NFL Predictions Week 6: Early Odds, Picks and Projections for Upcoming Schedule

With another weekend of the NFL season in the books, there's no time for looking back as Week 6 is right around the corner with 14 high-flying matchups that will further shape the league hierarchy.

There's a healthy mix of expected undefeated squads along with surprise unbeatens so far this season, as the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals have joined the likes of Denver, New England and Green Bay with perfect records thus far. We've already learned plenty through five weeks of action, but that's just the beginning, as we're hardly a quarter of the way into the season.

Here's a look into Week 6, fit with odds for every game and predictions.

NFL Week 6 Odds and Projections

Game	Odds	Projection
Atlanta at New Orleans	ATL -3	Falcons 24-17
Cincinnati at Buffalo	CIN -1	Bengals 28-17
Denver at Cleveland	DEN -3.5	Broncos 31-20
Chicago at Detroit	DET -2.5	Bears 24-21
Houston at Jacksonville	Even	Jaguars 20-17
Kansas City at Minnesota	MIN -4.5	Vikings 23-20
Washington at N.Y. Jets	NYJ -5.5	Jets 17-14
Arizona at Pittsburgh	ARI -3.5	Cardinals 31-14
Miami at Tennessee	TEN -2.5	Titans 20-17
Carolina at Seattle	SEA -5.5	Seahawks 24-20
San Diego at Green Bay	GB -9.5	Packers 38-24
Baltimore at San Francisco	BAL -2	Ravens 24-23
New England at Indianapolis	NE -7	Patriots 31-25
N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia	PHI -3.5	Giants 28-24

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints

Just a season ago, the four teams in the NFC South had a season-long slap fight to decide the division. The Atlanta Falcons finished just one game short of Carolina's 8-8 division title, so disparaging that they fired their head coach.

Fast-forward to today, and new head coach Dan Quinn has the Falcons on the cusp of being one of the NFL's elite teams—one of five squads across the league at 5-0. They hope to keep it going on a short week with a visit to New Orleans.

Atlanta has been no stranger to tight affairs so far this season, but it has only seemed to step up when the pressure is on the most. As Rand Getlin of NFL Network observed, the Falcons have actually trailed late in four of their five victories:

When Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are a part of the attack, there's reason to believe you can get it done in crunch time. The Falcons offense is proving heavily productive, with Ryan and Jones both ranking second in the league in yards for their position.

That being said, Jones is nursing an injury that could keep him out over the short week, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Jones may be out for Thursday, but he's not been the bell cow for Atlanta's offense in the last several weeks. That moniker goes to Devonta Freeman, who has eight rushing touchdowns already on the season—more than both the Broncos and Seahawks offenses as a whole.

Against a Saints rushing defense that concedes the third-most yards in the league, Freeman will have another field day. Drew Brees can be counted on to keep the Saints close at home, but it's no secret that he doesn't have the tools around him to make up for a porous defense.

Prediction: Falcons 24, Saints 17

New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

Had the "Deflategate" ruling not been overturned at the last moment and Tom Brady served out his four-game suspension, this battle on Sunday Night Football would be all the more intriguing. But even with that not the case, it hasn't lost its luster.

Alas, Brady and the New England Patriots face the Indianapolis Colts again, the team they dismantled in the AFC Championship Game last season before everything went haywire following accusations, supposed findings and an exhausting six months of back-and-forth.

All the dramatics aside, the only thing that will matter come Sunday night is what goes on between the lines. And in that regard, Brady and the Pats have been dazzling this year, throwing for 11 touchdowns and 1,387 yards already.

His stats are heavily reminiscent to the record-breaking season of 2007, as SportsCenter noted:

New England isn't the only one with a masterful signal-caller at the helm, but will the other be ready? Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has missed two straight games following a treacherous start to 2015, but Matthew Hasselbeck has won two gutsy games in his place.

All indications point toward Luck getting back on the field Sunday, per the team's Twitter:

Whether Luck plays or not, the Colts offense doesn't appear to have enough going on to seriously threaten New England. The Pats' passing defense ranks 11th in the league even on the heels of losing both starting cornerbacks in the offseason, and their pass rush is teeing off.

The Patriots are simply a class above almost every other team in the AFC, and it will show in Lucas Oil Stadium. Save for some desperation magic from Luck at the end, New England will roll.

Prediction: Patriots 31, Colts 25