NFL 2019 Week 6 Picks

Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming! Last week was probably one of my worst weeks in terms of straight up pick 'ems. Hopefully this week will be better. In this post, I will do a NFL 100: A Spotlight and my picks for the games. Let's get to work!

NFL 100: A Spotlight

When it comes to players throughout the 100 years of the NFL, no other player has had a better career under the circumstances of the situation he was in. That and his post-playing career is marred by one thing "Did he murder his wife?" and a lot of people have animosity towards him because of that. You cannot deny that his legacy to the game of football is that of greatness. I am of course talking about O.J. Simpson.

He did well in high school football, and when he went to the University of Southern California in 1967, he displayed his greatness there. Although he only played for two seasons with USC he rushed for 1,543 yards in 1967 and 1,880 yards in 1968. He was that good. Good as in when the 1968 Philadelphia Eagles attempted to tank to get him, even though the Eagles would eventually win two of their last three games to finish with a record of 2-12. The Buffalo Bills would ultimately have the #1 pick in the 1969 Draft.

OJ Simpson would play for 11 seasons in the NFL and while his career didn't get going in the first few years due to decisions from his head coaches. Decisions like using him as a blocker or a receiver instead of him as a running back. He would only average 622 yards per season. In 1972, the Bills hired Lou Saban. Saban would make Simpson a central figure in the Bills offense. Simpson would rush for 1,251 yards for six touchdowns. His greatness was just the beginning.

In 1973, OJ Simpson would have one of the greatest seasons for running backs in NFL history. He rushed for 2,003 yards in a 14-game schedule. He is the only player to reach that mark in a 14-game season. His yards per game total was at 143.1, an NFL record that still stands. He was named NFL MVP for 1973.

The playoffs had eluded him due to ineptitude of the Bills during the 1970's. His quarterback often changed throughout his time at Buffalo. In 1974, the Bills reached the playoffs with 1,125 yards rushing from Simpson. In the AFC Divisional playoff between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was held to 49 yards on 15 carries. He would not sniff a playoff berth for the rest of his career.

While he almost reached for 2,000 yards in 1975, he finished with 1,817 with a career best 16 touchdowns. One of his last great moments in greatness was on Thanksgiving 1976 when he ran the ball for 273 yards (at that time an NFL record) in a game against the Detroit Lions. The Bills would lose the game 27-14.

He was traded to hometown San Francisco to play for the 49ers in 1978. His last two seasons for the 49ers was marred by injuries and he wouldn't quite get back to his 1,000+ rushing yard mark that he had earlier in his career. He would retire shortly after the 1979 season. Imagine him playing in the West Coast Offense under Bill Walsh, if only his body could last that long.

Even though he played on a bad team in the Buffalo Bills, his stats definitely lift his greatness. If he had those numbers behind an offensive line like the Miami Dolphins or the Oakland Raiders, he probably would have a few Super Bowls in his resume. Essentially, OJ Simpson was the offense for the Buffalo Bills, he has to be the greatest running back in the 1970's.

Week 6 Picks

The sixth week of the National Football League regular season starts in Foxboro, Massachusetts and finishes in Green Bay, Wisconsin. There will be 14 games played. The week includes a Thursday night game, one early morning game, six early games, four late games, a Sunday night game, and a Monday night game. The Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Oakland Raiders, and Indianapolis Colts have bye weeks this week. CBS will have the double-header and FOX will have the single, regional game. Here come the picks!

NY Giants (2-3) @ New England (5-0) (FOX/NFL Network): TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots

The Giants lost to the Vikings and the Patriots beat the Redskins last week. These two teams certainly have a history in playing in big games. Tom Brady's two of his three Super Bowl losses were in the hands of the Giants in Super Bowl XLII and XLVI. Unfortunately the Giants are banged up and Tom Brady is still upright. I feel the best chance for Brady and company to stick it to the Giants for those losses has to be this game. 

Carolina (3-2) @ Tampa Bay (2-3) (NFL Network): TW: Panthers; CV: Panthers

The Panthers beat the Jaguars and the Buccaneers lost to the Saints. If you have NFL Network and are willing to wake up early in the morning, this game will be on for you to enjoy. It will be in London for the second consecutive week. Tough game to call but I feel the Panthers will win it close with Christian McCaffrey having a great game with Kyle Allen at quarterback.

New Orleans (4-1) @ Jacksonville (2-3) (CBS): TW: Saints; CV: Saints

The Saints beat the Buccaneers and the Jaguars lost to the Panthers. Minshewmania lost last week and might've taken some thunder from me picking them this week. I'm going with the more experienced quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater in this game. Another close game to call. Could backfire on me.

Philadelphia (3-2) @ Minnesota (3-2) (FOX): TW: Vikings; CV: Vikings

Both teams got a win last week as the Eagles beat the Jets and the Vikings beat the Giants. Kirk Cousins will need to take advantage of a meager Eagles pass defense as the Eagles rush defense is #1 this season. The Vikings defense will keep this game close and the place will be loud. I'll take the Vikes. Big games usually mean bad things for Kirk Cousins.

Washington (0-5) @ Miami (0-4) (FOX): TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins

The Redskins lost to the Patriots and the Dolphins were on a bye last week. It's the Toilet Bowl of all Toilet Bowls, the "Suck For Tua Bowl" and then some. The Dolphins are well rested and the Redskins have an interim head coach that will more than likely start Dwayne Haskins. Sorry Dolphins fans but I think your team will get a win this season.

Houston (3-2) @ Kansas City (4-1) (CBS): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs

The Texans beat the Falcons and the Chiefs lost to the Colts last week. I feel that Patrick Mahomes will rebound after the offense had a timid game last week. Will certainly be a shootout as both offenses are good. I can't trust the Texans enough as they are somewhat inconsistent. First team to 30+ will get a dub. Hopefully Patrick Mahomes is alright.

Seattle (4-1) @ Cleveland (2-3) (FOX): TW: Seahawks; CV: Seahawks

The Seahawks beat the Rams and the Browns lost to the 49ers last week. Baker Mayfield hasn't been the same quarterback this season for some reason and I feel that he's putting too much pressure on himself and not legislating the game to others. Seattle is pretty good in rush defense so it will be difficult for the Browns to get a run game going. Russell Wilson has been playing stellar as well so I'll take Seattle.

Cincinnati (0-5) @ Baltimore (2-3) (CBS): TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens

The Bengals lost to the Cardinals and the Ravens beat the Steelers last week. Lamar Jackson didn't play his best last week but the Bengals are terrible on both sides of the ball, especially on the offensive line. I think the Ravens defense will have a field day against them. Could expect Mark Ingram to have a great day against the Bengals 31st ranked rush defense.

San Francisco (4-0) @ LA Rams (3-2) (FOX): TW: Rams; CV: Rams

The 49ers beat the Browns and the Rams lost to the Seahawks last week. San Francisco is coming into the game with a shorter week than the Rams. I think we'll learn a lot about how the Rams offense will handle itself after last week's loss. The pressure is definitely on San Francisco to prove themselves to be the best team in the conference. Could be a shootout.

Atlanta (1-4) @ Arizona (1-3-1) (FOX): TW: Falcons; CV: Falcons

The Falcons lost to the Texans and the Cardinals beat the Bengals. It will come down to which Falcons defense comes out against Arizona. I really don't trust the Falcons defense to come out and get it done but Arizona's defense is very suspect as well, including their pass defense. If David Johnson for the Cardinals doesn't play then I feel Atlanta will come away with a close win.

Dallas (3-2) @ NY Jets (0-4) (CBS): TW: Cowboys; CV: Cowboys

The Cowboys lost to the Packers and the Jets lost to the Eagles last week. Dallas has come out flat against the Saints and the Packers. Fortunately they play a terrible Jets team for the marquee game (yeah marquee game, smh CBS/NFL). Dallas gets back on track with a win. Unless Joe Namath, Matt Snell, and Don Maynard come out and play in their prime selves, then Dallas would be in trouble.

Tennessee (2-3) @ Denver (1-4) (CBS): TW: Broncos; CV: Broncos

The Titans lost to the Bills and the Broncos won against the Chargers. Philip Lindsey had a great game last week against the Chargers. He and the Broncos running backs will need to have another good week against a Titans team that is 14th in rush defense. Hopefully Von Miller can continue to have success rushing Marcus Mariota who has yet to throw an interception this season.

Pittsburgh (1-4) @ LA Chargers (2-3) (NBC): TW: Steelers; CV: Chargers

Both teams lost last week as the Steelers lost to the Ravens and the Chargers lost to the Broncos. One would assume that Mason Rudolph won't play based on the hit that he suffered last week. If he doesn't start then Devlin Hodges will get the nod. I don't know much from Hodges so I'll go on a whim and take the Steelers in this one. If the Steelers defense let Phillip Rivers have a good game then this will get ugly.

Detroit (2-1-1) @ Green Bay (4-1) (ESPN): TW: Packers; CV: Lions

The Lions were on a bye and the Packers beat the Cowboys last week. Detroit has surprised quite a few people this season. Matthew Stafford will have a huge test against an improved Packers defense. I don't see the Lions winning the game because of Aaron Rodgers and the offense doing their own thing and the Lions will have to play catch up all game. If Detroit's offense can keep the Packers defense on the field for a majority of the game, then the Lions have a shot.

Local TV Schedule (courtesy of 506sports.com, subject to change):

FOX Single:
Philadelphia @ Minnesota
Kenny Albert, Charles Davis

CBS Early:
Houston @ Kansas City
Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

CBS Late:
Dallas @ NY Jets
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

For more information on which game is being played in your area, check out: NFL 2019: Week 6 Maps

The Records (By Week & Year):

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89

2018: 156-98-2

2019:

Week 1: 11-4-1

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 10-6

Week 4: 7-8

Week 5: 9-6

Overall: 47-30-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2

2019:

Week 1: 12-3-1

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 8-7

Week 5: 5-10

Overall: 46-31-1

See you guys on Monday night for the Week 6 Recap! Enjoy the games!

NFL Week 6 Picks

Hello readers! The week that was Week 5 in the National Football League is finished. With the week that was was some close games, some upsets, and some that came down to the final seconds. The week was not so much a good one for picks for both me and Cardinal Viking (my roommate).

The records for Week 5:

My Record:

7-7 (Screw you Niners, Titans, and Rams. I had faith in you all!)

Cardinal Viking:

4-10 (Safe to say he picked the Jets over Browns, and Chargers over Giants last week, have to commend him for that at least).

When the both of us make picks we tend to pick some games that will go one way, and sometimes the other. Just to differentiate each other. We knew going into week 5 that this week would be the change that would come. After two weeks of tying each other by record, I gain the victory (though I wouldn't necessarily call it a win), suffice to say it is a 2-1-2, advantage me.

I like to write, I like singing, and I like to play video games. I have a youtube channel under the name of "DarthTom." I've had the channel up for almost 10 years dating back to January 2008. Lately I've been doing "Let's Play" videos on my channel and this week's cool video is no different. Enjoy it:

Week 6 of the NFL Regular season features 14 games. A Thursday Night game, 7 early games, 4 late games, a Sunday Night game, and a Monday night game. The week starts in lovely Charlotte, North Carolina and ends in the grand ole city of Nashville, Tennessee. Four teams will be on bye week this week: Buffalo, Dallas, Cincinnati, and Seattle. Here are the picks:

Philadelphia @ Carolina: Eagles. Both teams come off wins last week. The Eagles blew out the Cardinals, and the Panthers beat the Lions on the road. Both teams feature great quarterback play, good offense and solid defense. The name of the game is offense and I like the Eagles in the match up.

Chicago @ Baltimore: Ravens.The Ravens won on the road against the Raiders. The Bears lost to the Vikings on Monday night. Both teams aren't that particularly great. The Bears have some hope with Mitch Trubisky at Quarterback, but without any help to back him up, I'd have to say Joe Flacco and the Ravens pick up the win.

Cleveland @ Houston: Texans. Both teams come off the previous week with losses. The Browns lost a close game to the Jets, and the Texans lost to the Chiefs. The biggest heartbreaker is the loss of JJ Watt who will be out for the season. Watt was a big contributor to the relief effort in Houston, Texas after Hurricane Harvey hit the city back in August. Hate to see things happen to good people. The game could be decent to watch, but the Texans have Deshaun Watson who looks more like a elite QB every week and we've only played five weeks of football so far. Texans win at home.

Detroit @ New Orleans: Saints. The Lions came off a loss to the Panthers at home, while the Saints are coming off a bye week. The team that comes off a bye week usually has an advantage to get rested up and ready to play and I like the Saints going more with a passing attack against the Lions pass defense that is ranked 27th in the league. Plus the Saints have Drew Brees who can still throw a mean pass, but tough game to call.

Green Bay @ Minnesota: Packers. The two teams both come off wins last week as the Packers beat the Cowboys on the road, and the Vikings beat the Bears on the road. The Packers seem to be on a roll right now with a newfound running attack with Aaron Jones and as long as Aaron Rodgers is on the field, I'd say that Minnesota will have a tough time keeping up with the Packers. The Vikings defense is tough though.

Miami @ Atlanta: Falcons. The Falcons come off a bye week last week, and the Dolphins won against the Titans. The Dolphins are a train wreck, and when they come to Atlanta, I feel that the Falcons will win. I mean the Falcons still have weapons despite Julio Jones being questionable to play and Mohammad Sanu being even more questionable to play. I mean it's the Dolphins. They have Jay Cutler.

New England @ NY Jets: Patriots. Both teams come off wins last week as the Patriots beat the Buccaneers on Thursday night, and the Jets won on the road against the Browns. The two teams are sitting at 3-2 on the year, something that no one saw happening before the season started. The Pats seem to be the better team on paper, and the Jets seem to be a pretender than really anything else. I'll pick the Pats.

San Francisco @ Washington: Washington. The Niners came off a loss to the Colts in overtime, while Washington comes off a bye week. The winless Niners go to FedEx field to take on Washington, the Hogs have a bit more offensive weapons than the Niners and I feel the team by the bay will go 0-6 after this game. Or they could pull the upset.

LA Rams @ Jacksonville: Rams. The Rams come off on the losing side against the Seahawks last week, and the Jaguars won by a blowout against the Steelers on the road. The game looks pretty interesting on paper, something that I and probably everyone else didn't see happening before the season began. The Rams seem to be the underdog in the match up and it will pretty much come down to which team shows up: the high powered offense that took it to the Cowboys, or the team that only scored 10 points last week to the Seahawks. I'll go with the Rams on a gutsy pick. UPSET OF THE WEEK!

Tampa Bay @ Arizona: Cardinals. The Buccaneers come off a loss to the Patriots, while the Cardinals lost to the Eagles on the road. During the week the Cardinals claimed Adrian Peterson from the Saints for a draft pick. Needing depth in the running back position, it seems like a gutsy call from the Cardinals. Peterson hasn't had the stellar year offensively that we've been accustomed to seeing from him:

Certainly hasn't been running the ball effectively, but the Cardinals gave up a 2018 6th-round pick to the Saints. Maybe it'll pay off. Otherwise the Cards will be down a pick in next year's draft. Despite this, I like the Cardinals because they still have Larry Fitzgerald.

LA Chargers @ Oakland: Raiders. The two AFC West rivals will do battle in the Black Hole this week. The Chargers got their first win of the season against the Giants last week, and the Raiders came off a home loss to the Ravens. The Raiders won't have Derek Carr for this game but I feel confident that they can pull off a victory against the 1-4 Chargers, don't let me down.

Pittsburgh @ Kansas City: Chiefs. The marquee game of the week will feature the Steelers and Chiefs going head to head at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs came off a win last week to the Texans while the Steelers lost badly to the Jaguars. The Steelers will have a bounce back game I feel, and will put up a fight against the 5-0 Chiefs. The game will be close but I feel the Chiefs will go to 6-0 on the year.

NY Giants @ Denver: Broncos. The Giants come off a loss at home against the Chargers, while the Broncos come off a bye week. The Sunday Night Football match up doesn't have the sexy flavor to it as it usually does. The Giants are badly banged up and the Broncos look good so far in the season, despite the early bye. I just think the Broncos will win.

Indianapolis @ Tennessee: Colts. The Monday night game features two AFC South division rivals as the Colts travel to the Music City to take on the Titans. The Titans come off a loss last week to the Dolphins, while the Colts win in overtime against the Niners. Both teams have injuries in the starting quarterback position, with Andrew Luck of the Colts out due to offseason shoulder surgery, and Marcus Mariota is questionable to play after suffering a hamstring injury against the Texans. It could come down to which team's backup QB will play the best, Jacoby Brissett of the Colts seems to be the edge in that regard. I go with my gut and my gut says the Colts.

Local TV Schedule (courtesy of 506 Sports)

CBS Early:
New England @ NY Jets
Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

CBS Late:
Pittsburgh @ Kansas City
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

FOX Single:
Green Bay @ Minnesota
Thom Brennamen, Troy Aikman

For more information on what's showing in your local TV market go to NFL Maps: Week 6

Record:

Record:

Week 1: 10-5

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 7-7

Overall: 46-31

Cardinal Viking, my roommates record:

Week 1: 7-8

Week 2: 13-3

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 4-10

Overall: 43-34

See you guys next week!

-Tom