NFL 2018-19 Week 6 Preview

Okay, so the defending champion Eagles got their season back on track by convincingly beating my Giants. But this coming weekend presents some other huge games for other teams, by which we can measure more accurately where they are at this point.

The biggest game, the one that most people seem to be looking forward to, features the undefeated KC Chiefs heading up to Foxboro to take on the defending AFC Champions, the New England Patriots, who themselves have won two straight games at home, and are looking a bit more like their usual, dominant selves these past few weeks. That should be a really entertaining game!

There are some other intriguing games as well. The other undefeated team, the L.A. Rams, put their unbeaten record on the line when they visit Denver. The red hot Bears will visit Miami to take on the reeling Dolphins. The Steelers take on first place Cincinnati. Jacksonville visits Dallas to take on the Cowboys.

Let's take a closer look at the games to be played:

Indianapolis at N.Y. Jets - Tough game to try and make a pick with. Neither of these teams has looked especially good so far this season. But the Jets are showing positive signs that a promising future can belong to them, while the Colts have played some tough competition close.  But Gang Green won last weekend in a big way against the Broncos, and home field advantage should really help to get them through this one. Expect another Jets victory. My pick: N.Y. Jets

L.A. Chargers at Cleveland - While this might not be the hottest match that everyone is looking at going into this weekend, it is nevertheless a big game, and an interesting one for both teams. You can make a valid argument that both of these teams are ahead of where most people expected them to be at this point. The Browns, who went 1-31 in the prior two seasons combined, have won two games and tied one, out of the five games played thus far. Clearly, a huge improvement. And the Chargers are 3-2, and now hold second place in the AFC West. Both teams have everything to fight for in this contest. If this were out in California, it would be an easier pick, but with the Browns having home field advantage, it becomes tougher. Still, I expect that the Bolts have just enough to edge the improving, up and coming Browns here. My pick: L.A. Chargers

Chicago at Miami - This is not quite as big a clash between these two teams as some of the big, nationally televised games that they have had in the past. Still, this has plenty of intrigue. The Dolphins got off to a hot start, although they lost two in a row now. They need to win this game to keep their season on track, and to stay ahead, or even to keep pace, within the AFC East. Chicago, meanwhile, is well-rested, and looking very good at 3-1 so far. They have an excellent chance to capitalize on their current lead in the divisional race, as the Packers continue to struggle, and the Lions still looking vulnerable. This will be a test for a team still trying to establish themselves as serious playoff contenders. But I believe that the Bears have enough to get past Miami in this one. My pick: Chicago

Tampa Bay at Atlanta - Both of these teams have been struggling lately, but the Falcons are better - I believe way better - than what they have shown so far. True, they have not shown much yet, but sooner or later, they will. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, looked like world beaters for the first couple of weekends, but now are looking more and more like what we expected. Atlanta is not an easy place to have to play, and I see the Falcons really taking it to Tampa in this one. My pick: Atlanta

Arizona at Minnesota - The Vikings look like they are back on track, after exacting a measure of revenge on the defending champions, the team that humiliated them and sent them packing in last year's playoffs. Now, returning home on a positive note, and taking on one of the weakest teams in the league, it would be surprising if Minnesota misses on this opportunity to right their ship and continue their winning ways. They are still very much in both the division and playoff race, especially with the Packers floundering. Arizona earned a solid win at San Francisco, but trying to pull off a win in Minnesota will likely be a much tougher challenge for them. My pick: Minnesota

Buffalo at Houston - Every time that I think of Buffalo versus Houston in the NFL, my mind goes back to that fateful weekend in January of 1993, when the Houston Oilers looked unbeatable in taking a 35-3 lead up in Buffalo, only to wind up losing the game in what still ranks as the greatest comeback in NFL history. But neither of these teams are anywhere near as good as those two teams were on that day. Both earned impressive wins last weekend, but the Texans are in second place and have home field advantage. Maybe the Bills get a bit lucky again. Admittedly, I did not expect them to be as good as even 2-3 at this point in the season. Still, I do not expect that they will find a way to win against a motivated Texans team. My pick: Houston

Carolina at Washington - The Panthers are hot, and looking to stay that way after pulling off a stunning last second win with a record long field goal for the franchise on the game's final play. Washington, meanwhile, was humbled in a blowout loss that exposed some serious weaknesses, plus they had a short week. If this were in Carolina, it would be easy to predict a lopsided win in favor of the Panthers, but since they are away, it makes it a bit more complicated. This game likely could go in either direction, but something tells me that the Panthers, who are trying to keep pace with the red hot Saints, will find a way to eke this one out. My pick: Carolina

Seattle at Oakland - First of all, why is this game on at 1pm eastern, according to both ESPN and Google Sports? That must be a typo, yet they both say it. That means that for the locals, this game will be played at 10am, which seems a bit ridiculous and, frankly, unnecessary. That said, the Raiders are really struggling, and seemingly on the verge of having another entire season spiral out of control. They can at least stop the bleeding with a win, but the Seahawks are looking surprisingly tough so far. They came back from an 0-2 start to win their next two, and very nearly pulled off an upset against the Rams at home last weekend. They are playing some tough football, and are coming into this game most likely prepared and mentally ready. Against the Raiders, that should be enough. My pick: Seattle

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati - I would love to see the Bengals win this division again, and they very well might. But the one major albatross that Cincy has consistently had for many years now, other than failing to win a playoff game, is always seemingly losing the most important games to their division rivals, the Steelers. And here comes Pittsburgh once again, fresh off a convincing win that may have gotten their season back on track, and they will test the Bengals to see just how real they are. Let me say that I hope the Bengals win, but that does not mean that I believe that they will. My pick: Pittsburgh

Los Angeles Rams at Denver - Apparently, it might be snowing in Denver for this game. Yes, that might have an impact on the game, and could even factor in who winds up winning the game. The Broncos started off hot, winning both of their first two games. But they barely won in each case, coming back against both the Seahawks and the Raiders. They have now lost three in a row, and are reeling. Their defense is not what it once was, and that is bad news against the most explosive offense in the league, the team now known as "The Greatest Show on Turf 2." But will the weather potentially slow that offense down? Should be an interesting game, but it is hard to predict anything but a Rams win here. My pick: L.A. Rams

Baltimore at Tennessee - The Titans are very tough at home. And they need this win to stay with the Jaguars in the AFC South. The Ravens, of course, are usually a tough team, albeit also an unpredictable one. Sometimes, they play well when you do not expect them to, and then at other times, they play poorly when you expect them to dominate. In fact, the Titans are kind of like that, as well. If they play up to their potential, either team is capable of winning this one, which makes it a toss-up. Still, I like the Titans to squeeze it out, mostly because of home field. My pick: Tennessee

Jacksonville at Dallas - What a game! The Jaguars are still hoping to establish themselves as one of the elite teams in the AFC, and this game could really help them to do that. The 'Boys, meanwhile, need to get a shot in the arm and try to keep pace with Philly and potentially Washington, and so this game could be huge towards that goal, as well. Dak Prescott seems to be struggling, and that could play into the hands of the Jax defense, which is tough against the pass. If that is the case, and then Jaguars can focus on containing Ezekiel Eliot, and might seriously limit Dallas on the offensive end. Then again, the Jaguars have quite a few issues on offense themselves. The Boys are tough at home, but the Jaguars provide the toughest home game that Dallas has yet seen this season. It should be enough for JAX to win, albeit in low scoring, tight game.

Sunday Night Football

Kansas City at New England - This is the big one that everyone is waiting for. The red hot Kansas City Chiefs, who have raced out to an impressive 5-0 start with their hot young quarterback, and the established champion New England Patriots, not looking quite as impressive as we are used to them being, but suddenly with two consecutive blowout wins at home, and starting to resemble their old, elite selves. A very intriguing game. KC's offense looked hot and unstoppable early on, but Mahones has slowed down a bit the last couple of games. You know Belichick will have something interesting in store for that defense, and Brady and Company will be ready on offense. Home field advantage can be significant, but it is especially huge when these guys play up in Foxboro. This is the biggest test by far to this point in the season for both teams, but if the Chiefs truly want to establish themselves as the best team in the AFC this season, this would be the game, and the time, to do it. But I have a hard time seeing that happen, because they are still too unproven. So long as the Pats are still coached by Belichick and quarterbacked by Brady, they should have enough to pull this off. My pick: New England

Monday Night Football

San Francisco at Green Bay - There was a rivalry between these two teams that was overshadowed a bit by the intensity of the Cowboys-49ers rivalry earlier in the decade, but these two teams nevertheless had a serious rivalry in the second half of the nineties, meeting in four straight playoffs. The Packers won three of them, and then went on to beat the 49ers in 2001, although San Fran knocked Aaron Rodgers and the Pack out two consecutive seasons more recently. But these two teams are a long way from those glorious playoff meetings. The Packers are playing poorly, and the Niners have run into terrible luck. The result is that both of these teams are flirting with last place in their divisions. Things might get worse before they get better in both cases. Still, this game is up at Lambeau Field, which is a tough place to play, and it is now getting cold up there. The Cheese Heads need this win to keep from falling too far behind either the Vikings or the Bears, or even the Lions, potentially. But San Fran just lost a bad game to the lowly Cardinals, and surely want to bounce back with a win. Not the best nationally televised match-up, but despite the bad fortunes for both teams, someone has to win. Expect the home team to pull through. My pick: Green Bay