NFL Picks Week 6: Which Teams Will Provide Upsets?

Week 6 of the NFL is up next after an exciting Week 5 of the NFL season. We saw Tim Tebow finally get into the game for an extended period of time as Denver's quarterback and a ton of finishes that went down to the wire, such as the Oakland-Houston game.

Regardless of the quality of the matchups on Sundays, there always are two or three games that come down to the final seconds. 

There are some quality games on the schedule this week, with none bigger than the Dallas Cowboys visiting the New England Patriots. The Cowboys would love to go into New England and beat one of the best teams in football, but can they pull off the upset?

And what other teams are in prime position to walk away winners on Sunday that are underdogs?

Find out in the slides to come.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers have become that team that is in every game but finds a way to lose. It was never more evident against the New Orleans Saints this past Sunday when the Panthers had a prime opportunity to pull off an upset but repeatedly shot themselves in the foot, which is becoming the story of their season.

This week, Carolina will go up against another division foe in the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons come into the game reeling a bit after a loss to Green Bay sent them to 2-3 on the season. It was the second double-digit loss of the season for Atlanta, and last year's 13-3 season is well in the distance.

As for the Panthers, they've yet to lose a game by more than seven points, and their last two losses have been by a combined eight points. Carolina isn't that far off from winning football games. Once the Panthers learn to be more disciplined and gain more experience, the close losses they are undergoing now will turn into wins.

The Falcons are struggling on both sides of the ball right now, whereas the Panthers' offense is clicking on all cylinders. 

Cam Newton and Co. will come away with their first victory within the division this season and second win overall.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings finally won their first game of the season this past Sunday with a win over the Arizona Cardinals. The game was never in doubt with the way Adrian Peterson was running the ball and with Jared Allen rushing the passer. 

Allen has been a monster this season for the Vikings, as he has already tallied 8.5 sacks through five games. If he keeps it up, he will end up breaking the single-season sack record.

The dominant pass rusher will have a great opportunity to add to his sack total against the Chicago Bears. Chicago has by far the worst pass-blocking unit in the NFL. Jay Cutler has been sacked a league leading 18 times, and the offensive line gets pushed back like ragdolls far too often.

On the offensive side, you can expect to see Peterson carrying the load for the Vikings again. Minnesota currently ranks third in the NFL in rushing yards and 31st in passing yards. The discrepancy should be concerning for Leslie Frazier going forward, but against the Bears, the passing game won't have to be spectacular to win.

Chicago is 28th in the league against the run, giving up 135.6 yards per game. 

Peterson and Allen will be too much for the Bears as the Vikings earn their second win of the season.

Buffalo Bills

At the beginning of the season, nobody saw the Bills as a potential playoff team. The experts claimed Ryan Fitzpatrick was a stop-gap quarterback and couldn't get the job done. Fitzpatrick and his teammates tuned out the critics and took care of business to gather a 4-1 record heading into Week 6. 

What makes the Bills so dangerous is their ability to run the football. Fred Jackson is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and is a huge reason Buffalo is fourth in the NFL in rushing. 

If it weren't for a meltdown against Cincinnati, the Bills would be looking at a 5-0 record and be a game up on the New England Patriots. 

Buffalo's opponent on Sunday is the New York Giants, a team that is coming into its own and will be playing at home. But over the years, the Giants have been a frustrating team to watch. One week, they will show off their great potential and then fall flat on their face the next week. It's this kind of inconsistency that has plagued New York the past couple of years.

The Giants have had troubles stopping the run this season and will have to key in on Jackson. This game has a chance to be a shootout with neither team possessing an elite defense. New York is banged up defensively, which will allow Fitzpatrick and Co. to be able to move the football. As for the Bills, they are one of the worst defensive team's in the league.

This will be a close one in which the Bills come away with yet another surprising win.