For the first time since Week 3, every game scheduled for this week is still on. My week 6 NFL picks are here, and with many star players returning from injuries or COVID, I think a lot of scoring will happen across the league today in an exciting slate of games. Last week, I went 10-4 in pick’em, bringing my overall record to 49-27-1 (I am 43-17-1 over the last 4 weeks). Keep reading to see my picks for today.

Lock of the Week

QB Drew Lock might be back, but the Broncos offense is still decimated by injuries. RB Melvin Gordon, WR Courtland Sutton, and TE Noah Fant are missing. I expect the Pats D to slow down RB Phillip Lindsay and utilize CB Stephon Gilmore in his return to shadow WR Jerry Jeudy. The Pats offense won’t do anything spectacular but look sharper in QB Cam Newton’s return. They should put up more than enough points in a shutout victory.

Upset of the Week

This Bengals D is definitely better than it was in 2019, especially with star DT Geno Atkins back. Expect them to put pressure on QB Philip Rivers and his receivers, forcing Rivers to throw repeated checkdowns to the RBs. Meanwhile, I think QB Joe Burrow has enough weapons to lead the Bengals to victory in Indy despite o-line concerns.

The Other Games

Sunday, 1PM EST	This Eagles D has struggled all off-season and I don’t expect that to change against QB Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Jackson will run the ball well in addition to relying on TE Mark Andrews, who has an excellent matchup with Philly lacking at LB. I think QB Carson Wentz will post a decent game as TE Zach Ertz bounces back. However, 4 total TD by Lamar Jackson plus 3 field goals by Justin Tucker will allow the Ravens to win with ease.
Sunday, 1PM EST	This will be a close battle between two potential playoff teams. I think the Browns offense will struggle though, as QB Baker Mayfield and his receivers are banged up and the Steelers have been excellent against the run. I don’t think the Steelers offense will dominate either, but they’ll put up enough points to win at home.
Sunday, 1PM EST	Sure, the Titans may have been able to take down Buffalo, but neither team was sure they were going to play. The Texans had a full week to prepare and have improved in all three aspects of the game under interim HC Romeo Crennel. Expect the Texans to put up enough points to pull off the upset against a still depleted Titans squad.
Sunday, 1PM EST	The Lions offense has showed promise all season. I think they’ll put it all together this week and dominate against a below average Jaguars D. Expect Adrian Peterson and D’Andre Swift to coexist in the backfield, all while QB Matthew Stafford connects well with WRs Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones. QB Gardner Minshew and the Jags will make it close but I think they will fall just short.
Sunday, 1PM EST	Both of these defenses have been outperforming expectations, and I expect that to show in this one. This will be a low scoring affair, as the Giants easily slow down QB Alex Smith’s limited arsenal of weapons and Washington succeeds at stuffing the run and applying pressure on QB Daniel Jones. I think the Giants pickup their first win in a close one, becoming the first home team to win at MetLife Stadium since the XFL’s Guardians did it in early 2020.
Sunday, 1PM EST	The Falcons should be able to put up a fight as QB Matt Ryan utilizes the WR duo of Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley against Minnesota’s lackluster group of corners. However, I don’t see the Falcons finishing this one on a high note. Minnesota may be missing RB Dalvin Cook, but Alexander Mattison should do fine filling in. Meanwhile, QB Kirk Cousins and his receivers will put up a big game against a flawed Falcons secondary.
Sunday, 1PM EST	RB Mike Davis has been successful in the Christian McCaffrey role so far, but the Bears are familiar with him. The already strong Bears front seven should be able to stop their former RB. I think WRs D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson will do alright, but that won’t be enough to get past a Bears team that’s been exceeding expectations all season.
Sunday, 4:05 PM EST	This Jets offense is already missing 2 of its 3 starting WRs. Without RB Le’Veon Bell, I expect it to look even more anemic. Meanwhile, Dolphins RBs Myles Gaskin and Matt Breida will run all over the Jets defense to complement another big game from QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins might not be playoff contenders, but they are miles better than the lowly Jets.
Sunday, 4:25 PM EST	This will be an exciting game. It’s a match-up of long time Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers and new Tampa Bay QB Tom Brady. It’s Brady vs. Rodgers, Battle of the Bays. Green Bay is favored, and I do expect a big game from Rodgers with WR Davante Adams back. It won’t be enough to beat out this stacked Buccaneers offense though. Tampa has struggled at times, but this week Brady’s new offense is at full strength and the chemistry is finally there.
Sunday, 8:20 PM EST	The 49ers have underperformed so far this year. QB Jimmy Garoppolo was probably banged up last week though, and I expect a bounce back game this week. The full strength Niners offense should be able to beat out the top heavy Rams D that’s led by DT Aaron Donald and CB Jalen Ramsey. I think LA will put up a decent amount of points against a 49ers defense that is still banged up, but fall short by a significant amount nonetheless.
Monday, 5PM EST	I think QB Josh Allen will thrive against a flawed Chiefs D, succeeding as a runner and connecting well with WR Stefon Diggs. Even the Bills D can’t completely stop QB Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, but the Raiders were able to hold them back enough to win. I think the Bills, a team that comfortably took down Vegas, can do the same.
Monday, 8:15 PM EST	I think this one will come down to the wire. If we have an overtime game this week, it’ll probably be this one. QB Andy Dalton is no Dak Prescott, but I think he’ll be able to succeed with excellent surroundings. It still won’t quite be enough to beat out QB Kyler Murray and a Cardinals offense that’s explosive at times. These Cardinals should put up a good amount of points against a Cowboys D that has struggled all year.

That’s all for my picks this week. Stay tuned for more NFL posts soon, and in the meantime, enjoy your Football Sunday.