Week 6 NFL Picks: Vegas Odds, Spread Advice and Predictions

Five weeks into the NFL season, several teams have experienced ups and downs nearly every game. That alone makes picking every game correctly nearly an impossibility.

Several bettors believed the New England Patriots would drop another game in Week 5 but were sorely disappointed. Outside of Buffalo Bills fans, hardly anyone would have predicted Buffalo beating the Detroit Lions straight up.

Those marked just a couple of the surprising outcomes, but there were multiple others that left astute fans scratching their heads. Luckily, this week brings a new crop of spreads that look much more promising.

Before Week 6 officially gets underway, here's a look at the full spreads, predictions and advice for bettors.

Date	Away	Home	Spread	Picks ATS
Oct. 9	Indianapolis Colts	Houston Texans	IND -3	IND
Oct. 12	Detroit Lions	Minnesota Vikings	DET -3	DET
Oct. 12	Denver Broncos	New York Jets	DEN -10	DEN
Oct. 12	New England Patriots	Buffalo Bills	NE -3	BUF
Oct. 12	Baltimore Ravens	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	BAL -3	BAL
Oct. 12	Carolina Panthers	Cincinnati Bengals	CIN -7	CAR
Oct. 12	Jacksonville Jaguars	Tennessee Titans	TEN -6	TEN
Oct. 12	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cleveland Browns	CLE -2	CLE
Oct. 12	Green Bay Packers	Miami Dolphins	GB -3	GB
Oct. 12	San Diego Chargers	Oakland Raiders	SD -7.5	SD
Oct. 12	Chicago Bears	Atlanta Falcons	ATL -3	CHI
Oct. 12	Washington Redskins	Arizona Cardinals	ARI -4	ARI
Oct. 12	Dallas Cowboys	Seattle Seahawks	SEA -9	DAL
Oct. 12	New York Giants	Philadelphia Eagles	PHI -3	PHI
Oct. 13	San Francisco 49ers	St. Louis Rams	SF -3	SF

Closest Calls

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans

During the first five weeks, Thursday Night Football has been a trying contest for fans. Blowout after blowout has made it hard to watch, but this week appears different.

Adam Schefter of ESPN offered his take on the prime-time games:

A rout by the Green Bay Packers over the Minnesota Vikings gives way to another more tightly contested division battle. When the Indianapolis Colts travel to take on the Houston Texans, both teams will be looking to make an early statement in the AFC South.

Andrew Luck has been the focal point for teams facing the Colts all season, but the defense is ranked 12th in yards per game and 11th in rushing yards allowed.

Head coach Chuck Pagano spoke about the defense's performance thus far:

Over the last four seasons, the Texans are 3-1 against the Colts at home. While they have never pulled off a victory in Indianapolis in their 12-year history, the series is much closer in Houston.

Regardless of the record for the Texans, their offensive question marks will be the downfall against the Colts. If Indy can limit Arian Foster, this will be a tighter game that swings in the direction of the visiting team.

Carolina Panthers at Cincinnati Bengals

Two teams with impressive defenses coming into the season will battle in Week 6. Through the last few weeks, both defenses have been tested by stout offenses.

For the Carolina Panthers, the defense was ravaged by both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens before recovering against the Chicago Bears. Still, it's on the offense to pick up the pace with Cam Newton under center.

Much of the focus for the Panthers offense has been on Newton, but rookie Kelvin Benjamin was the one scuffling against the Bears. Benjamin caught just three passes on 11 targets in Week 5. However, Newton told Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer that he still has Benjamin's back:

"

Benji’s good. It happens to everybody. I can relate to how he’s feeling. I’m pretty sure I’ll talk to him before the next game about controlling your emotions, because I don’t need to tell you how I was. ...

It’s going to be on him for him to work on his craft. and sharpen his blades and come back each and every week and try to produce for this offense, because he’s an unbelievable asset.

"

On the Bengals side, facing an angry Tom Brady can be enough to cause any defense to struggle. It allowed 43 points, though, which was 10 points higher than the unit had conceded through the first three weeks combined.

A clicking Carolina defense will make this game much closer than the seven-point spread.

They might not win the game straight up, but the Panthers are a potent enough team to make this an exciting matchup on Sunday.

Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks

Prior to the season, this might have looked like a huge blowout for the Seattle Seahawks. Now, with both teams losing just one game thus far, the nine-point spread looks generous for bettors.

Seattle is still the defending Super Bowl champion, but Dallas now looks like a playoff contender after a 4-1 start. Equipped with a trio of Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray, the Cowboys have a plethora of weapons to battle the Legion of Boom.

In all likelihood, the Seahawks will still win this game and add to their 27-9 record under Russell Wilson. But thanks to an improved defense and explosive offense, this game will be much tighter than the nine points given to Seattle.

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