NFL Game Previews: Breaking Down Week 6

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Updated on October 12, 2017 2:04PM EST

Indianapolis at Tennessee (no line) – Monday, 8:30 p.m. EDT

The Story: Vegas seems to be avoiding setting a line for this one like the plague, and it's easy to see why. If the game ends up being Marcus Mariota versus Jacoby Brissett, the Titans will have the best chance they're going to get of ending their near decade-long run of futility against the Colts. If it's Brissett versus Matt Cassel, though ... The tight AFC South standings suggests Tennessee can afford to give its franchise QB another week to heal his hamstring, but that losing streak against Indy almost demands the Titans put him under center if he seems even close to ready.

The Skinny:
•2017 IND offense: 19.4 PPG (22nd), 100.0 rushing yds/gm (17th), 225.0 passing yds/gm (22nd), 18 sacks allowed (T-27th), eight turnovers (T-23rd)
•2017 TEN offense: 22.0 PPG (T-14th), 124.8 rushing yds/gm (9th), 190.8 passing yds/gm (28th), 10 sacks allowed (T-13th), eight turnovers (T-23rd)
•2017 IND defense: 31.8 PPG allowed (32nd), 103.4 rushing yds/gm allowed (16th), 308.0 passing yds/gm allowed (30th), 11 sacks (T-19th), seven turnovers (T-10th)
•2017 TEN defense: 28.4 PPG allowed (T-30th), 110.0 rushing yds/gm allowed (18th), 246.6 passing yds/gm allowed (19th), eight sacks (T-29th), six turnovers (

Indianapolis at Tennessee (no line) – Monday, 8:30 p.m. EDT

The Scoop: Frank Gore trudges ahead for his usual 50 yards. Brissett throws for 220 yards and a TD to Donte Moncrief while running in a score himself. DeMarco Murray piles up 130 combined yards and a touchdown. Mariota starts and throws for 280 yards and TDs to Eric Decker and Delanie Walker. Titans, 27-17

Chicago (+6.5) at Baltimore, 39.5 o/u – Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

The Story: The Mitchell Trubisky Era predictably began with a loss Monday, and while the young QB didn't look overwhelmed by the moment and showed flashes of his potential, he still completed less than 50 percent of his passes and made some big mistakes. Those flaws will probably get magnified on the road and on a short week against a Ravens squad that, for all their issues on offense, still features a stingy secondary.

The Skinny:
•2017 CHI offense: 15.6 PPG (30th), 117.0 rushing yds/gm (12th), 199.8 passing yds/gm (27th), nine sacks allowed (T-9th), 12 turnovers (31st)
•2017 BAL offense: 18.0 PPG (24th), 130.4 rushing yds/gm (6th), 171.8 passing yds/gm (31st), nine sacks allowed (T-9th), nine turnovers (T-27th)
•2017 CHI defense: 24.8 PPG allowed (T-25th), 100.2 rushing yds/gm allowed (13th), 223.0 passing yds/gm allowed (T-10th), 13 sacks (T-9th), three turnovers (T-28th)
•2017 BAL defense: 19.4 PPG allowed (T-10th), 123.4 rushing yds/gm allowed (23rd), 217.8 passing yds/gm (7th), 12 sacks (T-12th), 12 turnovers (2nd)
•Football Outsiders 2017 ranking versus receiver types: BAL, 1st against WR1s (minus 66.0 percent DVOA); 5th against other WRs (minus 28.2 percent DVOA); 5th against RBs (minus 34.9 percent DVOA)
•Weather forecast: partly cloudy, 11 mph wind, less than 10 percent chance of rain

The Scoop: Jordan Howard is held to 60 yards. Trubisky throws for less than 200 yards and gets picked off twice, but does run in a TD. Alex Collins breaks out with 110 yards and a score, while Javorius Allen chips in 70 combined yards. Joe Flacco throws for 210 yards and a touchdown to Mike Wallace. Ravens, 20-7

Cleveland (+9.5) at Houston, 47.0 o/u – Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

The Story: The Browns have switched QBs again, because of course they have. DeShone Kizer was clearly not ready, so rather than have their potential franchise QB take his lumps in the starting role, they'll hand him a clipboard and let Kevin Hogan take those lumps instead. The Texans, meanwhile, have completely transformed their identity thanks to Deshaun Watson's arm and a defense gutted by injuries. A team expected to engage in plenty of low-scoring wars of attrition is instead now a run-and-gun outfit that tries to be the first to put 40 points on the board every game. What hope Cleveland has of slowing Watson down might have to come from Myles Garrett.

The Skinny:
•2017 CLE offense: 15.4 PPG (31st), 89.2 rushing yds/gm (25th), 245.6 passing yds/gm (16th), 14 sacks allowed (20th), 13 turnovers (32nd)
•2017 HOU offense: 28.8 PPG (4th), 140.6 rushing yds/gm (4th), 226.8 passing yds/gm (21st), 20 sacks allowed (32nd), eight turnovers (T-23rd)
•2017 CLE defense: 24.8 PPG allowed (T-25th), 76.6 rushing yds/gm allowed (5th), 243.8 passing yds/gm allowed (17th), 12 sacks (T-12th), six turnovers (T-15th)
•2017 HOU defense: 26.0 PPG allowed (28th), 101.8 rushing yds/gm allowed (14th), 233.6 passing yds/gm allowed (14th), 11 sacks (T-19th), seven turnovers (T-10th)
•Key injuries, HOU: DE J.J. Watt (leg, IR); LB Whitney Mercilus (pectoral, IR); DE Jadeveon Clowney (knee, questionable); LB Benardrick McKinney (hip, questionable); CB Kevin Johnson (knee, out); CB Johnathan Joseph (groin, questionable)
•Weather forecast: indoors

The Scoop: Isaiah Crowell manages 70 combined yards and a touchdown, while Duke Johnson adds 60. Hogan throws for 220 yards and a TD to Rashard Higgins. Lamar Miller comes through with 130 combined yards and two TDs, one on the ground and one through the air. Watson throws for 300 yards and three TDs, with the other two going to DeAndre Hopkins and Ryan Griffin. Texans, 34-17

Green Bay at Minnesota (+3), 46.5 o/u – Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

The Story: Ty Montgomery is off the injury report but still wearing a flak jacket to protect his ribs, which means fantasy eyes will be focused on the Packers backfield to see whether he or Aaron Jones emerge as the lead RB. The Vikings' run defense is stout, but the whole unit will have its hands full trying to find a way to contain Aaron Rodgers, so there could be opportunities for whoever gets touches between the duo. Minnesota has its own backfield conundrum to sort out, as Latavius Murray got outplayed Monday by Jerick McKinnon against a depleted Bears defense that set up as more vulnerable to the shifty, speedy guy. Green Bay's only allowed 19 catches for 154 yards to RBs through five games, though (third in the league in both categories), and if the Vikes want to keep Rodgers off the field, they might need to let Murray hammer it between the tackles a bunch of times.

The Skinny:
•2017 GB offense: 27.4 PPG (T-6th), 91.6 rushing yds/gm (22nd), 273.4 passing yds/gm (8th), 19 sacks allowed (T-30th), five turnovers (T-8th)
•2017 MIN offense: 19.8 PPG (T-19th), 118.2 rushing yds/gm (11th), 255.4 passing yds/gm (12th), nine sacks allowed (T-9th), four turnovers (T-6th)
•2017 GB defense: 22.4 PPG allowed (20th), 121.4 rushing yds/gm allowed (22nd), 218.2 passing yds/gm allowed (8th), 11 sacks (T-19th), nine turnovers (T-5th)
•2017 MIN defense: 18.6 PPG allowed (8th), 80.0 rushing yds/gm allowed (7th), 247.4 passing yds/gm allowed (21st), 12 sacks (T-12th), five turnovers (T-19th)
•Head-to-head record, last five years: 6-3-1 GB, average score GB 29-MIN 21, average margin of victory 11 points
•Aaron Rodgers career stats versus MIN, 18 games: 12-6, 68.3 percent completion rate, 252.9 passing yds/gm, 39:6 TD:INT, 8.2 YPA, 112.1 QB rating
•Weather forecast: indoors

The Scoop: Jones leads the GB backfield with 70 yards. Rodgers throws for 240 yards and two TDs, hitting Davante Adams and Martellus Bennett, while running in a third. Murray bangs out 80 yards and a touchdown, with McKinnon adding 50 combined yards. Case Keenum throws for 230 yards and a TD to Adam Thielen. Packers, 24-20

Detroit (+5) at New Orleans, 50.0 o/u – Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

The Story: On paper this should be a shootout, but Jim Bob Cooter's offense has turtled through the early part of the schedule, retreating even deeper into its dink-and-dunk shell. If you're wondering how the Saints are staying afloat with a bad defense and an offense that isn't firing on all cylinders, take a look at the last stat entry below for their offense. The overall NFL record for consecutive games without a turnover belongs to the 2010 Patriots (of course it would be a Belichick team), but New Orleans is more than halfway there.

The Skinny:
•2017 DET offense: 24.6 PPG (10th), 87.6 rushing yds/gm (26th), 223.2 passing yds/gm (23rd), 18 sacks allowed (T-27th), three turnovers (T-4th)
•2017 NO offense: 23.3 PPG (12th), 94.0 rushing yds/gm (21st), 283.8 passing yds/gm (4th), four sacks allowed (1st), zero turnovers (1st)
•2017 DET defense: 19.4 PPG allowed (T-10th), 74.6 rushing yds/gm allowed (3rd), 275.0 passing yds/gm allowed (27th), 13 sacks (T-9th), 11 turnovers (3rd)
•2017 NO defense: 19.5 PPG allowed (12th), 109.5 rushing yds/gm allowed (17th), 285.3 passing ys/gm allowed (28th), 11 sacks (T-19th), four turnovers (T-21st)
•Drew Brees career stats versus DET, six games: 3-3, 69.7 percent completion rate, 343.3 passing yds/gm, 16:5 TD:INT, 8.2 YPA, 107.3 QB rating
•Matthew Stafford career stats versus NO, five games: 3-2, 67.0 percent completion rate, 301.4 passing yds/gm, 8:6 TD:INT, 8.0 YPA, 92.2 QB rating
•Weather forecast: indoors

The Scoop: Ameer Abdullah collects 70 yards, while Theo Riddick picks up 80 combined yards and a receiving TD. Stafford throws for 250 yards and a second score to Golden Tate. Mark Ingram manages a season-high 70 yards and scores his first TD. Brees throws for 280 yards and touchdowns to Coby Fleener and Michael Thomas. Saints, 24-23

Miami (+11.5) at Atlanta, 46.5 o/u – Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

The Story: Whenever I see Jay Cutler in a Miami uniform now, I think of Dante from Clerks. His 5.4 YPA is over a yard and a half below his career average – and also about the same amount below Matt Moore's career YPA, just sayin' – and his lack of investment in being a Dolphin, or indeed even being an NFL player any more, seems apparent to everyone except Adam Gase. The Falcons didn't get completely healthy over their bye week, as Mohamed Sanu remains out with a hamstring injury, but it's a testament to just how good their offense was last year that the results so far in 2017 seems vaguely disappointing, even though they sit in the top 10 in just about every important category.

The Skinny:
•2017 MIA offense: 10.3 PPG (32nd), 74.8 rushing yds/gm (31st), 176.5 passing yds/gm (30th), 10 sacks allowed (T-13th), five turnovers (T-8th)
•2017 ATL offense: 26.0 PPG (8th), 125.8 rushing yds/gm (8th), 277.3 passing yds/gm (7th), eight sacks allowed (8th), six turnovers (T-13th)
•2017 MIA defense: 16.8 PPG allowed (4th), 75.5 rushing yds/gm allowed (4th), 247.3 passing yds/gm allowed (20th), 10 sacks (T-24th), three turnovers (T-28th)
•2017 ATL defense: 22.3 PPG allowed (T-18th), 93.0 rushing yds/gm allowed (11th), 250.5 passing yds/gm allowed (24th), 12 sacks (T-12th), two turnovers (32nd)
•Football Outsiders 2017 ranking versus receiver types: MIA, 29th against WR1s (36.2 percent DVOA), 32nd against WR2s (54.9 percent DVOA)
•Weather forecast: indoors

The Scoop: Jay Ajayi picks up 80 yards and a touchdown. Cutler throws for 200 yards, gets picked off twice and gets sacked for a safety by Grady Jarrett. Devonta Freeman keeps his scoring streak alive, hitting for 90 combined yards and a TD, while Tevin Coleman adds 60 yards and a score. Matt Ryan throws for 280 yards and two TDs, both to Julio Jones who also hauls in 120 yards. Falcons, 39-10

New England at N.Y. Jets (+9.5), 47.5 o/u – Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

The Story: The Jets already have three more wins this season than many people (myself included) were prepared to give them, and the history of this rivalry suggests it could well be a nailbiter, so if Gang Green somehow pulls this one out too – presumably with a big assist from New England's struggling defense – I won't be too shocked. That said, looking at the two teams' rosters, a result more like 2016's 41-3 demolition by the Pats seems about right.

The Skinny:
•2017 NE offense: 29.6 PPG (3rd), 99.0 rushing yds/gm (18th), 340.4 passing yds/gm (1st), 16 sacks allowed (25th), three turnovers (T-4th)
•2017 NYJ offense: 18.4 PPG (23rd), 111.4 rushing yds/gm (13th), 210.2 passing yds/gm (25th), 15 sacks allowed (T-21st), eight turnovers (T-23rd)
•2017 NE defense: 28.4 PPG allowed (T-30th), 124.2 rushing yds/gm allowed (24th), 335.0 passing yds/gm allowed (32nd), 10 sacks (T-24th), five turnovers (T-19th)
•2017 NYJ defense: 21.2 PPG allowed (15th), 143.0 rushing yds/gm allowed (30th), 219.0 passing yds/gm allowed (9th), seven sacks (31st), seven turnovers (T-10th)
•Head-to-head record, last five years: 8-2 NE, average score NE 28-NYJ 20, average margin of victory 10 points. Three of the games went to overtime, and only two had margins of victory greater than one score (2012's 49-19 rout and last year's squash, both NE wins)
•Tom Brady career stats versus NYJ, 30 games: 23-7, 62.1 percent completion rate, 237.1 passing yds/gm, 44:13 TD:INT, 7.0 YPA, 91.9 QB rating
•Weather forecast: partly cloudy, 12 mph wind, less than 10 percent chance of rain

The Scoop: James White piles up 100 combined yards and a receiving score, while Mike Gillislee also bangs home a short TD. Brady throws for 330 yards and two more touchdowns to Chris Hogan and Rob Gronkowski. Elijah McGuire produces 50 yards, while Matt Forte ekes out 40. Josh McCown throws for 260 yards and touchdowns to Robby Anderson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Patriots, 31-20

San Francisco (+10) at Washington, 46.5 o/u – Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

The Story: NaVorro Bowman may have more name value on than on-field value at this point in his career, but the Niners' decision to view his salary as a sunk cost and just release him speaks volumes about their commitment to maintaining even a pretense of winning this season as opposed to looking ahead to 2018 and beyond. Washington's bye week wasn't enough to get Jordan Reed and some other crucial pieces completely healthy, but the bigger question may be whether it was enough to get Kirk Cousins and Terrelle Pryor on the same page after they finally hooked up for a touchdown in Week 4.

The Skinny:
•2017 SF offense: 17.8 PPG (T-25th), 96.8 rushing yds/gm (20th), 242.2 passing yds/gm (19th), 15 sacks allowed (T-21st), six turnovers (T-13th)
•2017 WAS offense: 22.8 PPG (13th), 130.0 rushing yds/gm (7th), 251.0 passing yds/gm (14th), seven sacks allowed (T-5th), seven turnovers (T-19th)
•2017 SF defense: 24.0 PPG allowed (22nd), 116.6 rushing yds/gm allowed (19th), 266.4 passing yds/gm allowed (26th), 13 sacks (T-9th), six turnovers (T-15th)
•2017 WAS defense: 22.3 PPG allowed (T-18th), 88.8 rushing yds/gm allowed (10th), 241.3 passing yds/gm allowed (16th), 12 sacks (T-12th), seven turnovers (T-10th)
•Key injuries, WAS: RB Rob Kelley (ankle, doubtful); CB Josh Norman (ribs, out)
•Football Outsiders 2017 ranking versus receiver types: SF, 31st against WR2s (49.1 percent DVOA), 29th against other WRs (33.1 percent DVOA), 1st against TEs (minus 98.4 percent DVOA); WAS, 5th against WR1s (minus 32.8 percent DVOA), 2nd against WR2s (minus 51.4 percent DVOA), 4th against other WRs (minus 38.2 percent DVOA), 31st against TEs (45.9 percent DVOA)
•Weather forecast: partly cloudy, 10 mph wind, less than 10 percent chance of rain

The Scoop: Carlos Hyde gains 60 combined yards and a touchdown, with Matt Breida chipping in 50 yards. Brian Hoyer throws for 220 yards and a TD to George Kittle. Chris Thompson leads the Washington backfield with 80 combined yards and a receiving score. Cousins throws for 290 yards and three touchdowns, also hitting Pryor and Josh Doctson. Washington, 30-17

Tampa Bay at Arizona (+2.5), 45.0 o/u – Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT

The Story: Doug Martin had a rousing return from his suspension last week, but it came against a Patriots defense that makes almost everyone look good, so he's still got some things to prove. If he is back up to speed, though, the Bucs' offense suddenly looks very difficult to stop. The Cards also have a new RB at the top of the depth chart, but swapping Chris Johnson out for Adrian Peterson seems like less of a buy-low on a future Hall of Famer than a hail mary to save their backfield and maybe their season, which seems in danger of slipping away from them before David Johnson cane make it back into action.

The Skinny:
•2017 TB offense: 21.3 PPG (17th), 86.0 rushing yds/gm (27th), 299.5 passing yds/gm (3rd), seven sacks allowed (T-5th), four turnovers (T-6th)
•2017 ARI offense: 16.2 PPG (29th), 51.8 rushing yds/gm (32nd), 314.6 passing yds/gm (2nd), 19 sacks allowed (T-30th), seven turnovers (T-19th)
•2017 TB defense: 20.8 PPG allowed (14th), 87.3 rushing yds/gm allowed (8th), 315.3 passing yds/gm allowed (31st), four sacks (32nd), six turnovers (T-15th)
•2017 ARI defense: 25.0 PPG allowed (27th), 94.8 rushing yds/gm allowed (12th), 245.8 passing yds/gm allowed (18th), 10 sacks (T-24th), four turnovers (T-21st)
•Carson Palmer career stats versus TB, five games: 2-3, 60.4 percent completion rate, 287.2 passing yds/gm, 11:8 TD:INT, 7.1 YPA, 83.7 QB rating
•Key injuries, TB: LB Kwon Alexander (hamstring, out); LB Lavonte David (ankle, questionable); S Keith Tandy (hip, out); DE Robert Ayers (back, questionable); S T.J. Ward (hip, questionable)
•Weather forecast: indoors

The Scoop: Martin scampers for 90 yards and a TD. Jameis Winston throws for 260 yards and touchdowns to Mike Evans and Adam Humphries. Peterson's Arizona debut is a dud, as he manages only 40 yards and Andre Ellington leads the backfield with 70 combined yards. Palmer throws for 300 yards and TDs to Larry Fitzgerald and J.J. Nelson. Buccaneers, 27-23

L.A. Rams (+2.5) at Jacksonville, 42.5 o/u – Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT

The Story: If Cooper Kupp were about two inches taller, the Rams probably win last week's game. Of course, if he were two inches taller he would probably have been a first-round pick and then doesn't fall to them in the third, and somewhere a butterfly flaps its wings and Peter Scolari is the one winning Oscars instead of Tom Hanks or whatever weird changes occur in the universe. Then again, we're apparently living in a universe where the Jaguars can make Ben Roethlisberger look like JaMarcus Russell, so maybe this is the weird one.

The Skinny:
•2017 LAR offense: 30.4 PPG (2nd), 110.8 rushing yds/gm (14th), 280.0 passing yds/gm (5th), six sacks allowed (T-3rd), 10 turnovers (29th)
•2017 JAC offense: 27.8 PPG (5th), 165.2 rushing yds/gm (1st), 165.4 passing yds/gm (32nd), five sacks allowed (2nd), five turnovers (T-8th)
•2017 LAR defense: 24.2 PPG allowed (23rd), 133.6 rushing yds/gm allowed (27th), 228.0 passing yds/gm allowed (12th), 15 sacks (7th), nine turnovers (T-5th)
•2017 JAC defense: 16.6 PPG allowed (T-2nd), 146.4 rushing yds/gm allowed (31st), 202.0 passing yds/gm allowed (3rd), 20 sacks (1st), 15 turnovers (1st)
•Football Outsiders 2017 ranking versus receiver types: JAC, 3rd against WR1s (minus 57.0 percent DVOA), 7th against TEs (minus 25.7 percent DVOA), 7th against RBs (minus 25.8 percent DVOA)
•Weather forecast: partly cloudy, winds less than 10 mph, less than 10 percent chance of rain

The Scoop: Todd Gurley gallops for 120 yards and a TD. Jared Goff throws for 220 yards and a touchdown to Robert Woods, but gets picked off twice. Leonard Fournette puts together 80 combined yards and a score. Blake Bortles throws for 230 yards and TDs to Marqise Lee and Corey Grant. Jaguars, 24-17

Pittsburgh (+4.5) at Kansas City, 46.0 o/u – Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT

The Story: So, about that whole "making Ben Roethlisberger look like JaMarcus Russell" thing ... people writing off Roethlisberger as done are making the same mistake they made going into last week's game, which is to underrate the Jaguars' defense. There are individual defensive units, such as the Broncos' secondary, which might be better than what the Jags can put on the field, but it terms of pure athletic talent at all three levels Jacksonville has the best defense in the NFL, and it is capable of making anyone look very bad when it gets rolling, which is what happened last Sunday. Of course, now Roethlisberger has to play the league's only undefeated team on the road, so the talk of him being toast may not die down much, but he still has some big performances left in him.

The Skinny:
•2017 PIT offense: 19.8 PPG (T-19th), 90.0 rushing yds/gm (24th), 253.8 passing yds/gm (13th), nine sacks allowed (T-9th), nine turnovers (T-27th)
•2017 KC offense: 32.8 PPG (1st), 156.2 rushing yds/gm (2nd), 178.2 passing yds/gm (6th), 17 sacks allowed (26th), one turnover (2nd)
•2017 PIT defense: 17.8 PPG allowed (6th), 136.6 rushing yds/gm allowed (28th), 164.0 passing yds/gm allowed (1st), 17 sacks (T-3rd), eight turnovers (T-8th)
•2017 KC defense: 22.2 PPG allowed (17th), 118.0 rushing yds/gm allowed (T-20th), 263.6 passing yds/gm allowed (25th), 14 sacks (8th), seven turnovers (T-10th)
•Ben Roethlisberger career stats versus KC, six games: 5-1, 72.8 percent completion rate, 238.8 passing yds/gm, 13:3 TD:INT, 8.8 YPA, 118.7 QB rating
•Football Outsiders 2017 ranking versus receiver types: PIT, 3rd against other WRs (minus 44.7 percent DVOA), 3rd against TEs (minus 36.1 percent DVOA); KC, 4th against WR2s (minus 40.9 percent DVOA), 2nd against RBs (minus 51.8 percent DVOA)
•Weather forecast: clear, 11 mph wind, less than 10 percent chance of rain

The Scoop: Le'Veon Bell runs for 130 yards and two TDs. Roethlisberger throws for 250 yards and two touchdowns to Antonio Brown and Juju Smith-Schuster. Kareem Hunt matches Bell with 120 yards and two TDs of his own. Alex Smith throws for 220 yards and a score to Tyreek Hill. Steelers, 34-30

L.A. Chargers (+4) at Oakland, 50.5 o/u – Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT

The Story: The Chargers finally found a team even unluckier than they were last week, but Derek Carr's quick return from a back injury likely denies them an opportunity for a second straight win unless Joey Bosa and/or Melvin Ingram can send him back to the sidelines. This might also be the game in which Marshawn Lynch gets rolling given how bad the Bolts have looked against the run, but he'll need to start getting more than 20-25 snaps a game if he's going to regain even a shred of his Beast Mode mystique.

The Skinny:
•2017 LAC offense: 19.8 PPG (T-19th), 78.8 rushing yds/gm (29th), 273.0 passing yds/gm (9th), six sacks allowed (T-3rd), six turnovers (T-13th)
•2017 OAK offense: 21.6 PPG (16th), 90.6 rushing yds/gm (23rd), 203.6 passing yds/gm (26th), 12 sacks allowed (15th), five turnovers (T-8th)
•2017 LAC defense: 23.0 PPG allowed (21st), 161.2 rushing yds/gm allowed (32nd), 214.2 passing yds/gm allowed (4th), 17 sacks (T-3rd), four turnovers (T-21st)
•2017 OAK defense: 21.8 PPG allowed (16th), 124.6 rushing yds/gm allowed (25th), 237.6 passing yds/gm allowed (15th), 10 sacks (T-24th), four turnovers (T-21st)
•Head-to-head record, last five years: 5-5, but OAK has an active four-game winning streak. Average score LAC 23-OAK 22, average margin of victory six points. No game during the period has been decided by more than 13 points, and five of them were settled by a field goal.
•Philip Rivers career stats versus OAK, 22 games: 14-8, 63.0 percent completion rate, 245.5 passing yds/gm, 37:18 TD:INT, 7.6 YPA, 93.0 QB rating
•Weather forecast: clear, wind less than 10 mph, less than 10 percent chance of rain

The Scoop: Melvin Gordon racks up 110 combined yards and a score. Rivers throws for 270 yards and TDs to Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler. Lynch rumbles for 60 yards and a touchdown, while Jalen Richards adds 60 yards. Carr throws for 260 yards and TDs to Amari Cooper and Seth Roberts. Raiders, 30-27

N.Y. Giants (+12) at Denver, 39.0 o/u – Sunday, 8:30 p.m. EDT

The Story: As part of writing this column every week, I try to imagine what a win for each team might look like, then decide how likely it is. After watching the MetLife turf claim the ankles of every Giants receiver it could get its grubby artificial mitts on, it's really hard to construct a remotely plausible winning scenario for the visitors, but let's try. Maybe the Broncos' vaunted secondary gets bored and makes mistakes being asked to cover a bunch of guys they've never heard of. Maybe the Giants' running game ... well, no, that's not going to happen. Maybe their defense, which has gotten a pass on its relatively poor play so far thanks to the offense being so much worse, gets an inspirational speech from Carl Banks and plays like they did last year. Or maybe, for once in the NFL, things go the way everyone expects them to and Denver runs them out of the building.

The Skinny:
•2017 NYG offense: 16.4 PPG (28th), 77.8 rushing yds/gm (30th), 267.6 passing yds/gm (11th), 13 sacks allowed (T-16th), six turnovers (T-13th)
•2017 DEN offense: 24.5 PPG (11th), 143.0 rushing yds/gm (3rd), 222.0 passing yds/gm (24th), 13 sacks allowed (T-16th), six turnovers (T-13th)
•2017 NYG defense: 24.4 PPG allowed (24th), 139.0 rushing yds/gm allowed (29th), 231.2 passing yds/gm allowed (13th), eight sacks (T-29th), three turnovers (T-28th)
•2017 DEN defense: 18.5 PPG allowed (7th), 50.8 rushing yds/gm allowed (1st), 223.0 passing yds/gm allowed (T-10th), 10 sacks (T-24th), four turnovers (T-21st)
•Eli Manning career stats versus DEN, three games: 1-2, 57.3 percent completion rate, 268.7 passing yds/gm, 3:6 TD:INT, 6.2 YPA, 64.0 QB rating
•Weather forecast: clear, wind less than 10 mph, less than 10 percent chance of rain

The Scoop: Wayne Gallman leads the Giants backfield with 40 yards. Manning throws for less than 200 yards and gets picked off three times. C.J. Anderson runs for 110 yards and a score, while Jamaal Charles adds 50 yards and a TD. Trevor Siemian throws for 230 yards and touchdowns to Demaryius Thomas and A.J. Derby. Broncos, 31-0

Philadelphia (+3) at Carolina, 46.0 o/u – Thursday, 8:25 p.m. EDT

The Story: Division leaders collide in what could be one of the rare entertaining Thursday games. The Eagles' secondary remains their Achilles' heel, especially with Ronald Darby sidelined until at least next week, so they're picking a bad time to face Cam Newton now that he's found his mojo again. The battle might be won or lost in the trenches, though. Both offensive lines have had trouble keeping their QBs upright, and both defensive lines have dangerous pass rushers.

The Skinny:
•2017 PHI offense: 27.4 PPG (T-6th), 138.8 rushing yds/gm (5th), 272.4 passing yds/gm (10th), 13 sacks allowed (T-16th), six turnovers (T-13th)
•2017 CAR offense: 21.0 PPG (18th), 98.6 rushing yds/gm (19th), 250.8 passing yds/gm (15th), 15 sacks allowed (T-21st), seven turnovers (T-19th)
•2017 PHI defense: 19.8 PPG (13th), 62.8 rushing yds/gm allowed (2nd), 299.0 passing yds/gm allowed (29th), 12 sacks (T-12th), eight turnovers (T-8th)
•2017 CAR defense: 18.8 PPG (9th), 79.8 rushing yds/gm allowed (6th), 214.8 passing yds/gm allowed (5th), 17 sacks (T-3rd), three turnovers (T-28th)
•Newton career stats versus PHI, three games: 2-1, 62.0 percent completion rate, 269.7 passing yds/gm, 5:6 TD:INT, 8.8 YPA, 81.3 QB rating, 12 sacks
•Key injuries, PHI: RB Wendell Smallwood (knee, questionable); DT Fletcher Cox (calf, questionable); CB Ronald Darby (ankle, out)
•Weather forecast: possibility of lightning delay, wind less than 10 mph, 50 percent chance of rain

The Scoop: LeGarrette Blount bangs out 70 yards. Carson Wentz throws for 220 yards and TDs to Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith. Christian McCaffrey leads the Panthers' backfield with 80 combined yards and a receiving TD, while Jonathan Stewart also scores a short touchdown. Newton throws for 270 yards and a second score to Kelvin Benjamin while also running in a TD, but gets sacked four times and coughs up a fumble that Derek Barnett recovers in the end zone for a touchdown. Panthers, 28-24

Last week's record: 5-9, 7-6-1 ATS, 9-5 o/u
2017 regular-season record: 41-36, 33-42-2 ATS, 37-38-2 o/u
2016 regular-season record: 155-99-2, 110-136-10 ATS, 139-112-5 o/u
2015 regular-season record: 157-99, 137-111-8 ATS