I failed to follow my own advice in week 5. Don’t get cute. That’s what I always tell myself in these Survivor pools.
And although it appeared Baltimore had won the game with a late-game touchdown pass, it was not to be. The touchdown was overturned in the fourth quarter, and thus, my chances at survival were dashed.
But…there are those leagues that have second chances. Get online and find them. They’re all over the place. I’ll keep track of the teams I’ve already picked and not stick with those. If you were smart and backed one of the many favorites that won, like New England, Pittsburgh or Minnesota in week 5, then congratulations. You’ve survived into week 6.
Teams Used: Seattle, Carolina, Miami, Washington and Baltimore (lost)
Best Bet
New England Patriots
I know it’s a cop out and you likely already used the Patriots last week, but I need a semi-easy pick to keep my sanity this week.
New England didn’t show much rust last week against a Cleveland team that had been playing OK football. The Patriots dominated on defense, limiting one of the NFL’s most surprising rushing teams to its lowest output of the season. It also didn’t skip a beat on offense during Tom Brady’s first game back from suspension.
The league should be on notice — it appears Brady is still Brady and he’s on a mission. That’s a bad sign for other teams in the NFL.
This week, what would have once been considered a possible AFC title preview, has a little less drama. Cincinnati might not be very good. The Bengals have beaten the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, not exactly considered world beaters this year in the NFL.
They looked horrible last week on the road against the Cowboys and this week they must travel for a second consecutive week against New England. If A.J. Green doesn’t have a huge output, Andy Dalton is having a difficult time moving the ball. The lack of wide receiver talent is starting to show and it’s making it difficult to back the Bengals.
New England didn’t need any extra motivation to be the best team in the NFL. Unfortunately for the rest of the league, it got that when Brady was suspended.
Sleeper Pick
Tennessee Titans
I don’t have enough guts to pick the Titans with my best bet, but they could easily top your leaderboard this week. Tennessee beat up Miami in week 5 and now gets a chance to face everyone’s favorite Survivor pool team, the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns have been a regular whipping boy for weeks. I failed to pull the trigger last week, but they’ve been the best bet to pick against on a weekly basis.
And they should fall short again this week. Tennessee has been able to move the ball at times this season, but it finally put it all together last week against Miami. The Titans have been unable to convert yards into points, but if they can keep up last week’s momentum, that shouldn’t be a problem in week 6.
Cleveland’s defense is once again among the league’s worst. The Browns are a bottom-five defense in total yards. That will pose a problem with Tennessee’s solid rushing attack with DeMarco Murray. And if Marcus Mariota is finding his groove, then this won’t be close.
However, the reason why I can’t pull the trigger on the Titans, is that thought that I had last week entering the Patriots game. Cleveland has competed well in most weeks. And despite the issues with quarterbacks, it appears that either Josh McCown or Cody Kessler will be back as the starter this week.
The Browns can run the ball and if they can get decent quarterback play, they may be able to make this too close for comfort.
Be Careful
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle is one of the biggest favorites of the week. The Seahawks are almost a touchdown favorite against an Atlanta team coming off major wins against Denver and Carolina.
I get why Seattle is such a major favorite. This is back-to-back road games for the Falcons and it’s difficult to get up for that many major games on a weekly basis in the NFL. Bettors are looking for any kind of edge and they believe Atlanta will suffer a major letdown.
But I just don’t know if I buy it. Atlanta might be pretty good. The defense looked better in week 5 and that offense isn’t going away anytime soon. The last time the Falcons traveled to the west coast, they dismantled the Oakland Raiders.
And while we all expect Seattle to compete for an NFC crown at the end of the season, the offense hasn’t come along as fast as the defense. The offensive line still has some holes, and I’m not sure we can all of sudden crown Seattle as fixed after victories against San Francisco and the New York Jets.
Atlanta showed in week 5 it can rush the passer. If it keeps that up against a bad offensive line in Seattle, then this could be the wrong choice for your Survivor pool.
