Quick Picks; Week Six
Every week throughout the season, we make our Quick Picks (in bold) on the upcoming slate of games, focusing on the key points for each match-up. After a strange Week Five, predicting which team will win each week is becoming increasingly difficult. Here are Week Six’s picks.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Carolina Panthers (TNF)
Both teams were dominant last week and look like true playoff contenders. Carolina’s run game was shut down by Detroit and will struggle against Philadelphia’s front. But Cam Newton is on 2015 form and his three big targets (Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, and Ed Dickson) should outmuscle a thin Eagles secondary.
Miami Dolphins @ Atlanta Falcons
Miami has looked lifeless on offense across the last three games and will struggle to keep pace with Atlanta. The Dolphins need a monster game from running back Jay Ajayi to get back on track. Miami’s secondary is also thin, so Julio Jones could finally have a dominant game.
Chicago Bears @ Baltimore Ravens
Is Baltimore’s offense back? Or was that a mirage due to facing Oakland’s porous defense? The same question can be asked of their offense. For Chicago, it’s clear that Mitch Trubisky is a better fit for their offense than Mike Glennon and showed promise in his Monday Night debut. The Bears should bully Baltimore on the ground.
Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans
DeShone Kizer’s benching against the Jets raises fresh quarterback questions for Cleveland. Although losing J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus hurts Houston, Jadeveon Clowney could have a monster game. Expect Deshaun Watson, who has the Texans’ offense rolling, make the Browns pay for passing on him in a blowout beat-down.
Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
Aaron Rodgers is a one man show in playoff form, and may have found an effective runner in rookie Aaron Jones. Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon could struggle against Mike Daniels, and Minnesota will likely have to roll with Case Keenum yet again on a short week.
Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints
Detroit seems to have found a running game, and Matthew Stafford should finally have a 300 yard day this season against the Saints’ defense. Meanwhile, Drew Brees could struggle against a good, opportunistic Lions defense.
New England Patriots @ New York Jets
With a long week after the win in Tampa Bay, expect Bill Belichick to have made more adjustments to a Patriots defense coming off its best game of the season. But can the offensive line protect Brady enough? The Jets have played well, but lack playmakers to compete with a New England team who thrives on criticism.
San Francisco 49ers @ Washington Redskins
The 49ers are coming off another close loss while the Redskins are coming off a bye. Washington should’ve had time to make adjustments on offense and have a defense that is playing well. They may even get star cornerback Josh Norman back to shadow former team-mate Pierre Garcon.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals suffered a beat-down in Philadelphia, with Carson Palmer coming under intense pressure from pass rushers. But the Buccaneers have struggled to rush quarterbacks this season and that could give Arizona a chance for a sneaky win. Adrian Peterson also joins to try and give their running game a jolt. Tampa Bay still hasn’t really clicked on offense since their opening win over Chicago.
Los Angeles Rams @ Jacksonville Jaguars
The Rams missed chances against Seattle and now face another defense loaded at every level. The Jaguars are coming off another dominant performance after five interceptions and holding Le’Veon Bell to 47 yards rushing. Teams can run on the Rams, as Washington proved, and Leonard Fournette could have another big game.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs
Pittsburgh is still struggling on offense. The Chiefs’ defense has been good this year and could cause more issues. The Steelers may not be able to handle Kansas City’s versatile offense and Andy Reid’s cast of playmakers. Pittsburgh struggles against the run, so expect yet another big game for rookie Kareem Hunt.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Oakland Raiders
Los Angeles finally won a game against the free-falling Giants and could score plenty of points against the Raiders’ defense. But if Derek Carr is back, Oakland’s offense is primed for a reawakening that could result in another close loss for the Chargers.
New York Giants @ Denver Broncos (SNF)
With his top three receivers injured against Los Angeles and Odell Beckham gone for the year with a broken fibula, Eli Manning has no one to beat Denver’s defense with. The Broncos are coming off a bye and look set for a comfortable win to help them keep pace with the Chiefs.
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans (MNF)
The Titans looked woeful without Marcus Mariota, but the Colts have been serviceable with Jacoby Brissett. Both defenses leave a lot to be desired, so it could be a high scoring game. Is Marlon Mack set to ascend to the lead back role for Indy? If Matt Cassel plays in place of Mariota, Brissett could lead the Colts to a big divisional win despite Andrew Luck missing another week.
