NFL Week 6 Odds

I guess the only consistent thing about the NFL season is that it is terribly inconsistent. Super Bowl contenders are dropping like flies and underdogs continue to cash in big, keeping sportsbooks happy.

Heading into Monday night's game, teams taking the points went 9-4 in Week 5. Those erratic numbers continue to impact odds week after week. Let's look at a couple Week 6 spreads to keep tabs on over the next week:

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (-14)

Apparently Ben Roethlisberger is worth more to the spread than oddsmakers give him credit. Books opened the Steelers and their returning quarterback as 11-point home favorites against the lowly Browns and immediately money came in on Pittsburgh, pushing the line as high as 14.5 before settling at two touchdowns.

The Steelers proved it doesn't matter who is under center by going 3-1 straight up and against the spread without Roethlisberger, getting the job done on defense. With Big Ben working off some rust against Cleveland, this number should come back down before kickoff Sunday afternoon.

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+5)

If this spread was available before the season started, bettors would have gobbled the defending Super Bowl champs up like a bowl of Halloween candy. But with the Saints struggling to start the year and coming off a shocker against the Arizona Cardinals, oddsmakers opened New Orleans as a 4-point road favorite in Tampa Bay. That spread quickly moved to -5 and should get bigger as public money will pound a discounted Saints side.

The New Orleans offense isn't the same as last year and now runs into an underrated Bucs stop unit that has led the team to a 3-1 start, straight up and against the spread. Tampa Bay is doing a great job against the pass, giving up only 197.5 yards per game. The Buccaneers will be without center Jeff Faine due to a quadriceps injury. Center is the one position that can greatly impact the offense but isn't factored into the original odds.

Indianapolis Colts at Washington Redskins (+3)

The pinhole leak in the Colts' aura of invincibility, which started in last year's Super Bowl loss, has torn wide open heading into Week 6. Sure, Indianapolis pulled out a victory over the Chiefs in Week 5, but they looked horrible in the process. Peyton Manning was out of sync with his receivers Sunday, going 26-for-44 and failing to connect for the touchdown pass. The Colts have also struggled on the road, losing at Houston and Jacksonville this season.

Oddsmakers are expecting more troubles, setting Indianapolis as a field-goal favorite for Sunday night's trip to Washington. The Redskins are 3-2 to start the schedule and coming off a big win against the Green Bay Packers last weekend. The defense has been steadfast in the past two games, allowing only two touchdowns in those outings. Late action Sunday night will probably push this game to 3.5 or 4 with public money on the Colts.

Other Week 6 odds:

Atlanta at Philadelphia (N/A)
Seattle at Chicago (-7)
Detroit at N.Y. Giants (-10)
San Diego at St. Louis (+9)
Baltimore at New England (-3)
Miami at Green Bay (N/A)
Kansas City at Houston (-5)
N.Y. Jets at Denver (N/A)
Oakland at San Francisco (-6.5)
Dallas at Minnesota (N/A)
Tennessee at Jacksonville (+3)