Eagles at Vikings (+1½)
Because of the lingering high ankle sprain of J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota quarterback Carson Wentz is expected to face his old team that he helped lead to the Super Bowl eight years ago. Vikings fans hoping to see the young McCarthy start have a greater chance on Sunday of seeing the Epstein files.
Pick: Eagles by 3
Panthers at Jets (+1½)
New York and Justin Fields hit a franchise low last Sunday in London by tallying minus-10 net yards passing during their loss to Denver. The only possible way they could have done worse in the air is if they flew home on Spirit Airlines.
Pick: Panthers by 7
Buccaneers at Lions (-5½)
Tampa Bay, at 5-1, is tied for the best record in the league, and quarterback Baker Mayfield is the early front-runner for the NFL Most Valuable Player award. Recent presidential runner-up Kamala Harris said she hasn’t seen a better candidate since Kamala Harris.
Pick: Lions by 7
Giants at Broncos (-7½)
Giants rookie Cam Skattebo made headlines by rushing for three touchdowns against Philadelphia, then ripping his shirt off during a postgame TV interview. He’s now the answer to a trivia question: What if Rob Gronkowski and the Hunchback of Notre Dame had a child.
Pick: Broncos by 1
Raiders at Chiefs (-12½)
Kansas City’s offense will get a needed boost with the return from suspension of Rashee Rice. The standout wide receiver is expected to hit the ground running at full speed, which for him is 119 miles per hour.
Pick: Chiefs by 8
Patriots at Titans (+7½)
New England is the surprising leader of the AFC East thanks to the red-hot start for Drake Maye. That’s startling because, as most Patriots fans can remind you, the 23-year-old quarterback isn’t quite old enough to date Bill Belichick.
Pick: Patriots by 17
Dolphins at Browns (-2½)
Miami has turned into a 1-5 dumpster fire, and the coaching hot seat could not get any more broiling for Mike McDaniel. The Dolphins’ coach would no doubt have already been summarily fired if he worked at, say, Penn State.
Pick: Dolphins by 3
Colts at Chargers (-1½)
Colts backup quarterback Anthony Richardson suffered serious facial injuries last week during a freak incident during his warmups at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis police eventually ruled it an accident after initially suspecting Mark Sanchez.
Pick: Chargers by 3
Commanders at Cowboys (+1½)
Commanders star Jayden Daniels took responsibility Monday night after his late fumble helped hand the victory to Chicago. Despite the quarterback’s blunder, most Washington fans, out of habit, blamed Daniel Snyder.
Pick: Commanders by 3
Packers at Cardinals (+6½)
Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs scored two TDs last week against Cincinnati despite being weakened by the flu. The star running back admitted to throwing up several times during the game, which is roughly par for dudes at Lambeau Field.
Pick: Packers by 7
Other games
Rams vs. Jaguars (+2½)
Pick: Rams by 3
Saints at Bears (-5½)
Pick: Bears by 7
Texans at Seahawks (-3½)
Pick: Seahawks by 7
Falcons at 49ers (-1½)
Pick: 49ers by 3
Bye week
Ravens, Bills
Record
Week 6
10-5 straight up
9-6 vs. spread
Season
54-38-1 straight up (.587)
45-48 vs. spread (.484)
All-time (2003-25)
3873-2139-15 straight up (.644)
2955-2927-145 vs spread (.502)
You can hear Kevin Cusick on Thursdays on Bob Sansevere’s “BS Show” podcast on iTunes. You can follow Kevin on X– @theloopnow. He can be reached at kcusick@pioneerpress.com.
