My incredible roll continues! A 10-5 Week 6 (30-15 over the last three weeks), brings my season record to 54-37-2 (.596).
The margin for error gets smaller this week. With byes for Pittsburgh, Oakland, Green Bay, and Seattle, there are only 14 chances to get things right.
(All games are on Sunday afternoon unless otherwise noted.)
Denver 22, Arizona 13 (Thursday night): The league’s flex program does not apply to Thursday-night games, but this putrid matchup should have been flexed out of this prime-time slot. So, fans, we have to put up with two underachieving teams. For their part, the Broncos are coming off a game effort against the unbeaten Rams before going on the road to take on the listless Cardinals.
Tennessee 19, Los Angeles Chargers 13 (in London): I believe the Chargers are clearly the better team but, when it comes to these London games, the travel and familiarity of the situation tip the scales for me. With both teams heading to their bye weeks, I’ll take the Titans. The travel ordeal won’t be as taxing on them. They’ll just need to do a lot better than they did against Baltimore.
Tampa Bay 30, Cleveland 17: These two teams are at a crossroads. The Browns are back to being their last-place selves, while Tampa Bay nearly pulled off a road comeback in Atlanta. That alone makes this game easy to pick.
New England 33, Chicago 23: This is not exactly a Super Bowl XX rematch. The Bears certainly wish it to be, but its defense failed late in the game and in overtime last week at Miami. Even though Chicago is at home, the reality is that it’s facing a high-powered New England team that’s coming off a 43-point effort.
Buffalo 19, Indianapolis 13: Which one of these sub-.500 teams is ready to get better? As schizophrenic as are the Bills, I believe they have a more well-rounded team. Yes, the Colts are at home, but they keep finding ways to lose.
Houston 24, Jacksonville 16: Which rival is the best team in the AFC South? I think it’s Houston, a team that has rebounded from a 0-3 start. The Jaguars are inconsistent, despite having an overall edge in talent. The home field will give Jacksonville a boost, but it probably won’t be enough against the likes of JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney.
Detroit 27, Miami 20: The Lions are coming off their bye and now head to hot, humid South Florida. The Dolphins are fresh off an overtime win over Chicago. But, sometimes, a bye week helps a team, and I think that will happen this week. Take Matthew Stafford and his mates to win this one.
Minnesota 29, New York Jets 22: These two clubs were lucky enough to have Brett Favre play for them before he finally decided to retire. But one thing Favre couldn’t do is play defense, which is what the Jets need these days. While Minnesota has to go on the road for this one, its defense should be enough to capture a win.
Philadelphia 23, Carolina 16: This is a ‘prove-it’ game for Philadelphia. The Eagles are at home with the extra rest coming off a big Thursday-night win. Because the Panthers couldn’t beat Washington on the road, I can’t reasonably expect them to win this one, either.
Baltimore 30, New Orleans 27: This game is one of the week’s toughest to pick. NO is coming off a bye week. Baltimore is fresh off an 11-sack, shutout performance. But, this week, the Ravens go up against record-setting Drew Brees, who should get his 500th career touchdown pass. I’ll take Baltimore in what I expect to be a very tight game.
Dallas 26, Washington 17: It’s one of the longest and best archrivalries in the league, but it’s not as competitive as it could or should be. The Cowboys have 19 sweeps to the Redskins’ five (and none since 2012). Both teams are not even close to hitting on all cylinders, but the Cowboys – heading into their bye week – are better equipped to win a game like this. They’ve won eight of their last ten against Washington, including the last four straight.
Los Angeles Rams 40, San Francisco 10: Thanks in part to the Jimmy Garoppolo injury, this game was flexed out of the Sunday-night time slot. The Rams are the league’s last remaining unbeaten team and they managed to win in Denver last week. Santa Clara isn’t nearly as tough an environment in which to win. That’s why I see Los Angeles rolling here.
Kansas City 36, Cincinnati 33 (Sunday night): This is the game that was flexed into Sunday-night–a good decision by the league. The Bengals can score with anyone but, at crucial times, they can’t stop a good quarterback. Patrick Mahomes is not only good, but he has also been the best in the NFL through six weeks. I think he should get the best of Andy Dalton in what will surely be an Arrowhead cauldron.
Atlanta 23, New York Giants 10 (Monday night): It seems pretty clear at this point that the Falcons will be watching teams play in their stadium on Super Bowl Sunday. But, for now, Atlanta will make a stand before going on its bye week. Face it: this is a Giants team that’s heading for another wreck of a campaign.
