First up, I’m picking Detroit to win on the road against the Falcons in Atlanta. While the Lions haven’t looked great so far this year, I like Matthew Stafford to have a strong performance here. I also liked what I saw from rookie RB D’Andre Swift’s breakout last week – I think there’s a good chance that Detroit will be able to move the ball at will against a questionable Atlanta defense. Stella thinks that while Detroit will be able to score points, the Falcons will score even more, thanks to the one-two wideout punch of Calvin Ridley and the resurgent Julio Jones. She’s expecting it to be a shootout, but one where Atlanta winds up on top.
Next, we’re looking at the Pittsburgh/Tennessee matchup. I’m going with the Titans at home. They’ve looked awfully good recently – heck, Derrick Henry’s performance last week was unbelievable. If Tennessee can feed him and Ryan Tannehill can spread the ball to A.J. Brown and Jonnu Smith and the rest of the receivers, they’ll be in great shape. Stella likes the Steelers very much here; she’s a big proponent of Ben Roethlisberger as a passer (though not at all as a human being) and likes James Connor on the ground. Plus, she’s a real believer in the Pittsburgh defense – she thinks they’ll be ready to shut down the Titans attack.
In a matchup of not-good NFC East teams, we have Dallas going to Washington. I’m going with the Washington Football Team essentially because they’re at home and the Cowboys have shown a real propensity for finding ways to lose and … that’s about it. Stella’s going with Dallas because she thinks that they will bounce back after their struggles in Week 6. She thinks their offensive attack will be enough to cover for any defensive concerns. That being said, we both expect this game to be terrible.
This next one was a bit of a surprise. I’m going with the Packers to beat the Texans in Houston. Yes, Green Bay scuffled against Tampa Bay last week, but the Pack is simply too talented to stay in that kind of funk. I expect a big game from Aaron Rodgers and an even bigger one from Aaron Jones; between the two of them, I think they handle Houston pretty easily. Stella’s going with the Texans because she expects big things from Deshaun Watson. Specifically, she expects more of the offensive explosiveness we’ve seen from Houston in recent weeks, particularly courtesy of receivers Will Fuller and Brandin Cooks.
As far as Seattle/Arizona, I’m going with the road Seahawks. I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Russell Wilson so far this season and I figure he’ll continue along this potential MVP path against the Cardinals. Assuming guys like Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf keep it up catching the ball, there’s no reason not to expect a Seattle win. Stella also likes the Seahawks, but she’s banking on the Cards riding high following their offensive explosion last week. She thinks we’ll see more excellence out of Kyler Murray and company and that the Arizona D will manage a couple of big turnovers, leading to a Cardinals win.
Lastly, we come to the San Francisco/New England matchup. I’m going with the Patriots in what I suspect might be a bit of a homer pick. That said, I do think that Cam Newton will be much closer to top form in this matchup and that the running game will perform a bit more consistently. Plus, the New England defense is always a threat to have a big game – this could be one of them. Stella’s not so sure; she likes what she saw from the 49ers and expects that they will have some success running the ball against the Patriots. Her thought is that a ball control game from the Niners keeps the ball away from New England’s dangerous secondary and helps them pull off the road win.
And that’s that. Six games for Week 7. Let’s see if I can’t cut a chunk out of her lead or at least keep things close. Wish me luck.
(winners in caps)
-
ALLEN’S PICKS
Thursday, Oct. 22
NY Giants at PHILADELPHIA
Sunday, Oct. 25
DETROIT at Atlanta
CLEVELAND at Cincinnati
Pittsburgh at TENNESSEE
Carolina at NEW ORLEANS
BUFFALO at NY Jets
Dallas at WASHINGTON
GREEN BAY at Houston
SEATTLE at Arizona
KANSAS CITY at Denver
San Francisco at NEW ENGLAND
Jacksonville at LA CHARGERS
TAMPA BAY at Las Vegas
Monday, Oct. 26
Chicago at LA RAMS
Week 6 record: 8-6
Season record: 54-36-1
-
STELLA’S PICKS
Thursday, Oct. 22
NY Giants at PHILADELPHIA
Sunday, Oct. 25
Detroit at ATLANTA
CLEVELAND at Cincinnati
PITTSBURGH at Tennessee
Carolina at NEW ORLEANS
BUFFALO at NY Jets
DALLAS at Washington
Green Bay at HOUSTON
Seattle at ARIZONA
KANSAS CITY at Denver
SAN FRANCISCO at New England
Jacksonville at LA CHARGERS
TAMPA BAY at Las Vegas
Monday, Oct. 26
Chicago at LA RAMS
Week 6 record: 10-4
Season record: 60-30-1
