By Lance Tominaga, ESPN Honolulu Web Editor.
Enjoying the NFL season so far? I am. There have been so many exciting games, stirring comebacks, record-setting performances and even off-field drama – and we’re still only at Week 6! The road to Super Bowl LVI is wide open, and that’s how we like it.
On to this week’s picks:
♦ MIAMI vs JACKSONVILLE: As bad as the 1-4 Dolphins have been this season, the winless Jaguars have been demonstrably worse. Jax head coach Urban Meyer is scoring more in bars than he is on the field, and there are already rumblings that he may be in over his head at the pro level. As for Miami, signs are pointing toward Tua Tagovailoa being a “go” for Sunday in London. If he suits up, he will go up against his old national championship nemesis, Trevor Lawrence. Pick: DOLPHINS
♦ L.A. CHARGERS @ BALTIMORE: Here are two teams who are off to hot starts to the season. The Ravens were expected to be good, and as long as Lamar Jackson is healthy they’re a bona fide playoff contender. But the Chargers? Last year’s Offensive Rookie of the year, QB Justin Herbert, is proving to be the real deal. This will be a fun game to watch, but I’m smelling a minor upset here. Pick: CHARGERS
♦ ARIZONA @ CLEVELAND: Cleveland edge rusher Myles Garrett is already in the Halloween spirit, decorating his front yard with tombstones of NFL QBs, including Arizona’s Kyler Murray. Unfortunately for the Browns, of course, the real-life Murray won’t be quite as stationary. The third-year former No. 1 pick is having an MVP-type year. His former teammate at Oklahoma, Baker Mayfield, is having a solid year himself. Cleveland is the home team, and I think that will be the difference. Pick: BROWNS
♦ LAS VEGAS @ DENVER: Once upon a time, the Raiders were 3-0. But now they’ve lost two straight games and, to top it off, their head coach. I’m thinking this team is dispirited, hurt and therefore primed for a blowout loss. Which is a shame, because the Silver & Black need a win in the worst way. More bad news for Raiders fans (like myself): Denver has one of the stingiest defenses in the league, surrendering just 15.2 points per game. Pick: BRONCOS
♦ DALLAS @ NEW ENGLAND: The Cowboys are averaging 34 points per game, second-highest in the league (Buffalo is averaging 34.4 ppg). They also have one of the league’s breakout defenders in CB Trevon Diggs, who has picked off a pass in every game this season. He is even drawing comparisons to Deion Sanders. This is all too much for a rebuilding team like the Patriots, who at least have a future franchise QB in the developing Mac Jones. Pick: COWBOYS
♦ BUFFALO @ TENNESSEE: At 3-2, the Titans are a good team in a dreadful division, as the other three AFC Central teams – the Colts, Texans and Jaguars – are a combined 2-13. The Titans are again relying on RB Derrick Henry, the league’s leading rusher. The problem for them this week is that they are facing the NFL’s most prolific offense and its stingiest defense. Tennessee will give the Bills a good game, but Josh Allen and Co. are on a roll. Pick: BILLS
Last Week: 3-3 | 2021 Record: 14-16 (.467)