NFL Game Picks: Week 6

Audio/Story posted October 15, 2020 in CommRadio, Sports by David Fortunato

Host Charlie Murray and analysts Eric Fenstermaker, Jonathan Draeger and Alex Rocco breakdown the upcoming week in the NFL.

With no Thursday night game due to the various COVID-19 related schedule changes, the Sunday 1 p.m. games will be the first taste of Week 6 NFL action. Let’s take a look ahead at what Week 6 offers and predict the outcomes of each game.

 

Baltimore Ravens (4-1) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (1-3-1)

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens head to Philadelphia to take on a struggling Eagles team led by Carson Wentz.

The Ravens bounced back from their loss to the Chiefs by destroying the Bengals and will do the same to the Eagles, which will not be able to contain Jackson or the Ravens’ punishing run game.

That’s without mentioning that Carson Wentz has taken a huge step back this year and is facing a Ravens defense that consistently forces turnovers. This one will get ugly fast.

Prediction: Ravens 38, Eagles 17

 

Chicago Bears (4-1) vs. Carolina Panthers (3-2)

Chicago is coming into this game fresh off a hard-fought win against the Buccaneers. The Bears offense hasn’t improved much with Nick Foles as the starter, but the defense looked impressive in last week’s win.

The Panthers have won three games in a row following an 0-2 start, mainly due to the play of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who’s thrown five touchdowns to just one interception during the winning streak. Star player Christian McCaffrey is also eligible to come off the IR list this week too.

If McCaffrey is healthy, the Panthers could win, but the Bears defense will be giving Bridgewater fits all day. The Bears win in an ugly, low-scoring matchup.

Prediction: Bears 17, Panthers 13

 

Cincinnati Bengals (1-3-1) vs. Indianapolis Colts (3-2)

The Bengals only scored three points and allowed rookie sensation Joe Burrow to be sacked seven times against Baltimore. This offensive line is by far the worst in football. To even have a chance against Indianapolis, it has to protect Burrow.

Too bad that won’t happen, as the Colts are going to have something to prove following a tough loss to the Browns. It’s not going to be pretty.

Prediction: Colts 35, Bengals 9

 

Cleveland Browns (4-1) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-0)

Aside from the Week 1 loss to Baltimore in which they only scored six points, the Browns have scored over 30 in each of their games. The Steelers, meanwhile, look rejuvenated with the return of Ben Roethlisberger despite their struggles to prevent the opposition from scoring.

As good as the Browns appear to be, they’ve only beaten one good team, and they’re in for a reality check this week against a superior Pittsburgh team.

Prediction: Steelers 27, Browns 17

 

Atlanta Falcons (0-5) vs. Minnesota Vikings (1-4)

The Atlanta Falcons are an absolute mess. The offense is underperforming, and the defense can’t stop anything. Dan Quinn is gone, so maybe they can look competent for the first time all year.

But the Minnesota Vikings are better than their record shows, and they should be able to handle this matchup. Even if Dalvin Cook is out with an injury, Alexander Mattison should prove tough to stop for the weak Falcons defense.

Atlanta will start the season 0-6 and have a lot of important decisions to make going forward.

Prediction: Vikings 24, Falcons 17

 

Detroit Lions (1-3) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3)

Detroit may be coming off a bye, but the fact still stands that the only team better than the Lions at finding ways to lose is the Falcons. Fortunately, the Jaguars are not much better, as both teams feature decent offenses and terrible defenses.

This is a game that could go either way, but look for Minshew mania to roll for another week and for Lions coach Matt Patricia to find a way to lose another one.

Prediction: Jaguars 33, Lions 24

 

Houston Texans (1-4) vs. Tennessee Titans (4-0)

The Texans are a much better team than their record indicates, at least on the offensive side of the ball. However, the Titans looked unstoppable against the Bills. As always, the game plan will revolve around Derrick Henry, who makes it easier for Ryan Tannehill to get the passing game going.

This game will be closer than people think, but J.J. Watt and the Texans defense won’t be able to stop Henry.

Prediction: Titans 30, Texans 21

 

Washington Football Team (1-4) vs. New York Giants (0-5)

The two worst offenses in the worst division in football meet this week. Washington has struggled to score points all season long, and Kyle Allen did not play great last week before leaving the game with an injury. The Giants showed signs of life against an atrocious Cowboys defense, but can Daniel Jones play like that against a decent Washington defense?

This game will be low scoring, but in the end, the Washington defense will make plays and do enough to pull out the win.

Prediction: Washington 14, Giants 7

 

Denver Broncos (1-3) vs. New England Patriots (2-2)

This game was originally postponed due to the Patriots’ positive tests for COVID-19, but the extra week off now means Cam Newton is most likely cleared to play, and he has been fantastic so far in New England. Denver, meanwhile, is hoping that quarterback Drew Lock will be healthy enough to play, but injuries have devastated the Broncos all season long.

Even if Drew Lock plays, the Patriots should win this one without too much difficulty.

Prediction: Patriots 34, Broncos 17

 

New York Jets (0-5) vs. Miami Dolphins (2-3)

The Jets are the worst team in football, Adam Gase is the worst coach in the NFL, Sam Darnold has been battered and bruised all season long, and now Joe Flacco might be the starter for the next few games. It’s safe to say that the Jets are a trainwreck. Meanwhile, Ryan Fitzpatrick has been playing very well for a Miami team that has found ways to stay competitive.

Maybe the Dolphins will beat the Jets so badly that they have no choice but to fire Gase.

Prediction: Dolphins 31, Jets 7

 

Green Bay Packers (4-0) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)

Aaron Rodgers hasn’t played this well in years. Combine that with a fantastic ground game, and the Packers offense has been absolutely explosive. Tom Brady was running for his life against Chicago, and the Packers pass rush, led by Za’Darius Smith isn’t going to make things any easier.

Green Bay remains undefeated while Tampa Bay stumbles to a .500 record.

Prediction: Packers 38, Buccaneers 24

 

Los Angeles Rams (4-1) vs. San Francisco 49ers (2-3)

The Rams have had a resurgent season and are looking like the team that went to the Super Bowl two years ago. The 49ers, meanwhile, are still struggling with injuries, and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo looked terrible last week against Miami.

The 49ers are just too injured to have a chance. Aaron Donald will have a field day against the depleted San Francisco offense.

Prediction: Rams 31, 49ers 14

 

Kansas City Chiefs (4-1) vs. Buffalo Bills (4-1)

Following a stunning loss to the Raiders, the Chiefs will be motivated to come out strong against a really good Bills team. Josh Allen has taken a huge step forward as a passer but struggled last week against a so-so Titans defense.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are too motivated to lose this game, but Buffalo will rebound from their bad performance on Tuesday to make this one interesting.

Prediction: Chiefs 42, Bills 31

 

Arizona Cardinals (3-2) vs. Dallas Cowboys (2-3)

The Cardinals offense has looked great with the addition of DeAndre Hopkins, who continues to be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Dallas is coming off a last-second win against a very bad Giants team following the devastating injury to Dak Prescott. Now Andy Dalton takes over the signal-calling duties for Big D.

When it’s all said and done, Kyler Murray will tear up the awful Cowboys defense, and Dalton will struggle to match Prescott’s production, resulting in an Arizona victory on Monday night.

Prediction: Cardinals 28, Cowboys 20

 

David Fortunato is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email dforch2344@gmail.com.

About the Contributors

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David Fortunato

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

David Fortunato is an aspiring broadcast journalist with a passion for both sports and the arts at Penn State. Along with being one of the directors for the CommRadio arts & entertainment department, he has written articles, participated in podcasts and even done a live show for the CommRadio sports department. In addition to his work for CommRadio, David is also involved in PSNTV’s Penn State Sports Night. David was also an intern for the Penn State men’s club hockey team, where he did player interviews, produced live streams, did camerawork and even did some play-by-play. He can be contacted at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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Charlie Murray

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Alex Rocco's photo

Alex Rocco

Third-Year / Broadcast Journalism

Alex Rocco is a third-year student from Long Island, New York majoring in broadcast journalism. Rocco is a general manager, football reporter and broadcaster for CommRadio. Along with covering football for CommRadio, he’s a women’s soccer reporter for The Daily Collegian. Rocco got his start as the president of his high school sports media department, where he wrote numerous articles and broadcasted many games. If you would like to contact him, his email is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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Jonathan Draeger

Third Year / Broadcast Journalism

Jonathan “Jon” Draeger is a third-year student from Butler, Pennsylvania, majoring in broadcast journalism at Penn State University. He is the Production Director for CommRadio, alongside his work as a broadcaster and producer for the Sports department and insider for Penn State Men’s Basketball. Jon also works on the “After The Whistle” live show. He was apart of the social media and on-field entertainment crew for the Butler Bluesox in the summer of 2021 and worked as a Broadcast Intern for the Saugerties Stallions of the PGCBL in the summer of 2022. If you would like to contact him, you can do so at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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Eric Fenstermaker

Senior / Broadcast Journalist

Eric Fenstermaker is a senior from Northampton, Pennsylvania, majoring in broadcast journalism. He is also minoring in business and sports studies and pursuing a certificate in sports journalism.

Eric is involved in After the Whistle and Penn State Sports Night (PSSN). For COMM Radio, Eric contributes to a variety of different podcasts and co-hosts the Hail Mary radio show, which is dedicated to analyzing NFL games.

Eric loves conversation and interaction with sports fans, and he looks to help generate meaningful dialogues in the sports world. Eric aims to create content that is accurate, timely and impactful. To contact Eric, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).