Thanks to a 63-yard field goal, the Carolina Panthers allowed several people to stay alive in the NFL Survivor Pool.
Carolina handled the week 5 matchup against the New York Giants for the majority of the game, only to see the defense allow the Giants to get back into it. However, Graham Gano’s field goal as time expired sent the several people who trusted the Panthers in the Survivor Pool into another week.
There are multiple options, depending on which teams you’ve already taken, so here’s the week 6 NFL Survivor Pool picks.
Teams Used: Green Bay, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota (loss), Jacksonville, Carolina
Best Bet
Houston Texans
The last time I picked against Buffalo, I joined the large percentage of Survivor Pool participants in failing.
The Bills were a common team on the other end of the Survivor Pool in the first three weeks, and then surprised everybody in the NFL with a straight-up win against Minnesota in week 3.
If you survived that debacle, it’s time to go against the Bills again. The Texans have enough offense that it shouldn’t be a problem moving the chains consistently against Buffalo, as seen in week 5 against Tennessee.
Houston’s offense is ranked among the best in the NFL at the moment, averaging 6.1 yards per play in the last three games. The Texans have been lights out in the passing game, throwing for 8.6 yards per pass attempt. That’s slightly better than Josh Allen for Buffalo, who is averaging just 4.4 yards per pass attempt.
The Texans are the better team and get the Bills at home. This should get you into the week 7 Survivor Pool.
Sleeper Pick
New England Patriots
I know this sounds crazy, considering the Patriots are matching up against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.
However, the Chiefs have looked a little sloppy in the last two weeks after their record-setting start to the season, and I trust New England in October more than Kansas City.
Despite last year’s opening game victory against the Patriots, Bill Belichick has been the better coach in head-to-head with Andy Reid, going 5-2. And with the Patriots settling in on both sides of the ball, this game feels like a Patriots victory.
In the last three games, New England has averaged 5.8 yards per play, while the Chiefs are down to 6. Defensively, the Chiefs are still one of the worst in the league, giving up 6.3 yards per play in the last three games, compared to New England at 5.2.
If you’re looking for a lifeline and haven’t used the Patriots yet, this game offers some upside.
Be Careful
Los Angeles Rams
Do I believe the Broncos will win? No.
However, I would skip the Rams this week based on a couple of factors. Denver is desperate. Desperate teams do weird things in the NFL. And this is back-to-back road games for a team that barely traveled outside the zip code in the first month of the season.
We don’t know how the Rams will react to that back-to-back stress and going into another environment that equals a true home-field advantage, much like Seattle.
The Rams are by far the better team and are better coached. However, there are some red flags, making this one to avoid in week 6.
