NFL Weekly Preview Week 5 2023: Key Injuries, Difference Makers & Projected Upsets

Justin Jefferson (YouTube)

The fifth week of the 2023 National Football League season is just hours away. Here are the key injuries, difference makers and projected upsets.

NFL Injuries

There were two significant season ending injuries in week four involving cornerbacks. The Buffalo Bills lost Tre’Davious White of Shreveport, Louisiana for the season with a torn Achilles and the New England Patriots lost rookie Christian Gonzalez of Carrollton, Texas with a torn labrum.

In four games this season, White had 12 combined tackles (10 solo tackles and two assisted tackles), one tackle for a loss, one quarterback hit, one interception for two yards and two pass deflections. The pass deflections came in a 37-3 Bills win over the Washington Commanders on September 24 and in a 48-20 Bills win over the Miami Dolphins on October 1. White also had the interception in the win over the Commanders and the quarterback hit in the win over the Dolphins. This was the second significant injury White has had, as he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in 2021.

Gonzalez was the Patriots’s first round pick, 17th overall, in the 2023 NFL Draft out of the University of Oregon. In four games, he had 17 combined tackles (14 solo tackles and three assisted tackles), one tackle for a loss, one quarterback hit, three pass deflections, one sack and one interception. With the loss of Gonzalez, the Patriots traded for J.C. Jackson in a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday.

Difference Makers

Once again, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs is the top rated quarterback. He is expected to get 300 passing yards, 23 rushing yards and three touchdowns this week against Minnesota.

The top rated running back is Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers. He is expected to get 98 rushing yards, 35 receiving yards and one touchdown, even though the Dallas Cowboys defense is very strong.

The top rated wide receiver is Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings. He is expected to get seven catches for 101 receiving yards and one touchdown against the Chiefs.

Projected Upsets

I am picking three underdogs to win in week 5. They are the Houston Texans to beat the Atlanta Falcons, the New Orleans Saints to beat the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers to beat the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Texans have looked great the last two weeks in a 37-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and a 30-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Falcons, meanwhile, had to deal with traveling from London, and may experience some jet lag.

The Saints defense has looked very good in the early going. If Zac Jones is unable to figure out the Dallas D, he will have a tough time figuring out New Orleans.

Finally, the Raiders could not beat Pittsburgh at home in week three in prime time. Now they have the Packers. I am giving Jordan Love some love here on Monday night.

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