Week 6 NFL Picks: AFC West-leading Chargers head east to face Baltimore

Game of the week

L.A. Chargers astatine Baltimore

The Chargers are a 3 1/2-point underdog and traveling to the East Coast, but the Ravens are playing aft a abbreviated week/overtime game. Baltimore is No. 1 successful discourtesy (440.6 yards per game) and the Bolts are seventh (411.4). These teams volition conscionable again successful the AFC playoffs.

Ravens 29, Chargers 24

Lock of the week

Kansas City astatine Washington

This could beryllium a way conscionable due to the fact that the Chiefs are past successful points allowed (32.6) and WFT is 31st (31.0). Kansas City is simply a 6 1/2-point favourite and adjacent if it is the champion squad successful the AFC West, they are 2-3 and 2 games down the Chargers. Translation: Washington (2-3) has a large problem.

Chiefs 42, Washington 21

Upset of the week

Cincinnati astatine Detroit

The Bengals should beryllium connected letdown alert aft losing past week’s measuring instrumentality crippled to Green Bay successful overtime. Detroit has excessively galore adjacent losses (0-3 successful one-possession games) to suggest it is an inferior nine and manager Dan Campbell gets his archetypal win.

Lions 23, Bengals 20

Around the AFC

Peter Aiken, The Associated Press

Buffalo Bills backmost Josh Allen (17) signals a play from the enactment of scrimmage against the Kansas City Chiefs during an NFL shot crippled Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, successful Kansas City, Mo.

Class of the NFL. How did Buffalo suffer to Pittsburgh successful Week 1 … astatine home? Whatever the reason, that crippled served arsenic a wake-up telephone for the Bills, who person won by 35, 22, 40 and 18 points to amusement they are the AFC’s and NFL’s champion team. The Bills are a whopping plus-11 successful turnover differential; Dallas is next-best astatine plus-7. Buffalo, which plays astatine Tennessee connected Monday night, leads the NFL successful scoring (34.4 points per game) and fewest points allowed (12.8).

Huh, Urban? It wouldn’t beryllium a week without Jaguars manager Urban Meyer making a befuddling comment. Following a nonaccomplishment to Tennessee to autumn to 0-5, Meyer said his extremity is to scope 250 yards passing and 250 yards rushing per game. A travel to Pro Football Reference revealed lone 52 games since 1940 successful which an discourtesy achieved astatine slightest 250-250. The Broncos person done it doubly — successful a 1976 triumph implicit the New York Jets (292 passing/251 rushing) and a 2005 triumph implicit Philadelphia (309/251). Meyer is London’s occupation this play — the Jaguars marque their yearly travel overseas to big the disappointing Dolphins.

Colts inactive successful it. Indianapolis (1-4) is 1 of 7 teams with astatine slightest 4 losses. We tin destruct Miami, the Jets, Houston, Jacksonville, the Giants and Detroit from playoff consideration. But not the Colts due to the fact that they play successful the AFC South. They person 2 games apiece against the Texans and Jaguars and matchups with the Jets, Patriots and Raiders. If they bushed Tennessee astatine location and bargain different game, 9-8 whitethorn triumph that division. Quarterback Carson Wentz played good against Baltimore, completing 25 of 35 passes for 402 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Around the NFC

Stephen Brashear, The Associated Press

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner gestures during the 2nd fractional of an NFL shot crippled against the Los Angeles Rams, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021, successful Seattle. The Rams won 26-17.

Seahawks successful trouble. Seattle is 2-3 — atrocious quality successful the ultra-competitive NFC West successful which Arizona is 5-0 and the Rams 4-1. Seattle is without backmost Russell Wilson (finger surgery) — truly atrocious quality due to the fact that helium volition miss his archetypal crippled since entering the league successful 2012. And Seattle is atrocious defensively — the worst news. The Seahawks are the ninth squad since the merger to let an mean of astatine slightest 450 yards successful their archetypal 4 games (450.8 per crippled — worst successful the NFL). By comparison, Buffalo is archetypal astatine 251.8. The Seahawks aren’t bully capable to assistance fill-in backmost Geno Smith person accordant success. Seattle plays astatine Pittsburgh connected Sunday night.

Winning contempt nary yards. Chicago is someway 3-2 aft winning astatine Las Vegas past Sunday. The Bears fertile past successful the NFL successful yards (240.0; Miami is next-worst astatine 261.8), yards per play (4.15; the Dolphins are adjacent astatine 4.36) and passing yards per crippled (113.9; New Orleans is adjacent astatine 169.4) and 30th successful points per crippled (16.8). But the adjacent 4 games volition trial rookie backmost Justin Fields — vs. Green Bay, astatine Tampa Bay, astatine Pittsburgh and vs. Baltimore. Bears manager Matt Nagy is 1-5 vs. the Packers.

Cowboys rolling. Dallas has won 4 consecutive games since losing successful Week 1 astatine Tampa Bay and backmost Dak Prescott could beryllium a dual victor of Comeback Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player. Prescott is 2nd successful passer standing (116.9) and tied for 3rd successful touchdowns (13). The Cowboys, who play astatine New England connected Sunday, fertile successful the apical 3 successful 7 violative categories, including yards (second, 439.6) and points (34.0) per game.