Two teams remain undefeated going into week 5 of the 2011 NFL season. It’s no surprise the Packers are unbeaten but what about the Detroit Lions sharing this distinction?

As good as the Lions have been, preseason favorites like the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts are disappearing from the top.

Six teams will have a bye week in week 5, they are: Cleveland, Dallas, St. Louis, Miami, Washington and Baltimore.

Here’s a tip for betting on NFL games this week: review the league standings and the latest betting odds before you make your NFL picks and best bet.

Our NFL Best Bet for Week 5 is the Green Bay Packers over the Atlanta Falcons. Current betting odds have the Packers favorite by 5 points.

NFL WEEK 5 Betting Odds, Spreads and Best Bet
FAVORITE	SPREAD	UNDERDOG	OVER/UNDER	NFL BEST BET
GIANTS	10	Seahawks	41.5	Seahawks
PATRIOTS	9.5	Jets	50	Jets
COLTS	2	Chiefs	38.5	COLTS
VIKINGS	3	Cards	44	Cards
Eagles	3	BILLS	49.5	Eagles
TEXANS	7	Raiders	48.5	Raiders
Saints	6	PANTHERS	52.5	Saints
JAGUARS	2.5	Bengals	37	Bengals
STEELERS	8	Titans	39	Titans
49ERS	1	Bucs	40	Bucs
Chargers	4.5	BRONCOS	47.5	Chargers
Packers	5	FALCONS	54	Packers
MONDAY NIGHT, October 10, 2011
LIONS	6	Bears	47.5	Bears

Bye week: Ravens, Browns, Cowboys, Dolphins, Rams, Redskins
Home Team In CAPS

2011 Week 5 NFL Best Bet

It seems that the plan for the New York Giants to repeat as Super Bowl champions is in jeopardy.  And it all started just a few weeks ago with the arrest of star wide receiver Plaxico Burress.

Plaxico Burress is the outspoken and often in trouble New York Giant receiver who was suspended after shooting himself in the thigh at a nightclub in New York City. 

Since his suspension, the Giants have lost two games in a row and the offense has stalled.  The Giants front office and coaches say their recent slump has nothing to do with the Plaxico situation but there is no denying the loss of Burress could very well cost the Giants (11-3) the first-round bye that just weeks ago seemed a sure thing.

If the Giants lose their final two games to Carolina (11-3) and Minnesota (9-5) and the Vikings win their last two, then the Giants will play a first-round game.

The Plaxico-less offense has been able to muster only 1 touchdown in losses to the Philadelphia and Dallas the past two weeks.

“There is very little getting done offensively,” coach Tom Coughlin said Monday. “We are just unable right now; we haven’t made a play in the last couple of weeks and we really have to make some plays. We’re very disappointed. The players are disappointed.”

The road won’t get any easier this week with the Panthers coming to the Meadowlands for a game in which the winner will clinch a first-round bye and NFC’s home-field advantage for the postseason.

In addition to the loss of Plaxico - Brandon Jacobs, the “earth” of the “earth, wind and fire” running back trio, has a knee injury that sidelined against the Cowboys last week and may be unavailable for the matchup next week with Carolina.

Plaxico’s replacement Domik Hixon has not stepped up and has dropped at least one sure touchdown pass and the senior citizen of the receivers, Amani Toomer is no longer a deep pass threat.

The Giants offensive line has also played sub-par over the last two weeks.  The offensive line has protected Eli Manning well, but against the Cowboys, Eli was sacked 8 times and 12 times over the last two weeks.

What is going on?

Since Plaxico is out, teams no longer need to double team the receivers. Instead they can position the Safety to stop the run.  And with Brandon Jacobs out, the Giant running attack is suspect.

The one bright spot for the Giants is their defense.  Their defense kept them in the 20-14 loss to Philadelphia and the 20-8 loss to Dallas.

Sundays game will be a testament to the intestinal fortitude of the Giants - but they have come back from adversity before.

Don’t count the Giants out yet!

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf, has been put on administrative leave by West Texas A&M. He has been the quarterback coach and the men’s golf coach for the Division II school in Canyon, Texas.

Just a couple of months again, portfolio.com did a feature on the former NFL players life after the NFL as a coach at the west texas school. Although he played only 4 NFL games, he made millions on endorsements.

ESPN is reporting that he has taken a leave of absence from the west texas school.  According to unnamed sources, a person briefed on the situation said that Leaf acknowledged he had asked a player for a pill to help him deal with pain in his wrist that goes back to his playing days in

Director Michael McBroom says he met with Leaf on Sunday and they agreed that a leave is the best option. McBroom would not comment on what prompted the decision.

West Texas A&M is 9-1 heading into its final regular season game.

Leaf, a Heisman Trophy finalist at Washington State, was taken second in the 1998 draft.

He retired after four dismal seasons — and was known for his profane off-field outbursts toward fans, coaches and reporters. He broke into the league with San Diego
Chargers and had short stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahaws between 1998 and 2002.

Leaf finished with 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions.