NFL Picks Week 6: Game-by-Game Advice for Current Vegas Spreads

Week 6 of the NFL season leaves something to be desired in terms of marquee matchups, but Las Vegas adds an element of interest to any game.

There are only three contests pitting teams with winning records against each other (the Philadelphia Eagles against Washington, the Atlanta Falcons against the Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys against the Green Bay Packers), but point spreads can serve as the great equalizer.

With that in mind, here is a look at the lines and predictions for each Week 6 game. Point spreads are courtesy of Odds Shark as of Monday at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Date	Matchup	Point Spread	Predicted Winner Against Spread
Thursday, Oct. 13	Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers	DEN -2.5	Broncos
Sunday, Oct. 16	San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills	BUF -7	Bills
Sunday, Oct. 16	Philadelphia Eagles at Washington	WAS -1.5	Eagles
Sunday, Oct. 16	Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans	TEN -5.5	Titans
Sunday, Oct. 16	Baltimore Ravens at New York Giants	NYG -3	Giants
Sunday, Oct. 16	Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints	CAR -3	Panthers
Sunday, Oct. 16	Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears	CHI -1.5	Jaguars
Sunday, Oct. 16	Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions	DET -2.5	Lions
Sunday, Oct. 16	Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins	PIT -6.5	Steelers
Sunday, Oct. 16	Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots	NE -8	Patriots
Sunday, Oct. 16	Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders	OAK -1.5	Raiders
Sunday, Oct. 16	Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks	SEA -7	Falcons
Sunday, Oct. 16	Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers	GB -4.5	Packers
Sunday, Oct. 16	Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans	HOU -3	Texans
Monday, Oct. 17	New York Jets at Arizona Cardinals	ARI -6.5	Cardinals

Advice/Predictions for Each Game

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers (DEN -2.5) 

Von Miller and the rest of the Denver Broncos defense will prove too formidable for the 1-4 San Diego Chargers.

Following Sunday's action, Denver ranked sixth in the league in yards allowed per game, fifth in points allowed per game and tied with Minnesota for first in sacks. With a defense like that, this point spread feels low.

Take the Broncos.

San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills (BUF -7) 

The Buffalo Bills have won three straight games, one of which was a 16-0 victory over the New England Patriots.

On the other side, Adam Schefter of ESPN noted San Francisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly and his staff were still deciding who will be the quarterback between Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick on Monday.

The 49ers' quarterback controversy will overshadow their preparation for the game, and they will lose after traveling all the way to the East coast.

Take the Bills.

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington (WAS -1.5)

The Eagles are coming off their first loss and will look to bounce back in a critical NFC East showdown with Washington. The advice here is to trust Carson Wentz against a defense that was 27th in the league in yards allowed per game after Sunday's contests.

Take the Eagles.

Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans (TEN -5.5) 

The Cleveland Browns are the only NFL team without a victory, and that won't change in Week 6. 

The Tennessee Titans are coming off a 30-17 win over the Miami Dolphins and dropped two narrow, seven-point games to the Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans before that. They are right in contention in the wide-open AFC South and will not take a step back against an overmatched opponent.

Take the Titans.

Baltimore Ravens at New York Giants (NYG -3)

The Baltimore Ravens' 3-2 record is fool’s gold with two of the wins coming against the Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars, who are a combined 1-8.

The New York Giants have dropped three straight, but they will bounce back against a beatable opponent on their home field.

Take the Giants.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints (CAR -3)

Cam Newton could return from a concussion for the Carolina Panthers against a New Orleans Saints defense that is an abysmal 31st in the league in yards allowed per game and dead last in points allowed per game (after Sunday). 

The Panthers will take a step in their journey back into contention against arguably the worst defense in the league.

Take the Panthers.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears (CHI -1.5)

The Jaguars and Chicago Bears will be battling for draft-pick position if they continue to lose. 

Look for the Jaguars to earn a road win here coming off a bye week. They will be well-rested and facing a Bears squad that has just two home wins since they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2014.

Take the Jaguars.

Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions (DET -2.5)

The Detroit Lions will face the Los Angeles Rams at home with plenty of confidence after handing the Eagles their first loss of the season.

Los Angeles is coming off a 30-19 loss to the Bills and will struggle to bounce back on the road. Look for Matthew Stafford to throw a late touchdown to cover the spread in this one.

Take the Lions.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins (PIT -6.5)

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the best teams in the league and are loaded with offensive weapons, including Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell.

On the other side, the Dolphins are one of the worst teams in the league at 1-4 and coming off a loss to the Titans.

This line feels low, and you shouldn't hesitate to give up the points with Pittsburgh. 

Take the Steelers.

Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots (NE -8)

The New England Patriots are difficult enough to beat when they are playing at home. Now the Cincinnati Bengals have to face them in Tom Brady's first contest in front of the home fans after his four-game suspension.

What's more, the Bengals haven’t resembled the team that made the playoffs the last five seasons, as Bryan Curtis of The Ringer explained:

"

Look at the Bengals’ schedule and you have a pretty good idea of what kind of team they are. They’ve beaten the Jets and the Dolphins. They’ve lost to the Broncos and Steelers and Cowboys. Before today’s blowout, you could have wondered whether it was Cincy or Dallas that had feasted on bad teams and was a little worse than its record indicated. You don’t have to wonder anymore.

"

Take the Patriots.

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders (OAK -1.5)

Don’t be fooled by the silver and black, these Oakland Raiders are for real. They are 4-1, and the only loss was by seven to the 4-1 Falcons. 

As for the Kansas City Chiefs, they are reeling after a 43-14 loss to the Steelers the last time out. They won't be able to slow the Derek Carr and Amari Cooper combination in this one.

Take the Raiders.

Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks (SEA -7)

The Seahawks are going to win this game at home, but seven is too many points.

The Falcons feature a handful of talented offensive weapons, including Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman, who will produce enough to keep themselves close in a narrow loss. Don't turn down a touchdown point spread with a 4-1 team, even if it is on the road.

Take the Falcons.

Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers (GB -4.5)

Running back Ezekiel Elliott leads the NFL with 546 rushing yards and has proven to be the Cowboys' go-to offensive option in the early going.

However, the Packers boasted the league's top rush defense after Sunday's games (42.8 yards per contest) and will force the Cowboys to be one-dimensional. Rookie Dak Prescott has been impressive under center, but he will not be able to earn the win in Lambeau Field without stellar contributions from Elliott.

Take the Packers.

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans (HOU -3)

This is a critical game in the AFC South between the 3-2 Texans and 2-3 Indianapolis Colts. The winner will pick up a head-to-head victory that could weigh heavily on the division race come December. 

Look for the Texans to take care of business at home. 

They are 3-0 in Houston and 0-2 on the road, while the Colts are 0-2 away from home (with one coming in London against the Jaguars).

Take the Texans.

New York Jets at Arizona Cardinals (ARI -6.5)

The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a convincing 33-21 win over the 49ers and will continue their momentum against the New York Jets.

Last year’s NFC Championship Game participants are returning to normalcy after a slow start behind David Johnson, who ran for 157 yards and two scores against San Francisco.

Johnson discussed his performance, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com: "I feel unstoppable, basically. Especially with the help of the guys blocking, the tight ends, the receivers and, obviously, the O-line. It helps me get going. It helps me get into the flow of being able to break some of those tackles, being able to get the yards that we needed."

Look for the formula to continue at home against the Jets.

Take the Cardinals.