NFL Survivor Pool: Week 6 Pick
You read it here first.
OK, maybe not first, but in our preseason guide, you were advised to occasionally skip past the obvious, seemingly safest NFL Survivor choice and find an alternative.
Case in point: Week 5.
Pittsburgh was the clear-cut preference, with 47 percent favored by participants in three pools monitored by the website Survivor Grid.
Sure enough, the Steelers were involved in the second most one-sided result on the entire schedule. Except, they were on the losing end.
The whipping delivered by Jacksonville, combined with upsets in previous weeks, has cleaned out most pools so much that they are down to a few gallons, as it were.
The third-most popular team was a winless one. The New York Giants remain starved for a victory, and the seven percent who supported them are remorseful. (No sympathy extended here. Never, ever side with an 0-4 team.)
Philadelphia, at 30 percent, was the runner-up last week for most desired squads. The other Pennsylvania-based team made it easy for backers by blowing out Arizona.
In contrast to a week ago, when Pittsburgh was the lone team with favoritism by at least a touchdown, the menu is deep for Week 6.
If the Patriots-Jets spreads creeps up by a half-point, five teams (New England, Houston, Atlanta, Washington and Denver) will carry double-digit lines.
Let’s examine each one to pin down a selection.
New England is visiting the surprising Jets. And while early projections suggest TE Rob Gronkowski (thigh) is on the mend after his team’s narrow escape in Tampa, even the possibility of him sitting should be enough to cause hesitancy.
Besides, New York has won three consecutive straight-up. Can we get a “J-E-T-S, J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets?”
The Texans are blessed with a winless visiting opponent, Cleveland, but are devastated by the season-ending injury to their flag-bearer, DE J.J. Watt (knee).
Stalwart LB Whitney Mercilus (chest) is also done for the season. The one-two punch could knock Houston’s vaunted defense for a loop and make the team vulnerable -- even to the Browns.
The Falcons and Redskins are coming out of bye weeks, and the odds suggest they might have a semi-bye on Sunday.
Both are at home, Atlanta against the Dolphins and Washington against the 49ers.
You cannot go wrong with the Falcons, whose offense on its worst day is superior to Miami’s on its best.
I have already played the Falcons -- New England, too -- so the search goes elsewhere for my pick.
The ’Skins are refreshed and improved, yet San Fran is flirting each week with its first win. The breakthrough will happen at some point, maybe soon.
That leaves the Broncos, yet another hefty favorite who were idle last weekend. They are my guys -- and should be yours, too -- with good reason. A few good ones, in fact.
Their offense, with ascending QB Trevor Siemian, leapt from the starting box with 69 points in the first two games. It has retreated since, but the concerns have dissipated.
The defense? No. 1 in the league, mainly on the strength of a 2.4-yard allowance per rush, a half-yard better than the next-best.
That spells trouble for the Giants. Their receiving corps is down to seeds and stems.
The season is done for Odell Beckham Jr. (ankle). Brandon Marshall (ankle) and Dwayne Harris (foot) will join him in long-term rehab. Sterling Shepard (foot) departed Sunday’s defeat to the lowly Chargers.
Only one activated WR was left standing Sunday, and the Giants are scrambling to shore up the depleted position with promotions from the practice squad and free-agent signings.
New York must rely on its ground game more than usual, which does not bode well. It has managed just 385 yards in five games.
The Gothams are too good to go winless, but what is a semblance of their normal selves will have to wait another week to erase the zero.
In their mile-high home, the Broncos are as close to a lock as it gets in this league.
Previous selections/results:
Steelers, won 21-18 over Browns
Raiders, won 45-20 over Jets
Packers, won 27-24 over Bengals
Falcons, lost 23-17 to Bills
Patriots, won 19-14 over Buccaneers
So who should you pick in every Week 6 NFL game? And what teams will deliver huge upsets this week? Join SportsLine now to get every pick from the model that would have won over 96 percent of CBS office pool leagues last season, plus find out what road favorite is in for the shock of a lifetime.
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