NFL Predictions Week 6: Early Odds, Picks and Projections for Upcoming Schedule

Each week that goes by in the NFL proves that trying to make picks, even those based on odds, is a fool's errand, but that won't stop us from trying. 

While there are always shockers from week to week in this league—in Week 5, that included the Atlanta Falcons putting up 23 points on the Denver Broncos defense for the win—we can recognize and come to depend on certain patterns.  

For instance, never bet against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, especially when he has a chip on his shoulder. The Cleveland Browns learned that the hard way in Week 5. 

Let's take a look at all the matchups in Week 6 and the early point spreads and then make some picks for the upcoming games. 

Date	Away	Home	Point Spread	Pick
Thursday	DEN	SD	DEN -2.5	Broncos
Sunday	SF	BUF	BUF -7	Bills
Sunday	PHI	WAS	WAS -1.5	Eagles
Sunday	CLE	TEN	TEN -5.5	Titans
Sunday	BAL	NYG	NYG -3	Giants
Sunday	CAR	NO	CAR -3	Panthers
Sunday	JAC	CHI	CHI -1.5	Jaguars
Sunday	LA	DET	DET -2.5	Rams
Sunday	PIT	MIA	PIT -6.5	Steelers
Sunday	CIN	NE	NE -8	Patriots
Sunday	KC	OAK	OAK -1.5	Raiders
Sunday	ATL	SEA	SEA -7	Seahawks
Sunday	DAL	GB	GB -4.5	Packers
Sunday	IND	HOU	HOU -3	Colts
Monday	NYJ	ARI	ARI -6.5	Cardinals

Safe Bet: New England Patriots (-8)

No one was surprised when Brady returned to the Patriots in Week 5 to wreak havoc on the Cleveland Browns to the tune of 33-13.

The win boosted New England to 4-1 on the season, and while the Cincinnati Bengals will prove more of a challenge than their fellow Ohioans, it's easy to imagine the Patriots beating the Bengals by more than a touchdown.

One of the trickiest parts of playing New England is that opponents never know which weapons the Patriots quarterbacks will use in their arsenal.

Case in point: It was tight end Martellus Bennett who was on the receiving end of all three of Brady's touchdown passes on Sunday.

That wasn't in the Browns' defensive game plan heading into the matchup, given that Hue Jackson's squad had to also prepare to contain Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan and Julian Edelman. 

But just because Brady's other weapons didn't find the end zone didn't mean they had a quiet day. Both Gronkowski and Hogan had more than 100 receiving yards on the day. 

Oh, and by the way? Brady's passer rating of 127.7 is his highest since Week 8 of the 2015 season.

In terms of Cincinnati, the big cats are licking their wounds after a 28-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. The Bengals didn't score until the fourth quarter of the game, and Andy Dalton was often under duress behind a leaky offensive line. 

If you want a safe bet to place this weekend, take New England with the points. 

Big Gamble: Green Bay Packers (-4.5)

Morry Gash/Associated Press

Taking the Packers over the Cowboys is a risky pick to make in Week 6 even straight up, let alone to win by more than five points. 

Sure, the Packers are 3-1 on the season and have top wideout Jordy Nelson back. But those wins came against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and New York Giants. Green Bay lost to the only competitive team it has played so far this season, the Minnesota Vikings. 

The 4-1 Cowboys haven't faced the stiffest of competition either, but they've looked sharp under backup quarterback Dak Prescott, who hasn't thrown an interception and has a passer rating of 101.5.

Prescott has completed 69 percent of his passes and shown veteran poise in leading this team, benefiting from the success of rookie rusher Ezekiel Elliott. 

As Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette pointed out, the Packers have been stout against the run, but can they really keep that up against Elliott?

Meanwhile, the Packers have shown they have a lot of cracks under the surface of their offense, even if it appears to be faring better than last season.

Aaron Rodgers threw two interceptions at home Sunday night against the Giants, which is completely out of character for him. Sure, Nelson tipped the first one, but Rodgers underthrew the second one to Davante Adams. 

The Packers offense has also come out of the gate strong in the first half of games, only to seemingly get complacent in the second half and slow down.

That's not going to be a winning combination against the Cowboys, who have been averaging 25.8 points per game this season.

There are safer bets to make this weekend, both straight up and against the spread, than Green Bay over Dallas. 

Odds via Odds Shark and current as of Monday.