Welcome back for another round of picks! Week 6 of Thursday Night Football kicks off later tonight, with the New Orleans Saints hosting the Atlanta Falcons in a long-standing NFC South rivalry matchup. The Falcons are unbeaten, but have had to come from behind in the fourth quarter in four of their five wins. They could have Julio Jones on a snap count due to a hamstring injury, but they do still have Devonta Freeman to run over the Saints.
I'll be posting my picks against the spread on Saturday, but for today, I have posted my straight up picks down below, as well as my ATS pick for TNF. You can view the NN pick 'em contest results over here. I put together a 10-4 week, which brings me to 48-29 for the season.
The San Francisco 49ers are back home, facing the Baltimore Ravens, with both teams looking to get their respective seasons on track. The 49ers are 1-4 coming off four straight losses. The Ravens are 1-4, coming off a tough loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Ravens are looking to get Steve Smith back, which would be a huge boost for them. Baltimore is a 2.5-point favorite, and that line very well could change if Smith is able to return. I'm picking the 49ers to spring the slim home upset. The Ravens could do some damage to the 49ers defense, but Baltimore's defense is bad enough that this could lead to a shootout. I'd probably take the OVER on the point total (currently 44).
For Thursday Night Football, the Falcons are a 3.5-point favorite. They have not been favored in New Orleans since 2012, but they've had good success against the spread at the Superdome (17-8 over last 25 games there). There have been questions about Julio Jones's status, but he is listed as probable. Even with word of a snap count for Jones, a less than 100 percent Jones is usually still a dynamic weapon. I'm taking the Falcons to cover.
Here are my Week 6 picks for our pick 'em contest.
Falcons @ Saints: Falcons
Washington @ Jets: Jets
Cardinals @ Steelers: Cardinals
Chiefs @ Vikings: Vikings
Bengals @ Bills: Bengals
Bears @ Lions: Lions
Broncos @ Browns: Broncos
Texans @ Jaguars: Jaguars
Dolphins @ Titans: Titans
Panthers @ Seahawks: Seahawks
Chargers @ Packers: Packers
Ravens @ 49ers: 49ers
Patriots @ Colts: Patriots
Giants @ Eagles: Giants