Week 6: Dallas @ Minnesota, The Battle of Underachievers

Happy Week 6, Sports Fans! The League is really starting to shape up now and we're starting to see which teams are coming up shy of their high expectations and which teams are surprising the masses. Dallas and Minnesota were in everyone's post season predictions, but at 1-4 both teams seem to be missing the mark. To take it one step further both teams have identical results each week. Same winning weeks, losing weeks (both straight and ATS), and bye weeks. So who wins this week? The numbers say that Dallas is a slightly better team who has played a slightly harder schedule, but the Vikings will be at home and they have Brett Favre, albeit with a gimpy elbow.

Another underachieving team that begs mentioning and is probably everyone's first thought in this category is the San Francisco 49ers who have yet to win a game. Coming into this season, the Niners were an easy favorite to win the NFC West. Now, they are fighting to even become a threat to the other teams and are lucky the rest of the division is just mediocre. They come into this week a 6.5 point favorite against Bay Area rival, the Oakland Raiders. Can they get it in gear before it's too late in the season?

Then, you have the teams that are surprising everyone by being better than expected. Pittsburgh wins three of their first four games without star QB Ben Roethlisberger. Kansas City leads the AFC West. And Atlanta is getting big wins with Matt Ryan at the helm. These teams are leaving it all on the field and showing us why they play the games out instead of just awarding the team with the most talent on paper the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Week 5 was a decent week for Murphy's Pick'em Robot. Here are the results:

Straight: 9-5 (42-34)
ATS: 8-6 (39-37)
Over/Under: 9-5 (39-37)

Keeping it above .500 in all categories. Picking every game is difficult. You can't shy away from the close ones. My goal for the year, though, is closer to 70%. Let's see how it goes. Again, I don't put any of my personal opinion in my picks. I just built the program that does it all for me. On to Week 6.

Guaranteed Money Pick
Detroit Lions @ New York Giants (-10)
If you're looking for a game to bet the farm on, this is it. The G-men have been on fire since their sloppy loss to the Titans in Week 3. This game is a perfect opportunity to show the world that they're the team to beat in the NFC East. Detroit is coming off of a huge 38 point rout of the St. Louis Rams, but I don't think they'll be able to repeat that performance in this game. Giants win big 29-14.

Too Close To Call Pick
Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings (-1.5)
Now, if you have a farm and want to keep it, you'll let this game pass right on by. These two teams are so equally matched and have not yet exercised the full potential of their talented rosters. Both teams are going to come out hungry for a win to rejuvenate their season. Dez Bryant is questionable, Brett Favre is playing hurt and there are distractions off the field for the Vikings. Too many intangibles for my money and I advise you to think the same. Dallas might pull out a close one 20-17.

Genius Underdog Pick
New Orleans Saints (-4.5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If you want to look like a football genius this week, bet this game. Take the Bucs and the points. It shouldn't be too hard to find someone to take the Saints. The Saints aren't looking that great without Reggie Bush and if he doesn't play this week, the Bucs could steal a divisional win. Tamba Bay's pass defense is pretty decent and I think they have what it takes to at least cover the spread. Personally I think the Bucs win a nail-biter 21-20.

Complete List for Week 6:

Game..................Straight............ATS.............O/U
Atl@ Phi(2.5)..............Atl........................Atl..................u42.5
Cle@ Pit(-13.5)...........Pit........................Cle..................u37.5
Sea@ Chi(-6.5)............Chi......................Sea..................u37.5
Det@ NYG(-10)..........NYG...................NYG................u44.5
Bal@ NE(-2.5).............Bal......................Bal...................u44.5
SD(-8)@ STL...............SD......................SD....................o45
Mia@ GB(-3)...............Mia.....................Mia..................u43.5
NO(-4.5)@ TB.............TB......................TB....................u43.5
KC@ Hou(-4.5)............Hou...................KC.....................u45
NYJ(-3)@ Den.............NYJ...................NYJ..................o41.5
Oak@ SF(-6.5)............Oak....................Oak...................o41.5
Dal@ Min(-1.5)............Dal.....................Dal.....................u44.5
Ind(-3)@ Was..............Ind.....................Ind....................o44
Ten(-3)@ Jax...............Ten....................Ten...................o45

Byes: Ari, Buf, Car, Cin

What up, New Zealand!!

Good luck with your plays, Sports Fans!