Predictions and picks for Week 6 of the 2022 NFL season

This isn’t always easy to say, but we feel good about our NFL Week 6 predictions in 2022.

Granted, this season has featured plenty of surprising twists and turns with each week bringing at least a couple of surprising results. But we’ve carefully considered each matchup on the Week 6 schedule before making our best NFL picks for today. 

NFL Week 6 predictions 2022

With a few teams on bye this week, there are fewer games available when making NFL Week 6 predictions for 2022. In a way, that has made us a little more discerning when thinking about NFL Week 6 picks straight up and NFL Week 6 picks against the spread.

As we know, those are two different types of picks. Nevertheless, we chose five games for this week that make us feel good about our NFL Week 6 picks.

All odds courtesy of FanDuel — Sign-up to FanDuel Sportsbook for up to $1000 in free bets.

Buccaneers vs Steelers

Even if it’s hard to be completely sold on the Bucs, our NFL picks for today are 100% against the Steelers, who have been abysmal this year and are coming off a 38-3 loss to the Bills. If the Bengals didn’t have a backup snapper in Week 1, Pittsburgh would likely be 0-5. They’ve had two double-digit losses this year and couldn’t even beat the Jets.

Inserting Kenny Pickett at quarterback hasn’t turned things around for the Pittsburgh offense, making the Steelers far too reliant on their defense.

Pickett and the Steelers will face another huge challenge this week when they face the Tampa defense. Outside of their loss to the Chiefs a couple of weeks ago, the Bucs have been outstanding on that side of the ball.

It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Steelers shut out or at least held without a touchdown in this game. That should make it a little easier for the Bucs to cover the spread, even on the road. After all, Tom Brady is starting to come around with back-to-back games with over 300 passing yards.

• SU Pick: Buccaneers (-350)
• ATS Pick: Buccaneers -8.5 (-106)

Jaguars vs Colts

The Jags embarrassed the Colts 24-0 a few weeks ago. But our NFL Week 6 predictions in 2022 project the Colts to get a little redemption. The Indianapolis defense has been strong all season, and after seeing the Jacksonville offense a few weeks ago, they should be better prepared to stop Trevor Lawrence and company this week.

The Colts have also had a little extra time to prepare for this home game after holding the Broncos without a touchdown last week. That should allow them to win and cover another ugly, low-scoring game.

Keep in mind that the Jaguars have taken a nose dive since their surprising win over the Chargers a few weeks ago. They failed to score a touchdown last week and have turned it over seven times in their last two games. The Jacksonville offense was held to just 219 total yards in the team’s last road games, which doesn’t give us a lot of confidence that things will be different this time.

• SU Pick: Colts (-142)
• ATS Pick: Colts -2.5 (-106)

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49ers vs Falcons

Through five weeks, the Falcons are a perfect 5-0 ATS despite being just 2-3 overall. We’re sticking with that trend in our Week 6 NFL picks, especially since they are a home underdog this week.

Atlanta’s five games this year have been decided by a total of 18 points, so the Falcons are playing nothing but close games. They’ve played quality teams and have stayed in close games by running the ball effectively with Marcus Mariota using his legs to great effect. Even against a strong San Francisco defense, the Falcons should keep this one close.

Keep in mind the 49ers are playing a road game on the East Coast for the second straight week. It’s also best not to overreact too much to the 49ers scoring 37 points against the lowly Panthers last week.

The San Francisco offense might be functional under Jimmy Garoppolo but isn’t not going to be that explosive most weeks. In the end, the San Francisco defense will win this game, but the 49ers won’t score enough points to cover the spread.

• SU Pick: 49ers (-240) 
• ATS Pick: Falcons +5.5 (-114)

Cardinals vs Seahawks

There’s nothing about Arizona’s season that makes the Cardinals good road favorites. Kyler Murray is only averaging 5.8 yards per pass, so even against a lackluster Seattle defense, the Arizona offense may not be able to get on track and win comfortably. Also, despite a few promising games, it’s hard to be completely sold on the Arizona defense.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks have shown some offensive chops in recent weeks.

Geno Smith isn’t the ideal quarterback, but he has DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. The Seahawks are also getting over six yards per carry from both Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Walker. Even if the Seahawks continue to struggle defensively, they have the firepower to outscore the Cardinals and win at home.

• SU Pick: Seahawks (+122)
• ATS Pick: Seahawks +2.5 (-108)

Cowboys vs Eagles

Before the season, nobody thought that the NFL MVP odds for Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts would be this short. But he’s turned into one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league with both his arm and his legs. He’s also leading one of the most balanced offenses in the NFL, as the Eagles have scored at least 20 points in every game while getting to 5-0 on the season, remaining the last unbeaten team in the league.

Of course, the Eagles face their biggest challenge of the season. Micah Parsons already has six sacks this year, giving him some of the shortest NFL DPOY odds, as he leads a Dallas defense that is yet to allow more than 19 points in a game this year.

While the Dallas offense isn’t blowing anyone away, it’s been functional under Cooper Rush, who is a competent backup. With the Cowboys playing exceptional defense, one of our favorite NFL Week 6 predictions in 2022 is for the Cowboys to beat the spread, even if the Eagles are able to squeeze out a close win at home.

• SU Pick: Eagles (-260)
• ATS Pick: Cowboys +6 (-110)