Today's David and Goliath games: Odds for NFL Week 6 schedule filed with big favorites

On the Week 6 schedule, 40% of the games tilted heavily toward the favorite before the Kansas City Chiefs' 11-point win over the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.

That game was emblematic of five others today. The Chiefs were favored by 10.5 points over the one-win Broncos. There haven't been this many lopsided games from Vegas's vantage point since the last week of the 2022-23 season when most teams' postseason fates were set.

Five of heaviest favorites are among the top six of USA TODAY's Week 6 power rankings where they all stand at least a dozen rungs above their opponents.

Games with spreads 6.5 points or higher since last season

Since last season, most weeks included four games with lopsided odds. The favorites in those games have covered the oddsmakers point spread about half the time, 47% to exact, based on the final spreads collected by Pro Football Reference.

Week 6 games with double-digit spreads

A touchdown and at least a field goal separate the teams in three games this week. Two are in prime time while winless Carolina Panthers and the 4-1 Miami Dolphins are hidden among the 1 p.m. ET time slot games.

29. New York Giants at 5. Buffalo Bills: The 1-4 Giants are giving up more than 30 points a game while scoring just over 12. That's practically a mirror image of the 3-2 Bills who have scored 79 more points than their opponents. The Bills are also looking to bounce back from an upset loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

32. Carolina Panthers at 2. Miami Dolphins: The Panthers have been outscored by 10 or more points in all but one of their games this season. That doesn't bode well against Miami's high-speed offense that flirted a few week's ago with an NFL record number of points in a game.

Week 6 games with a touchdown difference

Both 4:25 p.m. ET games of the week on FOX also have one-touchdown spreads. In the same time slot on CBS, the struggling New England Patriots travel to Las Vegas to play the 2-3 Raiders who defeated the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.

2. Philadelphia Eagles vs. 21. New York Jets: This isn't the match up NFL schedule makers expected before Aaron Rodgers went down with Achilles tendon tear in Week 1. Even with Rodgers, this would have been a major test against the undefeated Eagles who haven't lost to the Jets in their 12 previous meetings.

1. San Francisco 49ers vs. 13. Cleveland Browns: The 49ers, the NFL's other undefeated team, have outscored their opponents by about 20 points per game. Cleveland comes off their bye week at .500, but will two weeks of preparation even be enough to slow the 49ers? This year, they've held teams to second fewest points – the Browns are No. 1 – and scored the second most points only to Miami, of course.

Games with smaller spreads this week

On the other end of the spectrum this weekend, a trio of 1 p.m. games boast first-place implications as the NFL completes the first third of its season.

17. Indianapolis Colts vs. 7. Jacksonville Jaguars: There's nothing like a trip to London to turn your season around – at least for the Jaguars. This Sunday they're in a battle for first place in the AFC South with the Colts who lost rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson to a shoulder injury. Gardner Minshew will take the reins for at least the next four weeks.

3. Detroit Lions vs. 14 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Either team could strengthen its hold on first place in their respective conferences with wins. Tampa Bay is another team returning from their bye week to face a top-five team in USA TODAY's power rankings.

12. Seattle Seahawks vs. 23. Cincinnati Bengals: One-loss Seattle also comes back from its bye and finds itself as an underdog to the resurgent (at least for a week) Bengals. A win could get Cincinnati fully back into the mix within the AFC North.

NFL Week 6 games and TV schedule

The searchable list below shows each upcoming scheduled and unscheduled matchup. For example, if you just want to see the Kansas City Chiefs' remaining schedule, just type "Chiefs" into the search bar. Or, if you'd like to see the Week 9 games, just type WK 9.

Compare NFL power rankings for Week 6 and rest of 2023 season

Click on a logo below to see the changes in a single team's power ranking this season. Click on additional logos to see how they compare.