NFL picks and predictions for Week 6

Note: This pick was posted in our TNF thread on Thursday. I am listing it here for record-keeping purposes.

Thursday Night Football: The Broncos will have Trevor Siemian back under center for this Thursday night game, which is good news for their offense because first-round pick Paxton Lynch looked a bit overwhelmed this past Sunday. One thing that is certain about the San Diego Chargers is that you’re guaranteed to see a hotly-contested, down-to-the-wire game. It’s just unfortunate for them that they keep ending up on the losing side of those affairs, which will eventually cost Mike McCoy his job. Broncos 31, Chargers 23

Scapegoat Coordinators: I was all gung ho about the Giants' start to the season (2-0), but they've dropped three straight games in large part due to their offensive woes. Their running game has been lacking, and Odell Beckham is not having the type of impact this team needs to be a contender. It's not all about stats. The Ravens have made a change at the offensive coordinator position. While it worked for a team like Buffalo, I think it's more indicative of an offense that just doesn't have all the tools. This will be an ugly game with the Giants snapping their losing streak. Giants 20, Ravens 16

Blowout of the Week: This match-up features the 1-4 Panthers vs. the 1-3 Saints. "Yuck" is a word that best describes the Panthers' play this season, but that team is still in good shape offensively and defensively if Cam Newton can settle down a bit in his return game. The Saints won't be able to move the ball enough against Carolina's defense, while Newton will have his best game of the year in a lopsided affair. Panthers 35, Saints 14

Hoyer the Destroyer: Even though he's 1-2, Brian Hoyer is doing an unbelievable job with a rather untalented Chicago offense. He's thrown for over 1,000 yards and has 6 touchdowns to 0 interceptions in those three starts. I expect that success to continue against the Jaguars, and even though Chicago's defense is nothing to brag about, they can tame Jacksonville's offense long enough to pull this one out. Bears 21, Jaguars 20

Coin Toss of the Week: One of the teams I feel like I have no good read on is the Detroit Lions. The Rams had a chance to show they're a contender last week, and instead they were exposed for the limitations of Case Keenam on offense, and some defensive concerns were fleshed out for the second time in three weeks. Those issues will persist this week long enough for Matthew Stafford to lead a game-winning drive. Lions 23, Rams 20

Game of the Week: These two teams are fun to watch. Taking the Carson Wentz-Browns connection out of the picture, Philadelphia is like must-see football right now, and Washington's getting to that point too again after Kirk Cousins has re-discovered his mojo. What will happen when both of them collide? The big thing that stands out to me is that even though the Redskins beat the Browns a couple of weeks ago, they were atrocious in tackling. Eagles 27, Redskins 21

Blowout of the Week, Part II: We're going to look back later in the year and say, "yep, the Browns definitely should have beaten the Dolphins," because they appear to be the worst team in football. Who knows -- maybe it'll work out and end up getting Cleveland a better draft position than them. The Steelers are riding high right now, and there is zero chance that things suddenly click for Miami to stop them. Steelers 34, Dolphins 10

The Kaepernick Show Returns: If we had to sit through another week of Blaine Gabbert, I would've picked the Bills here. Going to Colin Kaepernick, who just restructured his contract, sends my level of intrigue through the roof. I think Kaepernick will respond with his best game in years to pull off a mini-upset. 49ers 24, Bills 17

Carr Keeps on Rolling: Epic comeback against the Chargers. Flat against the Texans. Dominate the Jets. Blown out by the Steelers. Bye week. The Chiefs have been anything but consistent this year, and they are coming off of a bye week. They run into an offensive juggernaut in the Oakland Raiders, who are for real. Oakland's defense is still beatable, but I don't think the Chiefs' defense will do enough to stop Oakland's offense. Raiders 30, Chiefs 23

Game of the Week, Part II: The Falcons might be viewed as the hottest team in football, but remember that Seattle looked back to their scary form in the two weeks prior to their bye. Their offensive surge, led by the Russell Wilson to Jimmy Graham connection, will continue, and their defense will stop Atlanta's momentum like other units haven't. Seahawks 27, Falcons 21

Game of the Week, Part III: I've got three "game of the week" match-ups this week, and all three belong to the NFC. Dallas' ground game has really taken off as each week passes, and Dak Prescott is trying to build his case to remain the starter when Tony Romo is back. I think that claim for Prescott will take a slight hit this week at Lambeau Field, where Aaron Rodgers will put on a clinic in a tightly-contested battle. Packers 28, Cowboys 23

Sunday Night Football: Why can't we have nice prime time games any more? I can't complain too much -- you want to find a balance between representing a wide array of teams and having interesting match-ups. Before the season started, this looked like a good match-up. With the egg the Texans laid in prime time a few weeks ago and Brock Osweiler's hot-and-cold tendencies, this doesn't scream like a game people want to tune in to. Colts 23, Texans 13

Monday Night Football: Heading into the year, this looked like a great match-up of a defensive powerhouse in the AFC vs. the best all-around team in the NFC. Instead, we have two teams where the quarterback play has been below average, and the Jets' secondary has been terrible. Carson Palmer is back from his concussion and should find enough success against that aforementioned Jets secondary. Plus, having the best running back in the game doesn't hurt either. Cardinals 30, Jets 14