in any game this season but could break his career high of 15 targets against the Steelers, who are allowing 13.3 points per game.
NEW YORK GIANTS (1-3) | QB Daniel Jones isn’t perfect | New York’s QB had a season-high 281 passing yards in a losing to the Cowboys in Week 4, but he’ll have a hard time following Jared Goff’s footsteps on the road against the Seahawks. Detroit’s QB went 18-for-18 for 292 yards and two TDs passing against Seattle on Monday night, setting an impossibly high bar for Jones, who’s 0-2 against Seattle with no touchdown passes.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (2-2) | No game, bye week
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (3-1) | WR Terry McLaurin scores TD in third straight game | Washington’s No. 1 receiver hasn’t scored a TD in three straight games since the start of his rookie campaign in 2019. With TDs against the Bengals and Cardinals the past two weeks, McLaurin has a great chance to do so at home against a Browns defense struggling to find its 2023 form. — Bruce Ewing
NFC West
ARIZONA CARDINALS (1-3) | WR Marvin Harrison Jr. struggles |The first four weeks of Harrison Jr’s. career have been up-and-down. With tight end Trey McBride less than 100% and not certain to play, the 49ers know Harrison Jr. (15 catches, 243 yards, 16.2 YPC) is a focal point, so he should be held in check on the road.
LOS ANGELES RAMS (1-3) | Kyren Williams scores two touchdowns | With wide receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp sidelined due to injury, the offense has little choice but to run through Williams (73 carries, 258 yards, 3.5 YPG). He has six touchdowns in four games this season —including at least one in each game — and he’ll continue that streak Sunday at home with two TDs against a Green Bay Packers defense that can be vulnerable.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (2-2) | RB Jordan Mason goes for at least 150 yards | Mason has been a sensational fill-in for the injured Christian McCaffrey, topping the 100-yard mark in three of his first four starts. He should have a monster game Sunday at home against a Cardinals defense that is 28th against the run. He’ll rush for at least 150 yards in a blowout win for the 49ers.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (3-1) | Defense bounces back | The defense was outstanding through the first three weeks before giving up 42 points in a tough loss to the Lions on Monday night. Things will be significantly easier this week at home against the New York Giants and QB Daniel Jones, who unsurprisingly isn’t lighting it up (63.2% completion percentage, 881 yards passing three interceptions). — Adam Gretz
NFC North
CHICAGO BEARS (2-2) | RB D’Andre Swift has his first game with 100-plus rushing yards | Swift ran for a season-high 93 yards and one TD on 16 carries in a 24-18 win in Week 4 over the L.A. Rams (2-2). He will excel again in Sunday’s home game against the Carolina Panthers (1-3), who rank 29th in the league in rushing yards allowed (148.8).
DETROIT (3-1) | Bye week, no game
GREEN BAY PACKERS (2-2) | QB Jordan Love throws for 300-plus yards for second straight game | After missing two games with an MCL sprain, Love passed for 389 yards, four TDs and three interceptions in a 31-29 loss to the Vikings in Week 4. He will produce better numbers in Sunday’s road game against the L.A. Rams (2-2), who are 21st in the league in passing yards allowed (219.8).
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (4-0) | QB Sam Darnold torches old team, throws for three TDs | On Sunday in a neutral-site game in London, England, former No. 3 overall pick Darnold faces the New York Jets (2-2), whom he started for from 2018-20. Expect Darnold — who leads the league in TD passes (11 in four games) — to flourish against his old team. — Clark Dalton
NFC South
ATLANTA FALCONS (2-2) | Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier combine for 150 rushing yards | Atlanta’s two-headed backfield monster has been difficult for opponents to stop this season. In Week 5 at home, Robinson and Allgeier will feast against a Bucs defense allowing an average of five yards per rush attempt.
CAROLINA PANTHERS (1-3) | Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receiver DJ Moore have field day | Carolina will get a glimpse of what it could have had if it not traded its 2024 first-round pick and Moore to the Bears for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick. Afterward, Panthers owner David Tepper will demand the McCaskeys — owners of the Bears — give him a refund.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (2-2) | Saints intercept Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes twice | The Saints have only allowed one passing touchdown, the fewest in the league, and recorded six interceptions. The defense will add two more picks on “Monday Night Football” against Mahomes, whose passing attack is without wide receivers Rashee Rice (knee, out for season) and “Hollywood” Brown (shoulder), who may also miss the season.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (3-1) | Wide receiver Mike Evans gets back on track | At his current pace, Evans (53.5 yards per game) is on track for his first sub-1,000-yard season. He’ll get back on track in his pursuit of tying Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s record for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (11) by crossing the century mark against the Falcons on “Thursday Night Football.” — Eric Smithling
