NFL Week 6 Picks: Predicting Scores for Every Game on the Schedule

Hard to believe that the majority of NFL teams will be only a couple games away from the midway point of their 2014 seasons when Week 6 ends.

The stakes are high to start on Thursday Night Football, as the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans battle for AFC South supremacy. A number of marquee divisional matchups are on tap, including a prime-time showdown in the NFC East between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.

Thanks to playing the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, the Dallas Cowboys are featured in another showdown that will be circled as one of Week 6's top games to watch.

Here is a look at picks for every contest on the schedule, along with a more detailed breakdown of the best ones most worth tuning in for.

Away Team	Home Team	Pick
Indianapolis Colts	Houston Texans	Colts, 31-20
Jacksonville Jaguars	Tennessee Titans	Titans, 21-17
Baltimore Ravens	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Ravens, 35-24
Denver Broncos	New York Jets	Broncos, 45-13
Detroit Lions	Minnesota Vikings	Vikings, 23-17
New England Patriots	Buffalo Bills	Patriots, 34-24
Carolina Panthers	Cincinnati Bengals	Bengals, 23-20
Pittsburgh Steelers	Cleveland Browns	Steelers, 27-23
Green Bay Packers	Miami Dolphins	Packers, 37-22
San Diego Chargers	Oakland Raiders	Chargers, 34-7
Chicago Bears	Atlanta Falcons	Falcons, 38-34
Dallas Cowboys	Seattle Seahawks	Seahawks, 27-17
Washington	Arizona Cardinals	Cardinals, 16-13
New York Giants	Philadelphia Eagles	Giants, 34-31
San Francisco 49ers	St. Louis Rams	49ers, 27-10

Carolina Panthers vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

After getting lit up by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Week 5, Cincinnati will seek to recover against the likes of quarterback Cam Newton and the Panthers.

Newton's mobility has been limited this season, as he's unable to make the plays with his feet he has in years past. But that's also helped him improve from the pocket, where Brady devastated the Bengals last week.

It will be interesting to see how Newton's counterpart, Andy Dalton, will handle the rare absence of his best receiver in A.J. Green, which is likely, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

What really hurt the Bengals against New England was the void left by linebacker Vontaze Burfict. The defense appeared lost without his leadership and playmaking ability.

Sports Illustrated's Chris Burke hinted at that in his analysis:

Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer provided an encouraging update on Burfict:

The Carolina defense was the foundation of the team's success in winning the NFC South title. The Panthers are still atop the division now but with a 3-2 record and have given up an average of 33 points in the past three games.

With Burfict's status looking up and Cincinnati without Green, this game will come down to a Bengals secondary seeking to bounce back at home after getting embarrassed in Foxboro.

Carolina's thin backfield won't offer enough of a complement for Newton without his dynamic athleticism. To compensate for Green's loss, Dalton can lean on a formidable tandem of Gio Bernard and Jeremy Hill to establish the ground game and grind out a close home victory.

Prediction: Bengals 23, Panthers 20

Dallas Cowboys vs. Seattle Seahawks

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

America's Team looks like a legitimate force in the NFC. The problem is that the Cowboys are traveling to face a QB in Russell Wilson who's lost once at home since taking over under center in Seattle at the dawn of the 2012 campaign.

SportsNation did a nice job summarizing how mind-blowing Wilson's accomplishments have been as the Seahawks signal-caller:

Seattle has the best run defense in the NFL and will face the likes of DeMarco Murray, who is on a record-setting pace, per ESPN's Numbers Never Lie:

Benjamin Morris of FiveThirtyEight uses a more advanced chart to show just how much of an outlier Murray is as the league's leading rusher:

Murray has benefited from an exceptional offensive line, which Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated praised in his take on Week 5's win over the Houston Texans:

With the loud environment the Seahawks fans create, it will be tough for Dallas QB Tony Romo to communicate. Nothing works better than to silence the crowd by pounding away and keeping Wilson and the hard-nosed running of Marshawn Lynch off the field.

One matchup to watch will be the battle between Cowboys star pass-catcher Dez Bryant and lockdown cornerback Richard Sherman.

The only problem is, Sherman often stays on one side of the field, leaving Bryant with room to roam free on the other side. That's where the play of Pro Bowl safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor give the Seahawks an edge.

In a game that should be close for three quarters, it will come down to the improvisational ability both Wilson and Romo have a knack for. What Wilson hasn't revealed is a penchant for critical errors late, something Romo has become notorious for.

With the balance of the contest in Romo's hands, the pressure and the hostile environment will lead to some sort of miscommunication to help Seattle pull ahead in the fourth and put this one away rather comfortably.

Prediction: Seahawks 27, Cowboys 17

New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles  

The spirited debate above is part of the reason that this NFC East rivalry is so special. That it's featured on Sunday evening and has a lot of divisional implications makes matters even more significant.

What looked like a disaster to start has suddenly seen the Giants offensive line pick up its play and Eli Manning get on the same page with his receivers and lead a viable, balanced offense.

This is a relevant stat regarding Manning's brilliance in the current month, from the team's official Twitter account:

Manning discussed how complete New York has played amid a three-game winning streak, per Philly.com's Mike Sielski:

"

We've shaken some things up. Guys are playing well. Offensive line's playing well. Receivers are getting open. Defense is doing a good job of getting us turnovers, and we're staying in games and not falling behind and having to change the offense to get back into it. Worked hard this year. That's just football. Every year's different. Every year, circumstances are different, and you just go out there and compete, work hard, and hope to make the plays that are there.

"

After leading the league with 27 interceptions in 2013, limiting turnovers has been a big key for Manning and his team's recent prowess. Since throwing two picks in each of the first two games, Manning has thrown just one in 97 attempts—and it came on a fluke play that denied a TD.

The Eagles have struggled to run the ball as of late, casting aside last week's 151-yard effort against St. Louis' meager rush defense. That is the foundation of their success, and the G-Men are in the top 10 in defending the run.

New York's CB tandem of Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie figures to create problems for a limited Philly receiving corps headlined by Jeremy Maclin, who's caught just 25 passes on 57 targets.

This photo from the NFL on ESPN will only spur the blood-boiling atmosphere between these two teams:

Everything seems to be trending the Giants' way. It's a bad matchup, and even if it does turn into something of a shootout, Manning has been thriving in the short passing game and has a new target in rookie Odell Beckham Jr. to capitalize on the Eagles' 29th-ranked pass defense.

Should the Cowboys indeed go on to lose, New York could make it a three-way tie at the top in the division, which wasn't projected by many pundits to do well. Now it has the makings to be among the most competitive, high-quality clusters in the NFL.

Sunday's clash should be evidence of that. The Giants will make a statement and prove they belong in the conversation for the NFC East crown. Meanwhile, questions will persist about the state of Philadelphia's offense and whether it can consistently win in the NFL. At least the Eagles will have a bye to recover and gear up for the second half of the season.

Prediction: Giants 34, Eagles 31