NFL Week 6 Picks: Final Predictions and Over-Under Odds Before Thursday Night

At some point, the Carolina Panthers are going to make opponents pay for the pain they have been feeling.

Last year's NFC champions have gotten off to a horrendous 1-4 start, and Ron Rivera's team looks nothing like the team that started the 2015 season with a 14-0 mark. 

The biggest reason for their poor start has been the disappointing play of the offensive line. Since that group is not blocking well, quarterback Cam Newton has been taking big hits since the Panthers opened the season in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos.

It was no surprise to see Broncos put the heat on Newton since they were able to get to the quarterback in Super Bowl 50. However, it has continued since then, and Newton paid the price. He was in the concussion protocol, and he did not play against Tampa Bay in Week 5.

Newton is likely to be back this week when the Panthers go to New Orleans. The Panthers are small three-point favorites, according to Odds Shark.

Game	Pointspread	Over/Under	Prediction
Denver at San Diego	Denver -3.5	45.5	Denver; Under
Cleveland at Tennessee	Tenn. -7	43.5	Cleveland; Over
Jacksonville at Chicato	Chi. -2.5	47	Chicago; Over
Carolina at New Orleans	Car. -3	53	Carolina; Under
Philadelphia at Washington	Phil. -2.5	44.5	Washington; Over
Cincinnati at New England	NE -8.5	47	New England; Under
Pittsburgh at Miami	Pitt. -7.5	47.5	Miami; Over
Los Angeles at Detroit	Detroit -3	43.5	Los Angeles; Under
San Francisco at Buffalo	Buffalo -7.5	44.5	Buffalo; Over
Baltimore at N.Y. Giants	NYG -3	43.5	NYG; Over
Kansas City at Oakland	Even	46.5	KC; Under
Atlanta at Seattle	Seattle -6.5	46	Atlanta; Under
Dallas at Green Bay	GB -4	47.5	Green Bay; Over
Indianapolis at Houston	Hou. -3	46.5	Houston; Over
N.Y. Jets at Arizona	Ariz. -7.5	46.5	NYJ; Over

Newton returned to Carolina's practice Wednesday.

The Saints may be the perfect team for the Panthers to play this week. New Orleans ranks 31st on defense, and they have been brutal against the run and the pass. The Saints have been quite consistent, as they also ranked 31st in yards allowed a year ago.

We expect Newton to lead the Panthers back into the win column in this game. It's likely that this game will be close through the first half, but the Panthers will take charge in the second half and win by a touchdown or more, easily covering the spread.

The New England Patriots don't have to find another gear.

They are off to a sharp 4-1 start, made all the more impressive because three of those wins came without Tom Brady at the helm and with an injured superstar tight end in Rob Gronkowski.

Brady returned in Week 5 and was in top form as he threw for 406 yards and three TDs in his first game of the season, against the Browns. While some will discount the performance because it came against lowly Cleveland, that would be a mistake.

The Browns may be winless, but they had a chance to pick up two wins, and they are not pushovers. 

Brady returns home this week as the Pats host the Cincinnati Bengals, and while this team has comparable talent to New England and many of the other top contenders, there is something missing.

The combination of head coach Marvin Lewis and quarterback Andy Dalton has not been a good one over the years when the Bengals go on the road against non-division teams (1-6 in their last six games in that category).

There is a tentative characteristic to their play when they leave their home environment, and Bill Belichick is just the coach to take advantage by attacking early.

The Pats suffered a shut-out loss in their last home game against Buffalo in Week 4, and they will want to show their home fans that that game was nothing but a fluke. Brady will hit Gronkowski with regularity, and Martellus Bennett (three TDs vs. Cleveland) is clearly capable of getting into the end zone.

The running attack is solid with LeGarrette Blount, and the Pats should jump out front early. Look for them to get the 8.5-point spread covered by halftime, and they will win this game by at least two touchdowns.

The Cowboys have been rolling with Dak Prescott at quarterback in the early part of the season, and he seems to be the right man to be under center for Dallas no matter what owner Jerry Jones says.

Prescott has not thrown an interception this season, and he is managing the Cowboys offense with aplomb.

Of course, Prescott is not the only rookie to make a contribution to the Cowboys' offense. Running back Ezekiel Elliott has gotten off to a powerful start with 546 yards, a 5.0 yards-per-carry average and five rushing touchdowns.

Elliott is attacking the hole with passion, and he is showing off his speed when he gets into the open. As a result of his success, the Cowboys are moving the ball well and rank second overall in yards gained.

The Cowboys have a tough assignment this week as they go to Green Bay to take on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. We are not sure the Cowboys have enough to beat the Packers on the road, but the total in this game is 47.5 points.

We expect both teams to score quite a bit and the over to come through. Rodgers will find his top two receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb with frequency, and both teams could approach 30 points.