NFL Picks - Week 6

The fifth week of the NFL regular season was better for me than the fourth, but not by much. I was 10-4 picking winners (46-28 on the year), while Las Vegas was 9-5 picking winners (51-22-1 on the year).

Here are my picks for Week 6 (Las Vegas odds in () ):

SUNDAY, 12 October:

New England (3-1) (+6.5) at San Diego (2-3): New England by 4
Oakland (1-3) (+7.5) at New Orleans (2-3): New Orleans by 9
Baltimore (2-2) (+5.5) at Indianapolis (2-2): Baltimore by 1
Cincinnati (0-5) (+6) at New York Jets (2-2): NY Jets by 7
Carolina (4-1) (+2) at Tampa Bay (3-2): Carolina by 3
Detroit (0-4) (+13.5) at Minnesota (2-3): Minnesota by 16
Chicago (3-2) (+2.5) at Atlanta (3-2): Chicago by 3
Miami (2-2) (+3) at Houston (0-4): Miami by 7
St. Louis (0-5) (+13.5) at Washington (4-1): Washington by 14
Jacksonville (2-3) (+3.5) at Denver (4-1): Jacksonville by 3
Philadelphia (2-3) (-5) at San Francisco (2-3): Philadelphia by 3
Dallas (4-1) (-5.5) at Arizona (3-2): Dallas by 7
Green Bay (2-3) (+3) at Seattle (1-3): Green Bay by 3

MONDAY, 13 October:

New York Giants (4-0) (-7.5) at Cleveland (1-3): NY Giants by 13

BYES: Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Tennessee.

The Chargers had another one of those games where the offense was impotent in the first half, behind 17-3 at half time. It didn't get much better as the Dolphins staged a goal line stand, and ran out the clock, to upset the Chargers 17-10. The defense got dominated by Miami's running game, which allowed Pennington to pass efficiently. The Chargers offensive line was dominated by the Dolphins line and backers, and the receivers couldn't get open. It was a terribly frustrating game to watch.

This week the New England Patriots come to town for a Sunday night game on NBC. Unless the Chargers heal fast (Chambers, Goff, Hardwick, Rivers, Gates, etc.), I don't see the Chargers offense being able to score more than 20 points. I don't think the Chargers' defense is that good - I call it New England 24, San Diego 20.

At the risk of being laughed at, here are my NFL power ratings after five weeks:

1. New York Giants (4-0) -- 31
2. Tennessee Titans (5-0) -- 31
3. Dallas Cowboys (4-1) -- 28
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) -- 27
5. Buffalo Bills (4-1) -- 26

6. Denver Broncos (4-1) - 26
7. Carolina Panthers (4-1) -- 26
8. Washington Redskins (4-1) -- 25
9. Tampa Bay Bucs (3-2) -- 24
10. Chicago Bears (3-2) -- 23

11. New England Patriots (3-1) -- 23
12. Baltimore Ravens (2-2) -- 22
13. Arizona Cardinals (3-2) -- 21
14. Atlanta Falcons (3-2) -- 21
15. Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) -- 20

16. San Diego Chargers (2-3) -- 20
17. New Orleans Saints (2-3) -- 20
18. New York Jets (2-2) -- 20
19. Indianapolis Colts (2-2) -- 20
20. Miami Dolphins (2-2) -- 19

21. Green Bay Packers (2-3) -- 19
22. Minnesota Vikings (2-3) -- 19
23. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3) -- 18
24. San Francisco 49ers (2-3) -- 18
25. Cleveland Browns (1-3) -- 15

26. Oakland Raiders (1-3) -- 14
27. Seattle Seahawks (1-3) -- 13
28. Houston Texans (0-4) -- 12
29. Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) -- 10
30. Cincinnati Bengals (0-5) -- 10

31. Detroit Lions (0-4) -- 9
32. St. Louis Rams (0-4) -- 8