NFL 2023–24 Week 6 Preview

         

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London Game - Baltimore Versus Tennessee – A difficult game to project, because both of these teams have been inconsistent. However, the Ravens have been slightly less inconsistent. Really, they are a few mistakes away from having won the two games that they lost, which means that with slightly better luck, they might have been sporting an undefeated, 5-0 record at this point. Instead, they are 3-2 and tied for first in the AFC North, and thus, feeling the pressure. The Titans have also been playing like a middle of the pack kind of a team, but let’s not forget that they seem to specialize in stunning seemingly heavily favored teams at different points in each of the past few seasons. So the Ravens had better be on guard. Still, I suspect that they are the better team in this one, and should come away with the “W.” My pick: Baltimore

Carolina at Miami – The poor Panthers. They just don’t seem to get a break. My suspicion is that they are not quite as bad as their dismal 0-5 record would suggest. They are the only remaining winless team in the league, after all. But they keep playing tough games. And this one might just be the toughest. Going into Miami to take on the red-hot Dolphins, with their explosive, number one ranked offense. Look for the Fins to stay hot on offense, and for the Panthers to play hard, but ultimately, to still lose, and convincingly. They will not likely give up anywhere near 70 points, like the Broncos did. But still, they will allow far too many points to keep up with that Dolphins offense. My pick: Miami

San Francisco at Cleveland - Perhaps the Browns would have a fair shot at pulling off an upset if they were at full strength. But they are not, and will apparently go without Deshaun Watson. That makes a difficult situation nearly impossible. My pick: San Francisco 

Minnesota at Chicago - Both of these teams now stand at 1-4. Neither team looks good. Both teams have also shown signs of improvement recently, especially the Bears. However, the Vikings should be the  better team overall, and should be able to prove it here. My pick: Minnesota

New Orleans at Houston – Two teams that are inconsistent, which makes this one a difficult pick. The Texans have been playing well in recent weeks, and home field advantage should help them. However the Saints played lights out last week in not just winning, but blowing out the Patriots in a shutout road win, 34-0. They are likely the better of these two teams, and should be able to win. My pick: New Orleans  

Seattle at Cincinnati – This should prove to be a good game. Two very good, very tough teams, both of whom need this win. The Bengals need it to stay in the tight AFC North, while the Seahawks need it to keep on the heels of the 49ers, who might otherwise run away with the NFC West. With Joe Burrow back, I would give the nod to the Bengals. My pick: Cincinnati

Washington at Atlanta – The Falcons have been very tough at home so far this season, sporting an undefeated 3-0 record there. Washington, meanwhile, started the season by sprinting out to an impressive 2-0 start, but have since dropped three straight. I really don’t like they way that they played in two of those games, both blowout losses at home, first to Buffalo, and then last week to the previously winless Bears. They could rally and get things straight, but my suspicion is that the Falcons continue their hot home streak. My pick: Atlanta 

Indianapolis at Jacksonville – This is, surprisingly, a big showdown between the two apparent powerhouses of the AFC South, at least thus far this season. The Jaguars were last year’s division champs, so they are not a surprise. But the Colts, on the other hand, are surprising. Still, there are limits to their improvement, and the Jaguars appear to have the hot hand at the moment. Look for the Jaguars to get by and take an outright lead in the AFC South race. My pick: Jax

New England at Las Vegas – The Patriots looked awful last weekend, and their season is simply going terribly. If not for an ugly win over the Jets, they would be one of the winless teams. The Raiders, meanwhile, appear to be a scrappy team with a charged up, physical defense. The Silver and Black are not a great team, but they were impressive in their win over the Pack last weekend, and they should have enough to get past the Pats at home this weekend, as well. My pick: Las Vegas 

Arizona at LA Rams – The Cardinals are not rolling over and playing dead this season, despite dire prognostications from many right from the beginning. However, they also are not a very good team. Meanwhile, the Rams also are struggling and teetering on the edge. But a win for either team would go a long way towards restoring some promise for the season. And the Rams, who enjoy home field advantage, should be able to notch this one in the “W” column. My pick: LA Rams 

Detroit at Tampa Bay – The Lions finally are looking like the team that everyone predicted that they should be. In fact, they are on the cusp of taking a commanding lead in the NFC North. However, the Bucs have proven to be tougher than many expected, as well so far this season. They have surprised a number of teams. That makes this a very tough game to make a pick for. Still, I feel the Lions are hotter, and should prove to be the better team overall. My pick: Detroit

Philadelphia Eagles at NY Jets – Philly will put it’s unbeaten record on the line in the Meadowlands this weekend. Not only are the Eagles one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the NFC this season, but they also, historically speaking, have never lost to the Jets. They are 12-0 against the Jets, all-time, which is a rather astonishing record. Granted, they have not met a ton of times. But still, it surprised me to learn that the Jets had never once in their history beaten Philly (excluding numerous preseason meetings which, of course, don’t really count). The Jets have been improving in recent weeks, playing the Chiefs tough on a nationally televised game a couple of weeks ago, and then beating the Broncos at Mile High last weekend. However, while the Eagles have not looked as invincible as they seemed to at this point last season, they still are undefeated, and for good reason. Jalen Hurts is still their quarterback, and that means that the offense is dangerous. And the defense is pretty solid, too. Now, I do give the Jets a chance here. It is not exactly unthinkable that they could win this one. After all, if the Eagles have had a weakness defensively, it is against the running game, and the Jets running attack could be dangerous to them. Also, the Jets defense is pretty good. Not all-time, historically great, as cornerback D.J. Reed predicted before the season started, claiming that they might be “historical.” Still, they are good, and could prove to give the Eagles a hard time. And that could mean an upset. Yet, while I think that this could happen, I would not bet on it. My guess is that the Eagles have a better record and are in much better shape for a reason, and that reason will manifest itself on the field on Sunday afternoon. The better overall team will likely have the better game and win. And for now, that’s still the Eagles. My pick: Philadelphia

Sunday Night - NY Giants at Buffalo – The G-Men have not had much of a break so far this season. They keep playing tough games, and especially on the road. Ironically, they appear to play better on the road than they do – or so far have, at least – at home. Not sure why that would be the case, but there it is. In this one, the struggling Giants go up to Buffalo, who are still smarting from a stinging loss to the Jaguars across the pond in London. So the Bills need to win to keep on the heels of red-hot Miami, who also will likely win this weekend. The offense should prove too much for the Big Blue defense, who have not shut down, or even really contained, any opponents yet this season. They have allowed at least 24 points in every single game this season, and unless they really put on a clinic, it is hard to imagine them containing the Bills to under 24 points. Also, the Bills defense should be able to exploit the obvious and glaring weaknesses on the Giants O-line, which once again, is a big problem. Not only do I suspect that the Bills win, but my expectation is that they do so in a big way tonight. My pick: Buffalo

Monday Night – Dallas at LA Chargers – The Cowboys are a good team. Not a great team. Their wins and losses seem to have established that. As much as they pound on weaker teams, and look like legit championship contenders one week, they get utterly dominated and defeated by superior teams the next week. They still are better than the Chargers, although this still could prove to be a tricky game for them. And they have not been fantastic on the West Coast so far this season, either. This is my upset pick. My pick: LA Chargers