Welcome back to another week of Chick’s Picks! Last week, I went 9-6, certainly not bad, but not the best either. I can do better and I am going to this week. Let’s get into week 6 picks!
Giants @ Patriots
The New England Patriots are hosting the New York Giants in what should be a blowout in the week 6 Thursday Night game. Saquon Barkley: Out. Wayne Gallman: Out. Evan Engram: Out. Sterling Shepard: Out. Daniel “Danny Dimes” Jones literally has no one to throw to. The defense already struggles as it is, and they’re playing the Patriots? Yikes. The Patriots could probably play this in their sleep. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tom Brady throws left-handed this game for shits and giggles. This game won’t be close and it won’t be entertaining. Go ahead and just write a win for the Patriots.
Final Prediction: New England Patriots 31, New York Giants 6
Panthers @ Buccaneers
The Carolina Panthers are being hosted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. If this matchup sounds familiar, it’s because these teams already faced off in the week 2 Thursday Night matchup. This ended up being a win for the Bucs, the score being 20-14. The Bucs will try to bounce back this week after their loss to the Saints. This team is wildly inconsistent. They put up 55 POINTS against the Rams the week before but failed to beat the Saints. This isn’t a knock on the Saints but the Bucs offense can be prolific, just no consistency. Even though the Bucs won the last matchup, that won’t be the case this week. The Panthers look better with Kyle Allen than Cam Newton, begging the question, is it time to move on from Cam Newton? Kyle Allen has this offense moving and Cam Newton could be looking like he’s done in Carolina. Part of the reason the offense is cooking is none other than Christian McCaffrey himself. If he wasn’t an MVP candidate already, he for sure is now. CMC leads the league in rushing yards and is third in TDs, he IS the offense. The Panthers look better with Kyle Allen, and CMC will be better against the Bucs than he was last time facing them. Look for the road win for the Panthers.
Final Prediction: Carolina Panthers 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27
Eagles @ Vikings
The Philadelphia Eagles are traveling to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in this week’s matchup. Carson Wentz. That is all. The man can flat out play. I will say almost anyone will win against the Jets right now, but the week before the Eagles beat the Packers. Other than Zach Ertz, Wentz doesn’t have reliable pieces around him. There’s talent for sure, but it’s always a question if they’ll show up. It doesn’t matter though, if you throw Carson Wentz at QB, you’ll always have a chance at winning. After some controversial comments were made in the Vikings organization, they made a strong statement last week beating the Giants. Okay, let’s slow down, beating the Giants wasn’t a strong statement, but the passing attack and Kirk Cousins actually being average was a strong statement. It’s no secret that the Eagles secondary could be a lot better than it is. They’ll have trouble containing Adam Thielen at least, and if Cousins actually throws to Diggs, maybe him too. Before the Eagles do that though, they need to shut Dalvin Cook down. If they don’t do that, it gives Kirk Cousins a little more freedom and not be as bad. If Cook gets shut down, the Eagles have a way better chance at winning. This one will be high-scoring and a toss-up but I’m gonna go with the Vikings this week.
Final Prediction: Minnesota Vikings 34, Philadelphia Eagles 31
Redskins @ Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are hosting their equal in trash-ness in the Washington Redskins. This would usually be my snooze fest of the week, BUT this game is actually going to be fun to watch. Both teams are winless, both want the number 1 pick, both have no defenses. This game has a ton of room for highlights. If you haven’t heard, Case Keenum is the starter this week for the Redskins and he will continue to hit his number 1 receiver in Terry McLaurin. For the Dolphins, Josh Rosen has started out well in games, and then the Dolphins remember who they are and get blown out. The Dolphins offense can get some confidence in this game with the horrendous defense they are playing. See the revival of Kenyan Drake and Davante Parker in this one. Alas, there HAS to be a winner in this game, (Unless you tie, eyeroll at you Detroit and Arizona). The Dolphins get their first win of the season in this one.
Final Prediction: Miami Dolphins 24, Washington Redskins 23
Texans @ Chiefs
Speaking of high scoring games with no defenses, The Houston Texans are being hosted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the must-watch early game of week 6. Two elite QBs in Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes, bad defenses, this is just a much better Dolphins and Redskins matchup. This game will have plenty of firepower to go around. Deshaun Watson has a top 3 WR in the game in DeAndre Hopkins, while Patrick Mahomes has a top 3 TE in the game in Travis Kelce. Watson also has Will Fuller, who put everyone on notice in his eye-popping performance last week. However, unfortunately for the Texans, that’s basically all they have. The Chiefs have more offensive weapons in their arsenal and they’ll plan to use it. The Chiefs will bounce back this week after surprisingly losing to the Colts, they’ll make a statement that they are still one of the best, if not the best.
Final Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs 33, Houston Texans 27
Saints @ Jaguars
The New Orleans Saints are traveling to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars in this matchup. Terry Bridgewater is 3-0 since Drew Brees went down, despite me picking against the Saints every week. The offense and defense are doing just enough to win games and Bridgewater is doing his part to hold down the fort until Brees comes back. #MinshewMania finally died down a little last week after a loss to the Panthers last week. I think it’ll die down, even more, this week after seeing how good the Saints defense actually is. Fournette needs to be consistent for Gardner Minshew to win games, it’ll depend on him. I like the Saints to win this week…HOWEVER, another of Vendetta’s own, Dan Louis, insisted I keep picking against the Saints so they can win. Therefore, just for you, I’ll pick the Jaguars.
Final Prediction: Jacksonville Jaguars 20, New Orleans Saints 17
Seahawks @ Browns
The Cleveland Browns are hosting the Seattle Seahawks in their toilet because that’s where they belong. The Browns literally got their team name inspiration by looking at dog shit on the sidewalk and saying “That’s us!” That also means since they’re the dog shit Browns, they literally STINK like dog shit. Okay, you get the point, the Browns played TERRIBLE against the 49ers. Baker Mayfield looks like a 4th round prospect. Despite being Pro Football Focus’ golden boy. There’s no reason why this team, as talented as it is, should ever only put up 3 points or just look as bad is it has. Something needs to change and fast, but it won’t. This was the Brown’s division to lose and they’re going to lose it. Conversely, the Seahawks are looking decent, but Russell Wilson is in the running for the league’s MVP, if he is not leading the race. I’m not a big believer in this year’s Seahawks, however, they have a relatively easy schedule and Russell Wilson is balling out. This should be a no-brainer.
Final Prediction: Seattle Seahawks 31, Cleveland Browns 14
Bengals @ Ravens
The Cincinnati Bengals are being hosted by the Baltimore Ravens in this week 6 division matchup. The AFC North SUCKS. The Browns, Ravens, Bengals, and Steelers are all terrible for their own reasons. For the Ravens, it’s their defense and Lamar Jackson. Lamar Jackson has shown that he’s not even close to being the best dual-threat QB, After he came into the season firing on all cylinders, he has then since calmed down from that and barely beat the third-string lead Steelers. Fans were telling me that Lamar Jackson was a top 5 QB as if. For the Bengals, it’s gotta be the defense. Andy Dalton hasn’t been playing bad at all and is holding his own out there with a non-existent Joe Mixon. No matter what Dalton is doing though, the Bengals are still 0-5. They’ve gotten close multiple times, but they just can’t pull the trigger. Unfortunately, that’ll be the case this week too, close but no cigar.
Final Prediction: Baltimore Ravens 21, Cincinnati Bengals: 17
49ers @ Rams
The San Francisco 49ers are traveling to Los Angeles to take on the Rams in this week 6 divisional matchup. The 49ers put the league on notice, routing the Cleveland Browns 31-3 Monday night. It’s bizarre that the 49ers are still undefeated given the lack of talent on their roster. More on the offensive end, after Kittle and Jimmy G, are there any top tier players? No, not even close. I will say though, that the 49ers haven’t played anyone extremely difficult yet. This will be their first real test to see if they are legit. The Rams are currently on a losing streak after dropping to the Bucs and the Seahawks. It seems that Jared Goff only knows how to throw to Cooper Kupp because he sucks. If the 49ers can force Goff to throw elsewhere or if Nick Bosa has another big game getting after the QB, I like the 49ers chances in this one. Jimmy G is 12-2 as a starter, obviously, he’s doing something right and he can win games.
Final Prediction: San Francisco 49ers 20, Los Angeles Rams 17
Falcons @ Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are hosting the Atlanta Falcons in this game. If you would have told me that the Falcons would have been 1-4 and their only win came against the Eagles, I would have asked for your plug to get what you’re on. Just kidding, hugs not drugs kids. But seriously, 1-4? this offense is way too prolific to even be this bad. Their WR core is one of the best in the league, if not the best, and Matt Ryan can sling the ball, and don’t get me started on their defense. The only other explanation for the losses is the coach Dan Quinn. Their defense and secondary are horrendous and it’s obvious it’s because of him. Luckily, their matchup isn’t too hard this week in the Cardinals, who are coming off their first win. The Cardinals just don’t have enough talent to keep up with the league. David Johnson isn’t what he used to be, Kyler Murray is still a rookie, and Larry Fitzgerald is just old. Atlanta should win this game, even they aren’t THAT bad.
Final Prediction: Atlanta Falcons 34, Arizona Cardinals 27
Cowboys @ Jets
The Dallas Cowboys are traveling to New York to take on the Jets in what should be a blowout. The Cowboys got a reality check after beating arugable the 3 easiest teams in the league and then losing to the Saints and the Packers. They’ll look to get their confidence back against the Jets. Although it should be a blowout, Sam Darnold finally comes back after getting mono. It’ll be an immediate upgrade over Falk, but just not enough to take on the Cowboys. The Jets secondary is terrible and Amari Cooper is going to tear them about.
Final Prediction: Dallas Cowboys 28, New York Jets 17
Titans @ Broncos
The Denver Broncos are hosting the Tennessee Titans in this matchup. Due to the lack of offensive talent both of these talents have and their defenses are both stout, this will be a low-scoring game. I don’t have much faith in either QB, especially Mariota who the Titans need to move on from, but the run games will be something to watch for. Both have decent tandems. These teams are practically the same team so it really will be who plays better, rather than who has the most talent. I think the Broncos win this one, they’re at home, better defense, better WR core.
Final Prediction: Denver Broncos 14, Tennessee Titans 13
Steelers @ Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers in our Sunday Night Matchup. Both these teams look bad right now. One team has the right to be, the other not so much. The Steelers lost their starting QB a few weeks ago in Big Ben, mostly because of that, they are 1-4. Thus, proving that Mason Rudolph is probably not the Steelers’ long-term answer. The Chargers look bad, and the 2-3 record shows it. They lost to the Broncos and one of their wins was from the Dolphins. This offense should be dominating teams, and well it’s not, at least not to the full extent. Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler will try to be the focal point of the offense but we will see. Luckily, the Steelers defense is terrible and the Chargers should have a field day with them. That’s if they decide to show up that is.
Final Prediction: Los Angeles Chargers 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
Lions @ Packers
The Detroit Lions are traveling to Green Bay to take on the Packers for our week 6 Monday Night matchup. The Lions have certainly been a surprise this year. They are coming off a bye week and their only loss of the season was by 4 to the herculean Chiefs. They’ve had two full weeks to prepare for the Packers, more specifically Aaron Rodgers. The Lions could very well win this game. The Packers’ defense has been the better side of the ball for the Packers despite Rodgers’s impact on the offense. In fact, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say the Packers lose this game. Matthew Stafford has been playing well, and if he can keep up with the Chiefs, I think he can keep up with the Packers.
Final Prediction: Detroit Lions 24, Green Bay Packers 21
Teams on Bye
The Chicago Bears are heading into the bye with their tail between their legs at 3-2. This is worse than what the Bears imagined for themselves and after losing to the Raiders in London, the Bears have a lot to think about before they play the Saints next week. If their lucky, they’ll face Terry Bridgewater, but with Drew Brees beating the expected time of return, he might come back for this game. The Bears should be prepared for Bridgewater, but they’ll be watching the Brees situation closely.
The Colts are heading into their bye on cloud 9 at 3-2. They beat one of the best teams in the league after a loss to the Raiders the week before. That’s a good way to go into the bye and will look to keep that momentum going against the Texans. They have 2 weeks to prepare for Deshaun Watson, hopefully they make the most of it so they can look at being 4-2.
The Oakland Raiders are heading into their bye at 3-2. No one expected this from the Raaaaaaaaidaaaaaahs. Before the season I predicted they would be 8-8, but I envisioned most of their wins on the back end of the schedule, where most of our home games are at. So far, they are on pace for that and will be in the hunt for a wild card spot if they keep this up. No guarantees though. Unfortunately, even with the bye week to prepare, the Raiders are looking at a loss next week as they face the Packers, one of the best teams in the NFC. I’d be shocked if the Raiders somehow beat them, but they’re looking at a 3-3 record after the bye.
The Buffalo Bills are heading into their Bye week at a surprising 4-1. I don’t care what you say, this is surprising and no one except maybe Bills’ fans expected this. In fact, they basically have 2 weeks off because they are facing the Dolphins the week after their bye. There’s really no need to prepare, they’re just going to relax, and be excited about the potential wild card spot sitting at 5-1.
