Week 6 of the NFL season gets underway with a matchup of NFC East rivals when Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles visit Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants on Thursday night.
The struggling Baltimore Ravens will try to get back on track in Sunday's early window of games, but they'll face a difficult test against the Los Angeles Rams.
In Sunday's late afternoon window, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the San Francisco 49ers in a matchup of 4-1 teams, and the day's slate concludes with the Kansas City Chiefs (-1.5) taking on the Detroit Lions.
Monday night features a doubleheader with the Chicago Bears visiting the Washington Commanders and the Buffalo Bills facing the Atlanta Falcons.
Eric Karabell, Pamela Maldonado, Matt Bowen, Eric Moody, Joe Fortenbaugh and Seth Walder looked at the early Week 6 odds and identified which ones are worth jumping on now before potential shifts later in the week.
Note: Odds at time of publication, courtesy of ESPN BET Sportsbook
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants total UNDER 42 (-110)
Maldonado: This NFC East matchup profiles as a classic divisional under. The Eagles lack explosiveness, relying on a run game that's built on volume rather than chunk plays. The Giants struggle to sustain drives, converting just 32% of third downs. Both defenses are strong situationally, and both offenses operate at a slow pace, averaging over 30 minutes of possession per game. With limited vertical threats and inconsistent red zone execution on both sides, this projects as a game defined by sustained drives, stalled possessions and field goals, which points to a total that stays comfortably under the mark.
Last week: Giants-Saints under 42 (Saints won 26-14)
Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Ravens total OVER 45.5 (-110)
Karabell: The Ravens are missing so many key players on defense that they have managed to permit 37 or more points in four of their five games. Things will not get better against Matthew Stafford and the top wide receiver duo in the league (Puka Nacua and Davante Adams). Frankly, the Rams could score 46 points on their own if the Ravens, probably led by backup QB Cooper Rush, could just keep pace a little. Let's say that doesn't occur, but the Rams score 40, the Ravens get on the board and this over hits.
Last week: Lions-Bengals over 49.5 (Lions won 37-24)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cover -2.5 (-130) vs. San Francisco 49ers
Bowen: I like the Bucs at home versus a banged-up 49ers team that has to make the trip to Tampa. With the level of play we are seeing from quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is tied for third in the league with 10 touchdown throws, and a defense that holds a pressure rate of 34.6%, the Bucs can cover at home.
Last week: Chiefs -2.5 at Jaguars (TBD)
49ers to cover +2.5 (+110) at Buccaneers
Moody: The 49ers get a few extra days to heal after their overtime win over the Rams last Thursday night. San Francisco hopes to have Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall back in the fold, but with Mac Jones under center against Los Angeles, the offense showed it's in capable hands if he needs to start again in place of Brock Purdy. The Buccaneers are coming off a win over the Seattle Seahawks, but they are also dealing with injuries. Given that San Francisco has won four of its past five meetings with Tampa Bay, it's hard not to back the 49ers as underdogs.
Last week: Raiders-Colts over 47.5 (Colts won 40-6)
Pittsburgh Steelers to cover -4.5 (-115) vs. Cleveland Browns
Fortenbaugh: This bet is all about the spot. Pittsburgh is at home and coming off a bye week, while Cleveland is traveling back from London following Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings. This might be the most favorable scheduling advantage for any team on the 2025 NFL calendar.
Walder: I'm right there with Joe. This is the spot that immediately jumped out at me. I'm far from fully bought in on Pittsburgh, but at home off a bye against a Browns team coming back from London and starting Dillon Gabriel in his second-ever start (after he posted a 38.9 QBR in his debut)? That certainly feels like it ought to be worth more than 4.5 points. FPI lightly agrees with my (and Joe's) intuition, making the spread Steelers by 5.2. Yes, the Browns will have a significant pass-rushing edge over the Steelers' offensive line, but that ought to be significantly mitigated by the fact that Pittsburgh has the fastest time to release in the league at 2.51 seconds. Plus, you know who also has a defensive line with an edge over its opponent Sunday? The Steelers.