Week 6 NFL Picks: Final Vegas Odds and Predictions for Sunday's Slate

Five weeks into the NFL season and no team leads a division by more than a single game. It's a fact that not only shows the lack of any dominant teams in the early going but also the overall level of competitiveness throughout the league.

Another way of establishing that is by looking at the Week 6 odds. Only two games feature favorites of more than one score. In other words, a majority of the games are projected to remain close deep into the fourth quarter.

From a picking perspective, the lower lines can help if you have a good read on a select group of teams. But, for the most part, the task remains the same. So let's check out the rest of this week's slate along with picks for each game and a deeper dive into some intriguing options.

NFL Week 6 Picks

Date	Road	Home	Line	Pick
Oct. 12	Steelers	Browns	CLE -1	PIT
Oct. 12	Patriots	Bills	NE -3	BUF
Oct. 12	Panthers	Bengals	CIN -7	CAR
Oct. 12	Jaguars	Titans	TEN -4	TEN
Oct. 12	Packers	Dolphins	GB -3	MIA
Oct. 12	Lions	Vikings	MIN -1	DET
Oct. 12	Broncos	Jets	DEN -10	NYJ
Oct. 12	Ravens	Buccaneers	BAL -3.5	BAL
Oct. 12	Chargers	Raiders	SD -7.5	SD
Oct. 12	Bears	Falcons	ATL -3	CHI
Oct. 12	Cowboys	Seahawks	SEA -8.5	DAL
Oct. 12	Redskins	Cardinals	ARZ -3.5	ARZ
Oct. 12	Giants	Eagles	PHI -3	PHI
Oct. 13	49ers	Rams	SF -3.5	SF

Top Choices

Pittsburgh Steelers (+1)

This week already marks the second meeting of the campaign between the Steelers and Cleveland Browns. Given the muddled nature of the AFC North, it could have a lasting impact as well. Pittsburgh won the first clash by a field goal at home.

It was a tale of two halves in Week 1. The Steelers raced out to a 27-3 halftime lead before the Browns fought back to tie the game. Pittsburgh eventually got a winning field goal to avoid a complete collapse, but Cameron Heyward knows the defense must step up this time, as noted by Scott Brown of ESPN.

"We live for these types of challenges," Heyward said. "To see what we did in the first half and see them gain [119] yards in the second half, it's unacceptable by us. We are always priding ourselves on stopping the run and I don't want it to go away from that."

Of course, it's easier said than done. The Browns offense has exceeded most expectations so far, ranking ninth in yards per game. A lot of that is due to the success of the ground game, which stayed red hot en route to 176 yards last week.

Yet, the difference here will be the Cleveland defense. The unit has struggled against both the run and the pass. As a result it's giving up the second-most yards in the league (422). Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Co. should take advantage of that to score the outright win.

San Diego Chargers (-7.5)

The Chargers could easily be undefeated. They let their season opener slip away against the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth quarter. San Diego responded in fine fashion, beating the reigning champion Seattle Seahawks and an improved Buffalo Bills squad on the road before a pair of blowout wins.

In other words, the Chargers are playing like a Super Bowl contender in the early going. The same can't be said for the Oakland Raiders. They are one of just two teams without a victory and have lost their four games by a combined 52 points.

Making matters worse, the Chargers may have finally found a more reliable rushing option in Branden Oliver. He proved at Buffalo that he's capable of handling a heavy workload and had little trouble with the strong New York Jets defense last week, racking up 182 total yards.

Oakland is coming off a bye, which should have helped in terms of pressing the reset button after a forgettable start. That said, an extra week isn't enough to fix all of the problems it showcased in the early weeks. All signs point to a blowout win for San Diego.

Carolina Panthers (+7)

It's a bit surprising the Cincinnati Bengals are still a touchdown favorite over the Panthers after getting blown out by the New England Patriots. That said, Carolina has been up-and-down through five weeks, which is probably a key factor in the line.

There were some positive signs from the Panthers' defense in the second half last week, though. The unit, which has been a liability after ranking second last year, held a talented Chicago Bears offense to just three points after the break to spark a comeback.

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com further highlighted the effort:

"

It looked like the Panthers' defense was going to have his third straight embarrassing performance and Carolina was going to fall to 2-3. But it stood tall to close out the game. Chicago had 27 yards combined with three turnovers on their final five drives. This is a result to remember when both of these teams are positioning for a playoff spot in December. The Bears are now 2-3.

"

If Carolina can start getting that type of defensive effort on a weekly basis, its chances of winning the NFC South will skyrocket. It has a golden opportunity to build off last week's performance against a Cincinnati offense that ranks in the middle of the pack.

Ultimately, the defenses on both sides have more talent than the current stats would suggest. Look for this game to become a low-scoring, defensive battle that comes down to the final minutes. As a result, take the Panthers and the points.