Another unpredictable week of football is in the books as Week 5 served up some surprising results. And with the way that this season is shaping up, we could expect more of the unexpected, especially with how Week 6’s slate appears.
Let’s take a look at five underdogs against the spread that will likely defy their odds this coming week. For an in-depth look at a couple of the standout games found below, head on over to our coverage on Redskins vs. Jets and Patriots vs. Colts right after this.
[sc:Football ]Top 5 NFL Week 6 Sleepers Predictions
Washington Redskins (+5.5) at New York Jets (Sun, Oct. 18, 1:00 PM ET)
[sc:NFL240banner ]Why the Redskins will win: These two teams have rarely met in the regular season, but in a small sample size, Washington has won the past two contests against New York – all the more with both of them coming from the Jets’ own home field. The Redskins’ league-best run D can also hamper a Jets team that leans heavily on the run for its offense.
Why the Redskins will lose: Quarterback Kirk Cousins has a tall order of overcoming the Jets’ secondary, one that is second in the league in passing yards allowed (186 per game) and third in total interceptions with six this season. Coincidentally, Cousins has six picks himself spread equally across his team’s three losses for the year. Washington won the two games this season where its QB failed to throw a pick, but lost all games where they’ve thrown at least one.
Writer’s Prediction: New York with a come-from-behind win as the ‘Skins cover (+5.5).
Chicago Bears (+2.5) at Detroit Lions (Sun, Oct. 18, 1:00 PM ET)
Why the Bears will win: Looking like their season has been left for dead after three weeks of play, the Bears have suddenly reeled off two-straight wins since the return of Jay Cutler from injury. The oft-maligned Chicago QB threw four touchdown passes to just one pick and has posted back-to-back passer ratings of over 88 in those victories, providing the team with much-needed stability on offense.
Why the Bears will lose: The Lions have won the last four contests against the Bears. Plus, Chicago needed a third quarter injury to Jamaal Charles to stage two fourth quarter scoring drives for a narrow one-point comeback win this past Sunday against the Chiefs. Furthermore, both of those recent wins by Chicago came down the wire and were far from impressive, proving that the Bears are still far from being sound on both sides of the ball.
Writer’s Prediction: Chicago (+2.5) continues its newfound swagger with a quality win in Michigan to keep the Lions winless for the season.
Miami Dolphins (+3) at Tennessee Titans (Sun, Oct. 18, 1:00 PM ET)
Why the Dolphins will win: Miami is fresh off a bye and are entering Sunday’s game against Tennessee under a new (but familiar) regime, with interim head coach Dan Campbell now calling shots in place of axed former head coach Joe Philbin. The reboot to the team’s coaching staff – they also got rid of defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle – may just be what the Dolphins need to get their season back on track. Oh, and the Titans are also on a three-game slide; a perfect opportunity for the ‘Fins to capitalize on an ailing opponent.
Why the Dolphins will lose: The Titans match up nicely with the Dolphins. Miami can’t run the ball, so they have to resort to Ryan Tannehill’s arm in the passing game. However, Tennessee is currently fifth in the league in passing yards allowed. And on defense, the Fins’ are dead-least against the rush, giving up a shade over 160 yards per game. Tennessee’s running game, meanwhile, is ninth in the league, averaging 126 yards per contest.
Writer’s Prediction: Miami (+3) pulls off a Music City upset and improve to 2-3 for the season.
Denver Broncos at Cleveland Browns (+5.5) (Sun, Oct. 18, 1:00 PM ET)
Why the Browns will win: The team is hot off one of the franchise’s biggest wins – a 33-30 OT thriller over AFC North rivals the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday. Quarterback Josh McCown cranked his game up to 11, throwing for a team-record 457 passing yards. McCown has now thrown for over 340 yards in each of the past three games and has vaulted the team’s passing offense to rank ninth in the league.
Why the Browns will lose: Well, Cleveland’s just about to go up against the league’s best passing defense in the Broncos secondary, so there’s that. What’s even worse is that the Browns are winless in all six of their games against Denver (four of them were even at home) since the team made its return to the NFL in 1999.
Writer’s Prediction: Cleveland loses by just a field goal to cover (+5.5).
New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts (+7.5) (Sun, Oct. 18, 8:30 PM ET)
Why the Colts will win: Indianapolis is on a three-game winning streak with 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck – of all people – at the helm of the offense. The team also got a solid game from both of its key offseason pick-ups in Frank Gore (98 rushing yards, 1 TD) and Andre Johnson (77 receiving yards, 2 TDs) this past Thursday night. It’s an old man’s game right now over in Indy, but their wealth of experience is doing wonders for their recent surge.
Why the Colts will lose: No team has been able to stop the Pats’ offense so far this season, one that is tops in the NFL in both passing and scoring at a little under 360 yards and 40 points per game, respectively. Tom Brady could very well have another field day against the Colts’ 26th-ranked passing defense this coming Sunday night.
Writer’s Prediction: New England still wins, but Indy manages to cover the (+7.5) spread.
Create a betting account now to cash in on any or all of these sleepers in Week 6 of the NFL’s exciting 2015 season.
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