Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season began in spectacular fashion, with the Atlanta Falcons overcoming the NFC South rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime on Thursday Night Football. What will Sunday do for an encore? It’s an intriguing schedule, headlined in part by Bills vs Texans, Ravens vs Bengals and Cowboys vs Steelers.

Jets ML (+120) 
 
Commanders -5.5 alternate spread (+124) 
 
Steelers -2.5 (-110) 
 
NFL Week 5 parlay odds: +841 

For this parlay I am going with 2 underdogs on the money line and 1 favorite against an alternate spread. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs. 

New York Jets ML over Minnesota Vikings (+120) 

The 2024 London Series kicks off with the Jets going up against the Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. To the surprise of everyone, Minnesota is still undefeated with a perfect 4-0 record. But is it for real? The jury is still out on that question. It is true that the Vikings have been impressive, but they did almost blow a 3-touchdown lead over the Packers last Sunday. Now they face a tough test in the Jets, who are no strangers to playing across the pond. Moreover, head coach Robert Saleh’s squad ranks second in both passing defense and yard per pass attempt allowed. Vikings QB Sam Darnold will have his hands full. On the other side of the ball, Minnesota is dead last in passing defense. As such, Aaron Rodgers may have something special up his sleeve for the London crowd. Don’t be shocked if the Vikes are hit with their first loss.

Washington Commanders -5.5 alternate spread over Cleveland Browns (+124) 

Jayden Daniels and the Commanders have taken the NFL by storm in the early stages of the season. They are 3-1, have won 3 in a row and have scored 38 and 42 points in their last 2 outings. Daniels, the #2 overall pick in this year’s draft, has already racked up 897 passing yards and 218 rushing yards while accounting for 7 total touchdowns. The story is a much different one for Deshaun Watson and the Browns. Watson is a shadow of the player who excelled with Houston earlier in his career, and he isn’t getting much help from his skill-position players either. Cleveland’s defense is pretty good, but probably not good enough to make this matchup especially competitive.

Pittsburgh Steelers -2.5 over Dallas Cowboys (-110) 

Sunday Night Football offers an enticing showdown between Dallas and Pittsburgh. The Steelers lost at the Colts in Week 4, but that was their first blemish of the year. Their defense looks dominant, having held Atlanta, Denver and the Chargers to 10 points or fewer. Head coach Mike Tomlin’s team is 2nd in the league in scoring defense, 9th in passing defense and 3rd in run defense. Combine that with their best offensive yardage output of the season last week (404 yards), and this club is showing signs of being the real deal. As for the Cowboys, they dropped 2 straight before scraping past the Giants 20-15 in a less-than-impressive Thursday Night Football performance. They will also be without both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence on the defensive side of the ball. Give me Pittsburgh to win and cover.