Kansas City vs. Denver: NFL Week 6 Thursday Night pick

DENVER (1-4) AT KANSAS CITY (4-1)

TV: Amazon Prime, 8:15 p.m.

Kansas City by 10.5; O/U: 47.5

When the Jets lost to the Patriots in Week 3, you may have heard that it was for a record 15th straight time. But did you catch that part about it only tying for the longest active winning streak one team has against another? Which brings us to Thursday night’s Denver-Kansas City game. The defending Super Bowl champs can regain the lead in that one-sided race if they beat the Broncos a 16th consecutive time.

Patrick Mahomes, who has now beaten all 31 NFL teams not named Kansas City after Sunday’s win at Minnesota, especially likes facing the Broncos. He is 11-0 against Denver, including his very first NFL win when he was a rookie in 2017 and got the start in Week 17. Four of the last five meetings, including both last season, were closer contests than usual, but now that KC has a stronger defense, this game shouldn’t be close.

After throwing two interceptions in a win against the Jets in Week 4, Mahomes went 31-for-41 for 281 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs in the 27-20 win over the Vikings. Expect him to put up even better numbers against the worst defense in the NFL, which allows 36.2 points per game (a bit inflated by that 70-burger Denver allowed in Miami).   

KC (3-2 ATS) has won four in a row since its 21-20 loss at home to Detroit in the opener. Denver (0-5 ATS) would be 0-5 if not for a comeback from 28-7 down at Chicago in Week 4. Sean Payton gave Russell Wilson an earful after the Jets’ strip-sack TD sealed Sunday’s win, and the Broncos just look like a mess. Lay the big number as KC increases its big number to 16.

The pick: Kansas City

By Joe Manniello

joe.manniello@newsday.com@joe_manniello

Joe Manniello, an editor on the sports copy desk, has written the NFL picks column since 2015. Manniello joined Newsday in 2004. He graduated from St. John's.