NFL Week 6 Betting Lines: Cardinals, Cowboys Among Best Bets
In Week 5, there were no shortage of upsets across the league. Chicago was a touchdown underdog against Washington but won 40-20. Jacksonville was a 5.5-point underdog to Buffalo but dominated from start to finish in their matchup. Baltimore’s wide receivers took the day off, which allowed Pittsburgh, a 4.5-point underdog, to surge to a late victory.
This upcoming weekend, there are four teams coming off of a bye week, all of which are priced as an underdog. It is very possible that we hear those dogs barking come Sunday with the benefit of an extra week to prepare for their opponents.
Below, we take an early look at betting lines, offering a few leans for the community to consider locking in before odds move!
NFL Week 6 Betting Lines
- Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs -10.5, O/U 50
- Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans +3.5, O/U 40.5
- San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns +4.5, O/U 39.5
- Washington Commanders at Atlanta Falcons -2.5, O/U 42
- Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins -14, O/U 48.5
- Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears +3, O/U 46.5
- Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars -4.5, O/U 45.5
- New Orleans Saints at Houston Texans +1.5, O/U 41.5
- Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals -2.5, O/U 46
- New England Patriots at Las Vegas Raiders -2.5, O/U 43
- Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3, O/U 44.5
- Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams -6, O/U 47.5
- Philadelphia Eagles at New York Jets +6.5, O/U 42
- New York Giants at Buffalo Bills -14.5, O/U 45
- Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers +2.5, O/U 49.5
NFL Week 6 lines last updated 12:16 PM ET Monday, October 9th.
Teams on Bye: Packers, Steelers
San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns, Under 39.5
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Deshaun Watson “was not outside practicing with the Browns on Monday.” Watson missed Cleveland’s game against Baltimore prior to the team’s bye week, which makes it particularly concerning that he was not at practice today after more than a full week since his last organized football activities. Dorian Thompson-Robinson struggled mightily in place of Watson against the Ravens, throwing 3 interceptions and completing only 19-of-36 pass attempts in a 28-3 loss. San Francisco’s defense is as good, if not better, than Baltimore’s defense. If Watson continues to miss practice throughout the week, there is a good chance that this line continues to drop on the total.
Arizona Cardinals (+6) at Los Angeles Rams
As a general rule, if an NFL team is below the .500 mark, it should immediately get bettors’ attention if they are priced as a touchdown favorite. In this case, the Rams being priced as a 6-point favorite is particularly surprising, given the fact that they have one win in the last month – and it came by exactly 6 points. In Week 6, Los Angeles will host an intra-division foe that has played above their pay grade so far in 2023. Despite a 1-4 record, the Cardinals have a respectable -28 point differential for the season and have moved the ball well each week on offense. It would not be surprising if this line closes at a smaller spread than is currently available.
New York Giants (+14.5) at Buffalo Bills
Entering Week 5, the Buffalo Bills were the only team in the NFL to rank in the top 3 in DVOA of both offense and defense. Of course, Buffalo lost to Jacksonville on Sunday, an opponent which ranked 24th in offensive EPA/play through their first four games. The Bills are in the midst of one of the most difficult travel schedules any team will face all season, having to go from Buffalo to London and back to Buffalo in a three-game span. The travel was clearly a negative factor for this group against the Jaguars, and life will not get easier for Buffalo after their defense played 82 snaps on Sunday. There is also a question as to whether or not linebacker Matt Milano will be healthy enough to suit up for Week 6. The public does not want to bet on the Giants right now, and for good reason, but we might still see this line move in their favor, depending on the injury news we receive in the next few days.
Dallas Cowboys (-2.5) at Los Angeles Chargers
Dallas’ performance against San Francisco on Sunday Night Football was nothing short of a disaster. They were out-coached, out-played, out-everything’d in a 42-10 shellacking. However, this team has far too much talent for that to be the norm. Entering play in Week 5, the Cowboys had run 85 plays in the red zone, which was 31 more plays than any other offense in the league. Teams that consistently put pressure on opposing defenses are going to give themselves an opportunity to win almost every time they take the field. Playing the Chargers, led by Brandon Staley, even Mike McCarthy has a chance to be the better coach in this matchup. Dallas is more talented and could be healthier by the time kickoff rolls around on Sunday. It is probably worth monitoring the practice workload of these two teams early in the week, but it would not be surprising to see Dallas close as greater than a field goal favorite here.