NFL Week 6 Picks: New Orleans Saints To Win Another Big Game Against New England Patriots

New York Giants (0-5) at Chicago (3-2)

The Bears have dropped two games in a row, but a match-up in Chicago against the winless and hapless Giants may be just what the doctor ordered.

Eli Manning threw another three interceptions last week, giving him 12 on the season already. That’s slightly more than two picks a game.

Chicago wins.

Green Bay (2-2) at Baltimore (3-2)

The Packers are both fifth in the league in rushing yards per game average and fifth in rushing yards allowed per game. Both are good figures, but the Packers are once again banged up. Starting running back James Starks and starting linebackers Clay Matthews and Brad Jones have all been ruled out for the game against the Ravens.

That’s not to say that the Packers haven’t had success with an inconsistent running game or porous defense before, but this week it may be too much to overcome.

The Ravens are 2-0 at home and last week against Miami they finally got Ray Rice going, as he rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns, while Bernard Pierce was also able to get 46 yards on 11 carries.

Baltimore wins.

Cincinnati (3-2) at Buffalo (2-3)

Rookie starting quarterback E.J. Manuel is out and instead of starting back-up Jeff Tuel, the Bills promoted Thad Lewis from the practice squad. Lewis has played in one game in his career (last season with Cleveland) and is 22 of 32 with 204 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception.

It’s not a terrible line. He’ll have his hands full against the Bengals though. Cincinnati is 11th in the league in passing yards allowed per game and does a good job against the run too, ranking 10th in rushing yards allowed per game. They held Tom Brady to 197 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception last weekend, while sacking him four times and holding the Pats to six points.

Cincinnati wins.

Detroit (3-2) at Cleveland (3-2)

The Lions had a dud of a game last week and lost, while the Browns held on for a road victory.

Cleveland’s defense is stingy, but the Browns offense did look better with Brian Hoyer under center rather than Brandon Weeden, though the second-year quarterback did a fine job in relief last Thursday.

What hurts the Lions is not knowing the status of Calvin Johnson, who has a knee injury and didn’t play last week. Still, they are more talented at the skill positions than the Browns.

Detroit wins.

St. Louis (2-3) at Houston (2-3)

It’s no secret: Matt Schaub has been bad this season. He has nine interceptions on the year, he threw three interceptions last week, and he has thrown a pick-six in each of the past four games.

Houston isn’t a bad team, however. It was a bad game against the 48ers but they still have a strong defense and running game. They are just more talented than the Rams, even though St. Louis won last week.

Houston wins.

Carolina (1-3) at Minnesota (1-3)

The Vikings signed recently released Josh Freeman, but don’t plan to play him Sunday. That being said, Matt Cassel did a fine job in his first game of the season, going 16-25 for 248 yards and two touchdowns.

The Panthers are 0-2 on the road. With Adrian Peterson running the ball behind him, if Cassel can have another solid outing like he did two weeks ago the Vikings should be in decent shape at home against another struggling team.

Minnesota wins.

Oakland (2-3) at Kansas City (5-0)

The Raiders got a win over the Chargers last week at home. They did, however, almost let a 24-3 lead slip away before converting on third and long and getting a field goal to get back to a two-score lead.

Things, as they always are, will be tougher in Kansas City, who got a victory in Tennessee last week.

Kansas City wins.

Pittsburgh (0-4) at New York Jets (3-2)

Geno Smith had his finest game as an NFL quarterback, in prime time nonetheless. He completed 80 percent of his passes, threw for three touchdowns and didn’t throw an interception.

The Jets defense has been good thus far this season and getting Mike Goodson active gives the running game a boost – he rushed for 32 yards on three carries last week.

I don’t expect Pittsburgh to be winless all season, but at home the Jets should continue to ride the current momentum they have.

New York jets win.

Philadelphia (2-3) at Tampa Bay (0-4)

The Buccaneers got a much needed week off last week because things were quickly spiraling out of control, especially with former quarterback Josh Freeman. Freeman is released, but it’s questionable if this team can turn things around. It’s been a lot of losing over the past three seasons.

They’ve struggled offensively this season, as they are 31st in the league in both yards per game and points per game. They might have problems keeping up with the Eagles, who are second in yards per game and eighth in points per game.

Philadelphia wins.

Jacksonville (0-5) at Denver (5-0)

The Broncos are a historical 28-point favorite over the Jaguars. It may be a tough cover, but there’s a reason the line is that high.

Denver wins.

Tennessee (3-2) at Seattle (4-1)

The Seahawks lost their first game of the season last week, but they haven’t lost a home game since 2011.

The Titans put up a decent effort against the Chiefs, but Ryan Fitzpatrick did throw two interceptions. Seattle is tied for the most takeaways in the league, with 15. They have seven interceptions, five of which have come at home.

Seattle wins.

New Orleans (5-0) at New England (4-1)

This is a huge match-up between two of the top teams in the league.

Right now, it looks like the Saints are rolling and on more of the same page than the Patriots. Much has been made of the Patriots lack of depth at wide receiver. Wide receivers Aaron Dobson and Danny Amendola are questionable for Sunday, as is tight end Rob Gronkowski, who has yet to play this season. Amendola and Dobson were the team’s top receivers in the team’s rough game against Cincinnati.

Last week Tom Brady completed only 47.4 percent of his passes and for only 197 yards. He was also sacked four times.

In his NFL career against Brady, Drew Brees is 3-0. The last time the Saints met the Patriots, the Saints were undefeated and Brees threw for 371 yards and five touchdowns. He has New England’s number.

New Orleans wins.

Arizona (3-2) at San Francisco (3-2)

The 49ers beat down the Texans last week. They have some momentum going up against the Cardinals. Since 2009 they are 7-1 against Arizona.

The Niners also have only lost three home regular season games since the start of the 2011 season.

San Francisco wins.

Washington (1-3) at Dallas (2-3)

Has Tony Romo failed to come through in the clutch before? Definitely. Did he throw an interception last week against Denver at the worst possible time? Yes. Should that take away from the game that he had and the season he’s having? No way.

Romo threw for 506 yards and five touchdowns last week. That’s the most yards in Cowboys history. And while Peyton Manning had seven touchdown passes in Week 1, he hasn’t thrown for that many yards in a game this season. That was also only Romo’s second interception this season.

The defense could’ve used a stop at some point against Denver, so it’s not all on Romo.

That being said, they should put up equally impressive numbers this week. The Redskins have given up the most yards per game this season.

Dallas wins.

Indianapolis (4-1) at San Diego (2-3)

Phillip Rivers’ second consecutive 400-yard game and third this season wasn’t enough to propel the Chargers past the Raiders, who previously had only one win to their name. Three interceptions, a season-high for Rivers in 2013, helped the downfall.

The Colts have won three in a row, including a big one over the Seahawks last weekend. The Colts are tied for the fewest penalties in the league with the fewest yards penalized and is second in the NFL in third-down percentage. They’re playing efficient football and getting the job done.

Indianapolis wins.

Bye Week: Atlanta, Miami

Last Week: 7-7

Overall: 49-28

Photo Credit.

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

NFL Week 6 Picks

Pittsburgh at Tennessee

On Thursday on Twitter I picked the Steelers to win.

ATLANTA over Oakland

Cincinnati over CLEVELAND

MIAMI over St. Louis

Indianapolis over NEW YORK JETS

Detroit over PHILADELPHIA

Kansas City over TAMPA BAY

BALTIMORE over Dallas

ARIZONA over Buffalo

New England over SEATTLE
 

SAN FRANCISCO over New York Giants

Minnesota over WASHINGTON

Green Bay over HOUSTON

Bye Week: Chicago, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Carolina

This Week: 0-1

Last Week 12-2

Season: 46-33

NFL Week 6 Picks: Miami Dolphins to Upset New York Jets on the Road for Win No. 1

DETROIT over San Francisco – As good as Alex Smith has played this year he hasn’t been able to produce the yards that the 49’ers would need to keep pace with the Lions.

GREEN BAY over St. Louis – The Packers are playing too well to lose at home to the winless Rams.

ATLANTA over Carolina – Look at the Falcons’ results: they win every other week. So after a loss to the Packers last week, naturally they are due for a win over the Panthers.

CINCINNATI over Indianapolis – The Bengals aren’t world beaters, but they do well against the other bad teams in the league. Their defense is playing very well and should contain the Colts.

Buffalo over NEW YORK GIANTS – The Bills played well against the Eagles and did what they had to do to win the game. The Giants played poorly and lost a game they shouldn’t have. And while they shouldn’t have lost are you really that surprised that they did?

PITTSBURGH over Jacksonville – The Steelers are banged up, but they proved last week that they aren’t done yet. And the Jaguars, to put it bluntly, stink.

Philadelphia over WASHINGTON – You just have to wonder how much longer the Eagles can keep losing. There’s too much talent here to be this bad. It’s not too late for them to turn the corner so there’s still a little bit of hope.

BALTIMORE over Houston – The Ravens have looked real good this season and the Texans are without their best offensive and defensive players.

OAKLAND over Cleveland – The Raiders had a big and emotional win last week and then went and traded for Aaron Curry because they believe they can make a push for the playoffs. Meanwhile Cleveland’s best player, Peyton Hillis, wonders how much longer he’ll be with the team.

NEW ENGLAND over Dallas – Tony Romo can throw the ball and the Pats pass defense is not very good. But are you really going to trust the “Romo Coaster” against a team that hasn’t lost at home since 2008?

New Orleans over TAMPA BAY – The Saints are the best team in the NFL in third down completion percentage. They’re really good at extending drives, scoring points and keeping the opposing offense off the field.

MINNESOTA over Chicago – This one could go either way but the Vikings finally got in the win column this week and that could give them some momentum. Adrian Peterson was huge against the Cardinals and the Bears are 28th in the NFL in rushing defense.

Miami over NEW YORK JETS – Since Rex Ryan has taken the helm of the Jets he’s 1-3 against the Dolphins and 0-2 at home. Just as tough as it is to go undefeated, it’s tough to go winless too. The Dolphins and Jets usually play close despite the records and the Jets are not only slumping but the locker room is starting to fracture.

Byes: Denver, Tennessee, Kansas City, Arizona, San Diego and Seattle

Last week: 8-5

Season: 48-29

Photo Credits.
Jason Taylor: AP Photo/J. Pat Carter

NFL Week 6 Picks

Photo Credit. AP Photo/ Bill Kostroun

Last week saw a bit of a drop in form with my picks, putting together a record of 9-5. Still, I will forge ahead and give my picks for week 6.

I am expecting the Giants- Saints game to be the best of the weekend. Denver against San Diego on Monday Night Football should also be really good (ESPN has done a good job scheduling MNF games so far this season, some really great matchups between rivals). However, there are too many matchups between really bad teams this week (Carolina-Tampa Bay, Kansas City-Washington, even St. Louis- Jacksonville) for my liking. At least they will be competitive?

Here is who I like this weekend, who do you have?

Houston (2-3) at Cincinnati (4-1)

Cedric Benson leads the league in rushing yards, Antwan Odom is tied for the league lead in sacks, and Jonathan Joseph is second in the league in interceptions. I wonder what the odds were before the season on this happening. I know you’d be lying if you told me you saw it coming. They’ve beaten three good teams (Green Bay and then division rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore, who they really need to beat to compete for a playoff spot), played lousy but won against an awful team (Cleveland) and lost on a miracle to an undefeated team. But those wins against good teams, were they just luck?

The Texans have been a mixed bad. They’re offense has looked pretty good at times, but their wins have come over Tennessee (winless) and Oakland (would be winless if it wasn’t for Kansas City). Their losses are against two decent teams (New York Jets and Arizona) and one team that is more Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde than they are (Jacksonville). It’s been tough to get a good read on where these two teams stand. I think this game will be another exciting one. Cincy has been playing out of their minds this season and the old saying going, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. I’ll take the Bengals to win this week.

Detroit (1-4) at Green Bay (2-2)

Green Bay at home against the team at the bottom of their division. Coming off a loss and a bye this is a statement week for them. They need to come out and dominate, especially if the Lions are without Calvin Johnson. Green Bay will get the job done and win this game.

Baltimore (3-2) at Minnesota (5-0)

After tearing the league apart in its first three games, the Ravens have unraveled a bit losing two in a row. Meanwhile, the Vikings have stepped it up lately, beating the Packers in one of the most anticipated games in the first half of the season and destroying St. Louis last week to remain undefeated. As I have before, I point out the Ravens fast and aggressive defense. Brett Favre has played very well this season, but he’s not a young kid anymore. Will he be able to evade Ray Lewis and company? Will he stay within himself and play smart or will he revert to the ignorant gunslinger and throw some costly turnovers into the hands of Ed Reed? However, will the Ravens defense be able to keep up with Adrian Peterson, second in the league in rushing? Last week the Ravens went up against the number one rusher in the NFL, Cedric Benson, and he snapped their streak of games not allowing a 100-yard rusher. Are they vulnerable for another attack?

Meanwhile, the Vikings D looks sharp. They have the most sacks in the league—beware Joe Flacco—and are 12th in rushing defense, which could be enough to stop Ray Rice. I may be drinking from the Viking Kool-Aid, but this team doesn’t have the questions the Ravens have developed right now and are really playing some good football. I’ll take Minnesota to win.

NY Giants (5-0) at New Orleans (4-0)

This is the marquee matchup of the weekend. Two undefeated teams. The best defense against one of the most exciting offenses. One can argue that the G-Men haven’t really been tested yet, and their top ranked “d” is a sign of the weak offenses they’ve gone up against. But this is a Super Bowl-caliber team. They have plenty of veteran leadership and guys that have been there before and know what it takes to win big games.

The Saints haven’t won those big games yet and Drew Brees has looked pretty pedestrian in his last two games, not throwing a single touchdown or breaking 200 yards passing. Even with the bye last week for an extra week to prepare for them, I don’t think Brees fares much better against arguably the strongest and deepest defense in the league. Giants will win this showdown and give New Orleans their first loss.

Cleveland (1-4) at Pittsburgh (3-2)

Cleveland is finally on the board for the ’09 season. Still, they only scored six points. Now they go to Pittsburgh, where the Steelers haven’t lost yet in this young season. If Pittsburgh is smart, they keep handing the ball off to Rashard Mendenhall, who has looked very good in Willie Parker’s absence. This should be no contest. Steelers take this one.

Carolina (1-3) at Tampa Bay (0-5)

Two anemic offenses. Two struggling defenses. It’s really a toss-up. I’ve kind of lost faith in anything the Panthers have done. Last week, against the Redskins defense, currently ranked 23rd in the league, DeAngelo Williams only rushed the ball 18 times. It was his highest total of the season (any coincidence that his highest rushing attempts total came in their only win of the season?), but I still think he needs to carry the ball more. Take the ball out of Jake Delhomme’s hands. Tampa Bay’s rush defense sits at number 29, however they have only allowed three rushing touchdowns.

Will the Panthers do the smart thing? Josh Johnson isn’t a bad quarterback and did some nice things last week. Still, three interceptions isn’t going to win you any games. Panthers Head Coach John Fox isn’t dumb; he’s had success in this league and even led the Panthers to a Super Bowl. You don’t do that with just pure lack, or by riding your players alone. He can do the job. I think he and the team take advantage of Tampa’s lack of success against the run, give Williams even more carries, and win this football game.

Kansas City (0-5) at Washington (2-3)

The Redskins are now the first team in history to start the season playing six straight winless opponents. Their record? 2-3, good enough for last place in the NFC East. They have just been a bad team. Their effort on the field has been very uninspired and it only means impending doom for Head Coach Jim Zorn. Not that the Chiefs have looked good either, but it’s very hard to go an entire season without a win, and this is as good a matchup as any for them. I’ll take the Chiefs to “upset” Washington.

St. Louis (0-5) at Jacksonville (2-3)

Jacksonville was embarrassed last week. And that led to Maurice Jones-Drew calling out the coaching staff for its selection in offensive plays and personnel. Had this been a one-time thing, I look past it. But the Jaguars haven’t been the model of consistency, and last week’s performance and Jones-Drew’s tirade are red flags for me, even against the lowly Rams. For the Rams, at least Steven Jackson looks very good this year. The team is messed up at quarterback, but I think Jackson puts the team on his shoulders and goes off against the 20th ranked run defense. I’ll take St. Louis for the win.

Arizona (2-2) at Seattle (2-3)

Matt Hasselbeck returned and the Seahawks dominated. So why is T.J. Houshmandzadeh complaining now? I would’ve understood if it was the past couple weeks, but your QB is back. Maybe he didn’t get you the ball as much as you would’ve liked last week, but it was his first game back from injury. It’s week six, still a lot of season left. Why complain now? Arizona took care of business last week. They are certainly better than Jacksonville and won’t play dead against the Seahawks. I’ll take the Cardinals to win this game.

Philadelphia (3-1) at Oakland (1-4)

Another week, another tough NFC East opponent for Oakland, who was only able to muster up seven points against the Giants last week. Meanwhile, Philadelphia has played fairly well this season. Expect more of the same from both teams, and an easy Eagles win.

Tennessee (0-5) at New England (3-2)

Another loss for Tennessee last weekend. It gets no easier in week six. While the Patriots haven’t been the juggernaut of old, they still have shown flashes. One thing New England is very good at is their passing game. They are currently fourth in the league in passing offense and have all the tools to execute. Tom Brady is still a very good quarterback, their wide receivers, led by Randy Moss and Wes Welker, are very good, and the offensive line, although it hasn’t been at its best this year, is still serviceable. Tennessee will also be without both starting cornerbacks. Nick Harper broke his arm against the Colts last week and Pro Bowler Cortland Finnegan was just recently ruled out with a right hamstring injury. Safety Vincent Fuller also has a broken arm and has not been cleared for contact. This spells disaster for the Titans and another home win for the Patriots.

Buffalo (1-4) at NY Jets (3-2)

Buffalo scored grand total of three points last week. Against Cleveland. And they lost. They have hit rock bottom. The Jets are much better than Cleveland. No way is Buffalo even close in this one at Giants Stadium. Jets win big.

Chicago (3-1) at Atlanta (3-1)

With all the media fawning over Minnesota and Green Bay, Chicago is quietly enjoying a nice 3-1 season so far. This will be a big game for them, but after a very slow start it was encouraging to see Matt Forte go off for 121 rushing yards against Detroit before the team’s bye week. Atlanta’s offense has had a very good year so far. Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, and Roddy White have all enjoyed good seasons so far, culminating in last week’s drubbing of a good 49’ers team. The Bears defense is ranked fifth in the league right now, even without Brian Urlacher, but Atlanta isn’t too far behind, ranked eighth. I feel the Falcons’ offense is more well-rounded, and will pick them to win at home.

Denver (5-0) at San Diego (2-2)

Although it never means as much this time around, you have to think Denver is thinking about getting a little bit of redemption here against the team that basically stole their playoff spot last year. Denver must also be feeling really good about themselves after their big win against New England last week. Knowshon Moreno is starting to come into his own, especially with the injury bug nagging Correll Buckhalter. Moreno still only has one rushing touchdown, earned in week three against Oakland, but the Charger’s defense has been one of the worst against the run this season, ranked 24th. I like the Broncos to continue riding their momentum and beat San Diego, remaining undefeated.

Byes: Dallas, Indianapolis, Miami, San Francisco

Last week: 9-5

Season: 31-13