We are heading into Week 6 of the 2020 NFL season after yet another week of heartbreak, injuries, and comeback stories. This week is bound to be a great one as there are multiple exciting games on the schedule. With that in mind, we adjust our focus to the NFC specifically and take a look at the NFC Rundown for Week 6.
Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
NFL Odds: Panthers -2.5
The Chicago Bears come in sitting at 4-1 on the season despite using two starting quarterbacks. Nick Foles is the expected starter heading into this matchup against the Carolina Panthers and he will need air it out against a good defense. They will also need to get their rushing attack going as they were only able to pick up 29 yards on 10 carries from David Montgomery. The good news is the Panthers rank second-last in the NFL in yards-per-carry allowed at 5.4, so the Bears could get their ground game going. The Panthers are surprisingly scrappy, though, as they’ve won three in a row despite missing star running back Christian McCaffrey.
Pick: Panthers -2.5
Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings
NFL Odds: Vikings -3.5
The Falcons are currently 0-5 and just fired their head coach Dan Quinn. They have looked abysmal on the defensive side of the football (second-worst in the NFL) and the offense has gone cold. Their defense is bound to get lit up yet again when they take on this good Vikings offense that is led by Adam Thielen. Star RB Dalvin Cook was injured last toward the end of the game against the Seattle Seahawks and is expected to miss this one. In order to win this game, Minnesota will need great play out of its defense to slow down the high-powered Falcons offense. Atlanta was only able to pick up 226 yards through the air last week and didn’t have a touchdown pass the entire game. We’ll see if the new coaching staff can give it a spark.
Pick: Vikings -3.5
Washington Football Team at New York Giants
NFL Odds: Giants -3
Washington benched Dwayne Haskins last week and decided to roll with Kyle Allen. Allen only threw for 74 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions before being knocked out of the game, which led to Alex Smith getting his first snaps since the gruesome broken leg injury that nearly cost him his career in 2018. He finished with nine completions for 37 yards but was sacked six times by a busy Los Angeles Rams defensive line. This Washington offensive line will need to step up and protect whoever is named the starter because these negative plays are drive killers.
Meanwhile, the Giants were able to put up 34 against a poor Dallas Cowboys defense, which was a good sign after they were held without a touchdown for the previous eight quarters. They were also able to get a good rushing attack going with Devonta Freeman as well, totaling 60 yards on 17 attempts along with a touchdown. This is their best opportunity at a win.
Pick: Giants -3
Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFL Odds: Packers -1.5
The undefeated Packers are coming off of their bye week, so they’ve had ample time to prepare for the Tom Brady-led Buccaneers. Tampa wasn’t able to capitalize on their final drive against the Bears in their latest game and wound up losing 20-19. They seem like they still lack chemistry on the offensive side of the ball but that should start improving as the season goes on. The Buccaneers‘ biggest problem last week was that they weren’t able to protect Brady against the Bears’ pass rush. They will need to improve upon that if they want to keep up with Rodgers and the Green Bay offense. The Bucs scored a season-low 19 points last week. That likely won’t cut it this Sunday, so the Packers might be the smart play on the NFL odds.
Pick: Packers -1.5
Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys
NFL Odds: Cardinals -2.5
Both of these teams lost key pieces due to injury in their last games. For the Cardinals, it was All-Pro linebacker Chandler Jones who will miss the remainder of the season due to a biceps injury. The Cowboys lost their franchise quarterback Dak Prescott due to a gruesome ankle injury that has knocked him out for the season. Andy Dalton takes over and will need to pick up where Prescott left off if this team is to contend for a playoff spot.
Kyler Murray and the rest of the Cardinals offense should be able to pick apart the weak Dallas secondary that’s allowing opposing quarterbacks to post a 107.9 passer rating (fifth-worst in the NFL). We just don’t know what we are going to get from Dalton and the Cowboy offense and because of that, the Cardinals should be able to take advantage and win this ballgame.
Pick: Cardinals -2.5
Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers
NFL Odds: Rams -3.5
The Rams were able to generate a dominant pass rush in their last game and they are set up perfectly for another great week against the 49ers. The 49ers have just lost their starting tackle Trent Williams due to injury, which will allow the Rams to bring blitzes more often and harass whoever is the 49ers quarterback. The 49ers have given up 10 sacks in the last two weeks.
On the other side of the ball, Jared Goff has been playing at a high level all season long and the three-back committee in the backfield with Darrell Henderson Jr., Cam Akers, and Malcolm Brown has been effective. The 49ers’ defense is battered and bruised, with tons of injuries. They could get picked apart this week, so lay the points in the sportsbook.
Pick: Rams -3.5
