NFL Week Six Predictions

By Brett Malamud

Thursday is here and that can only mean one thing. Yes, get ready for  another week of football with the week six predictions:

Byes: New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs

-Colts (3-2) at Texans (3-2), Thursday @ 8:25 PM EST

Thursday Night Football this week could turn out more intriguing than not. The Texans will attempt to knock off the Colts in Houston. The Texans have the most takeaways in the NFL and have allowed the fourth fewest points in the league. Andrew Luck hopes to change that. Luck passed for 312 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions last week. With that performance, Luck passed for at least 300 yards in four out of his last five games. As he heads to Houston, I believe he’ll do just that and lead the Colts to the victory. Verdict: Colts

-Steelers (3-2) at Browns (2-2), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

Down 28-0, the Browns stormed back to take a 29-28 shocker in Tennessee last weekend. This week they return home and turn their attention to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers had a rough time in Jacksonville, barely escaping with a 17-9 victory over the winless Jaguars. Roethlisberger wasn’t anything special, throwing for less than 300 yards. This week’s matchup could pose well for Cleveland and I think they’ll get it done, disposing of the Steelers. Verdict: Browns

-Patriots (3-2) at Bills (3-2), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

A battle in the AFC East sees the Patriots travel to Buffalo to face the Bills. Tom Brady threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns against the Bengals. Brady heads into this one with a career 22-2 record as a starter against the Bills. The Bills escaped with a last second field goal in Detroit, but with Kyle Orton leading the team at quarterback, I’m not sure they’ll match up with New England. Verdict: Patriots

-Panthers (3-2) at Bengals (3-1), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

Cam Newton has been a huge disappointment thus far for fantasy owners, more specifically in the run game. Newton has not ran the same way that he used to. Last week, he finished with six carries for nine yards. He’ll face a tough Bengals defense this week. The Bengals come off of their loss to the Patriots last week. I think they’ll bounce back though and take down Cam Newton. Verdict: Bengals

-Jaguars (0-5) at Titans (1-4), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

Here is my Game of the Weak. How many times am I going to say that the Jaguars stink? I seem to say it each and every week, but it’s finally setting in that they’re simply put: awful. They still have yet to win a game, although they gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a run for their money last week. I’m taking the Titans, who I’ll take off of the hook this week, even though they’re not the best of teams either. Verdict: Titans

-Packers (3-2) at Dolphins (2-2), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

The Dolphins come off of their bye week and welcome the Green Bay Packers. The Packers had that huge blowout against the Vikings last Thursday and come into this one with their heads held high. The Dolphins will have a tough task in slowing down Aaron Rodgers. I’m taking the Packers. Verdict: Packers

-Lions (3-2) at Vikings (2-3), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

The Lions will have a tough time if they cannot get Calvin Johnson in the lineup. The wide receiver has a high ankle sprain and has been bothered by it all week. If he can’t go, keep an eye on Golden Tate. He’ll get the majority of targets from Matt Stafford. The Vikings were embarrassed by the Green Bay Packers last week. Minnesota was without quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, but this week will be different. I’m expecting a close game, with the Lions taking the victory. Verdict: Lions

-Broncos (3-1) at Jets (1-4), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

Earlier today, Dabuzzza writer Jack Allen had a piece on the Jets small chance at beating the Denver Broncos (Which you can check out here). I’m a Jets fan, and while I can relate to Jack’s optimism, I just can’t see any good outcomes this week for Gang Green. The Jets have been a disgrace this season, and that starts at the quarterback position. Geno Smith had the worst game he’s ever had in San Diego. He was 4-for-12 with 27 passing yards and an interception. Head coach Rex Ryan turned to backup quarterback Michael Vick in the second half last week, opting to pull Smith out. The Jets lost their fourth straight game and were shutout by the Chargers. Rex Ryan’s job has been put in jeopardy and if the Jets hoped that they can move past their struggles, they’ll most likely have to wait until next week. Peyton Manning comes off of a game against the tough Arizona Cardinals defense that saw him throw for 479 yards and four touchdowns. Do you really think that the Jets defense is great? Sure, they’re pretty good on the run but their secondary? There’s no way that the Broncos lose this one. They’ll send the Jets into their Thursday night matchup in New England with a loss. Verdict: Broncos

-Ravens (3-2) at Buccaneers (1-4), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

The Ravens took a loss to a red-hot Colts team last week. The Buccaneers kept up with the Saints for the entire game, before falling to them. But, the Buccaneers put up 31 points, much to my surprise. Doug Martin will need to take over the game to win. With that, I’m taking still Joe Flacco’s Ravens. Verdict: Ravens 

-Chargers (4-1) at Raiders (0-4), Sunday @ 4:05 PM EST

The Chargers come off of a 31-0 shutout over the New York Jets. Were the Chargers really good or were the Jets just really bad? I think it was a bit of both but more from the Jets being bad. Chargers rookie running back Branden Oliver ran for 114 yards and a touchdown. Oliver also caught four passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. The Raiders fired their head coach and brought in Tony Sparano as the interim head coach. They’ll come off the bye, still winless. Expect that to remain the same after they host San Diego. Verdict: Chargers

-Bears (2-3) at Falcons (2-3), Sunday @ 4:25 PM EST

Chicago took that loss to the Panthers to drop them below .500 for the season. The Bears turned the ball over four times, an inexcusable number. Atlanta headed into MetLife Stadium ready to take advantage of Eli Manning. They headed out with a loss though, after blowing a ten point lead. Matt Ryan still looks good though, and playing in the Georgia Dome should help to propel them to a victory. Verdict: Falcons

-Cowboys (4-1) at Seahawks (3-1), Sunday @ 4:25 PM EST

This is my game of the week. Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson completed 18-of-24 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson also had 11 carries for 122 yards and another touchdown. The Seahawks had two more touchdowns that were taken away by penalties in their win over Washington. Dallas escaped Houston in overtime. Can Tony Romo handle the 12th Man? I don’t think that he can, and that Seattle will defeat the Cowboys. Verdict: Seahawks

Tony Romo hopes to beat the Seahawks this week (Via AP)

-Redskins (1-4) at Cardinals (3-1), Sunday @ 4:25 PM EST

The Redskins fell to the Seahawks last week, and the Cardinals to the Broncos. The Cardinals defense should manhandle the Redskins offense in route to the victory Verdict: Cardinals

-Giants (3-2) at Eagles (4-1), Sunday @ 8:30 PM EST

The Giants had a comeback effort against the Falcons last week. The Eagles, meanwhile, had an average game against the St. Louis Rams at home. This Sunday Night Football matchup should be a good one though, as most Giants-Eagles games are. I’m going to go with my gut and take the Eagles. It’ll be a close one though. Verdict: Eagles

-49ers (3-2) at Rams (1-3), Monday @ 8:30 PM EST

The St. Louis Rams stuck with the Eagles last week, losing by just six points. Austin Davis threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns, two of which to wide receiver Brian Quick. It’s safe to say that the young quarterback looks settled in. The 49ers come off of a win against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, five out of their six scoring drives only went for field goals. The offense will have to continue to work on getting into the red zone before they start running into trouble. I’m gonna pick them here though. Verdict: 49ers