NFL Predictions Week 6: Picking Each Week 6 Winner

Last Week: 10 - 3

Season: 52 - 25

Week 6 Byes: Arizona, Kansas City, Denver, San Diego, Seattle, Tennessee

The sixth week of the NFL season is upon us.  Another six teams will get a much needed week off, while six teams are coming off their byes ready to renew their quest for a playoff berth.

The buzzing story lines are the Philadelphia Eagles' repeated failures to come away with a win.  The most hyped team in the league has fallen to 1-4 and have a crucial NFC East divisional game this week to relieve the tension.

The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are both 5-0 as the last remaining unbeaten teams.  Unfortunately, even though they will play twice this year, we will have to wait until Thanksgiving day for that matchup.  What a platform though if they can keep their level of play up.

Well, a week that will hopefully have more shockers and less big injuries is only days away.  Let's jump in.

Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, 1:00 PM

It's only five weeks into the season and the Atlanta Falcons have matched their loss total from a year ago when they won the NFC South.  The Saints are quickly running away with the division and the Falcons have an early must-win against the Panthers this week.

One thing is for certain, the Panthers will score some points.  They have hung in there with the likes of the Saints, Packers and Bears this year with one-score losses in each game.  Cam Newton may be feeling the weight of four early losses, but the Panthers are proving to be what no what thought they would be this year: a tough out.

The Panthers offense will put a lot of pressure on Roddy White this week since his high-flying partner Julio Jones has been ruled out with his injured hamstring.  The Falcons will have to have a big game out of White this week with Harry Douglas stepping into the No. 2 role.

I don't think any team has been a bigger disappointment than Atlanta has besides the well publicized Eagles letdown.  If Michael Vick didn't go down in Week 2 the Falcons could be the 1-4 ball club.

They will have to get their running game back on track with Michael Turner this week and the Panthers offer a great opportunity with their No. 27 ranked rush defense.  The Falcons rely on that offensive balance and have fallen under 100 yards rushing per game this season.

If Newton can exploit the porous Falcons pass defense it will be a long afternoon in Atlanta.  I'm going to go with Matt Ryan to rebound at home though, after all he has only lost three times at home in his career.

Prediction:

Atlanta Falcons over Carolina Panthers     30 - 27

Indianapolis Colts @ Cinciannati Bengals, Sunday,1:00 PM

The Cincinnati Bengals weren't supposed to win three games all year.  They've started 3-2 and are just a half game behind AFC North-leading Baltimore.

The exciting play by Andy Dalton and A.J. Green continues to produce to the delight of the Bengals front office.  Running back Cedric Benson isn't wowing anyone with his running thus far, but his ability to take a pounding and carry the ball 20-plus times is huge for the young Dalton.

The real story is the defense of the Bengals, which ranks No. 3 against the pass and No. 7 against the run.  That's not good news for the Colts, who have been playing their hearts out without Peyton Manning, but can't seem to catch a break. 

They come in with with no running game to speak of and an improving, but still poor passing game behind Curtis Painter.  The Bengals rising defense will be a test for them, especially on the road as they try to get their first win.

The Colts inability to stop the run will mean a rare outing for Benson where his high number of carries equates to a bundle of yards.  The Bengals won't win as easily as the numbers would tell you over this scrappy Colts team, but they will still win at home.

Prediction:

Cincinnati Bengals over Indianapolis Colts     27 - 23

San Francisco 49ers @ Detroit Lions, Sunday, 1:00 PM

In what is the game of the week to many folks, the 5-0 Detroit Lions welcome the 4-1 San Francisco 49ers to Ford Field.  This game, besides catapulting one of the teams to an even more excellent start, could somewhat expose on of these two teams.  They are both red-hot and playing to similar strengths.

The 49ers and the Lions come in at No. 2 and No. 3 in the league, respectively, in turnover differential.  Both are taking care of the ball with only four turnovers apiece in five games.  Both are getting to the opposing quarterbacks with twelve sacks on the season.  And both have shown the ability to come back late in games.

This week the task will be slowing down Calvin Johnson and company for the 49ers.  No one has been able to when it counts, but doing it early in this one will be of utmost importance.  Even though the 49ers were able to come back against the Eagles after being down 20, they come in with the No. 29 passing offense in the league.

Alex Smith has played steady and smart football en route to a start few around the league thought he was capable.  He did have his season-high 291 yards passing in the comeback over Philadelphia, but the Lions have far less holes defensively and their secondary has shown an ability to jump routes that not many of San Francisco's previous opponents have.

The Lions will face one of the league's best rush defenses a week after Jahvid Best blew up against the Bears for a career-high 163 yards rushing.  The good news for the Lions is they haven't run Best more than 12 times in a game since Week 2.  They certainly rely more on their spread passing attack and will merely need to avoid the big mistakes against San Francisco's ball-hawking defense.

Detroit has more talent coming in and has a home crowd in a uproar after causing nine false starts last week. They hold on against a scrappy 49ers team.

Prediction:

Detroit Lions over San Francisco 49ers     20 - 13

St. Louis Rams @ Green Bay Packers, Sunday, 1:00 PM

The poor St. Louis Rams are coming off their bye week with a trip to Lambeau Field to face the league's hottest team. 

The Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers are rolling.  Their offense is seemingly unstoppable, only having punted a little over three times per game. 

The only weakness the Rams may have practiced on their off week to exploit, the much maligned Packers pass defense, just held the Falcons to 156 yards passing.  They also have an NFC-leading 10 interceptions.  It will be a long day for Sam Bradford as they are in danger of falling to 0-5.

Steven Jackson won't be much help, the Packers have the No. 3 rush defense in the league, allowing just 75 yards per game.

Unfortunately for the Rams they don't stand much of a chance outside of a miracle in this contest.

Prediction:

Green Bay Packers over St. Louis Rams     38 - 13

Buffalo Bills @ New York Giants, Sunday, 1:00 PM

The Buffalo Bills will make the in-state trip to play the New York Giants who just lost at home to the Seattle Seahawks in ugly fashion.

Eli Manning, who was off to an impressive start, finally imploded for the three interception game a lot of us felt coming on.  This week he faces the Buffalo Bills who have a league-high 12 interceptions and an explosive running game behind Fred Jackson.

The Bills are giving up a lot of points though, and nine of their twelve interceptions have come at home in front of their fans.  They lost their last road outing to a Bengals team that is very tough defensively.  They will try to slow down a Giants pass-rush that leads the NFL with 18 sacks thus far.

The difference in this one will be Eli Manning.  Will he turn last weeks three interceptions into a slide and revert to his play of last season, where he had 31 turnovers, or play like his first four games, where he had just two interceptions?

Even though the Bills have looked amazing in their wins against New England and Philadelphia, I think they will see a lot of Ahmad Bradshaw and Danny Ware this week to slow the tempo.

I'm calling for a turnaround for the erratic Eli Manning and a huge home win for the Giants.

Prediction:

New York Giants over Buffalo Bills     23 - 20

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, 1:00 PM

Ben Roethlisberger continues to impress when he plays through injury.  All he did was throw five touchdowns last week amid his pain. 

The Steelers will be at home again where they have been just as impressive winning both home games by a tally of 62-17. 

They will play rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert and the 1-4 Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Steelers haven't had the pass rush they are used to and have only one interception all season, but they're pass defense remains tops in the league giving up just 174 yards per game. 

It will be a struggle for the young Jaguars signal caller. The Jaguars already come in with the league's absolute worst passing offense and will lean on Maurice Jones-Drew to carry a heavy workload.

If the Steelers have been susceptible anywhere on defense it is against the run, but I just don't see Jones-Drew having the type of outing he would need to keep  them in it in Pittsburgh.

Prediction:

Pittsburgh Steelers over Jacksonville Jaguars     27 - 17

Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins, Sunday, 1:00 PM

It's gut-check time for Andy Reid's Philadelphia Eagles.  They face a possible 1-5 start as they face the division leading Washington Redskins, which would put them in a very deep hole. 

Not a lot has gone right for Michael Vick this year after attaining the big contract he wanted in the offseason.  He is surely looking over film of the games he and the Eagles were more successful and one he'll find is when the Eagles dropped 59 points in Washington a year ago.

The Redskins certainly won't face that type of beating this week, their defense is now top 10 against the run and the pass.  One place they haven't improved completely is their offense, where they average just 18 points per game the last three weeks. 

The Redskins face the unenviable task of facing an Eagles team backed against the wall.  If the Eagles can break a few plays like we all know they are capable of Rex Grossman will be hard pressed to be able to keep up with the run-first Washington offense.

This will be a slug fest, and although it's hard to put any faith in Philadelphia right now, they have to win a big game at some point right?  I mean, they're the "Dream Team," right?

Prediction:

Philadelphia Eagles over Washington Redskins     30 - 24

Cleveland Browns @ Oakland Raiders, Sunday, 4:05 PM

The Cleveland Browns have had the last two weeks to prepare for the Oakland Raiders and I hope for their sake they worked on their run-stopping. 

Joe Haden and the Browns secondary come in with the No. 4 pass defense in the entire league, but the Raiders could care less about throwing the ball up and down the field.  Jason Campbell has been a more than adequate game manager to get Oakland to 3-2. 

They focus their energy on opening lanes for their workhorse, Darren McFadden, which has worked wonders, gaining them 161 yards rushing per game.  McFadden has over 500 yards rushing through five games this season and now faces the No. 25 rush defense.

The Raiders ability to beat teams like the Texans and Jets will come into play in this one.  They won't easily give up a game to the Browns in front of their home crowd.

Prediction:

Oakland Raiders over Cleveland Browns     31 - 17

Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, 4:05 PM

The last time we saw the Baltimore Ravens they had scored three defensive touchdowns and had given up just three points to the New York Jets offense.

The Houston Texans promising start without Arian Foster was impressive, but now that he's back and in form they have lost two more key components.  It appears Andre Johnson will be out of this game and Mario Williams is on the IR, out for the season. 

Arian Foster will have a tough go of it this week against the Ravens defense, who allow just 72 yards rushing, good for No. 2 in the league.  Matt Schuab may need to throw for over 400 yards to keep Houston in this one, but without Johnson there aren't any options that will necessarily worry the Ravens.

Baltimore has played far too well on defense this year to give Houston enough scoring chances to win this game, especially without one of the game's best wide receivers.

Prediction:

Baltimore Ravens over Houston Texans     24 - 13

Dallas Cowboys @ New England Patriots, Sunday, 4:15

The Patriots offense has been a machine this season.  They have the leagues best passing attack, as you probably could have guessed, but also sport the No. 6 rushing attack.  They have won games on the back of Tom Brady for years, but have one of the more balanced attacks we've seen from them in awhile.

The Cowboys are coming off their bye week and had most previously blown a 27-3 lead to the Detroit Lions.  The Cowboys actually present the type of matchup problems that could beat the Patriots.  When they're offense has been on this season it has looked very good moving through the Jets and the Lions in their defeats. 

Late barrages of turnovers have cost the Cowboys excellent games in their two losses.  A sharp game from Tony Romo would keep the Cowboys in this one.  Their pass rush also presents problems for the Patriots in a way they haven't seen this year. 

Tom Brady, who always seems comfortable behind his line, may have to force some throws with DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer coming off the edge with great success this year.

I think we can all expect a great game with explosive players on both sides, especially with Miles Austin returning this week.  I can only hope for Tony Romo's sake he doesn't blow another tremendous outing from the rest of the team.

Prediction:

Dallas Cowboys over New England Patriots     31 - 30

New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, 4:15 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a 3-2 football team, but they haven't necessarily put their stamp on the type of football they want to play. 

They haven't run the ball particularly well, which is important to the type of passing game they have with Josh Freeman.  Their defense hasn't been up to par either.  They are also coming off of a total dismantling by the 49ers in a 48-3 loss.

The Saints, on the other hand, know their bread and butter.  Let Drew Brees air it out.  And they do it well, averaging over 336 yards per game on their way to an NFC-best 31 points per game.

They were only out-dueled in their first game of the season by a near perfect game by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, but still managed to score 34 points. 

The Bucs come in with the No. 20 pass defense in the league and will rely on aging star Ronde Barber and the talented Aqib Talib to slow down Drew Brees receivers. 

The problem there is Drew Brees ability to incorporate other weapons.  Tight end Jimmy Graham has eclipsed 100 yards receiving three straight games and running back Darren Sproles always finds a way to contribute via the air.

This will be too much for Tampa Bay, who probably would have liked an easier opponent to bounce back from after their 48-3 beating by the 49ers.

Prediction:

New Orleans Saints over Tampa Bay Buccaneers     37 - 23

Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears, Sunday, 8:20 PM

The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears has been a classic matchup for years.  They'll face off on Sunday night which will be Chicago's second straight primetime game.

They will be big beneficiaries of playing at their home field this week after nine false starts in Detroit Monday night.  Jay Cutler has been running for his life all season and now he'll be doing it some more.

Jared Allen and company may have lost Ray Edwards, but they are second in the league with 16 sacks this season.  They also boast the No. 5 rush defense in the league and will look to shut down Matt Forte, who has been on a tear rushing and receiving. 

The Donovan McNabb era got its first win last week, but it didn't have anything to do with an aerial attack from him.  Adrian Peterson, who historically performs better at home, had three touchdowns last week against Arizona.  This week they hit the road, but will be in need of a similar performance out of Peterson.

The Bears problems up front, whether it be false starts or faulty pass protection, are really putting a hamper on the Bears playoff chances. The line has to improve and has the benefit of being at Soldier Field this week, but will face a ferocious pass rush.

I'm going to go against the grain in this one and say Minnesota will string together two straight wins after a horrid start to their season and further the Bears recent failures.

Prediction:

Minnesota Vikings over Chicago Bears     24 - 23

Miami Dolphins @ New York Jets, Monday, 8:30 PM

The Jets have lost three straight games now.  Before their loss to the Patriots, head coach Rex Ryan said they would go back to the "ground and pound."  They only gained 97 yards rushing in that game at 3.9 yards per carry.

Now they have traded No. 3 receiver Derrick Mason to the Houston Texans to further prove their point that they will look to their run game to reverse their fortunes,

That puts a lot of pressure on Shonn Greene who hasn't strung together many productive rushing games outside of the playoff run two years ago when he was a rookie. 

The good news for the Jets is they catch the Miami Dolphins, whose quarterback issues have gone from bad to worse with the loss of Chad Henne for the season.  Matt Moore will man the show for the Dolphins against the Jets boisterous, but recently beaten defense.

They are still near the top of the league in pass defense, but have been torn up against the run.  Daniel Thomas and Reggie Bush will try to keep the Dolphins in this one.  The Dolphins historically play the Jets very tough even when they are the inferior team.

Asking Matt Moore to beat Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie is asking a lot for a guy who hasn't seen a lot of action in the league.

Prediction:

New York Jets over Miami Dolphins     16 - 6