"This is a get-right week for Cincinnati." "The Steelers are 2-0 straight-up through smoke and mirrors."

These are two brief passages from last week's lookahead article that I would like to zap into oblivion and wish temporary amnesia for those who read them.

In picking against the Bengals and Pittsburgh, I anticipated favorable point spread movement for their games on Sunday. Cincinnati was spotting Carolina 5.5 points in the lookahead, while the Steelers were catching a point from the Colts.

Alas, Week 3 was sickening to Cincy, which stumbled to 0-3 outright in a Monday nightmare against Washington. The Steelers improved to 3-0 through means other than smoke and mirrors by manhandling the Los Angeles Chargers.

As a result, the Bengals are now yielding only 4.5 points to Carolina. Another reason for the shift is the Panthers pulled off the season's grandest upset over Las Vegas when Bryce Young was evicted as the quarterback and replaced by the aging Andy Dalton, whose trademark red hair is surely about to turn gray.

The 1-point shift, though undesirable, is not critical. The flipping of favorites in the other game is. I took Indianapolis -1 last week, only to see Pittsburgh become -1.5. Not waiting could be costly.

Now, let me too my own horn on the third lookahead suggestion from last week.

Trusting in Minnesota, we seized the Vikings at +5.5 against Green Bay. The Vikings remained perfect with a mild upset of Houston. The Packers unsurprisingly started Malik Willis again at QB in place of ailing Jordan Love. The continued uncertainty over who gets the nod Sunday has helped depress this number in our favor to +2.5 — below, significantly, a field goal.

Time to peek forward to Week 5 and corral three more games on the lookahead menu.

Week 5 lookahead lines

(Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Buccaneers at Falcons (-3), O/U 44
Jets (-1.5) vs. Vikings, O/U 42.5
Bills at Texans (-1), O/U 47
Ravens (-1) at Bengals, O/U 47
Panthers at Bears (-4), O/U 42
Browns at Commanders (-1), O/U 42.5
Dolphins at Patriots (-2), O/U 36.5
Colts at Jaguars (-2.5), O/U 46
Cardinals at 49ers (-7), O/U 47.5
Raiders at Broncos (-1), O/U 39.5
Giants at Seahawks (-6), O/U 42
Packers (-3) at Rams, O/U 46
Cowboys (-1) at Steelers, O/U 42
Saints at Chiefs (-6.5), O/U 45

Which Week 5 sides make for great plays before Week 4 kicks off? And which underdog offers a great betting opportunity? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Week 5 lookahead picks from NFL expert Mike Tierney!