Another week of NFL action is upon us! It’s hard to believe five weeks are already in the books, but we’ve learned a lot about each of these 32 teams through the first five weeks of games. Upsets, tough games, comebacks, and surprises keep making the fun twists and turns that make us love “Any Given Sunday.” Let’s take a look at this week’s Confidence Playbook and set our NFL confidence pool picks for Week 6.
Four teams have bye weeks in Week 6. The Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, and Minnesota Vikings all get the week off. That means we’ll have just 14 games to rank in Week 6. It’ll kick off with a heavyweight battle Thursday night as the Seattle Seahawks head to Denver to face the Broncos. The Texans and Jaguars square off in London, while Commanders v 49ers will wrap up the week Monday night.
Can’t Miss – High Confidence Picks
1. Rams Over Cardinals
2. Bills Over Raiders
3. Chiefs Over Chargers
4. 49ers Over Commanders
5. Patriots Over Jets
The high confidence was a pretty easy section this week. Maybe one of the easier weeks of the year, which could be scary, but we’re gonna roll with it. Rams over Cardinals needs little explanation. An elite team and a not-great team. Give me the Rams.
We just saw the real Raiders in Week 5 when they faced a good New England team. Buffalo is no joke and the much better team in this matchup.
Kansas City is fresh off a bye. Andy Reid straight up off a bye is about as sure a thing as there is. This Chargers team, I don’t even know what to say about them anymore. Whatever is broken is bad, and this isn’t the week I see them fixing things.
San Francisco is arguably the best team in the NFL right now. They’ve been mowing down great competition week after week. Washington doesn’t even understand how to stop the clock to win the game. I asked the eight-year-old down the street if he knew what to do in that situation on Madden, and he didn’t hesitate. You can’t trust a team like that to win this game.
New England looked like that AFC Champion, Super Bowl team last week. They blasted the Raiders into putting Fernando Mendoza out there. Now they get a New York Jets team they absolutely own. The Patriots have won 18 of the last 20 games against New York.
Feelin’ Good – Confident Picks
6. Colts Over Titans
7. Saints Over Giants
8. Steelers Over Buccaneers
9. Seahawks Over Broncos
The Tennessee Titans are a bad football team. We’re talking, maybe the worst in the NFL. Indianapolis is a solid football team, and there is no reason to think they shouldn’t take care of business here.
I’ve never seen a team so excited for a tie before. So think of that if you feel like backing the Giants anytime soon. I’m out on the Jameis Winston experience. Their Super Bowl was a tie with Washington; give me the Saints here.
Aaron Rodgers doesn’t look quite as good as he did at 30, but getting the band back together has been working out well the last few weeks for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tampa is coming off a big win on Thursday Night Football, but I have doubts about them being able to replicate that this week. Pittsburgh has a massive coaching and quarterbacking advantage, and unlike Dallas, they have a defense.
Seattle is coming off a loss against a tough San Francisco team, but they’ve shown there is no Super Bowl hangover there. Denver has had their ups, and had their downs. Bo Nix, however, doesn’t look like he can be trusted right now. Give me the Champs in this matchup.
Hold Your Breath – True Toss Ups
10. Panthers Over Eagles
11. Packers Over Cowboys
12. Ravens Over Browns
13. Bears Over Falcons
14. Jaguars Over Texans
Philadelphia just has me puzzled right now. They look good, until they don’t. This game could go either way, but Carolina has proven to be a team you can trust. Philadelphia has proven to be a team you can’t trust. It’s as simple as that for this matchup.
Lambeau Field on Sunday Night Football. That’s the difference for me in this one. Both of these teams have been embarrassed in primetime on Thursday night this year. I expect to get both of their best games Sunday night in a shootout game. I’ll take the home team.
Lamar Jackson may be back in Week 6 for the Ravens. Either way, they proved they are a good team Sunday night. Cleveland has been scary this year, and AFC North matchups can always go either way. Ravens are the better team; however, I’ll ride with them.
Chicago got embarrassed last week, and I don’t think we’ll see that again this week. This is one of the closest matchups on the weekend and can go either way. I’ll give the coaching matchup to Ben Johnson. That’s the difference for me.
Jacksonville and Houston in London to kick off Sunday morning should be a great way to start the day. Even though Houston is 1-4, they’ve looked good. Jacksonville has looked elite. It’ll be a great division matchup to sip tea to.
