NFL Week 6 Picks Against The Spread

Indianapolis +3.5 over NY Jets- The Colts showed the ability to come back on the Packers last week, and will take that momentum into the Meadowlands on Sunday. Mark Sanchez will get a couple of receivers back, but they still can’t run the ball and Sanchez can’t throw it.

Cincinnati -2.5 over Cleveland- This is certainly a trap game because of the Bengals’ going on the road to face its rival with Joe Haden coming back from suspension. But I still can’t trust the Browns to win a game outright just yet. This will be close as advertised, though.

Tampa Bay -4 over Kansas City- This is easily the most pathetic matchup of the week, and I really don’t have confidence in either team. So I’ll pick the home team. The Bucs are fourth against the run, so convention would have it that they can curtail Jamaal Charles and win. TB is last against the pass? Not really much of a concern here.

Atlanta -9 over Oakland- The Raiders said they’re going to lean on Darren McFadden more this week, which is a pretty good idea since his success is the only way they can consistently win games. But Oakland is 27th against the pass and playing on the east coast, a recipe for success for Matt Ryan and the Birds.

Baltimore -3.5 over Dallas- We’ll see how good of a coach Jason Garrett is here. After a bye week to digest the mental implosion against Chicago, they have to face a really strong Ravens team on the road. I’d bet that the Cowboys aren’t up to the task.

Philadelphia -3.5 over Detroit- A lot of people have been picking the Lions, moving the line three points to a manageable number. Everyone knows Michael Vick has to protect the football, but it’ll be the Philly defense that will win this game at home.

Miami -4.5 over St. Louis- The Rams have really good corners, but won’t be able to do enough in the ground game on either side of the ball. The Dolphins are the top ranked team against the run, and I don’t trust Sam Bradford winning a road game without his top receiver in Danny Amendola.

San Francisco -6.5 over NY Giants- New York will want to throw the ball and quicken the pace against this Niners team, but I don’t think the Giants are ready for the physical game they’re about to encounter at Candlestick. It’ll be a nice wake-up call for Big Blue.

New England -3.5 over Seattle- This is going to be a close game as long as the Seahawks control the tempo and rush the passer, which is exactly what they did in their win* over Green Bay. This is a really intriguing game that can go either way, but I’ll play it safe and pick the favorite, despite being on the road.

Arizona -4 over Buffalo- Don’t you love seeing games in which the team whose QB will make the fewest mistakes will win? Me too! Ryan Fitzpatrick should make more mental errors and the Cardinals will win a low-scoring game at home despite a bad QB and no run game.

Minnesota over Washington- Yes, I know Robert Griffin III will play. But the Vikings’ pass rush being able to get to RG3 and Adrian Peterson’s ability to keep Griffin off the field will afford the Vikings a huge road win.

Green Bay +3.5 over Houston- The Texans will have to deal with the loss of Brian Cushing on a bad week, against a desperate Packers team with a ton to prove on prime time. Houston will be undefeated no more after Sunday night, and the game may not be close.