Week 6 NFL Picks: Latest Betting Odds, Vegas Spreads and Projections

Rejoice, NFL bettors—Week 6 is almost here.

Normally, bettors probably shouldn't throw much of a party for another line of tough games. But Week 5 just mercifully ended, with the favored Carolina Panthers falling at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17-14 on Monday Night Football.

Little else needs to be said. It was a tough week for bankroll-building unless bettors possessed a crystal ball.

There's no need for weird objects and chants to figure out Week 6, though. What looks like a rather straightforward slate has some nice lines early in the week out of Las Vegas. It's time for bettors to capitalize.

NFL Week 6 Odds

Matchup	Spread	O/U	Predicted Winner
Denver at San Diego	DEN -2.5	45.5	DEN 24-17
L.A. Rams at Detroit	DET -2.5	43.5	LA 23-20
San Francisco at Buffalo	BUF -7	44.5	SF 21-20
Jacksonville at Chicago	CHI -1.5	47	CHI 28-20
Cleveland at Tennessee	TEN -5.5	45.5	TEN 30-17
Philadelphia at Washington	WAS -1.5	45	PHI 27-24
Baltimore at N.Y. Giants	NYG -3	44.5	NYG 23-20
Carolina at New Orleans	CAR -3	n/a	NO 33-28
Pittsburgh at Miami	PIT -6.5	48	PIT 36-20
Cincinnati at New England	NE -8	47	NE 30-20
Kansas City at Oakland	OAK -1.5	47	OAK 20-17
Atlanta at Seattle	SEA -7	46	ATL 27-24
Dallas at Green Bay	GB -4.5	47	GB 30-24
Indianapolis at Houston	HOU -3	46	HOU 24-14
N.Y. Jets at Arizona	ARI -6.5	47	ARI 27-13

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Top Early Odds to Take

Denver (-2.5) at San Diego

Bettors should feel an urge to grab this one while it's hot. 

Oddsmakers in Las Vegas don't feel overly confident about a road trip for the Denver Broncos since they're coming off a 23-16 loss. It's fair, and bettors should want to throw down coin here before the line grows into unfavorable territory.

Either way, Denver wins. The team lost last week to the Atlanta Falcons, possibly the hottest team in football, while starting rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch under center in place of Trevor Siemian.

The delay in Siemian's return seems orchestrated, though. Why risk a quick return against an almost meaningless NFC opponent when an AFC West matchup awaits a few days later on Thursday Night Football?

As the Denver Post pointed out, Siemian was close:

Siemian has been a boon for the Broncos, throwing six touchdowns to three picks and leading the team to an undefeated mark. The defense has allowed more than 20 points in a game just once, and Atlanta's 23 don't look bad considering the Falcons had scored 45 or more in two games prior.

Much of this doesn't focus on San Diego, and for good reason. The Chargers have won a single game this year—against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bolts have coughed up 33 or more points three times and have dealt with injuries to Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead, among others.

On a short week, Denver is the better team and perhaps ready to get its regular starter back under center.

Prediction: Broncos 24-17

Pittsburgh (-6.5) at Miami

Here's a line that won't stick. 

Just don't make the mistake of thinking it will move because of the Miami Dolphins. They have a single win on the year—against the Cleveland Browns—and quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been so rough on the way to six touchdowns and seven interceptions that fans have chanted for backup Matt Moore.

It's safe to say the Pittsburgh Steelers are doing quite a bit better. Maybe some wanted to throw in the towel after their 34-3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but since then, the Steelers have won 43-14 and 31-13.

Sure, the potential for a bad game resides, but quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has played out of his mind during the rebound stretch, throwing nine touchdowns to no picks.

The biggest risk factor for those who want to back the Steelers here is the possibility for the team to overlook the Dolphins ahead of a Week 7 encounter with the New England Patriots. Even then, Miami has scored more than 20 points in a loss just once this year and totaled just 24 points over its last two games while Tannehill hasn't thrown for more than 200 yards.

The winds of change continue to blow in Miami. With Pittsburgh, the only thing changing is Le'Veon Bell continuing to work his way back into a groove and making the Steelers even deadlier.

Prediction: Steelers 36-20

Cincinnati at New England (-8)

After years and years of postseason appearances and regular-season domination, it would be almost silly to say the Cincinnati Bengals have finally derailed.

But things don't look good. The Bengals have lost three of their first five games, taking a miserable 28-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week. Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott threw for 227 yards and a score against them, while rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott gashed the once-proud defense for 134 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.

Cornerback Adam Jones summed it up well after the game, per the Bengals' official website:

"

We are going to have to do some gut checking. Everybody needs to take a deep look at themselves and figure out how each person can get better to help the team. That goes for me. That goes for anybody else you want to name. Because at the end of the day, when it is looking right, everybody is doing the right thing. Of course, we are going to lose some plays. But to come out here and get beat like this, this is embarrassing.

"

This matchup looks like a tale of two teams that are going in different directions. New England got Tom Brady back last week and cruised in 33-13 fashion against the Browns while he tossed a trio of touchdowns.

Perhaps most terrifying about the result for the rest of the league is that "backup" tight end Martellus Bennett caught all three scores, while starter Rob Gronkowski still tallied 109 receiving yards on just five catches.

The Patriots have a two-tight end set back and are looking potent, which will give the Bengals fits. The New England defense has yet to allow more than 24 points in a game, which is even more impressive when you consider the unit had to compensate for offenses led by backups over the first four games (three wins, by the way).

Some might shy from an eight-point line here in a gut-check game for the Bengals. But just look at a betting note provided by ESPN.com's Katherine Terrell:

This can change, of course, but the Bengals don't look like a team with much fight right now. New England is out to make a statement against a real opponent and at home. 

Prediction: Patriots 30-20

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.