NFL 2023 Week 6 Prequel
Thursday, October 12, 2023, 8pm
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (-10 1/2) — The Broncos are awful. The Chiefs have been winning but not blowing anyone out. On paper, this should be a blowout. Given that the Broncos lost by 50 point at Miami and by 10 points at home to the Jets, trust the better team. Chiefs cover
Sunday, October 15, 9:30am
Baltimore Ravens (-3 1/2) at Tennessee Titans — The Titans are just too inconsistent to trust. Yet the Ravens losing at Pittsburgh was a surprise. Both of these teams play physical defenses. Lamar Jackson is better than Ryan Tannehill, but the Titans could put up a fight if derrick Henry gets going. Ravens win but fail to cover
1pm
Washington Commanders at Atlanta Falcons (-2 1/2) — The Commanders are playing bad football. The Falcons are average. Getting blown out by previously winless Chicago is not ok. Falcons cover
Minnesota Vikings (-3) at Chicago Bears — The Bears finally got a win, but the emotion of losing legend Dick Butkus played a factor. The Vikings have more talent but have been underachieving. Trust Kirk Cousins over Justin Fields. Vikings cover
Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals (-3) — Pete carroll finds ways to get the most out of his players. Despite winning at lowly Arizona, it is too soon to say the Bengals are back on track. Joe Burrow is better than Geno Smith, but Smith is playing better than his days before Seattle and Burrow still does not look completely healthy. Upset special, Seahawks win outright
San Francisco 49ers (-4 1/2) at Cleveland Browns — The Browns are not terrible, but the 49ers look like the most complete team in football. Their defense is nasty. They are in Super bowl mode. 49ers cover
New Orleans Saints (-2 1/2) at Houston Texans — After a pair of big road wins, the Texans lost at Atlanta. The Saints went on the road and throttled New England 34-0. Dennis Allen’s defense is playing lights out and Derek Carr is in a groove. Saints cover
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars (-5) – Anthony Richardson is out again. Gardner Minshew is a very capable backup. After two weeks in London, the Jaguars actually play in Jacksonville. The Jaguars got a big win over Buffalo, but do not expect a letdown at home. Minshew is competent enough to keep it close. Jaguars win but fail to cover
Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins (-14) — The Dolphins are awesome and the Panthers are awful. Sometimes it really is that simple. The Dolphins beat Denver by 50. They can beat hapless Carolina by 14. Dolphins cover
4pm
New England Patriots at Las Vegas Raiders (-3) — These teams have played insane games from Sugar Bear Hamilton to the Tuck Rule. Yet last year’s Stanford Marching Band gone wrong game was one for the ages. Chandler Jones was the hero. Now he has been cut by the Raiders. Derek Carr led the comeback, and he is gone. These are not the same Patriots. Mac Jones has regressed. It’s hard to trust Josh McDaniels on anything, but he seems to only coach well against his former teams. Raiders cover
Detroit Lions (-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The hype around the Lions is real. The Buccaneers are decent enough, and Baker Mayfield is playing well. Yet Dan Campbell has the Lions jacked up to another level. These Lions are hungry, and their offense is explosive. Lions cover
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams (-6) — The Rams are below average but the Cardinals are awful. Yet it is hard to trust the Rams given their inconsistency. These division rivals play each other tough, so a garbage touchdown is certainly possible. Rams win but fail to cover
Philadelphia Eagles (-6 1/2) at New York Jets — Beating lowly Denver does not make the Jets a good team. The Eagles are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Yet the Eagles are winning close games, not blowing teams out. Eagles win bu fail to cover
8pm
New York Giants at Buffalo Bills (-14 1/2) — The Bills are the far superior team. They will be angry coming off a loss in London to Jacksonville. The Giants are horrendous. This could get ugly early. The Giants lost at home to Dallas 40-0 in the opener. Daniel Jones could give the Bills a defensive touchdown. Bills cover
Monday, October 16, 8pm
Dallas Cowboys (-2) at Los Angeles Chargers — The Cowboys will be angry after being humiliated at san Francisco by 32 points. The Chargers hav won two straight over bad teams despite trying hard to lose them. Brandon Staley makes boneheaded decisions. The Chargers are not as good as the preseason hype, but they are certainly better than the Chargers. Cowboys cover