NFL Predictions Week 6: Last-Minute Picks and Advice for Sunday's Schedule

Arguably the highlight of Week 6 will be Monday's matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. Both teams sit at 4-1 following unexpected Week 5 losses, and each of them will be looking the shed the proverbial bad taste of defeat. These are two of the best teams in the AFC and could be directly competing for playoff positioning in a couple of months.

Before we get to the Bills-Chiefs battle, however, we have an entire slate of action to consume Sunday. The early slate is headlined by a pivotal AFC North showdown between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The late afternoon will feature a duel between Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, as the Green Bay Packers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will face off in the nightcap.

How will the league look heading into Monday's doubleheader? Here you will find some last-minute picks, the latest odds and over/unders from DraftKings Sportsbook and a look at some of the top plays for Sunday.

NFL Week 6 Lines, Over/Unders and Predictions

Sunday, October 18

Baltimore Ravens (-9.5, 46) at Philadelphia Eagles: 35-23 Baltimore

Denver Broncos (+8, 44.5) at New England Patriots: 30-20 New England

Chicago Bears (+1, 44.5) at Carolina Panthers: 23-20 Carolina

Houston Texans (+4, 53.5) at Tennessee Titans: 32-23 Tennessee

Cincinnati Bengals (+7.5, 46) at Indianapolis Colts: 30-21 Indianapolis

Atlanta Falcons (+4, 54) at Minnesota Vikings: 28-27 Minnesota

Cleveland Browns (+3.5, 51) at Pittsburgh Steelers: 30-27 Pittsburgh

Washington Football Team (+2.5, 43) at New York Giants: 20-17 New York

Detroit Lions (-3, 54.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars: 26-21 Detroit

New York Jets (+9.5, 47) at Miami Dolphins: 33-20 Miami

Green Bay Packers (-1, 55) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 30-27 Green Bay

Los Angeles Rams (-3, 51.5) at San Francisco 49ers: 26-23 Los Angeles

Monday, October 19

Kansas City Chiefs (-4, 57) at Buffalo Bills: 33-27 Kansas City

Arizona Cardinals (-1, 54.5) at Dallas Cowboys: 27-26 Dallas

Key Games

Tennessee Titans (-4) vs. Houston Texans

The Houston Texans managed to pick up their first win of the season in Week 5, beating the Jacksonville Jaguars under the guidance of interim coach Romeo Crennel. Even before Bill O'Brien's departure Oct. 5, the Houston offense was beginning to show signs of what it could be.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson, for example, passed for at least 300 yards and two touchdowns in each of the two weeks before O'Brien's firing.

There are reasons to believe the Texans can pull the upset here. However, it feels far more likely that the Tennessee Titans will win and cover the relatively modest betting line.

Tennessee thumped the previously undefeated Bills in Week 5, winning 42-16 and never appearing out of control. Derrick Henry and the Titans offense also matches up extremely well with Houston's 31st-ranked run defense.

Expect an efficient and physical offense to push the Titans to an early lead. From there, the Titans will be in a prime position to salt away the game on the ground. This may not be an extremely high-scoring affair, but it's one the Titans should win by more than a field goal.

Detroit Lions (-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II insisted at the start of the season that his team wasn't interested in tanking.

"I know if we're tanking, coach [Doug] Marrone, Dave Caldwell and [I] are probably going to be out of jobs," Minshew told WJXT "So I know us three and a lot of those other guys in the locker room are not going to let that crap happen."

It briefly appeared that the Jaguars wouldn't allow tanking to be part of the game plan. They beat the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 and narrowly lost to the undefeated Titans in Week 2. Since then, though, Jacksonville has been outscored 94-52 and has fallen to 1-4.

The Detroit Lions, meanwhile, have just one win but appear to be on the upswing. They beat the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, narrowly lost to the New Orleans Saints in Week 4 and spent Week 5 on bye.

While 1-3 isn't a dramatically better record than 1-4, these teams are in contrasting places. Matthew Stafford, Kenny Golladay and the Lions offense are starting to heat up, while Jacksonville has score two touchdowns or fewer in two of its past three games.

Again, a field-goal line is just a bit too low for this one.

Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers UNDER 51.5 Total Points

Jimmy Garoppolo is set to start at quarterback again for the San Francisco 49ers, though that isn't necessarily a huge positive for the offense. Garoppolo returned from his ankle injury in Week 5 but was pulled after going 7-of-17 for 77 yards and two interceptions.

While Garoppolo is further removed from the injury and should play better, don't expect an offensive outburst from San Francisco. The 49ers have only topped 21 points twice this season—against the lowly New York Giants and New York Jets.

On Sunday, Garoppolo and Co. will face a Los Angeles Rams defense ranked third in points allowed—though that ranking is skewed by the fact that L.A. has played the NFC West plus the Bills this season.

While the Rams offense has been relatively efficient this season, it has averaged a little more than 27 points—again, largely against the woeful NFC East.

This NFC West clash has the makings of a low-scoring defensive struggle that fails to top 50 points. Only three Rams or 49ers games have reached 50 points this season—and the Miami Dolphins were responsible for 43 in San Francisco's lone 50-point contest.