Two dominant defenses, two shaky quarterbacks and one very long night of punts. The NFL Week 6 picks are in, and the early read on Thursday night is clear: the Seahawks are favored in Denver, and the CBS Sports pickers think they win it. Seattle visits the Broncos at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
NFL Week 6 picks: Seahawks vs. Broncos on Thursday night
Both CBS Sports writers, Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin, take Seattle at minus 2.5. Dajani lands on 23-20, while Dubin has it 24-16. Neither is brave enough to pick Denver, which tells you something about how the Seahawks have been handling these spots.
Dajani makes the case with streaks. He says Seattle has won five straight games after a loss and hasn’t dropped back-to-back games since 2024. He also says the Seahawks have won seven straight prime-time games, the longest active run in the league.
The catch: the Seahawks are coming off a home loss to the 49ers, so that streak is about to get tested.
Denver has its own problems. Dubin notes the Broncos averaged just 3.9 yards per play against the Chargers. He also says cornerback Patrick Surtain II likely won’t play, though that’s his read, not an official injury report. Check the report before you bet anything on it.
Both teams enter at 3-2. The Washington Post’s preview describes two dominant defenses paired with shaky quarterback play. In other words, expect a game where every first down feels like a negotiation.
Why these Week 6 NFL predictions point to a low-scoring grind
Here’s the thing: the market agrees with the pickers that this is a grind, and that matters if you have money on it. The total sits around 40.5 points, per Covers. That’s a number that says punts, field position and one big mistake decide it, and it fits the Thursday night football picks on the board.
There’s a visual bonus, too. Both teams will wear throwback uniforms. Seattle goes with 90s-inspired royal blue jerseys and silver helmets and pants. If nothing else, the game will look great while the offenses try to find the end zone.
Dajani calls Broncos quarterback Bo Nix “captain comeback,” a nod to Nix’s knack for late rallies. Still, he picks Seattle. That’s a fair summary of the whole column: respect for Denver, trust in the Seahawks.
NFL picks this week: Ravens at Browns
On Sunday, Baltimore visits Cleveland at 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX. The column lists the Ravens as a 4.5-point favorite, and Dajani takes them. I only saw part of the column, so Dubin’s pick on this one isn’t confirmed here.
The Browns have a recent sore spot. Dajani points to their loss to the Jets in bad weather, when punter Corey Bojorquez missed a snap. That gave New York 34 yards of field position before the winning touchdown. Special teams errors have a way of showing up twice, once on the field and once in the column.
History doesn’t help Cleveland either. The Ravens lead the all-time series 39-15 and have won three straight, including a 23-16 win last November. The teams meet again Dec. 27 in Baltimore.
Lines move, so treat every number here as a snapshot. Spreads vary by source and time, with the Seahawks anywhere from minus 2.5 to minus 3 and the Ravens from minus 3.5 to minus 4.5. Check the number right before kickoff.
More Week 6 expert picks and the rest of the slate
The weekend has plenty of other draws. The Texans and Jaguars play at Wembley in London on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET, and Cowboys-Packers closes the weekend on Sunday Night Football. The Bengals, Lions, Dolphins and Vikings are on bye.
Meanwhile, if you want more football, check out our college football Week 6 preview, or read how the Eagles’ offense fell apart and why Howie Roseman is reportedly shopping for O-line help.
So who actually wins Thursday? If the picks hold, Seattle extends that prime-time streak to eight. If Denver’s defense bends the game its way, the throwback jerseys might be the last thing anyone remembers fondly.
