Three Stone Cold Locks For NFL Week 6
The NFL week kicks off tonight with Houston hosting Indianapolis in a battle of teams tied atop the AFC South. Divisional matchups are generally tough to predict, so we'll stay away from that one - but here are three games that you can take to the bank from this weekend's slate.
1. Denver (-9.5) at NY Jets
The Jets are awful. Like, really, really bad. Though their defense has shown signs of competence at times, Peyton Manning and the Broncos have a way of making a somewhat passable defensive unit look like a group of amateurs. Add to that the fact that Rex Ryan has essentially acknowledged that he's about to get canned and they have no idea which lousy quarterback they want to use as a scapegoat, and it's probably safe to say that nine and a half points will be a pretty easy cover for the Broncos.
2. Baltimore (-3) at Tampa Bay
You could probably double this line and still be safe with a pick of Baltimore. The Ravens have shown some inconsistency, but their only two losses have come to Cincinnati and Indianapolis, two teams that are a near lock for the playoffs. They've blown out Pittsburgh and Carolina - Tampa needed a late miracle to sneak by Pittsburgh, and lost a close one to Carolina. Tampa is not a good team, and Baltimore is. Stick with the Ravens.
3. San Diego (-7) at Oakland
Seven points is a pretty big spread for a divisional matchup, but neither of these teams have done anything to suggest that San Diego won't cover. The Chargers' sole loss came to the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals, and they've handed the reigning Super Bowl Champs their only loss of the year. San Diego is coming off a 31-0 thumping of the Jets, and appear to have put to rest their reputation as a talented team that plays down to its competition. The Raiders, on the other hand, just fired their head coach after starting the season on a four-game slide. The defense has shown signs of competitiveness in stretches, but the offense has been inept. The Chargers will win by more than a touchdown.