Mark Craig's Week 6 NFL picks against the spread

Teams like the Giants and Jets may be confusing matters in the NFL, but there's no doubt this week offers two marquee matchups: Bills vs. Chiefs and Eagles vs. Cowboys.

October 14, 2022 at 1:23AM
Quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles face a big challenge on Sunday night from the Cowboys defense. (Rick Scuteri, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Number of wins for Daniel Jones and Zach Wilson this season: six.

Number of wins for Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers this season: six.

Yeah, with the NFL, that sounds about right.

Week 5 featured seven of 15 true road teams winning. The Texans, as seven-point dogs, were among those winners, making this one of only three seasons in which Week 6 won't include a winless team.

The Giants are 4-1, matching last year's win total in just five one-score games. Yet they're home underdogs against a Ravens team that's 19-7 on the road when Lamar Jackson starts.

Meanwhile, Vikings fans are hoping the other New Jersey team isn't just a 3-2 mirage heading into Lambeau Field as a 7½-point underdog.

Can those surprising Jets, who beat up a beat-to-pieces Miami team 40-17 last week, upset the Packers? Probably not, but they are 2-0 on the road and riding a two-game winning streak with Wilson back starting at quarterback. That's more than the two-time reigning league MVP can say.

Here are this week's picks:

SUNDAY'S GAMES

Vikings (-3½) at Dolphins: A road trip to Miami this early in the season can wilt a visiting team, but a Dolphins defense that's given up 67 points the past two weeks won't stop the Vikings offense well enough for Miami to win a shootout without Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback. Vikings 30, Dolphins 24

Jets (+7 ½) at Packers: Rodgers can't lose to Jones and Wilson on back-to-back weeks. Pecking order will be restored, but not before the upstart Jets put a scare into Lambeau Field. Packers 28, Jets 25

Ravens (-5 ½) at Giants: Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale spent the past four years doing the same job in Baltimore. He'll have a plan for Jackson. But Jackson will find a way to win a close one. Ravens 21, Giants 19

Bills (-2 ½) at Chiefs: The final 13 seconds of last year's playoff meeting have been eating away at the Bills the past nine months. They return to K.C., and this time they're bringing Von Miller with them. Bills 34, Chiefs 30

Bengals (-2½) at Saints: Saints by 3

49ers (-5 ½) at Falcons: 49ers by 7

Buccaneers (-8 ½) at Steelers: Buccaneers by 10

Patriots (+2 ½) at Browns: Patriots by 7

Jaguars (+1 ½) at Colts: Jaguars by 3

Cardinals (-2 ½) at Seahawks: Seahawks by 3

Panthers (+10 ½) at Rams: Rams by 12

MONDAY'S GAME

Broncos (+4 ½) at Chargers: Is Russell Wilson, who's completing less than 60% of his passes and looking even worse than that, A. Hurt; B. Getting old; C. Totally uncomfortable in a new offense; or D. All of the above? Another stinker awaits the franchise whose Rams Way approach to this season isn't quite working out the way it had hoped. Chargers 28, Broncos 9

UPSET SPECIAL

Cowboys (+6½) at Eagles: For once in a very long time, the NFL is force-feeding us the Cowboys and the NFC East in prime time and we're not whining about it. The unbeaten Eagles have a huge home-field advantage and the fifth-ranked scoring attack. But the Cowboys are every bit as confident, riding a four-game winning streak with Cooper Rush. They also have the difference-maker: a defense that's ranked No. 3 in scoring (14.4) and hasn't surrendered more than 19 points all season. Cowboys 24, Eagles 21

Last week's Upset Special: Seahawks (+5½) 28, Saints 25. Score: Saints 39, Seahawks 32. Record: 2-3.

SEASON RESULTS

Straight up last week/season: 10-6/41-37-1.

Against the spread last week/season: 6-8-2/31-46-2.

Vikings picks: 4-1.

about the writer

about the writer

Mark Craig

Sports reporter

Mark Craig has covered the NFL nearly every year since Brett Favre was a rookie back in 1991. A sports writer since 1987, he is covering his 30th NFL season out of 37 years with the Canton (Ohio) Repository (1987-99) and the Star Tribune (1999-present).

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