2006 NFL Week 6 Picks

Last week we went a combined 50-6, a win percentage of .893. But Trevor stole the show by getting every single one of his picks correct. This is the first that has ever happened on Sportscolumn’s Weekly NFL Picks. The Pick ‘Em Contest winner also had all his picks correct. Congrats to stevemc for winning the week 5 contest. Want to win your office nfl pool? Check out the picks below.

The featured games this week are NY Giants @ Atlanta, Philly @ New Orleans, Kansas City @ Pittsburgh, and Chicago @ Arizona. You can download the podcast directly (running time 42 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

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Week 6 Picks

**The weekly winner from the Sportscolumn Weekly Pickem Contest will be featured as the fifth prognosticator.

Locks of the Week Sponsored by:

[Editor’s Note: This year, we’re making the Locks of the Week a little more interesting as we have a side bet amongst the four experts. The person with the most money at the end of the year in Locks betting takes home all the money. Disclaimer: The amounts discussed are for illustrative and entertainment purposes only. Gambling may be illegal in your locale.]

Vegas Vinny: Ok folks, I’m back on track with my Vikings over Detroit pick last week but they sure made me sweat it out. Luckily, Detroit found a way to lose and to lose big. I usually prefer to take a team and give the points but this week a line jumped out at me that was way too tempting. While I fully expect the Steelers to win at home against the Damon Huard lead Chiefs (or is it Brock? Koy? Ty?), I think they win based solely on desperation. If the Steelers lose, they are done. Hell, they might already be done. Has a defending Super Bowl champion ever been knocked out of the division race so early?

In any case, the Chiefs are statistically better than the Steelers in every single category except rushing defense. For the Steelers to win this game they are going to have to go to Willie Parker early and often. The Chiefs meanwhile will count on Larry Johnson, expected to be back from a neck injury. Grind it out boring football means this comes down to a field goal and course knowledge by Jeff Reed. No way the Steelers win by more than 7. I’ll put $55 on the Chiefs (+7) to win $50. (Balance = $935)

BostonMac: I realize that the last time the Redskins played a terrible team, Mark Brunell set an NFL record against the hapless Texans. However, I don’t think the Redskins are very good (even at home) which leads me to wonder how the hell they are giving 10 points to anyone, let alone a team that almost knocked off a bored Indianapolis in the dome last week. While I am way too much of a sally to take Tennessee to win outright, I’m willing to wager that Vince Young can run around enough and out-athleticize (is that a word?) the Skins defense to keep it close. I’ll put $55 to win $50 on TENNESSEE (+10) to cover. (Balance = $985)

Trevor F: I’m going to take the Seattle Seahawks and give the three points on the road. The Hawks are coming off a bye week and should be pretty steamed about the beating they took in Chicago. St. Louis is the most overrated team in football. Other than a Week One win against a Denver team that always starts slow, they have beaten nobody of significance. They made Alex Smith look like a cross between Joe Montana and John
Elway in their loss to San Francisco which has to have Matt Hasselbeck licking his chops. Seattle wins and they win big. $55 on Seattle (-3.5) to win $50. (Balance = $1040)

RJ Warner: I like the Falcons (-3) over the Giants in Atlanta. The Giants think they got back on track last week against the Redskins, but I like the Falcons coming off the bye week at home. The Falcons, despite that loss in New Orleans (the ’85 Bears, ’72 Dolphins or ’03 Patriots would not have won that game), have been solid this year while the Giants have been all over the place. Vegas is giving New York a little too much love and making this essentially a pick ’em game. I wholeheartedly – or as much heart as my last-place ass can muster – disagree. The Falcons are the real deal while the Giants look like a sloppy, unfocused team that will barely sniff .500 this year. They should win by more than a touchdown and I got 55 bucks on it (to win 50). (Balance = $975)