Best NFL Picks and Predictions Today for Week 6 (Don't Underestimate the Giants on Sunday Night Football)

The Sports Illustrated team breaks down their best NFL bets for Sunday's slate.

Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, US; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) passes the ball in the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Julian Guadalupe-NorthJersey.com / Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Strap in for another packed slate of NFL games! For the second straight week, we have all-day action starting with a morning showdown in London between the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars. Today's schedule will wrap up with a Sunday Night Football showdown in East Rutherford between the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants.

If you haven't placed your bets for today's games quite yet, have no fear, you still have time! Not only that, but we're going to break down some of the best bets to place to this week in this article.

Let's dive into it.

NFL Best Bets Today

Odds via BetMGM Sportsbook

• Falcons -6 (-110) vs. Panthers via Iain MacMillan
• Broncos +130 vs. Chargers via Peter Dewey
• Giants +3.5 (-110) vs. Bengals via Jennifer Piacenti

Falcons vs. Panthers Prediction

Iain MacMillan broke down why he's backing the Falcons to win and cover in this week's edition of the Road to 272 Bets:

The Atlanta Falcons have faced a gauntlet of teams to start the season. Four of their first five opponents were in the playoffs last season and the fifth, the Saints, were just on the outside looking in. Despite the tough start to their schedule, they're 3-2 and sit second in the league in Net Yards per Play at +0.9.

Meanwhile, Andy Dalton and the Carolina Panthers offense has turned into a pumpkin after looking like a solid unit after making the switch at quarterback. Carolina is now 29th in Net Yards per Play (-1), 27th in EPA/Play, and 29th in Opponent EPA/Play. They remain one of the worst teams in the league.

The Falcons have some issues on third down that they need to figure out, both offensively and defensively, but they're starting to hit their stride and are well poised to show the world what they're made enough against by far the weakest opponent they've faced this season.

Pick: Falcons -6 (-110)

Chargers vs. Broncos Prediction

The Sports Illustrated team broke down their favorite upset picks for this week. Peter Dewey is going to back his Broncos to beat the Chargers as 3-point underdogs:

The Denver Broncos have won three games in a row, covering the spread in each matchup despite being set as underdogs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets.

Now, they’re home underdogs against the Los Angeles Chargers, who are coming off a bye week and haven’t looked great offensively so far in 2024.

Denver is allowing just 4.4 yards per play – the third-best mark in the NFL – and it’s a top-10 defense against the run so far in 2024, allowing just 4.2 yards per carry. That’s going to make things tough on a Chargers team that relied heavily on J.K. Dobbins in their wins in Week 1 and Week 2.

Los Angeles enters Week 6 off of a bye, but it went into it with a ton of injury concerns, including some for quarterback Justin Herbert.

If Bo Nix can build on the best game of his career, Denver is live to pull off an upset at home behind this elite defense.

Pick: Broncos +130

Bengals vs. Giants Prediction

Check out Jennifer Piacenti's full betting preview for why she likes the Giants to cover on Sunday Night Football against the Bengals:

The Bengals have had a run of tough luck this season, and desperately need this win.

Burrow has been strong, passing for an average of 263 yards per game (5th) with a 72.3% completion rate (2nd) and his 12 passing touchdowns lead all NFL passers, Zack Moss and Chase Brown combined for a solid run game. The Bengals offense has not failed to put up points. Their 28 average points per game rank fourth in the NFL.

However, the defense has allowed opponents an average of 29 points per game, allowing a 78% fourth-down conversion rate.

The Giants are averaging just 17.3 offensive points per game, while their defense has allowed 20.3 points per game.

Will the Bengals be able to keep a lid on the Giants’ receivers? Probably not. Malik Nabers has been hard to stop and both Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson should also find success.

The Bengals should win this one, but I’ll wager the Giants will put up a fight.

Pick: Giants +3.5

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!