NFL MATCHUPS

The NFL is desperately hoping that its issues with the coronavirus are behind it.

Should things remain quiet, here is a look at NFL Week 6.

Last week’s record: 9-5

Overall record: 43-33-1

Bye weeks: Raiders, Saints, Chargers, Seahawks

BROADCAST LOCALLY Broncos at Patriots

11 a.m. CBS

This game being pushed off by a week led to a cascade of schedule changes, complicated the rest of the season for these two teams. More cases have been reorted on both teams but the game still appears to be scheduled to play.

Drew Lock has been practicing for the Broncos (1-3), which would be a mild upgrade from Brett Rypien at quarterback if things continue to progress. And the Patriots (2-2) have Cam Newton back from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, which is an immeasurable improvement over Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer.

Line: Off Total: Off Pick: Patriots

Bears at Panthers

11 a.m. Fox

Expecting the Bears (4-1) to make sense is foolish. The team has had extended periods of total incompetence but has managed to ride a combination of good timing, a weak schedule, erratic production and luck to one of the best records in the NFL. Last week, they escalated things by using their sorcery to beat a fairly decent team (Tampa Bay) in Chicago, but now they’ll be on the road against the Panthers (3-2), who aren’t perfect but shouldn’t be underestimated, even with running back Christian McCaffrey expected to miss at least one more game.

Line: Panthers -2.5 Total: 44 Pick: Panthers -2.5

Packers at Buccaneers

2:25 p.m. Fox

Thursday Night Football is often a sloppy mess, but the Buccaneers (3-2) took that concept to the next level when Tom Brady lost track of downs in the waning moments of last week’s shocking loss to Chicago. Such a monumental lapse of concentration can probably be written off as a fluke for a six-time Super Bowl winner, but Brady will have to be at his peak to keep up with Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones and the Packers (4-0).

Green Bay is returning after an early bye week, which could be seen as a burden: The team had offensive momentum from Weeks 1 to 4 and will now have to play 12 weeks in a row. But the bye also appears to have allowed Packers wide receiver Davante Adams to return to full health, which opens up their offense considerably.

Line: Packers -1.5 Total: 54.5

Pick: Packers -1.5

Rams at 49ers

6:20 p.m. NBC

The winds shift rapidly in the hypercompetitive NFC West, where the Rams (4-1) were a Super Bowl team in 2018 and off the map in 2019, and the 49ers (2-3) brought up the rear in 2018 and then went to the Super Bowl in 2019. They’ve shifted again, with Los Angeles getting off to a nice start, particularly on offense, while San Francisco has been overwhelmed by injury and disappointment.

It makes sense for the Rams to be favored, even on the road, but it might be getting ahead of things to assume San Francisco’s embarrassing loss to Miami last week was anything more complicated than Jimmy Garoppolo being unsteady on his injured ankle and the team’s defense being speed-bagged by a team that has more offense than you’d guess.

Garoppolo has had another week to get his ankle right, Raheem Mostert is healthy and the 49ers can pick up huge chunks of yardage after the catch thanks to the hard running of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle. If Richard Sherman can return on defense, this game could easily go San Francisco’s way. If the 49ers falter, it might be time to admit that this is not their year.

Line: Rams -3.5 Total: 50.5

Pick: 49ers +3.5

Chiefs at Bills

3 p.m. Monday Fox and NFL Network Moved from Thursday as a result of Buffalo playing the Titans on Tuesday, this is a rare Monday game that won’t be in prime time. But with both teams coming off their first loss, it will be worth tuning in early to see what happens.

Last week against Las Vegas, the Chiefs (4-1) fell prey to the trap of “playing down to the competition.” The Bills (4-1) were simply demolished by Tennessee. Those results should motivate both teams, which could lead to a lot of yardage and points.

Buffalo may want to feature the running game more than usual to exploit Kansas City’s weakness defending it, and Patrick Mahomes can probably exploit a Bills secondary that has been reeling. The Chiefs, when motivated, can beat absolutely anyone, so Buffalo might be in trouble.

Line: Off Total: Off Pick: Chiefs

Cardinals at Cowboys

6:15 p.m. Monday ESPN

These teams are coming off wins, but the Cardinals (3-2) can’t be too excited about trouncing the awful Jets, and the Cowboys (2-3) had their win against the lowly Giants (and potentially their entire season) spoiled by the gruesome injury to quarterback Dak Prescott. Playing the remainder of the season without Prescott and left tackle Tyron Smith makes Dallas a less explosive offensive team, but being an underdog at home to an inconsistent team like Arizona doesn’t feel right, either.

The Cowboys still have an accomplished backup in Andy Dalton, who has a ridiculous collection of wide receivers to choose from plus running back Ezekiel Elliott, so there’s every reason to believe Dallas can be a middling team or better.

Line: Cardinals -2.5 Total: 54.5

Pick: Cowboys +2.5

OTHER GAMES Browns at Steelers

11 a.m.

The rivalry between the Browns (4-1) and the Steelers (4-0) is so fierce, and can be so ugly, that it continued last year even though Cleveland was irrelevant and Pittsburgh was without its franchise quarterback. A fight that ended with Myles Garrett hitting Mason Rudolph with his own helmet is one of the more disturbing chapters of the feud, but there’s reason to believe these teams should be less angry this weekend: Both are on four-game winning streaks.

The Steelers’ latest win came courtesy of the shocking emergence of Chase Claypool, a rookie wide receiver who had been gaining Ben Roethlisberger’s notice in practice before exploding for four touchdowns in last week’s game — which had been done by only two other rookie receivers.

For the Browns, it has been a team effort on offense. Baker Mayfield has been solid (if not spectacular), wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry have played well (and shown off their throwing arms), and Kareem Hunt did a good job filling in for starting running back Nick Chubb last game.

Line: Steelers -3.5 Total: 51

Pick: Browns +3.5

Ravens at Eagles

11 a.m.

A defining characteristic of the Ravens (4-1) is that they do not take games off. And the team’s defense gets in on the same act. That’s all terrible news for the Eagles (1-3-1), who have a crowded injury report and aren’t a particularly good team when healthy. It’s worth noting for future weeks that Lamar Jackson’s passing, while still effective, has taken a dip from last season’s MVP-level efficiency. That probably won’t matter Sunday.

Line: Ravens -7.5 Total: 47

Pick: Ravens -7.5

Texans at Titans

11 a.m. CBS

It was nice to see the Texans (1-4) again. The team had been missing in action for the first four weeks, but under Romeo Crennel, who has taken over as interim coach, it looked rejuvenated — with a large caveat that the win came over the Jaguars. Houston might get whiplash from going from the AFC South’s worst team (Jacksonville) to its best one (Tennessee). The Titans (4-0) ended a 16-day layoff by demolishing the highly regarded Bills and will look to stay perfect by picking up another win at home. Their defense might give quarterback Deshaun Watson another huge day, but their offense can make up for that.

Line: Off Total: Off Pick: Titans

Bengals at Colts

11 a.m.

Baltimore rather rudely reminded Joe Burrow that he was still a rookie as the Bengals (1-3-1) managed just 3 points in last week’s blowout. The bad news for Burrow is that the Colts (3-2) are not much more fun to play against. If linebacker Darius Leonard is able to return, it could be a second straight quiet outing for Burrow. But if Leonard is out, that point spread seems a touch too high.

Line: Colts -7.5 Total: 46.5 Pick: Bengals +7.5

Falcons at Vikings

11 a.m.

The Falcons (0-5) are probably longing for the weeks when they ran up big leads but then collapsed. Since then, they’ve simply been bad. The team’s incompetence led to coach Dan Quinn’s firing, and while a new coach can sometimes give a team a bounce, going into Minnesota to face the Vikings (1-4) will not be any fun for Atlanta’s struggling defense.

Line: Vikings -3.5 Total: 54.5 Pick: Vikings -3.5

Lions at Jaguars

11 a.m.

There could be a lot of points in this game. A lot. Both teams have explosive passing games, credible running attacks and horrible defenses, which might make for some nifty highlights even if the calories are entirely empty. The Lions (1-3) are coming off a bye and have a clean injury report, while the Jaguars (1-4) are coming off four straight losses, only two of which were close. But things will probably come down to which team makes a mistake at the wrong time.

Line: Lions -3.5 Total: 54

Pick: Jaguars +3.5

Washington at Giants

11 a.m.

Alex Smith provided a feel-good story by returning to the field, but the veteran quarterback was clearly limited, which is why the Footballers (1-4) are expected to start Kyle Allen this weekend. It would be an exaggeration to say Allen offers more upside, but he’s a bit more solid than Smith at this point, and the team has apparently given up on Dwayne Haskins. Washington has the superior record, but the Giants (0-5) are the favorite for a reason. They’ve played fairly close games against the Cowboys and the Rams in the last two weeks, and might be able to put up a fair amount of points against Washington.

Line: Giants -3 Total: 43 Pick: Giants -3

Jets at Dolphins

2:05 p.m.

It’s not yet clear if Sam Darnold will return from a shoulder injury, which could lead to the Jets (0-5) starting Joe Flacco at quarterback and Frank Gore at running back. That’s a fitting tribute to the 2012 season’s Super Bowl, but not an ideal situation for a game in 2020. Regardless of who is at quarterback, Le’Veon Bell’s release appears to have left Gore, 37, locked in at starting running back, which defies all reason. We’re certain he’ll retire before getting the 1,176 rushing yards he needs to pass Walter Payton for second on the NFL’s career rushing list — right?

The Dolphins (2-3), meanwhile, will probably win this game. But the enormous point spread will be justified only if the good version of Ryan Fitzpatrick shows up. And the bad version is probably itching to come out after last week’s stunner against San Francisco.

Line: Dolphins -8.5 Total: 47

Pick: Jets +8.5