Week Six picks

Last week's picks against the spread:

Mike: 9-5

Joe: 8-6

Flashes of brilliance from Week 5:

Joe: "Buffalo has to come back to Earth at some point."

The Bills lose 41-17.

Mike: "The Chiefs looked better last week but the Panthers will burst that bubble by halftime."

Carolina led the Chiefs 21-0 at the half.

Week 6 Picks

Baltimore (+4) at Indianapolis

Joe: IND. Going to Indianapolis is not nearly as imtimidating as a few years ago (0-2 at home), then again I'll take their defense against Average Joe Flacco.

Mike: IND. Baltimore, as they have for a decade, continue to rely on their defense. Peyton will figure it out as the Ravens are embarrassed in a blowout.

Detroit (+13) at Minnesota

Joe: MIN. If Kyle Orton rips apart Detroit, Gus Frerotte will... well, maybe not. But Adrian Peterson will not take this week off, look for a big day.

Mike: MIN. If the NFL had a minor league system, Detroit would be demoted. The Vikings stole last week's game at New Orleans but will not need the officiating help with this win.

Oakland (+7) at New Orleans

Mike: NO. Oakland's offense will show life under their new coach but the Saints are more desperate for this win.

Joe: NO. They can't possibly deserve a loss to Oakland after last Monday. Then again, they did sign Gramatica as their kicker and that's begging for bad karma. Reggie Bush explodes again. [Side Note - What I'm really hoping for is that John McCain shows up at this game and goes head-to-head with Al Davis in the 1st annual "Corpse-Off." I guess you could say it's a battle to the death but they both reached that stage years ago. I give McCain the advantage with his powder white skin as compared to Davis' pruned up SoCal tan.]

Cincinnati (+6) at New York Jets

Joe: NYJ. Favre throws 6 TDs, gets a bye week, then gets the Bungles. Expect 3-4 more since Cincy apparently can only compete against the NFC East.

Mike: NYJ. The Bengals are such a mess. I can see them going 0-14 before destroying Cleveland's playoff push in Week 16. Favre will take it easy on the passing game as the Jets rack up 200 yards on the ground.

Chicago (-2) at Atlanta

Joe: CHI. Matt Ryan has been good but he is no Kyle Orton. WHAT? Did Orton find hair on the floor and paste it to his face for that horrible "beard"? You aren't rugged or tough so quit pretending. Back to the game, Chicago's D will shut down Michael Turner causing Ryan will struggle.

Mike: ATL. This is my upset pick. No doubts with the Bears defense but that offense is still unsettled. Matt Ryan has surprised me with his competance. Bears win with a late field goal.

Carolina (+1) at Tampa Bay

Joe: CAR. Tough divisional matchup. Carolina comes out and proves they are back to where they were a couple years ago. Low scoring defensive battle but I'll take any team that doesn't employ Jeff Garcia. But if his wife was employed......mmmmm, different story. How does Jeff Garcia get a Playmate of the Year????? Begs me to ask why he continues his career being around giant, muscular men every day when he could be home with her??

Mike: CAR. I really don't care about either team even though this is an NFC South showdown. Maybe that's exactly why I don't care.

St. Louis (+14) at Washington

Joe: WAS. St. Louis is horrible. Horrible. I don't want to talk about them.

Mike: STL. It's tough giving away two touchdowns in the NFL. Washington wins big but won't cover that spread. There's a new hope for Ram fan. All the weapons (Jackson, Holt, Ferragamo) are still there.

Miami (+3) at Houston

Joe: MIA. Sticking with the Miami train. Houston will take a few weeks to recover from last week's meltdown and becomes the next team in line that can't stop Ronnie Brown, who makes an early case for Comeback Player of the Year. (Can I nominate Tom Brady for the next year's award already? Can he win it this year days after his surgery?)

Mike: HOU. Don Shula lent his 1937 playbook to the Dolphins and it's worked for a few weeks. The Texans are desperate for a win and they'll figure it out.

Jacksonville (+3) at Denver

Joe: DEN. If Worthlessburger is picking Jacksonville apart for over 300 yards, then I would expect a team with an actual passing attack to do much of the same. Make sure to let Matt Jones know the white lines on the field are paint...

Mike: JAX. Yes, I understand the Denver is supposed to be good but it's always better when they lose. Although I do respect how Shannahan had the guts to go for a win earlier this year. The Broncos push their luck again in this game but fall short.

Philadelphia (-5) at San Francisco

Joe: PHI. I'm picking them again because McNabb has to have another good game sometime this season before he gets hurt again. And I could use a confidence builder from him before I go out and pick up...GULP...Kyle Orton off the waiver wire for my fantasy team. Come on McNabb don't bring me down to that level!!

Mike: PHI. The Eagles in a blowout. I mean a blowout. 30 point win for the insulted Eagles.

Green Bay (+2) at Seattle

Joe: GB. How Seattle won a game is beyond me...oh yeah, they played St.Louis and looked like Super Bowl contenders. Aaron Rodgers might not make it through this game but at least they have Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm as backups. Somebody call Don Majkowski and let him know his old job may be opening back up!

Mike: SEA. Another NFC game I don't care about. I'm going with Holmgren to get the final win against his former team. Aaron Rodgers needs a season of seasoning.

Dallas (-5) at Arizona

Joe: DAL. Dallas tries again after their feelings were hurt this week by reporters ripping them for barely beating the Bengals. That means they forget the running game again, Romo throws 5 TDs, TO cries after the game, and Wade Phillips can claim to know what he is doing. On the other hand, Romo is due for another 5 INT game but they will still win against Arizona.

Mike: DAL. Kurt Warner will have wish he retired. I predict we'll see Matt Leinart in this game.

New England (+6) at San Diego

Joe: NE. Matt Cassell on Prime Time comes out and drops bombs to Randy Moss all game after he finally figured out last week that he can just throw it out there as far as he can and Randy will catch it. If only SD had a running back the caliber of Ronnie Brown they might stand a chance. Norv Turner will be fired within 3 weeks.

Mike: SD. I knew Brady was good but I didn't realize how good until he was gone. The Patriots are falling apart but the Chargers are getting their footing as LTs toe is healing.

New York Giants (-7) at Cleveland

Joe: CLE. I'm taking the Browns and the 7 points (should be way more) even though I have no reason to. I want to believe that after the bye week they can at least keep it close even though they have shown less than nothing all season. Hopefully if it comes down to late in the game we can pull out a win because, really, what has Eli Manning ever done that DA hasn't? SHOOT ME IN THE FACE! PLEASE BROWNS, ONE WEEK OF GOOD FOOTBALL. ONE ****ING WEEK! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?

Mike: NYG. Oh dear. I really hope the Browns keep it close. National television has not been kind. We might be witnessing Derek Anderson's next-to-last game as starter.

Odds provided by USAToday at http://usatoday.com/sports/gaming/sheridan.htm