NFL Week 6 teaser: Browns, Jaguars, Jets
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It was back to winning ways last week, as the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans soared over the total, while the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals both easily covered the number.
Now isn't the time to gloat. Instead, let's keep churning out winners. Here's what's on tap for Week 6.
Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns
Line: Browns +1
Teaser line: Browns +8
All that Browns hype really died down. Baker Mayfield went from the most popular MVP bet to a whipping boy, and Cleveland has been incredibly volatile while stumbling to a 2-3 start.
Still, after the Browns were humiliated on national television, this feels like a great bounce-back spot for them at home against a Seahawks team flying across the country for an early kickoff.
This is also a prime letdown game for Seattle after it beat division rival Los Angeles. The Seahawks are still a popular public team, but their 4-1 record is too flattering. They beat the Bengals, Steelers, and Cardinals before Greg Zuerlein's rare miss field-goal attempt helped them past the Rams at home. The Seahawks are also a much different team away from Seattle.
The most important factor here is Seattle's 22nd-ranked pass rush, according to PFF, which has managed just 10 sacks through five weeks. Both of the Browns' wins came against teams that struggle to get after the quarterback (Ravens and Jets).
Mayfield should get a lot more time to throw than he did against a relentless 49ers defense in Week 5, and he'll be able to make enough downfield plays to get the Browns back on track. We only need them to keep this game within a touchdown.
New Orleans Saints at Jacksonville Jaguars
Line: Jaguars -1
Teaser line: Jaguars +6
Gardner Minshew is coming home after splitting a pair of difficult road games, with his record as a starter moving to 2-2. He could be 4-0, as the Jaguars were a two-point conversion away from beating the Texans in Houston, and they nearly upset the Panthers in Carolina. A return to Jacksonville is exactly what Minshew needs to lift the Jaguars back to .500.
The Saints, meanwhile, have been cruising without Drew Brees, but a stingy Jaguars defense that should bounce back after a rough outing against the Panthers will be a tough test for Teddy Bridgewater. In Minshew's first two starts, his defense held the Texans and Titans to a combined 19 points.
Defense has always carried the load in Jacksonville, but the team's offense is finally pulling its weight. Jacksonville's defense should stifle the Saints, and the offense will find success, though this will still be a low-scoring game. Bridgewater performed well against the porous Seahawks and Buccaneers defenses, but he failed to lead his team to a single touchdown on 17 drives against the Cowboys and Rams.
In what figures to be a tightly contested contest at TIAA Bank Field, the Jaguars putting it all together for a statement victory feels more likely than the Saints going on the road and winning by a touchdown.
Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets
Line: Jets +7.5
Opening line: Jets +14.5
Following successive losses, including a beatdown at the hands of the Packers in Week 5, the Cowboys need to rebound in a hurry.
On the surface, this looks like a good spot, but it's a sandwich game for Dallas with the Eagles on tap next week. Regardless of what Cowboys coaches and players will have you believe regarding the club's focus, it's naive to think they aren't at least slightly looking ahead to a massive NFC East showdown in Week 7 against their hated rival.
To make matters worse for the Cowboys, Sam Darnold is set to return after missing three games with mononucleosis. The quarterback's presence should immediately impact the rest of the locker room, helping the Jets rise up for this game in a big way.
New York has been crushed in its three games without Darnold, but it can be deflating and exhausting for a defense when the unit is on the field so much because the offense can't move the ball. That's why the Jets will be more successful with Darnold back, even if he needs to shake off rust.
The Jets' defense ranks 10th in DVOA, and it's especially stingy against the run. On the other side of the ball, Le'Veon Bell should find room to run against a Cowboys defense that the Packers' Aaron Jones just torched, while Darnold will connect on a few shots downfield to Robby Anderson. The Jets shouldn't struggle to keep this within the number.
Full teaser: Browns +8, Jaguars +6, Jets +14.5 ($100 to win $135)
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.