Buckle your seat belts, everyone, because you're in for one heck of a Pick Six newsletter on this fine October day. After reflecting further on Joe Burrow's first bad start of the 2020 season, resident Bengals fan John Breech decided he was physically unable to guide you through Wednesday's news, so you're stuck with the midweek waiver addition -- me, Cody Benjamin, the man with two first names! Truth be told, when Breech realized his old flame Andy Dalton would be back in action, he almost perked up enough to handle today's newsletter, but by that point, I'd already seized my opportunity. Just call me Nick Foles, baby.
Anyway, we've got lots to get to. So let's get right into it. (And make sure you're signed up to receive this newsletter every day! You don't want to miss our daily offerings of everything you need to know around the NFL.)
We've got power rankings, Week 6 predictions, QB evaluations, Le'Veon Bell landing spots and much more:
1. Today's shows: The uncertain futures of Dak Prescott, Matt Ryan
The Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons are in two very different places, with Atlanta (0-5) kicking off a total rebuild and Dallas (2-3) hanging on in the NFC East. But both teams have serious question marks at the quarterback position, where it's unclear exactly what lies ahead for Dak Prescott and Matt Ryan.
On Wednesday's Pick Six Podcast (listen and subscribe), Will Brinson and Brady Quinn broke down both QBs and why their teams have serious questions to answer in the coming months. The Cowboys, on one hand, have little choice but to stick with Prescott once the Pro Bowler recovers from his ankle injury, but is a lucrative extension still possible in 2021? The Falcons, meanwhile, can't realistically cut or even trade Ryan without serious financial implications, but it seems like a long shot he'll be around for the long term.
Brinson, Breech and Ryan Wilson also dedicated a separate episode to evaluating Tuesday night's Buffalo Bills beatdown by the Tennessee Titans, with a discussion on whether the prime-time lights are still too bright for Josh Allen.
2. Prisco's Power Rankings: We've got a new team at the top
Pete Prisco did some serious shuffling at the top of his Power Rankings on Wednesday, and Green Bay was the most obvious winner, vaulting up to the No. 1 spot previously held by the Kansas City Chiefs. While the Miami Dolphins were actually the biggest movers thanks to a seven-spot leap up the board, the top five alone was full of changes after Week 5:
- Packers (+1)
- Steelers (+1)
- Seahawks (+2)
- Chiefs (-3)
- Ravens (+1)
Besides the Chiefs, the Bills (-4), Buccaneers (-3) and Colts (-4) also fell down the board in Prisco's Week 6 rankings, with the Cleveland Browns (+4) and Chicago Bears (+5) among other notable risers.
3. Prisco's Picks: Packers outlast Bucs, Bills stun Chiefs
Week 6 is full of spicy matchups, including an AFC North battle between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. Pete Prisco wasn't afraid to make bold predictions for this week's slate, either. Here's a sneak peek at some of his most notable forecasts, including Aaron Rodgers out-dueling Tom Brady on the road:
Packers (-2) at Buccaneers
This is Aaron Rodgers vs. Tom Brady. It doesn't get any better than that -- even at their advanced ages. The Packers are coming off a bye, while the Bucs played last Thursday. The Packers are really rolling on offense, which is why I think Rodgers will get the best of this one. The Packers will stay undefeated.
Pick: Packers 34, Buccaneers 30
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Chiefs (-3.5) at Bills
The Bills looked bad against Tennessee, while the Chiefs didn't play well against the Raiders in their loss. So who re-groups here? I think if the Bills have Tre'Davious White back they will win it, and I think he will play. Josh Allen will beat Patrick Mahomes in a battle of gunslingers.
Pick: Bills 33, Chiefs 31
Catch every single one of Prisco's Week 6 picks and predictions at CBSSports.com.
4. Derek Carr, Justin Herbert fly up QB Power Rankings
Cody Benjamin (that's me, guys, try to keep up!) ranks all 32 starting QBs on a weekly basis at CBSSports.com, and this week saw a big rise for a couple of AFC West signal-callers in Carr and Herbert. The former has been quietly dominant while keeping Las Vegas afloat in a tough division, while Herbert's incredible arm talent has him poised to singlehandedly keep L.A. competitive this year.
You'll want to give the entire rankings a look-see, especially with big names like Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford continuing to sink, but here's a peek at the full top 10, including their position from a week earlier:
- Russell Wilson (1)
- Patrick Mahomes (2)
- Aaron Rodgers (4)
- Josh Allen (5)
- Kyler Murray (6)
- Lamar Jackson (4)
- Ben Roethlisberger (8)
- Jared Goff (10)
- Deshaun Watson (11)
- Derek Carr (14)
5. Le'Veon Bell landing spots: Steelers reunion on the table
The New York Jets finally pulled the plug on their Le'Veon Bell experiment (if you can even call it that) this week, severing ties with their pricey running back less than two full seasons after paying him to be the focal point of their offense. Now where is Bell headed? Our Tyler Sullivan and Jeff Kerr teamed up to identify the most likely landing spots for Bell now that he's on the open market. Their top choice, and the most interesting of the bunch? The Pittsburgh Steelers.
A return to the Steelers shouldn't be out of the question. When the Jets put Bell on the block last year around the trade deadline, Pittsburgh was reportedly one of the teams kicking the tires on acquiring him, possibly setting up a reunion in the Steel City. While that ultimately didn't happen, it wouldn't come as a shock to see the Steelers re-enter the Bell sweepstakes now that he's on the market once again.
6. Teaser picks: It's time to bet on Andy Dalton
You win, John Breech. You win. R.J. White dropped his top teaser betting picks for Week 6 on Wednesday after a 7-0-1 slate in Week 5 action, and he's all over Dalton and the Dallas Cowboys despite the heartbreaking turn of events for Dak and Co. last week:
I had the drop-off from Prescott to Dalton at three points before the season, and even with Prescott playing his butt off before the injury, I don't think you can bump that gap more than a point, if at all. Well, the Arizona-Dallas line flipped from Cowboys -3 on the lookahead to Cardinals -2.5 after the injury, a move of 5.5 points. That means we're already getting some value on the Cowboys at +2.5, and teasing them up to +8.5 is a no-brainer.
