NFL Pro Football 2008 Week 6 Picks early games

NFL Pro Football 2008 Week 6 Picks

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Fearless Rick's NFL Week 6 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | October 12-13

All times Eastern - Click here for late Sunday and Monday night games.

SUN, OCT 12

Oakland at New Orleans (-8, 47) 1:00 PM - The Saints have dropped two straight primarily due to turnovers and missed opportunities by kicker Martin Grammatica, so their favoritism - even at home - doesn't exactly inspire confidence. If they continue to fumble around on offense, they'll soon find themselves playing a serious game of catch-up, even though the NFC South isn't going to be a runaway for anyone.

Oakland has had a tumultuous couple of weeks, replacing Lane Kiffin as head coach with Tom Cable, but they also got Justin Fargas back from injury as their featured running back. The Raiders are a dangerous team with a respectable defense and improving offense, which could explode at any time. Considering how badly the Saints are playing, the Raiders may stun them at home.

Prediction: Raiders 26 Saints 24

Cincinnati at NY Jets (-6, 44 1/2) 1:00 PM - If the Bengals continue to play the way they have the past two weeks - losing close games to the Giants and Dallas - they are going to beat somebody and the Jets are as good a victim as anyone. The key questions surrounding this contest are whether the Bengals will keep playing hard and when Brett Favre will suffer a bad game. If both of those occur here, chalk up win #1 for the Bengals, who, believe it or not, are allowing fewer points per game than the Jets (23.6 vs. 29.0).

Prediction: Bengals 21 Jets 17

Chicago (-3, 43 1/2) at Atlanta 1:00 PM - Surprisingly, this game sets up as one of the better matchups of the weekend because the Falcons and Bears are both 3-2 and in position to challenge for their respective division leads. The Bears already are a game up on the Packers, thanks to Atlanta winning last week at Green Bay. QB Matt Ryan has been impressive for Atlanta, along with RB Michael Turner, who rushed for 121 yards and a TD against Green Bay, but they'll probably find the going a little tougher against the solid Chicago defense.

The Bears are playing with a great deal of confidence, coming off consecutive wins, beating Philly on Sunday night and then blowing out Detroit (34-7) last week. Kyle Orton continues to improve every week and the Bears should continue their winning ways, though this will not be easy.

Prediction: Bears 27 Falcons 24

Detroit at Minnesota (-13 1/2, 45 1/2) 1:00 PM - Coming off a much-needed win at New Orleans, the Vikings look to keep in touch with the Bears. At 2-3, Minnesota needs to stay close to the Bears in anticipation of their meeting next week in Chicago. Since Detroit is in such a state of disarray, with the worst defense in the league (allowing 36.8 ppg) and an offense that more often resembles a Chinese fire drill, this should be another humiliating defeat for the Lions. While the Vikings were somewhat handed a gift in New Orleans, they have played better with Gus Frerotte as their starting QB. He and Adrian Peterson should do considerable stat stuffing here.

Prediction: Vikings 41 Lions 10

St. Louis at Washington (-13 1/2, 44) 1:00 PM - No team is hotter than the Redskins, who have strung together 4 straight wins and beaten two of their division rivals - Dallas and Philly - in back-to-back road wins. Hosting the Rams is a special treat, as the kids from St. Louis have the dubious distinction of having the worst offense and defense in the league. St. Louis scores an average of 10.8 ppg, and are tied with the Lions at the bottom in points allowed at 36.8.

The Rams have had an extra week to get new head coach Jim Haslett acclimated, but he's not exactly a turn-around artist, so not much new is expected. Unless the Redskins suffer serious injuries or just come out flat, they should dominate on both sides of the ball.

Prediction: Redskins 31 Rams 13

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Carolina at Tampa Bay (-1, 36 1/2) 1:00 PM - The Carolina Panthers are playing about as well as they can and have the opportunity to take a commanding lead in the NFC South. A win here would make them 5-1, and the Bucs, 3-3. If Atlanta loses, that would result in a 2-game edge in the division. The Panthers are coming off a pair of convincing home wins (24-9 over Atlanta and 34-0 over KC), while the Buccaneers return home following a 16-13 loss at Denver. The Bucs are 2-0 at home and are playing well enough to stay in contention, but the feeling is that the Panthers are emerging as the class in this tough-to-figure division.

This will come down to players making plays and who wants it more. Jake Delhomme seems to be the most motivated QB in the league, and his leadership should produce a narrow win.

Prediction: Panthers 17 Buccaneers 13

Miami at Houston (-3, 44 1/2) 1:00 PM - This could turn into the game of the week, as Houston seeks to bounce back from the blown opportunity to knock off the Colts and the Dolphins continue to make their case as contenders in the AFC. The Texans have a slight advantage on offense, especially if Matt Schaub is ready to go (he should be). Miami's defense has been the story in South Florida, though. In consecutive wins over New England and San Diego, they've allowed just 23 points.

Look for the Dolphins to win the field position battle and get above .500 for the first time in ages.

Prediction: Dolphins 24 Texans 19

Baltimore at Indianapolis (-4 1/2, 39) 1:00 PM - The Colts are in serious trouble. They haven't looked good in any of their games, and should have lost last week at Houston - and badly. They scored three times in the final minutes to escape with an unlikely 31-27 win.

The 2-2 Ravens are not blessed with the offensive talent the Colts have, but their defense will give Peyton Manning and Joseph Addai fits. Indy hasn't been able to establish a ground game at all this season, and the Colts should limit the offense to under 250 yards, force mistakes and run away with this one. Indy hasn't been able to stop anyone. They have allowed an average of 23.5 ppg against so-so opposition.

Prediction: Ravens 31 Colts 17

All times Eastern - Click here for late Sunday and Monday night games

Copyright 2008, 2009, Rick Gagliano, Downtown Magazine. All rights reserved. Downtown Magazine is located in the Uinted States of America and is not affiliated with the National Football League or the NCAA. For more information, contact us here. Use of this site is for entertainment purposes only.

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