NFL Week 6: Must-See Games of the Day

Week 6 is upon us and there are many interesting storylines that will be settled on the field. Some teams are in must win situations and others are trying to keep the momentum going on their season. Every week of the NFL season is important. Teams can't make the playoffs in one week, but if things don't go as planned they can take themselves out of the picture.

This week has some great must watch games. Some of the games are critical to the teams season and others are just going to be amazing to watch.

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons

At the beginning of the year this wasn't expected to be much of a contest. Cam Newton has surprised everyone with his outstanding play and dominance of NFL secondaries since he first stepped foot into the league.

Carolina is 1-4, but every one of their loses has been by a touchdown or less. Last season Atlanta had the best record in the NFC at 13-3. Through five weeks they've already matched their loss total from last year.

This isn't quite a must win for them, but its as close as you can get.

With a matchup against Detroit next week they don't want to fall to 2-4. The biggest matchup in this game is going to be Cam Newton vs. Atlanta's secondary. Newton is fourth in the NFL with 1,610 passing yards and the Falcons have the 28th-ranked pass defense. If they want to win this game and stay in the playoff picture Atlanta is going to need to step up their defense, pressure Cam Newton and force turnovers.

Prediction

Carolina 23, Atlanta 27

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins

It's not surprising at all that the records of these teams going into their game is 3-1 and 1-4. It is surprising that the Eagles are the 1-4 team while the Skins are 3-1.

Maybe Rex Grossman isn't as delusional as everyone thought—maybe. The Eagles were supposed to be the "Dream Team" and just like their NBA equal, they're off to a rough start. They have an explosive offensive and a great secondary, but their run defense is terrible and they have the worst turnover differential in the league.

The Redskins are 3-1, but haven't had a dominant outing since Week 1. Their defense has been very good, but the past three weeks they have played the Rams, Cardinals and a banged up Cowboys team.

The matchup to watch for in this game is the Eagles top-ranked rush offense versus the Redskins sixth ranked rush defense. For the Eagles this is a must win game and for be Redskins this is a chance to prove their for real.

Prediction

Eagles 34, Redskins 24

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens

This is a matchup between two division leaders. The Ravens are currently 3-1 and the Texans 3-2. In Week 2 the Ravens were caught off guard by the Titans for their only loss of the season. In their other three games, no team in the NFL this season has looked better. They defeated the Steelers, Rams, and Jets; 35-7, 37-7, and 34-17 respectively.

This seems to finally be the Texans year to win the AFC South (with a little help from Peyton Manning's neck). They are 3-2 and finally have a good defense to compliment that explosive offense. The Texans are missing Andre Johnson when they may need him most. The Texan offense could have trouble against the league's second-ranked rush defense this weekend.

They are going to have issues running and passing the ball, don't be surprised if this game isn't as close as expected. With that said it is still a must see, both teams have good defenses and running games, so expect a good old fashioned slugfest in the trenches.

Prediction

Ravens 27, Texans 13.

Dallas Cowboys at New England Patriots

This has been he most hyped game of the week on ESPN. Every 10 minutes it seems like their saying something about Romo, or Brady, or some other storyline from this game. Just like many of you, I've gotten sick of listening to it. But when the game starts we will all see why the spotlight has shined on this game all week.

The Pats have the No. 1 offense in the NFL, but have struggled greatly on defense. The Cowboys have a good offense and the No. 1 rush defense in the league. The Cowboys know how to get after the QB, and if they want give themselves a chance to win hitting Brady better be their number one priority.

Brady is going to get his, so Romo needs to have a great game in order to keep up with the Pats high scoring offense. Expect this game to be very high scoring and very competitive. The Cowboys don't want to fall to 2-3 and Tom Brady doesn't like losing at home.

Prediction

Patriots 41, Cowboys 37

San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions

Who would have thought Niners vs. Lions would ever be the game of the week? In two of the biggest surprises of the season the Lions are 5-0 and he 49ers are 4-1. The Niners went 3-1 over the first four weeks, but they never had a real convincing win.

That was until last weekend. They faced the Buccaneers and demolished them 48-3. We'll find out against the Lions if that was a fluke or if the 49ers are the real deal. The Lions are 5-0 for the first time in over 50 years and the city of Detroit couldn't be happier.

They have a high powered offense led by Calvin Johnson and Mattew Stafford, and a defense led by Ndamukong Suh. They have the most young talent in the league, but lack experience. Both the Lions and Niners want to prove they shouldn't be messed with so expect this to be a great game.

Prediction

Lions 30, 49ers 20