NFL Week 6 Picks: Early Predictions for Every Game

Week 5 of NFL action featured plenty of intrigue.  

There were multiple games that went into overtime, including Washington at Atlanta, Seattle at Cincinnati and Cleveland at Baltimore; a surprising Chicago Bears upset over the Kansas City Chiefs; and unsullied undefeated records for the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. 

Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions fell to 0-5 on the season, the only team with no wins. 

Looking ahead to Week 6, AFC rivals New England and Indianapolis will take each other on for the first time since the Colts alerted the league to potential mishandling of game balls by the Patriots, the Bears will try to extend their winning streak to three games and push the Lions further down in the NFC North and the undefeated Panthers will take on NFC foe Seattle. 

Let's pick winners for each of the games in Week 6 and break down some must-watch matchups. 

Date	Away	Home	Pick
Thursday, Oct. 15	Atlanta Falcons	New Orleans Saints	Falcons
Sunday, Oct. 18	Washington Redskins	New York Jets	Jets
Sunday, Oct. 18	Arizona Cardinals	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cardinals
Sunday, Oct. 18	Kansas City Chiefs	Minnesota Vikings	Vikings
Sunday, Oct. 18	Cincinnati Bengals	Buffalo Bills	Bengals
Sunday, Oct. 18	Chicago Bears	Detroit Lions	Bears
Sunday, Oct. 18	Denver Broncos	Cleveland Browns	Broncos
Sunday, Oct. 18	Houston Texans	Jacksonville Jaguars	Texans
Sunday, Oct. 18	Miami Dolphins	Tennessee Titans	Titans
Sunday, Oct. 18	Carolina Panthers	Seattle Seahawks	Panthers
Sunday, Oct. 18	San Diego Chargers	Green Bay Packers	Packers
Sunday, Oct. 18	Baltimore Ravens	San Francisco 49ers	Ravens
Sunday, Oct. 18	New England Patriots	Indianapolis Colts	Patriots
Monday, Oct. 19	New York Giants	Philadelphia Eagles	Giants

Must-Watch Matchups

New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts 

The undefeated New England Patriots enter their Week 6 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts as seven-point favorites, per Odds Shark.

Certainly once thought to be an AFC Championship preview, Patriots-Colts may not be the high-scoring battle many would have expected prior to the season. The Colts' struggles began before quarterback Andrew Luck missed time with a shoulder injury, but his absence has certainly not helped his team. 

Luck threw five interceptions in his first three games of the season and missed Weeks 4 and 5, as backup Matt Hasselbeck stepped in for him. Hasselbeck himself has been dealing with a bacterial infection, but he managed to lead the Colts to wins in Weeks 4 and 5.

It's unclear which ailing quarterback will take the field in Week 6 against the Patriots, but whichever one it is will probably struggle. New England headed into Week 5 with the league's fifth-best passing defense, despite losing Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner in the offseason. 

Predictably, Tom Brady has also proven to be nearly unstoppable coming off the Deflategate saga that the Colts themselves initiated. Through four games this season, Brady has thrown 11 touchdowns and no interceptions and has not yet posted a passer rating lower than 100. 

The Colts, meanwhile, have been struggling mightily on defense. Heading into Week 5, they were dead last in the league in total defense, allowing an average of 398.8 total yards and 22.6 points per game. 

There's a chance these two teams will still meet in the playoffs, but New England could expose some ugly parts of the Colts' game in Week 6. 

Prediction: Patriots 31, Colts 17

Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Two storylines have become dominant through Week 5 of the 2015 season: The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the league's highest-scoring offenses this season, averaging 30.3 points per game heading into Week 5, and the Buffalo Bills are one of the better scoring defenses, holding opponents to an average of 23.0 points per game.  

One of those two sides will have to give in Week 6, and with a slate full of duds, this matchup looks to be one of the most exciting. 

Andy Dalton and the Bengals are putting together one of the best seasons in franchise history. Through five games, Dalton has 11 touchdowns to two interceptions and has passed for 1,518 yards. 

He's also used his mobility to his advantage, rushing for an additional two touchdowns. 

Exhibiting good decision-making and a calm air of leadership this season, Dalton steered the team back from a 24-7 deficit against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, and the Bengals earned the win in overtime. 

This is just the third time in franchise history the Bengals have started the season 5-0. 

The Bills defense, meanwhile, have had their total defense ranking decline after allowing 507 total yards and 40 points to the New England Patriots in Week 2.

However, if you remove that game from their schedule, they would have allowed 318.5 yards per game on average and 16.3 points to opponents. 

Needless to say, the Bills defense is better than their current average indicates. 

This matchup promises to be a huge test for that defense, and we'll see if the Bengals offense can be stopped. Early indications point to no. 

Prediction: Bengals 28, Bills 20

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints

One of this week's intra-division matchups, the New Orleans Saints, desperately looking for a win, will attempt to be the first team this season to overpower the undefeated Atlanta Falcons.

Are they up for that tall task?

This year's most surprising undefeated team, the Falcons, have had some close calls already this season, including a two-point win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 and a four-point win over the New York Giants the following week.

However, the Falcons are one of the league's scoring powerhouses. Heading into Week 5, Atlanta was averaging 34.3 points per game, the third-most in the league. The Saints are considerably below that, averaging just 21.5.

Both defenses have been middling, which means that this game could go either way. Atlanta was 26th in total defense coming into Week 5, allowing an average of 390.5 yards per game; New Orleans was just slightly better at 23rd in the league and 381.5 yards per game.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, however, proved on Sunday that he can make enough mistakes to turn a game. That wasn't the case against Washington, whom Atlanta defeated 25-19 in overtime, but it could have been a different outcome.

Ryan threw two interceptions and no touchdowns in the win.

The Saints, on the other hand, were embarrassed by the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, losing 39-17, after showing a slight improvement with a win over the Cowboys in Week 4.  

While the Saints have a tough task ahead of them trying to be the first to upset the Falcons this season, what a sight to see if they're able to. For that reason, and the divisional implications, this game is one to catch.

Prediction: Falcons 24, Saints 20