NFL Picks, 2026 Week 6

That Seahawks royal blue throwbacks vs. Broncos orange throwbacks Thursday night game was amazing!  There are a lot of things NFL teams are doing with uniforms that are terrible (color rush, those division rivalry alternates, any of those third jersey/different-colored-helmet combos).  But not the throwbacks!  Especially when they wear the team's best uniforms from their history.  More of that, please!  (And, hey, I actually got my Thursday night pick right this week, too!)

Thursday Night: Denver (Win)

Texans (1-4) vs Jaguars (4-1): Jacksonville-Houston needed a win last week and got it.  Now the Texans head to London, where the Jaguars have been all week after beating the Eagles in that wild finish (that ran into the start of the 1:00 games and made plenty of people at CBS and FOX not too happy).  Anyway, Jacksonville is proving to be one of the better teams in the league.  Can they fly back from the UK with a pair of wins in tow?

Bears (3-2) at Falcons (2-3): Chicago-After three weeks in primetime, the Falcons return to the Sunday 1:00 window for a meeting with the Bears.  Atlanta came thisclose to going 3-0 in those primetime games.  And, if they had, it would've put them in first place.  Chicago, meanwhile, is in a three-way tie, two games behind Minnesota, in a division where everyone is over .500.  They've got a short turnaround before a Thursday night game with New England, but they can't afford to overlook this one.

Ravens (4-1) at Browns (3-2): Cleveland-Just when you start to think the Browns might actually be good, they go and lose to the Jets.  Yes, the weather was disgusting.  But that was what you'd typically expect to see in a Browns-Jets game.  It certainly wasn't what we'd seen from Cleveland in the first four weeks of the season.  Baltimore took over first place with its overtime win against Atlanta.  Don't be surprised if the Ravens and Browns are tied after this week.

Titans (0-5) at Colts (2-3): Indianapolis-Titans fans have resorted to putting paper bags over their heads like the New Orleans Ain'ts fans back in the day.  In last week's Battle of the Defeated, they fell to the Texans, dropping them to 0-5.  Incredibly, they're one of three 0-5 teams in the AFC.  Miami's off this week, so that means the Dolphins can't lose.  But it also means they can't win either.  You know the Colts are looking at this game as a way to get back to .500, though.  Which they'll need with road games at Minnesota and Jacksonville coming up after this.

Jets (2-3) at Patriots (3-2): New England-Ladies and gentlemen, last week the New York Jetropolitans actually resembled a professional football team!  It was an ugly game, sure, but they pulled out a win that few people expected.  If they can win again this week, they'll be tied with the Patriots (and technically in second since they'd have the head-to-head victory over New England).  Let's not get too carried away, though.  This is still the Jets we're talking about.  It would be mighty shocking if they go into Foxboro and beat the team that has been their nemesis for the better part of the last two decades.

Saints (1-4) at Giants (3-1-1): Giants-History was made in the NFC East.  For the first time ever, nobody in a division won in a week when there was a division game.  Which says all you need to know about the NFC East in 2026.  But, hey, the Giants will take it.  They were celebrating like they had won after Washington gifted them a tie last week.  And, since nobody else seems to want to be in first place, they actually gained a half game in the standings.  Their schedule is very conducive to maintaining that lead.  They have New Orleans and Houston before their bye.  Can they be 5-1-1 when they get there?

Panthers (2-2) at Eagles (2-3): Philadelphia-Full discretion: This pick was made before the Jalen Hurts injury news.  The Eagles were already banged up.  Now they're dealt an even bigger blow.  Depending on how long Hurts is out, the season has a chance of getting away from them.  Which makes getting a victory here and getting back to .500 that much more important.  Fortunately, for them, the NFC East is weak this season.  So, if they can tread water, they may have a chance of salvaging their playoff hopes.

Steelers (3-2) at Buccaneers (1-4): Tampa Bay-Tampa Bay should be better than 1-4, right?  And, to think, they could be 0-5.  I think last week's game in Dallas might've been a turning point for them.  And, the NFC South is so bad that it's still winnable.  The Steelers, meanwhile, are like two completely different teams.  They're great at home.  They can't win on the road.  Well, guess where this week's game is being played.  Not in Pittsburgh.  Thus, the Bucs are the pick.

Cardinals (1-4) at Rams (2-3): Rams-I still can't decide if I think the Rams are good or not.  On paper, they should be.  They have one of the most talented rosters in football.  But the results haven't shown it.  It's only Week 6, so there's no reason to panic yet.  But you can't say there aren't some concerns.  And, they also have the 49ers and Seahawks to deal with.  Fortunately, they've got the Cardinals at home this week.  That should get them back to 3-3.

Chargers (0-5) at Chiefs (4-0): Kansas City-This is, obviously, not the season anyone was expecting out of Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert.  I'm not sure what the Chargers can do to fix it at this point, either.  Things don't get any easier as they head to Kansas City to face an undefeated Chiefs team coming off its bye.  We all know Andy Reid's history in games immediately following the bye.  There's no reason to think he won't add another win to that record this week.

Bills (4-1) at Raiders (3-2): Buffalo-The Bills stayed out west after somehow getting that win over the Rams.  Now they face a Raiders team that has dropped two straight after a 3-0 start.  They gave Kansas City a game.  But they got blown out in New England.  I think we're starting to see that the Raiders' start was partially a result of the teams they were playing.  Back at home, this game should be more similar to the Chiefs game than the Patriots game.  The result should be the same, though.  Buffalo moves to 5-1.

Cowboys (2-3) at Packers (3-2): Green Bay-Packers-Cowboys is usually a slam dunk selection for Sunday night.  Two marquee teams that are big draws.  They played on a Sunday night last year in Dallas, and it was a highly entertaining game that ended in a tie.  This year's matchup feels like a must-win, especially for the Cowboys.  Green Bay seems to have gotten back on track with two straight wins, including thumping the Bears last week.  Makes the Packers an easy pick in this one.

Commanders (1-3-1) at 49ers (5-0): San Francisco-Let's call a spade a spade.  Washington should've won last week.  That was one of the worst examples of clock mismanagement I've ever seen!  It was so bad, in fact, that I'm shocked somebody didn't get fired after the game.  Anyway, now the entire nation will be subjected to the Commanders as they head west to take on arguably the best team in the league over the first five weeks.  Expect them to go back to DC with a loss.

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 7-7-1
Overall: 41-38-1