Nobody expected the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets to each have at least a share of their respective division leads heading into Week 6. However, that is the case after an exciting and unpredictable start to the year. Here is what is in store for Week 6.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Carolina Panthers
Odds: Carolina -3
The Panthers followed up an embarrassing loss to the New Orleans Saints with back-to-back wins over the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions. Carolina will face another tough test this week against the NFC East-leading Eagles. Cam Newton has thrown for 671 yards with six touchdowns and just one interception over those last two wins. As long as his offensive line gives him enough time to throw, he should be able to stay hot against Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Carson Wentz threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s win over the Arizona Cardinals. However, the Panthers defense presents a much tougher test.
New England Patriots @ New York Jets
Odds: New England -9.5
Nobody is convinced that the Patriots’ issues have been solved following a close win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. New England benefited from three missed field goals and several missed opportunities by the Buccaneers to squeeze out a 19-14 win over Tampa Bay. This game would have seemed like a lock for the Patriots before the season but the Jets have won three straight and are actually ahead of the Patriots in the standings.
Miami Dolphins @ Atlanta Falcons
Odds: Atlanta -11
The Falcons were among the first teams to reach their bye last week. That could be bad news for the Dolphins. Atlanta will have had two weeks to prepare for this matchup and that means they will have had plenty of time to correct the issues that plagued them in their loss to the Bills two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Miami is coming off a close win over an injury-plagued Tennessee Titans team but their offense continues to struggle.
San Francisco 49ers @ Washington Redskins
Odds: Washington -10
Washington is also coming off a bye following a 29-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that actually went down to the wire. The Redskins were a few plays away from doing enough to win that game. After the bye week, they should be in better position to match up with the 49ers at home. While San Francisco likely won’t win this game, it’s worth mentioning how they have been able to keep games close this season. The 49ers are 0-5 but their last three losses have been by three points or less.
New York Giants @ Denver Broncos
Odds: Denver -11.5
The Broncos improved to 3-1 with a 16-10 win over the Oakland Raiders before their bye week. Oakland and Kansas City are both dealing with injury concerns, opening the door for Denver to climb even further up the AFC West ladder if they can capitalize on this opportunity. New York has been absolutely devastated by injuries and with Odell Beckham Jr. out for the rest of the season, things could get a lot worse before they get better.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs
Odds: Chiefs -4.5
The Chiefs are the last undefeated team in the NFL and have clearly been the most impressive. They’ve scored at least 24 points in every game while scoring 42 for the second time this season in Week 5. Now they’ll face a Steelers squad that has to be disappointed with their 3-2 record. That’s because the two losses were to Chicago in overtime (in Week 3) and at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. While the Chiefs are clicking, the Steelers just haven’t looked good as Le’Veon Bell has averaged 3.6 yards per carry and Ben Roethlisberger is fresh off a game where he threw five interceptions.