Week 6 NFL Picks

October 15, 2015

By the Football Garbage Time Staff

Time now for our Week 6 NFL Picks!

Week 6 Games

Ha Kung Wong’s Picks

Ha Kung’s Thoughts:

As I mentioned last week, copy my picks and you can thank me later. Week 5 snagged me another 10 correct picks, putting me at 50-27 for the season. You want to win your pool? I’m your guy.

For Week 6, the most interesting game to me will be the Carolina Panthers @ the Seattle Seahawks. The Panthers were on a bye in Week 5, but return with a perfect 4-0 record to one of the most hostile away stadiums in the NFL. I still remember being at CenturyLink Field to watch the New York Giants play the Seattle Seahawks several years ago, and during timeouts watching video collages on the big screen showing numerous false starts caused by the 12th Man. Perhaps the impact of the 12th Man is mostly psychological, but the one thing that is for real is the noise level. In fact, the noise level has been measured at 112 decibels, just a little less than having a Boeing 747 fly over your head while you sit on the tarmac. Yeah, that’s loud.

CenturyLink Field in Seattle

So we know the 12th Man will show up, but will the Seahawks? Sure, the Seahawks are odds on favorites to win this game (-6.5 as noted above, but as high as -8 on some sites), but they’ve looked mediocre at best accumulating a weak 2-3 record over the first five weeks. Sure, they don’t traditionally rely on their offense to win games, but they’re only 18th in points scored and a sickly 26th in the NFL in passing yards. The ground game looks solid with Marshawn Lynch likely to return and Thomas Rawls being surprisingly effective as a sub (in total as a team averaging 142.4 yards per game, enough for best in the NFL), but Carolina has allowed the 6th least rushing yards per game this season (92.6). And regardless of the strong ground game, Seattle’s offensive line is a complete mess when it comes to pass protection. They’ve allowed a league leading 22 sacks in 2015.

On the other hand, Cam Newton is having a resurgent year. He’s not passing much, but he’s averaging 48.8 rushing yards per game, good for best amongst QBs in the NFL, leading to 17 rushing first downs, also best among QBs in the NFL. And Carolina has had two weeks to plan for this showdown with Seattle. But all that being said, Seattle is still Seattle. Their three losses come at an average of just over 5 points, so it’s not like their getting blown out. If anything, they’re getting a bit unlucky (and at times a bit lucky, like when they beat the Detroit Lions in Week 4). This will be a grind it out game, but as long as Seattle’s offensive line manages to give Russell Wilson some time, I think the Seahawks may fail to cover the spread, but will manage to pick up the win.

Also, check out my thoughts on the Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions in my weekly Preview!

Scott King’s Picks

Scott’s Thoughts:

The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears face off for a top 5 draft pick this year. The injuries are stacking up around the league and we’re going to see some teams starting to fall out of playoff contention.

Joanne Kong’s Picks

Joanne’s Thoughts:

In week 5, the top performances by quarterbacks weren’t Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers. Surprisingly, the three top quarterbacks were Josh McCown of the Cleveland Browns, Eli Manning of the New York Giants and Blake Bortles of the Jacksonville Jaguars. I know, it’s a strange world.

So what can we expect from week 6?

Denver Broncos (5-0) @ Cleveland Browns (2-3)

Five teams are still undefeated, among them are the Denver Broncos. Will the Broncos still be undefeated at the end of week 6? The last time Manning’s Broncos faced the Browns was at Denver in week 16 of 2012. Manning threw for 339 yards and 3 TDs. And the Browns quarterback was Brandon Weeden, who left the game with a right shoulder injury. The Browns lost 12-34.

This Sunday the Broncos will be playing in Cleveland. Manning has yet to throw for over three-hundred yards and score 3 TD’s in a single game. In week five, Manning had no passing TDs, but still managed to win 16-10 against the Oakland Raiders – with the only TD scored by the Broncos defense. Manning is being scrutinized for his inability win a game offensively. But there is no doubt that he can. In week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Manning threw for 256 yards and 3 passing TD’s. In week 3 against he Detroit Lions, Manning threw for 324 yards and 2 passing TD’s. Unfortunately, Manning’s performance has only diminished, ending week 5 with a quarterback rating of 35.4. Whether this is due to the opponents played, or Manning’s ability as quarterback is yet to be determined. But, if anyone saw the Broncos Sunday game against the Raiders, you were probably thinking the same thing I was about Peyton Manning…he’s not the same quarterback.

Peyton Manning

Even though the Browns have lost three-out-of-five games this season, to watch them play has been nothing but interesting. Josh McCown has thrown for over three-hundred yards and passed for 2 TD’s for the last 3-games. In week 5, he even rushed for a TD. He’s found a connection with his offense and seems to have found his place as the every week quarterback for the Browns. And, it only took him six teams and 13 years. McCown is questionable for week 6 (ankle), but will likely play.

It will be a hard win for the Browns, but not impossible. If McCown has any hope of winning against the Broncos, he’ll have to have learned from the week 1, 10-31 loss, against the New York Jets, as dominating a defensive team as the Broncos. The Browns defense has been far from stellar, unable to hold back the offense in the past five games. Week 6 probably won’t be much different, leaving the work to the Browns offense. McCown can’t be afraid of being intercepted, throwing the ball has been successful thus far and with a weak ground game, there doesn’t seem to be many options. He’ll need to make smarter decisions in throwing the ball downfield and looking for the open or single covered options.

The Broncos offense will likely try to take advantage of a weak Browns defense, which can lead to the Broncos downfall. Manning’s recent troubles passing the ball downfield will most likely lead them to opt for a run heavy game. However, that doesn’t mean Manning won’t throw the ball.

Prediction:

1. The Browns defense will have a pick-6

2. The Cleveland Browns win, upsetting the Broncos current undefeated record.