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Dan Leach's NFL Locks: Week 'Pick 6' Edition

By Dan Leach
@dtmleach

With the NFL season heating up, so do my NFL picks, which will be here for you each and every week to help you win your pick-em-pool, embarrass your friends, and just become a more whole football fan and human being. I will take a look at five games each week with the best value and rate them on a sliding lock of the week 1-10 scale. Off three straight 4-1 weeks, we are going undefeated this time around. And....Here....We....Go!

DTM Song Of The Week: Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj "Bang Bang" Nothing like getting your NFL week going then with a trio of scorching hot vixens. This song can be played all weekend long as you cash in on some more great DTM picks.

New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills 1 p.m. Sunday TV CBS 62 (Pats -3)

The Pats showed last week they aren't dead yet as they exploded up in Foxborough against the previously undefeated Bengals. The Bills led by the worst looking mustache in the biz, maybe in history, snuck by the Lions on a last second 58 yard field goal amid countless Detroit mistakes. Now Buffalo has some momentum and welcome in their division rival and its the first time both teams have winning records when they meet each other after week 4 since 2008. While Buffalo's defense has been stout, evidenced by their defensive coordinator and Former Lions coached Jim Schwartz absurdly being carried off the field after last weeks win, it will not have the same results against a steam building Pats bunch. Look for N.E. to keep the train rolling and send the Bills back to Earth, or more specifically Canada.

5.5 on DTM Lock of the Week Meter – Pats-3

Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks 4:25 p.m. EST Sunday TV FOX (Seattle -8.5)

This Cowboy team is truly a riddle at times as it can look like a world beater at 4-1 and at the same time can't get out of its own way. Seattle has shown it is still the NFL's best and comes off a tougher then expected win on the road in the Nation's capital last week on MNF. This would be a major statement win for the Cowboys as they try to traverse a much tougher than expected NFC East thru the seasons first five weeks. The Seahawks D is still one of the NFL's best , but with all the weapons Tony Romo has in Big D, look for the Boys to hang in this one throughout. While they might not pull the outright upset, 8 plus points is simply too much with an offense that potent and a team with as much confidence as Dallas has right now.

6.5 on DTM Lock of the Week Meter – Cowboys + 8.5

Carolina Panthers at Cincinnati Bengals 1p.m. EST Sunday TV FOX (Bengals -7)

Cinci was punched in the mouth by a desperate Pats team last Monday Night and now will be without their star receiver A.J Green, who could be out for several weeks with a right toe injury. Carolina found a way to come back against a up-tempo Bears squad for a big win last week and will be ready for this road tilt against the undermanned and angry Bengals. This is another case of there just being too many points out there for Carolina team that can score in bunches and control the clock. The Red Herring will miss his favorite target and while Cinci will likely eek out a home win, this game will come down to the wire.

7.1 on DTM Lock of the Week Meter – Panthers +7

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings 1 p.m. EST Sunday TV Fox (Lions -1.5)

After the Lions found themselves on the wrong side of one of their most biting losses in recent memory, now they get to head to Minny and....play outdoors? This will be the first time since the 1981 season that the Lions will face the Vikes outside and not a moment too soon as the Lions actually helped implode the old Metrodome last year after its decades as personal house of horrors for Detroit.

The Lions lost last weeks game against the Bills for many reasons. Matt Stafford's primarily horrid play, stupid penalties, huge injuries, but none bigger than having to rely on a Pop-Warner level field goal kicker in Alex Henery. Well that problem is fixed as Henery was cut earlier this week as fast as you could say "Beetlejuice" and former Pro-Bowler and Bronco Matt Prater was signed. Yes, Prater has had some off the field substance issues, but the Lions are willing to give him a second chance and it could not come at a more important time for a team that is trying to get back to the postseason, but was trying to do it with two kickers so far this year that would have struggled in high school settings. The return of Teddy Ballgame for the Vikes won't give them that much of a bump and the Lions will get back to their winning ways in a big way never really being in trouble in this one.

LIONS 35 VIKINGS 14

7.4 on DTM Lock of the Week Meter – Lions -1.5

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles 8:30 PM EST Sunday TV NBC (Eagles -3)

If you would have told me before the season started that in week 6 these two teams would be playing for first place in the NFC East, I would have told you to go right back to Doctor Oz's office. The Doc gave the G-Men some kind of magical pills as a team that looked dreadful in the preseason and early in the year has rediscovered their offense and has looked scary at times so far this season. The Eagles have done what they are supposed to done so far this season save the second half collapse out by the Bay in week 4 against the Niners.

Philly's offense has looked great all year long, but it has been the D that has let them down. They will need to get a great performance out of that defense against a Giants team that has been scoring in bunches and has turned TE Larry Donnell into a Hall Of Famer. OK a little hyperbole there, but he has been absurd so far this season and Eli Manning has refound the magic as well. This will be a great back and forth game and the Giants will try to p[rove they are for real, but in the end the Eagles will have two much on both sides of the ball and win this game by a TD or more.

8 on DTM Lock of the Week Meter – Eagles -3

ODDS TIDBIT -- Lions go from 22-1 to win Super Bowl XLIX before Bills loss to 35-1. They have also moved from the favorite to win the NFC North just two weeks ago to a +$250 second choice behind the favorite Packers who are no -$160

Last week 4-1
DTM'S 2014 Record ATS:18-7
DTM's 2013 Record ATS:43-26

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