NFL.com’s panel backed three home teams in Week 5 with the confidence of a doctor who skipped the chart. Dallas, Atlanta and Seattle all lost at home. The Doctor’s prognosis: stop trusting the building and start reading the roster.
Exhibit A: Dallas Was a Five-Alarm Lock
All five of NFL.com’s experts (Bergman, Cersosimo, Filice, Kownack and Parr) picked the Cowboys over Tampa Bay on Thursday night. The Buccaneers won 24-16 at AT&T Stadium. Five picks, five misses, and the page itself marks every one “Incorrect.”
Exhibit B: Atlanta Picked the Wrong Patient to Trust
All five NFL.com experts, plus CBS’s Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin, took the Falcons at home over Baltimore on Sunday night. Lamar Jackson was out with an ankle injury, so Tyler Huntley started. He went 11-of-11 on the tying drive and in overtime, then ran in the 1-yard winner. Ravens 30, Falcons 23 in overtime.
Exhibit C: Seattle Gave Away a Home Game
Four of NFL.com’s five experts picked the Seahawks over San Francisco. Only Cersosimo took the 49ers. Mike Evans caught seven passes for 113 yards, Brock Purdy led the 49ers to a 32-29 win in Seattle, and Sam Darnold threw two interceptions. CBS split 1-1, so Dajani, who took San Francisco, gets a sliver of credit.
Clean Bill of Health
Not every chart was a disaster. All five NFL.com experts took Jacksonville in London, and the Jaguars beat the Eagles 19-17 on Cam Little’s 57-yard field goal with one second left. The same panel was unanimous on Houston over Tennessee (Texans 26-3), Denver at the Chargers (Broncos 23-17), Detroit at Arizona (Lions 45-21) and New England over Las Vegas (Patriots 45-17). All of those held. CBS’s Dajani and Dubin also both took Jacksonville.
This Week’s Trend: Home Field Is Not a Diagnosis
The panel backed Dallas, Atlanta and Seattle at home, and all three lost. It did pick against Arizona and the Chargers at home, and both of those fades were right. Monday night’s Bills-Rams game hasn’t kicked off. NFL.com is split 3-2 on the Rams, so that chart stays open until next week.

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