NFL Best Bets Week 6: Sidelines’ Top NFL Betting Lines to Follow

By Akiva Wienerkur   October 17, 2021 

NFL Best Bets Week 6: Sidelines’ Top NFL Betting Lines to Follow

The Favorites finally held sway last week, posting a 9-7 mark against the spread and earning their first winning week of the season. Prior to Week 5, Underdogs held a 38-26 advantage on the year. The Over also hit big in Week 5, going 10-6 and topping the Under handily for the first time in 2021. With another competitive slate of contests, the NFL Odds this week looked to adjust in the wake of these early season successes for the dogs. 

Week 5 featured a few wide spread margins that favorites couldn’t cover. Minnesota couldn’t cover 9.5 points at home against the Lions, and New England couldn’t cover 8.5 on the road against the Texans. The Week 6 NFL lines see a few wide spreads, including Houston getting another 9.5 points against the Colts, and the Giants getting 10.5 points at home against the LA Rams. NFL Week 6 Picks and Predictions navigates through all of the Week 6 NFL lines. 

The Dallas Cowboys improved to 5-0 against the spread, but the Arizona Cardinals remain the league’s lone undefeated team outright. Four teams sit at 4-1 against the spread: Arizona, Buffalo, Green Bay, and the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Sidelines Best Bets column is coming off a 9-1 stretch recently, and looks to get back on track after a down week. Despite all this uncertainty, though, NFL Week 6 features a number of actionable lines and totals to bet this weekend. Here’s a look at five of the best bets to follow for Week 6.  

NFL Best Bets Week 6

Game Bet
Vikings at Panthers Best Bets Carolina Moneyline +105 (DraftKings)
Packers at Bears Best Bets Under 45/-112 (FanDuel)
Texans at Colts Best Bets Over 42.5/-110 (Caesars)
Rams at Giants Best Bets Los Angeles -10.5/-110 (BetMGM)
Cardinals at Browns Best Bet Cleveland -2.5/-114 (UniBet)

Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers

Best Bet: Carolina Moneyline +105 (DraftKings)

The Minnesota Vikings play the Carolina Panthers in this matchup of two NFC playoff hopefuls. The Vikings managed to hold off the Lions thanks to a 54-yard game-winning field goal from Greg Joseph. The offense underwhelmed for the second-straight week, but the Vikings finally came away with another win. The Panthers, meanwhile, took their second consecutive loss after opening the season with a three-game win streak. 

The Vikings (2-3, 2-3 ATS) might be better than their record indicates, considering their three losses this season have come to teams with a combined 11-4 record. But Minnesota barely eked out a victory last week against a winless Detroit Lions team. Each game they’ve played in has been decided by one score, but the offense has had its issues of late. Although the Vikings rank inside the top 10 in yards gained, they’re in the bottom half of the league in points scored. They’ve managed just 26 points over the last two weeks combined. 

The Panthers (3-2, 3-2 ATS), meanwhile, might not be as good as their record suggests, but if not for a second-half meltdown last week, Carolina might be 4-1 this season. The key for Carolina remains the health and availability of Christian McCaffery. The star running back has missed the last two games, both losses for the Panthers. Without McCaffery in the lineup, opposing defenses have gotten to Sam Darnold, hitting him 19 times and sacking him eight times. Darnold’s thrown five interceptions over the last two weeks, but a returning McCaffrey would alleviate the pressure on the QB. 

The Vikings enter this one 1-4 both against the spread and straight up in their last five road games. There’s also a question mark on Dalvin Cook’s availability. If Darnold can protect the ball against Minnesota, the Panthers should be able to control this ball game.

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears

Best Bet: Under 45/-112 (FanDuel)

The Green Bay Packers play the Chicago Bears in this Week 6 matchup of NFC North rivals. The Packers managed to survive kicking woes in their overtime victory last week. Despite uneven play over the last few weeks, the Packers have won four straight. They’ve seen their odds to win the NFC Championship improve with each passing week. Meanwhile, the Bears posted the biggest upset of the week, getting a straight up win despite being 5-point underdogs on the road. 

The Packers (4-1, 4-1 ATS) have been one of the best teams in football outside of their Week 1 debacle. Following that loss, the offense put up 35 points, but each week since, they’ve seen their point total drop. Green Bay has had issues scoring touchdowns in the red zone, converting 11 of the 20 trips so far. The Packers are also dealing with a number of injuries, including along the offensive line. 

The Bears (3-2, 3-2 ATS) scored the biggest upset of Week 5, topping the Raiders 20-9 in Las Vegas. Chicago entered that contest a 5.5-point underdog, and sees a similar line this one. The Bears defense looked great in Vegas, but the offense struggled to produce. Chicago managed just 4.2 yards per play in the game, and didn’t have a single play longer than 18 yards. 

The reason for the Under play in this game is simply, points could be at a premium. The Bears have made only 13 trips into the red one this season, and have managed 16 points or less in three of the four meetings between these two clubs. 

The Under is 16-5 in Chicago’s last 21 home games. And between these two clubs, the Under is 7-3 combined so far this season. While the Packers should be able to win this ballgame, injuries may hamper their offensive attack. And questions with the kicking game don’t help the Over’s case here either. 

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts

Best Bet: Over 42.5/-110 (Caesars)

The Houston Texans play the Indianapolis Colts in this Week 6 matchup of AFC South rivals. The Texans offense finally came alive with Davis Mills under center, but couldn’t hold a 13-point second half lead against the Patriots. The Colts looked great through the first half of their Monday Night Football matchup in Baltimore, but couldn’t come away with the victory despite holding an 18-point lead. 

The Texans (1-4, 3-2 ATS) entered their Week 5 game having scored just 16 points in their last 10 quarters of play, but put 15 in the first half against New England. They should’ve had more, if not for two missed point-after tries. Rookie quarterback Davis Mills had the game of his career, posting a career-high 312 passing yards with three touchdowns. With this new found offensive success, Houston might be able to hang with a Colts defense that’s allowed at least 25 points in four of five games so far this season.

The Colts  (1-4, 3-2 ATS) lost a heartbreaking to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5, squandering a chance to get back into the AFC playoff race. If the Colts want to revive their postseason hopes, they’ll need another big performance from Carson Wentz, who’s coming off a career-high 402 passing yards. Indy’s offense rolled up 513 total yards in Week 5 and has another favorable matchup in Week 6. 

The Texans defense has allowed an average of 30 points per game over the last four weeks, but Indy’s D is ranked 23rd in scoring, allowing 25.6 per contest. The Colts have an excellent ground game with Jonathan Taylor, so they should be able to consistently move the ball against this Houston defense. 

With Wentz finding his rhythm, and Mills finally looking like an NFL quarterback, these two teams should be able to eclipse the 42.5 point total set by most sportsbooks. 

Los Angeles Rams at New York Giants

Best Bet: Los Angeles -10.5/-110 (BetMGM)

The Los Angeles Rams play the New York Giants in this matchup of NFC teams from opposite coasts. LA bullied its way to a Thursday Night Football win on the road last week, and look to keep their momentum going away from home once again. The Rams remain slightly behind Tampa Bay in the latest Futures Odds for the NFC title. The Giants couldn’t keep pace with their division rivals from Dallas amid a flurry of injuries. 

The Rams (4-1, 3-2 ATS) come to this contest with plenty of rest, getting 10 days between their Week 5 and Week 6 games. Stafford enters coming off a game in which he completed 25-of-37 passes for 365 yards, one touchdown and one interception. LA’s offense registered 476 total yards, while the Rams D held Seattle to under 6.0 yards per play and to 354 yards overall.

The Giants (1-4, 2-3 ATS) probably wish they were among the first group of Byes this week considering the state of their injury report. New York saw both Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones carted off due to injury. Barkley’s not expected to play and Jones is navigating the concussion protocol. The Giants also lost Kenny Golladay to a hyperextended knee. They were already without Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton heading into their Week 5 contest. 

Now, backup quarterback Mike Glennon stares at the prospect of facing Aaron Donald and one of the league’s best defensive lines. Glennon’s a stationary target, unlike Jones, so Donald and company should have no problem getting to him. 

Although this is the widest spread of the week, and there’s a west coast team coming east to play in the early window, that still doesn’t make up for the talent deficit in this one. The Giants just aren’t healthy enough to hang with LA in this one. Even at full strength, New York would be getting points in this matchup. 

Even though LA’s just 2-7 straight up and 1-8 against the spread in their last nine games against the Giants, and 10.5 remains a big number, the Rams should be able to cover in this one. 

Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns

Best Bet: Cleveland -2.5/-114 (UniBet)

The Arizona Cardinals play the Cleveland Browns in a game that pits a pair of teams coming off important conference contests. The Cardinals kept their undefeated season alive, besting San Francisco at home despite an underwhelming offensive output. Arizona continued to see their futures fortunes improve. The Browns, meanwhile, couldn’t keep pace in their shootout loss on the road in Los Angeles. 

The Cardinals (5-0, 4-1 ATS) might feel disrespected considering they enter this contest as an underdog, despite being the last undefeated team in the league. But Arizona’s offense didn’t perform at its normally impressive clip in Week 5 and Kyler Murray seemed a little banged up by game’s end. The Cardinals could also be without one of their top defensive players, since Chandler Jones landed on the COVID-19 list earlier this week. 

What might worry Cardinals fans is their porous run defense. Arizona ranks 28th in the league against the run, allowing 139 yards per game. Over their last four games, the Cardinals have surrendered an average of 152.3 rushing yards per game. Now, they face the top rushing attack in the game. 

The Browns (3-2, 3-2 ATS) lead the league in rushing yards per game, averaging 187.6 per contest. Over their last three games, Cleveland’s run up 629 total rushing yards. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt stand as the best running back tandem in the league, and despite Baker Mayfield’s issues this season, they haven’t had any trouble finding running lanes. 

Cleveland’s roster sports a few too many injury concerns to make this game a slam dunk in the Browns favor. If Jadeveon Clowney returns, that can only help this defense get after Murray. The Browns have been dominant at home, and in their two road losses, they actually held double-digits leads. Cleveland laying less than a field goal here seems to keep the odds in their favor.

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