NFL Picks Week 6: Can the Seattle Seahawks Beat the Chicago Bears?
We are already entering Week 6 in the 2010 NFL regular season, and no NFC team has separated itself from the pack. The Atlanta Falcons look like the strongest team right now, but can they sustain that success?
Meanwhile, a similar story is taking place in the NFC West. No one has taken command of this division. The Cardinals lead at 3-2, but they certainly don't look like a playoff team. Neither do the 2-2 Seattle Seahawks or 2-3 St. Louis Rams.
The team with the most talent in the division can't buy a win, as the San Francisco 49ers are sitting in dead last with an 0-5 record.
So, if the Seahawks can steal a win from the 4-1, NFC North-leading Chicago Bears, they will be in great shape to climb to the top of the division.
While a win would be great, can the Seahawks actually pull it off?
First, let's take a look at the other NFL matchups taking place this week. Then we'll see if the Seahawks can beat the Bears.
Green Bay Packers at Miami Dolphins
1 of 14
The Dolphins need Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to step up their production.
The Packers need to pray that Aaron Rodgers won't have to miss this game.
The more likely scenario? Brown and Williams should be able to run all over the Packers' injury-riddled defense.
Prediction: Dolphins 27, Packers 17
San Diego Chargers at St. Louis Rams
2 of 14
The Rams just got stomped 44-6 by the Detroit Lions, so their confidence will be low.
Also, the Chargers bring a similar high-powered offense to the table, so expect Philip Rivers to continue putting up MVP-like numbers in the passing game.
Additionally, look for Antonio Gates to continue having a career year as the best tight end in the NFL.
Prediction: Chargers 37, Rams 24
Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots
3 of 14
The Patriots can't seem to make very many defensive stops, and their offense won't be quite as high-powered as it was with Randy Moss.
The Ravens are playing like the best team in the league right now and have already beaten the Jets and Steelers, so they'll have no problem winning this game.
Prediction: Ravens 30, Patriots 24
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New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4 of 14
Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman has played surprisingly well this year, but the Saints have a very sneaky defense.
Gregg Williams will disguise his blitzes and call complex coverages to confuse the young QB, giving the Saints the victory they desperately need to keep pace with the Falcons in the NFC South.
Prediction: Saints 17, Bucs 13
Detroit Lions at New York Giants
5 of 14
The Lions will most likely be without wide receiver Calvin Johnson this week after he left the game last week with a right shoulder injury.
That will immensely limit Detroit's offense in a week when they can't afford to be down, as the Giants' defense has been hitting their stride the last two weeks.
The offense has played just as well. Eli Manning seems to have found a new favorite target in Hakeem Nicks. Look for that combo to hook up for a couple big plays this week.
Prediction: Giants 31, Lions 9
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles
6 of 14
In this battle of the birds, quarterback play will be key.
Matt Ryan of the Falcons has had a pretty good year, but he's got room to improve if the Falcons are going to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
On the other sideline, Kevin Kolb will get his second consecutive start. He looked good last week, leading the Eagles to a victory on the road over the 49ers, but will he play well enough to keep his starting role when Michael Vick returns from injury?
Prediction: Falcons 17, Eagles 10
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
7 of 14
The Steelers raced out to a 3-1 start without Ben Roethlisberger, so how well will they play now that he's back?
The Steelers are ranked at the bottom of the league in passing yards per game, so Big Ben will provide a big boost in that category. The Steelers will make the jump from a really good team to an elite team with Big Ben running the show.
Meanwhile, the Browns are preparing to give rookie Colt McCoy his first NFL start. Starting against the Steelers' stout defense will not be a good learning experience for McCoy.
Prediction: Steelers 37, Browns 10
Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans
8 of 14
Last week, the Chiefs managed to hold the Colts to just 19 points. Peyton Manning and the Colts offense managed only one touchdown, a feat that is very telling of the Chiefs' defensive progress.
The Texans have lost two straight games to NFC East opponents and badly need a win to maintain confidence.
Their elite offense will meet the Chiefs' strong defense this week in Houston, and the Chiefs will build off their success at Indy to win this game.
Prediction: Chiefs 20, Texans 17
Oakland Raiders at San Francisco 49ers
9 of 14
Though it's technically a road game for the Raiders, there will be plenty of black and silver in the crowd at this year's Battle of the Bay.
This game features two teams heading in very opposite directions. The Raiders are coming off a win against the Chargers, a team they hadn't beaten since 2003, while the 49ers are coming off a tough home loss to the Eagles during which the team was showered with boos.
This 49ers team is too talented to be playing as poorly as they have thus far this season, and I expect them to start their turnaround this week against Oakland.
Prediction: 49ers 17, Raiders 14
New York Jets at Denver Broncos
10 of 14
The Jets are playing like one of the best teams in the NFL right now. They've shut down the Dolphins and Vikings in back-to-back weeks and are 3-0 against the other teams in the AFC East.
The Broncos are 2-3 and are basically one-dimensional on offense. They can't seem to find a running game, so Kyle Orton has had to shoulder the entire offensive load this year.
Being one-dimensional on offense is a disaster when the Jets are coming to town. This defense will shut down Denver's high-flying passing game.
Prediction: Jets 23, Broncos 13
Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings
11 of 14
This is a battle of two teams that had Super Bowl expectations coming into this season. Now, both teams sit at 1-3 and have been huge disappointments.
This week, one team will improve to 2-3 and gain momentum for a playoff push, while the other team will unfathomably fall to 1-4.
The Vikings are facing all sorts of problems, including Brett Favre's health and an investigation into whether or not he sent inappropriate text messages to a former Jets employee. With all the distractions in Minnesota, the Cowboys will rack up their second win of the season.
Prediction: Cowboys 31, Vikings 21
Indianapolis Colts at Washington Redskins
12 of 14
The injury-plagued Redskins needed overtime to beat an injury-riddled Packers team last week.
The Colts couldn't pull away from the upstart Chiefs until the fourth quarter.
As we all know, Peyton Manning doesn't like losing or even almost losing. After losing in Week 1 to the Texans, he tore apart the Giants defense.
I expect a similar performance from Manning this Sunday night.
Prediction: Colts 37, Redskins 20
Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars
13 of 14
Vince Young and the Titans have been up and down all year. They look really good one week and really bad the next.
On the other hand, the Jaguars are trending upwards. They've beaten the Colts and the Bills the last two weeks and are tied for first in the AFC South with the Titans, Texans and Colts.
They can take a major step towards legitimate contention this week against the Titans.
But they won't. Tennessee will build off their success last week and put together back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Prediction: Titans 21, Jaguars 17
Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears
14 of 14
The Seahawks are catching the Bears a week late.
Jay Cutler will be returning from a concussion that sidelined him for last week's win against the Panthers. That will return the Bears' offense to full speed.
The Seahawks defense won't be able to stop Chicago, especially if Matt Forte can duplicate the success he had last week.
Newly acquired Marshawn Lynch won't be effective this week, as he's still trying to learn the Seattle offense, meaning Matt Hasselbeck will have to carry the offensive load.
The Seahawks won't be able to put up enough points to beat the Bears this weekend.
Prediction: Bears 20, Seahawks 13
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