NFL Picks Week 6: Updated Lines and Final-Score Predictions for All Games

After plenty of surprises throughout the early part of the NFL season, it is difficult to trust even the best teams to come through with wins.

Heading into Week 5, the Cincinnati Bengals looked like locks against the struggling New England Patriots, while most believed the Detroit Lions would have an easy time against the Kyle Orton-led Buffalo Bills. Both AFC West underdogs were able to come through, though, showing that nothing is guaranteed in this league.

While there are a few seemingly easy picks in Week 6, do not be overconfident in the favorites. Here is a complete look at predictions for the upcoming week with a breakdown of some upsets to watch out for.

Date	Away	Predicted Score	Home	Pick ATS*
Oct. 9	Indianapolis Colts	31-20	Houston Texans	IND -3
Oct. 12	Detroit Lions	17-20	Minnesota Vikings	MIN +3
Oct. 12	Denver Broncos	38-10	New York Jets	DEN -9
Oct. 12	New England Patriots	21-24	Buffalo Bills	BUF +3
Oct. 12	Baltimore Ravens	27-21	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	BAL -3
Oct. 12	Carolina Panthers	20-31	Cincinnati Bengals	CIN -7
Oct. 12	Jacksonville Jaguars	13-24	Tennessee Titans	TEN -6
Oct. 12	Pittsburgh Steelers	14-17	Cleveland Browns	CLE -2
Oct. 12	Green Bay Packers	34-28	Miami Dolphins	GB -3
Oct. 12	San Diego Chargers	30-7	Oakland Raiders	SD -8
Oct. 12	Chicago Bears	27-31	Atlanta Falcons	ATL -3
Oct. 12	Washington Redskins	14-24	Arizona Cardinals	ARI -4
Oct. 12	Dallas Cowboys	20-27	Seattle Seahawks	DAL +8.5
Oct. 12	New York Giants	28-27	Philadelphia Eagles	NYG +3
Oct. 13	San Francisco 49ers	20-10	St. Louis Rams	SF -3

Top Upsets

Minnesota Vikings (+3) vs. Detroit Lions

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Calvin Johnson has been limited by an ankle injury in each of the last two weeks, and the Lions have suffered offensively because of it. Now he is unlikely to play in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings as the team hopes he can rest before coming back at full strength.

Meanwhile, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com noted the Lions were dealing with numerous injuries at running back in the last game:

Although the extent of the injuries are not clear, quarterback Matthew Stafford will have a hard time moving the football without most of his offensive weapons.

On the other hand, the Vikings have 10 days of rest after competing on Thursday and will likely see rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater return to action. As well as the Lions have played on defense, offensive coordinator Norv Turner should be able to vary his game plan to get the most out of his talented players at home.

This will likely be a low-scoring battle, but the Vikings should be able to do enough to win a close matchup against a wounded opponent.

Buffalo Bills (+3) vs. New England Patriots

After the Patriots lost 41-14 to the Kansas City Chiefs, everyone was ready to proclaim the team finished. The tune was different after a 43-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

While it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what changed from one week to the next, a big difference was simply that New England was home in the most recent win. The squad is 2-0 at home this year and extended an impressive streak against conference opponents:

Tom Brady has helped tremendously with a 100.8 quarterback rating at Gillette Stadium. Unfortunately, the veteran quarterback also has a 74.5 rating in three road games to go with a 1-2 record. The only road win came against the Vikings when Matt Cassel threw four interceptions.

Fans should expect some more troubles on the road against a defense that has played well in all situations this season. Buffalo currently ranks fifth in the NFL with just 17.8 points per game allowed this season.

Meanwhile, the offense is getting better under Kyle Orton, who replaced EJ Manuel last week and led a win over Detroit. Running back Fred Jackson was one person who noticed the difference.

"[Orton] did a tremendous job for us in the huddle," the running back said after the game, via Will Brinson of CBSSports.com. "Definitely good to have a veteran out there, telling us what he was seeing on defense. He made some plays and put some guys in a position to make plays."

As he gets more comfortable in the offense, the Bills should be able to have more success and try to take over first place in the AFC East.

New York Giants (+3) at Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are winning games, but they are not making it look pretty. Despite the 4-1 record, there are questions about this team on both sides of the ball with every game being a struggle.

Andy Benoit of Sports Illustrated discussed a major issue recently:

Interestingly, the squad has five touchdowns from defense and special teams over the last two games to remain in games. Otherwise, the team would be in even bigger trouble.

This has not been a problem for the Giants, which have seemingly improved every week this season. Eli Manning went from throwing four interceptions in the first two games (both losses) to just one total in the last three games (all wins). With the addition of first-round pick Odell Beckham, this offense could be difficult to stop.

It is only a matter of time until Chip Kelly can get his offense running like it should, but it is difficult to trust a unit that has struggled in recent weeks to outscore a team that is playing as well as it has all year.

The Giants were considered a joke to start the season, but they can put themselves right into the thick of the NFC East race with a road win here.

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