NFL Week 6 Picks: Final Predictions and Over/Under Odds Before Thursday Night

Five weeks into the regular season and the 1972 Miami Dolphins are already celebrating. No team will join the undefeated ranks this time around. It's not that one was expected, but the fact every team has already lost at least once is surprising.

More than anything else, it showcases the lack of dominance around the NFL. That should be on full display on Thursday night as the Indianapolis Colts battle the Houston Texans for the AFC South lead. Last season, nine wins separated the two teams. Now the Colts are just a small favorite.

In terms of making over/under selections, the challenge is determining which side will be able to dictate play with so many close contests. With that in mind, let's check out the complete slate for Week 6 and make predictions for each. Then, let's take a look at some of the top picks on the board.

Week 6 Over/Under Picks

Date	Road	Home	Line	Pick
Oct. 9	Colts	Texans	46	Over
Oct. 12	Steelers	Browns	47	Under
Oct. 12	Patriots	Bills	45	Over
Oct. 12	Panthers	Bengals	44.5	Under
Oct. 12	Jaguars	Titans	n/a	TBD
Oct. 12	Packers	Dolphins	49	Under
Oct. 12	Lions	Vikings	44	Over
Oct. 12	Broncos	Jets	47.5	Under
Oct. 12	Ravens	Buccaneers	43	Under
Oct. 12	Chargers	Raiders	43	Over
Oct. 12	Bears	Falcons	53.5	Over
Oct. 12	Cowboys	Seahawks	47	Under
Oct. 12	Redskins	Cardinals	n/a	TBD
Oct. 12	Giants	Eagles	50	Over
Oct. 13	49ers	Rams	43.5	Over

Top Choices

Green Bay Packers vs. Miami Dolphins (Under)

Here's a game that perfectly illustrates the point about figuring out which team will be able to control the pace of play. Green Bay wants to move fast to get as many possessions as possible for Aaron Rodgers. Miami needs to slow things down by relying on its running game and defense.

The Packers are trending in the right direction after a sluggish start. They have scored 80 points over the last two weeks. The ground game also got going last week with Eddie Lacy averaging over eight yards per carry after barely cracking three yards per carry through four games.

Miami is in a good position to slow them down, though. The Dolphins rank seventh in the league in yards allowed and fifth in rushing yards. That's the perfect combination for clock control because they certainly don't want to get into a shootout.

Add in the fact the Dolphins are playing at home after a bye week, and there's a good chance they will be able to turn this into a low-scoring, competitive contest. Take advantage of what's a bloated line due to Green Bay's recent success and pick the under.

San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders (Over)

Philip Rivers isn't getting nearly enough attention for his hot start. The veteran quarterback has connected on 70 percent of his throws with 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also leads the league in quarterback rating. Quite simply, he should headline the MVP race at this point.

What makes the situation even more worrisome for the Raiders is the emergence of Branden Oliver. The Buffalo product looked like a perfect fit for an already dangerous San Diego offense last week. Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego passed along a stat to highlight that success:

If the Chargers can finally get some stability out of the rushing attack, the offense should rank among the elite groups the rest of the way. That's not what the Raiders, which rank 19th in yards allowed, wanted to hear.

So San Diego should cover a vast majority of the total by itself. The Raiders have scored exactly 14 points in three out of four games so far. They should be right around that number again to push the total over the mark.

Carolina Panthers vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Under)

This is a game that's scary on the surface from an under perspective. The Panthers are coming off a 31-point showing against the Chicago Bears, and the Bengals gave up 41 in a blowout loss to the New England Patriots. The gut reaction is to take the over.

It's important to remember these teams possessed two of the league's top three defenses last season, though. While they haven't played at that level in the early going this year, the talent level hasn't dropped off nearly as much as their mundane rankings would suggest.

The Panthers showed signs of progress as they held the high-powered Bears offense to just three points in the second half to help complete a comeback. Steve Reed of the Associated Press passed along comments from Ron Rivera, who was pleased with the return to form. Rivera said:

"

It was great to see the pass rush get the chance to cut loose. Again, when you get yourself into the position when you have a lead, you get them into the second- and third-and-longs, and you can cut it loose and get after the quarterback.

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As for the Bengals, they had only been giving up 11 points per game before New England racked up 43 last week. Ultimately, don't be surprised if this game represents a return to normalcy on the defensive side for both teams, keeping the score low.