Week 5 of the NFL season gave us more than anybody expected including an early candidate for the Game of the Year, some surprising upsets, unexpected blowouts and monster fantasy performances. What’s in store for Week 6? Let’s take a closer look at the top games of the week.
Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Odds: Panthers -2.5
Unlike last week when the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders didn’t kick off until 1 p.m. ET, the NFL has scheduled the NFC South showdown between the Panthers and Buccaneers for 9:30 a.m. ET. That will give football fans waking up early a chance to enjoy two of the most explosive offenses in the NFL go head-to-head. Carolina’s attack has been rejuvenated with Kyle Allen at quarterback, going 3-0 under their backup. While the offense runs through running back Christian McCaffrey, the NFL leader in scrimmage yards, a healthy Allen has provided just enough for the Panthers to look like a completely different team than they did with a clearly injured Cam Newton in the lineup. Can they keep it going against the unpredictable Bucs?
Houston Texans @ Kansas City Chiefs
Odds: Chiefs -5.5
Coming off their first loss of the season, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will welcome Deshaun Watson and the Texans to town for a matchup of two of the most exciting and talented quarterbacks in the NFL. The biggest question heading in to this matchup is how limited Mahomes will be after he aggravated an ankle injury twice in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Meanwhile, Kansas City’s defense is pretty beat up as well, especially along the defensive line.
New Orleans Saints @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Odds: PICK
The Saints are 3-0 in games that backup Teddy Bridgewater has started at quarterback, with wins over the Seahawks, Cowboys and Buccaneers. Now they head to Jacksonville to battle another injury replacement quarterback that has shined in rookie Gardner Minshew III.
Jacksonville is coming off its third loss of the season after they failed to stop Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey in a 34-27 defeat that went down to the wire. The Saints will likely try to replicate that formula with Alvin Kamara.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Minnesota Vikings
Odds: Vikings -3
Despite getting hit hard by injuries, the Eagles have turned around their season thanks in large part to MVP-caliber performances by Carson Wentz in back-to-back wins over the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets. Now Philadelphia braces for another tough test as they visit Minnesota this Sunday before heading to Dallas the following weekend. It will be important for the Eagles to get the win in the first of a three-game road trip that ends in Buffalo on October 27th. We’ll see what Kirk Cousins can do against a quality opponent as he’s struggled against winning teams throughout his career.
Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers
Odds: Packers -4.5
Week 6 wraps up with a marquee Monday Night Football matchup between the Lions and Packers. Detroit is coming off its bye week at 2-1-1, looking up at Green Bay in the NFC North. The Lions can close the gap a little bit with a win over the Packers in prime time, but it won’t be an easy matchup by any means against a Green Bay side coming off a blowout win over Dallas on the road last week. Look for the Lions to try to hammer the Packers on the ground where they’ve given up 161.2 rushing yards per game over their last four contests.