Week 6 NFL spreads and storylines: Will 49ers’ McCaffrey, Purdy extend streaks?

Another week passes and a new collection of star players goes down with injuries expected to keep them off the field multiple weeks at a minimum. That’s unfortunately what fans have come to expect with the NFL in 2023.

Minnesota Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, Miami Dolphins standout rookie De’Von Achane, Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner, plus Buffalo Bills defenders Matt Milano and DaQuan Jones were all among the notable players placed on injured reserve this past week.

In addition to those injuries, Daniel Jones of the Giants has been ruled out of his team’s matchup with the Bills due to a neck injury, while Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson will miss another game recovering from a shoulder injury.

Week 6 began with an ugly Thursday game between Kansas City and Denver, so hopefully the remaining games provide more entertainment for football fans. The Chiefs won 19-8 and Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson only managed 95 passing yards on 13 completions – by comparison Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had 109 receiving yards at halftime.

The weekend slate begins with the continuation of the NFL International Series and concludes with a Monday nighter between the Cowboys and Chargers. Green Bay and Pittsburgh are the only two teams on bye this week.

SPREADS & TOTALS

– BAL (-4.0) at TEN (+4.0) | O/U: 41.5 (9:30 a.m. ET)
– WAS (+2.5) at ATL (-2.5) | O/U: 42.5 (1:00 p.m. ET)
– MIN (+3.0) at CHI (-3.0) | O/U: 43.5 (1:00 p.m. ET)
– SEA (+2.5) at CIN (-2.5) | O/U: 44.5 (1:00 p.m. ET)
– SF (-9.5) at CLE (+9.5) | O/U: 35.5 (1:00 p.m. ET)
– CAR (+13.5) at MIA (-13.5) | O/U: 47.5 (1:00 p.m. ET)
– IND (+4.5) at JAX (-4.5) | O/U: 44.5 (1:00 p.m. ET)
– NO (-1.5) at HOU (+1.5) | O/U: 42.5 (1:00 p.m. ET)
– NE (+2.5) at LV (-2.5) | O/U: 41.5 (4:05 p.m. ET)
– ARI (+7.0) at LAR (-7.0) | O/U: 48.5 (4:25 p.m. ET)
– PHI (-7.0) at NYJ (+7.0) | O/U: 41.0 (4:25 p.m. ET)
– DET (-3.0) at TB (+3.0) | O/U: 42.5 (4:25 p.m. ET)
– NYG (+2.5) at BUF (-2.5) | O/U: 44.5 (8:20 p.m. ET)
– DAL (-2.5) at LAC (+2.5) | O/U: 50.5 (8:15 p.m. ET*Monday)

Five weeks into the season and there are no teams undefeated against the spread (ATS). The 49ers, Dolphins and Lions are the only teams with 4-1 ATS records, while Denver (0-5-1 ATS), Carolina (0-4-1 ATS) and the Giants (0-5 ATS) have yet to cover.

In terms of totals, all five Chicago games have hit the over and all five Saints outings have stayed under the listed total.

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PROP WATCH: MCCAFFREY ANYTIME TOUCHDOWN

San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey has scored at least one touchdown in 14 consecutive games (regular- and post-season), a streak that began in Week 13 last season, and he can tie the NFL’s Super Bowl era record for most consecutive games scoring a touchdown if he gets into the end zone against the Browns. Buffalo’s O.J. Simpson had 15 straight games with a TD from 1974 to 75 and Washington’s John Riggins tied that record in 1983.

McCaffrey rushing yards: Over 72.5 (-110) | Under 72.5 (-110)
McCaffrey rushing attempts: Over 17.5 (-115) | Under 17.5 (-115)
McCaffrey receiving yards: Over 28.5 (-110) | Under 28.5 (-110)
McCaffrey receptions: Over 3.5 (-135) | Under 1.5 (+105)
McCaffrey anytime touchdown -163 | two or more TDs +250 | three or more TDs +900 | first quarter TD +375 | first half TD +175 | 49ers first TD +160 (odds via Bet365)

McCaffrey has just one multi-touchdown game this season – he had three rushing TDs and one receiving TD in Week 4 vs. Arizona – and leads the league with 510 rushing yards.

WEEK 6 STORYLINES TO FOLLOW

Will Purdy continue his streak of dominance? As mentioned above, plenty of eyes will be on whether Purdy’s teammate McCaffrey extends his TD streak this weekend. Purdy also has a streak of his own. He’ll aim to extend his undefeated regular-season record to 11-0 in his career. Not only that but Purdy has an NFL-best 123.1 passer rating so far this season. His passer rating across all 10 of his regular-season starts is 121.1, which is the highest passer rating in the first 10 starts of their career in NFL history. Purdy’s counterpart on Cleveland this week will be P.J. Walker who will start for the Browns ahead of rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson who struggled mightily in a Week 4 loss to Baltimore.

How will different travel strategies affect Ravens, Titans overseas? Baltimore and Tennessee took two different approaches to preparing for their game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday. The Ravens have been in England since Monday, while the Titans flew across the Atlantic following their Thursday practice and didn’t arrive until Friday. Will that give Mike Vrabel’s team enough time to recover from any jetlag?

Every team adjusts to the time zones and travel differently but the main reason this is a talking point this week is the fact the only other time Baltimore has played in England they learned a valuable lesson the team’s head coach John Harbaugh has not forgotten. Back in 2017, Baltimore flew to England to face the Jaguars and they ended up losing 44-7, the worst loss in the team’s Harbaugh era, posting only 186 total yards, 52 net passing yards and three turnovers. Despite that happening more than six years ago, Harbaugh and his staff incorporated lessons from that trip into this year’s venture to London.

Will Jaguars continue dominance of Colts at home? Jacksonville returns to Florida this week after a two-week stint in England for a matchup with AFC South rival Indianapolis. Recent history suggests this should give the Jags a huge advantage. Jacksonville has defeated Indy eight consecutive times when they play at TIAA Bank Stadium dating back to 2015. The Colts will be starting Gardner Minshew II in place of an injured Anthony Richardson. Minshew was the Jaguars starter for two of those aforementioned victories over the Colts – one the final game of the 2019 season and the other the first game of Jacksonville’s 2020 campaign.

Is facing the Raiders a remedy for Belichick’s Patriots? Bill Belichick’s Patriots have been outscored 72-3 on their current two-game losing streak. The past two weeks have literally been the two most lopsided losses of Belichick’s career in terms of point differential. There will be no excuses to see a third consecutive outing like that from the Patriots, especially with them facing a former offensive coordinator in Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels and a former Patriots quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo.

Can Commanders protect Howell? Washington QB Sam Howell has been sacked a whopping 29 times through five weeks, going down behind the line of scrimmage no fewer than four times in each game. Luckily for him, his Commanders are facing a Falcons team tied with the Giants at the bottom of team sack total stats averaging only one QB sack per game. Atlanta’s defence is a strong unit overall, but will they be able to get to Howell the way Washington’s previous opponents have? The NFL record for being sacked in a season is held by David Carr who was sacked 76 times as a rookie in 2002 after being selected first overall by the Texans. Howell, who really loves his spin moves while scrambling in the pocket, is currently on pace to be sacked 99 times over the course of a 17-game season.

(Betting lines, totals and listed odds above via Covers as of Friday unless otherwise noted and subject to change)