NFL Picks Week 6: New York Jets and Other Teams That Must Win

The New York Jets and several other playoff hopefuls enter Week 6 of the NFL regular season in must-win scenarios.

For the Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles and Jets, cold weather and high-stakes divisional play is nearing. All of these franchises enter the weekend with a losing record.

The following matchups should rank among the weekend's best because the necessity to win often leads to terrific performances.

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers

Jacksonville is only a contender by default. The AFC South division is arguably the weakest in football.

Other than the Jaguars, the first-place Houston Texans (3-2) have just lost former No. 1 overall pick Mario Williams for the season, the Tennessee Titans (3-2) have an awful offensive line and the Peyton Manning-less Indianapolis Colts (0-5) cannot compete.

Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert was pushed into the starting role too early and he has not been accurate. With that said, he is coming off his most effective game to date (15-28, 221 YDS, 1 TD, 0 INT).

For Pittsburgh, running back Rashard Mendenhall seems ready to return the lineup. QB Ben Roethlisberger played brilliantly in his absence last week. Together, they should be effective against Jacksonville's middle-of-the-road defense.

The Jaguars are lucky to be alive at all with a 1-4 record. They will need this upset victory to turn their season around.

Minnesota Vikings (1-4) at Chicago Bears

Only the aforementioned Jacksonville Jags have had a weaker passing attack in 2011 than the Minnesota Vikings (155.8 yards per game). However, Donovan Mcnabb is far more competent than Gabbert. The reason for his lack of production is Minnesota's offensive philosophy, which results in fewer passing plays.

They move the ball with Adrian Peterson, who scored three touchdowns in the first quarter in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Wide receiver Percy Harvin has become a backfield contributor as well. Aside from 183 receiving yards in this season, Harvin has rushed for another 153 on just 13 attempts. He is expected to play this weekend despite a rib injury.

Defensive end Jared Allen is rebounding beautifully from a subpar 2010. Allen is a sack machine, but he will need to be effective against the run too. Chicago's Matt Forte is in the midst of a special season.

The Vikings must win this game any way they can to compete in the loaded NFC North. The Detroit Lions (5-0) and Green Bay Packers (5-0) appear to be legitimate.

Atlanta Falcons (2-3) vs. Carolina Panthers

Atlanta has already lost as many contests this season as it did in a superb 2010 division-winning campaign. Everybody deserves some of the blame for the slow start.

Overall, quarterback Matt Ryan has been accurate, but he is also responsible for nine turnovers—six interceptions and three lost fumbles—in only five games.

The defense got a lot of pressure against superstar Aaron Rodgers last week but still surrendered nearly 400 passing yards.

Rookie wideout Julio Jones (25 Rec, 358 Yds) has already been ruled out for the Panthers' game. On the bright side, the Falcons dominated their division rival without him last season.

Philadelphia Eagles (1-4) at Washington Redskins

Next, there is the "Dream Team" that has quickly spun out of control into a nightmare. Week 6's showdown versus the division-leading Washington Redskins may be their last chance to wake up.

Quarterback Michael Vick has not had the same luck as in 2010. Seven of his errant passes have been intercepted compared to only six a season ago.

Their offense has excelled despite Vick's struggles. Instead, their major concern Sunday will be stopping the run, a stat in which the Eagles currently rank 30th. It will be a classic matchup of weakness against weakness.

New York Jets (2-3) vs. Miami Dolphins

The New York Jets have arguably the luckiest draw out of these five must-win teams. The winless Miami Dolphins (0-4)—granted, they are coming off a bye week—will be sizable underdogs.

Although talented, the Jets have been unable to orchestrate break-away plays on offense this season (besides LaDainian Tomlinson's 74-yard catch and run).

Center Nick Mangold played last week against New England but has been held out of practice in preparation for Monday night.

Wide receiver Derrick Mason was traded to Houston earlier in the week, giving quarterback Mark Sanchez one less available option.

The star-studded defense was inexplicably worn down by the Patriots' BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Reggie bush and company should not present as much of a challenge.