NFL 2012 Week 6 picks

I had a good week last week, and hope to continue that streak.  I have picked a few visiting teams but not a majority, so I think this strategy will work.

Thursday night game:  Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans:  The Titans are floundering, and the injury to Jake Locker makes things worse.  Pittsburgh's offense is coming alive, and the defense is hungry.  This will be a pretty one-sided game, perhaps more than the score reflects, as I expect the Steelers to turn over the ball once and for the Titans to capitalize on that.  STEELERS, 27-13

Sunday early games:
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns:  The Browns have been steadily improving with Brandon Wheeden running the offense, and the defense is coming along, too.  They could pull off the upset, but I'll stick with the Bengals.  Not only do they have the better talent, but  if the Browns win, it deserves to be an upset!  BENGALS, 27-20

Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Ravens:  The Cowboys had a week off, but I don't think that'll help them against Baltimore.  The Cowboys offense has gotten a bit better this season, but the Ravens will hassle Tony Romo, and he collapses under pressure.  The Cowboys defense has been inconsistent, so I'm not sure just how much the Ravens will score, so I'll pick a median number.  RAVENS, 27-13

Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles:  The Eagles have been turning the ball much too often for me to comfortably pick them, but I suspect this will be a close game, and Philly has an interesting tendency to win close games this season.  EAGLES, 24-23

Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets:  The Colts offense is coming alive, while the Jets is collapsing.  Fans are clamoring for Tebow, but I don't know if that will help.  It's the offensive line that is hurting the Jets.  Tebow had a strong offensive line in Denver; he needs that to have the room to move.  Without it, Tebow won't  be too effective.  COLTS, 27-16

Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  KC was faltering before Cassel went down.  Without him, the offense is listless.  Tampa's defense could hold the Chiefs to a single field goal, but I'll give Jamal Charles more credit and ability to get them in field goal range.  BUCS, 23-9

Oakland Raiders at Atlanta Falcons:  Oakland may have had a bye week last week, but I don't think that helps them much.  The Falcons have a potent offense, and the Raiders defense just hasn't been getting the job done this season.  The Raiders offense still depends too much on Darren McFadden, although they are starting to spread the ball around.  They may have prepared a couple of new plays this week, but it still won't be enough.  FALCONS, 30-17

St Louis Rams at Miami Dolphins:  The Rams are gaining strength, but they only seem to go that extra mile for divisional opponents.  They could win this game, but Miami showed heart against Cincy last week, and they may continue that.  This will likely be a close game with a few lead changes, but I'll pick the home team in a squeaker.  DOLPHINS, 24-23

Sunday late games:
Buffalo Bills at Arizona Cardinals:  Buffalo has not been showing up well recently.  Arizona lost big to the Rams last week, but I think that'll just make them more determined to win this week.  CARDS, 26-16

Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins:  The Vikings have an excellent mix of strong offense and stingy defense.  The Redskins defense is good, but if RGIII does not play this week, their chance of victory is slim.  VIKES, 27-16

New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks:  Defeating Peyton Manning, just like old times, may have been the spark the Patriots needed to return to glory.  The Seahawks defense will not make that easy, but I think the Pats will prevail.  PATS, 23-20

New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers:  The Giants scored a lot last week, but that was against the Browns.  The 49ers is a lot tougher.  The Giants defense allowed Cleveland to score 27 points, so San Fran will get opportunities to score as well.  49ERS, 31-17

Sunday night game:  Green Bay Packers at Houston Texans:  The Packers have been having a rough year.  Their defense is not stout, and their offense folds against tough defenses.  Since "tough defense" is the trademark of the Texans, this will be a rough game for Rodgers and the Packers offense.  TEXANS, 26-16

Monday Night Football
Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers:  The Broncos offense is showing some life, but the defense still needs improvement.  I'd love to see Denver win this game, but I don't think their defense can sufficiently slow the Chargers.  CHARGERS, 30-23