Andrew Wilsher
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They’re called best bets for a reason! Here at Pickswise, our handicappers have been CRUSHING IT with their NFL best bets this season, having gone 5-1 last week and now sporting an 18-9 record for +18.1 units of profit. In addition, we are 84-60-4 on our overall NFL picks on the side and total this season for +27.4 units of profit. If you still aren’t tailing us, what are you waiting for?! We’re now turning our attention to the upcoming weekend of action with our NFL Week 6 picks from 5 of our sharpest experts. That’s 5 NFL best bets, all in one place! Let’s get into this week’s top NFL predictions.
Andrew Ortenberg: Baltimore Ravens vs Tennessee Titans Over 41 (-110)
Even though I’m pretty low on Tennessee’s offense overall, the over still makes some sense here. For starters, there are plenty of reasons to believe the Ravens’ offense will bounce back from last Sunday. If it weren’t for an onslaught of drops, the Ravens score 27+ against the Steelers last week and we’re talking about a monster game from Lamar Jackson. Right before that, Baltimore had scored 28 against a Browns defense that’s being hailed by many as the best in the league. They drafted Zay Flowers in the first round out of Boston College and he’s already been making a huge impact, leading the team in receiving through five weeks. And there are also reasons to believe Baltimore’s defense is a bit fraudulent.
Their numbers look pretty good, but look at who they’ve faced. In Week 1, it was CJ Stroud making his NFL debut on the road, and in Week 2 it was a severely hobbled Joe Burrow and a struggling Bengals offense (Cincy still put up 24 points). Then the past three weeks they’ve faced Gardner Minshew, Dorian Thompson-Robinson in his NFL debut, and Kenny Pickett at quarterback. Not exactly a murderer’s row. Ryan Tannehill and DeAndre Hopkins finally found a connection this past week as Hopkins had 140 yards, and they’ll do enough to send this one over the total.
Be sure to check out our full Baltimore Ravens vs Tennessee Titans predictions
The Betting Queen: Minnesota Vikings ML over Chicago Bears (-145)
We have a battle between two NFC North teams who are struggling this season, as the Vikings battle the Bears with each team holding a 1-4 record. The Bears are coming off a huge win against the Commanders on Thursday Night Football last week and I believe this is the perfect buy-low, sell-high opportunity to take the Vikings on the money line. Yes, I know that Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson was recently placed on IR, but the Minnesota offense can make plays and move the ball down the field at any moment. They are ranked 2nd in the NFL for most passing yards per game and Kirk Cousins has been airing it out every week, with the likes of Jordan Addison and KJ Osborn putting up yards. It’s not like the Vikings have been getting blown out every week, as all of their losses have been one-possession games. I believe their luck will turn this week and they will get the win on the road.
The Bears just embarrassed the Commanders last Thursday but they have been against the ropes all season and it was the first win in almost a year. Their offense has been struggling mightily and before their last game, they were averaging under 20 points per game. The Bears defense also has its own problems and they are allowing opposing offenses to score over 31 points per game. Their problems will likely continue this week with Cousins looking to exploit their weak pass defense. I’m predicting the Bears to go back to losing ways this week and the Vikings will get a divisional win. Take the Vikings and don’t overthink this one.
Be sure to check out our full Minnesota Vikings vs Chicago Bears predictions
LearLocks: Cincinnati Bengals -3 over Seattle Seahawks (-110)
This is one of the games of the week. The improving Bengals come into this matchup after picking up a much-needed win against the Arizona Cardinals last week. QB Joe Burrow finally looked good after struggling in the early weeks of the season following a preseason calf injury. The Seahawks had their bye last week but now have to travel east for this game. The Bengals won their last home game against the Rams and the home crowd should be in better spirits now after last week’s win. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase had a huge game against the Cardinals, with 15 receptions for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns, and the Bengals offense needed to step up their game as their defense has been shaky.
The Seahawks offense has been good enough for them to make a 3-1 start and they are 2-0 on the road after beating a very good Detroit team and a very bad New York Giants team. The Bengals offensive line is going to need to hold up as the Seahawks had 11 sacks against the Giants. The home team should be able to win this one, though, as the layoff could hurt the Seahawks and Cincinnati has made a habit of picking up at this time of year after making slow starts. I expect the Bengals to cover this spread.
Be sure to check out our full Seattle Seahawks vs Cincinnati Bengals predictions
Chris Farley: New England Patriots +3 over Las Vegas Raiders (-110)
Jimmy G and the Raiders got a victory on Monday Night Football against one of the most flawed operations in the NFL. Pardon my slow clap. A win is a win, but there isn’t much that impressed us about the victory on Monday Night. The Raiders still can’t run the ball (3.1 yards per rush, 30th overall), Jimmy Garroppolo is throwing more interceptions than he ever has in his career (7 in just four games), and it took three Jordan Love turnovers for Vegas to end with a lead in Week 5. What do we gather from this? If the Raiders have ideal conditions, they can beat average teams. “Yay.” Meanwhile, no team is under more scrutiny than the New England Patriots after Week 5. In perhaps one of their most embarrassing losses in recent memory, the Patriots were decimated 34-0 last Sunday. In front of an excited stadium at Gillette Stadium, cheers quickly turned to boo-birds as New England somehow only mustered 156 total yards in a scoreless showing.
Last season in Week 15, the Patriots fell to the Raiders by 6 points in Vegas. Pundits are all over Bill Belichick and Mac Jones, speculating on their respective futures or lack thereof. What’s more, media heads are (again) questioning how elite a coach Belichick really was during the Pats’ many Super Bowl runs. This is a multi-tier redemption and revenge spot for Belichick and his team. Their defense is still top-ten in yards per run and pass, even after facing some exceptional offenses, and we expect more creativity and nuance inserted into an offense that desperately needs it. There’s only one way to look in this contest, and it’s not like the Raiders are world-beaters. We know it’s hard to stomach, but this is what professional handicappers do.
Be sure to check out our full New England Patriots vs Las Vegas Raiders predictions
John Martin: Dallas Cowboys -2 over Los Angeles Chargers (-110)
Two words: Buy. Low. The Cowboys could not possibly have looked worse against the 49ers. Dak Prescott reverted back to his old self with multiple interceptions, Tony Pollard lost a fumble, the defense couldn’t muster any stops to speak of, and in a revenge spot that was supported by the market, the Cowboys got housed. There’s no way around it. There wasn’t a single, solitary bright spot from last week. But that’s the beauty of the NFL. That was last week, and it’s onto Week 6. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got betting the NFL was to, in most cases, treat like it’s a week-to-week league. In other words, don’t assume that just because something happened last week it will happen the next. That’s not how it works, most of the time, when you’re dealing with pro athletes.
Some teams are flat out bad. The Cowboys aren’t. This is a perfect bounce-back spot for them. Unlike the 49ers, the Chargers are soft in the secondary. They have a decent pass rush on paper, but their 16 sacks this season are inflated by Khalil Mack’s six-sack game against his former team the Las Vegas Raiders. This is the same Chargers team that didn’t score in the second half against the lowly Raiders, that scraped by a bad Vikings team that’s probably going to be selling at the trade deadline, and that lost to a bad Titans team. Don’t be fooled. The Cowboys may not be in the same weight class as San Francisco, but that’s a world away from what this Chargers team is. Add in that it’s a primetime game where Brandon Staley’s decisions will be magnified? Yes, I’ll take the Cowboys happily inside a field goal please.
Be sure to check out our full Dallas Cowboys vs Los Angeles Chargers predictions
