Heading into Thursday Night Football, all the talk was of a Saints offence scoring at an unprecedented rate. By the end of the evening, they no longer even occupied first place for points per game this season.

The absurdity of the Saints offense in one graphic. Here's the % of drives that ended with a score vs the average length of drive in minutes for every team since 1999. 2018 Saints in yellow. pic.twitter.com/u5nLncxuPG

— Jeff Asher (@Crimealytics) November 28, 2018

Of course, Pick Six players did not need to be reminded of how quickly things can change. After week nine, WEST COAST OFFENCE held a five-point lead at the top of our overall standings. Now that gap is down to just one. Will we have a new front-runner by Tuesday?

Here are this week’s games:

Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sunday, 6pm GMT)

You know things probably aren’t going great for a team when the owners start giving out free tickets. The Buccaneers beat San Francisco last weekend, but the home crowd was their smallest in almost a decade. Season ticket holders have each been invited to bring along a pair of pals this Sunday.

And, hey, it could even make a difference. The Panthers arrive on the back of a three-game losing streak. If their confidence has been shaken, then walking into a hostile environment at Raymond James Stadium is unlikely to help: especially if the Bucs can build an early lead. For all their flaws, Tampa Bay still know how to put points on the board.

Are Carolina truly wobbling, though? Cam Newton believes he is producing the best football of his career, and has kept his passer rating above 100 for six games running. Christian McCaffrey is emerging as a superstar and, with better kicking, they might have won both of the past two games. If they produce to their potential, this ought not to come down to such fine margins in the first place.

Panthers win

PAOLO’S PUNT: Panthers to win, Christian McCaffrey to score 2+ TDs, Jameis Winston 1+ INTs….4/1

Baltimore Ravens @ Atlanta Falcons (Sunday, 6pm GMT)

Joe Flacco returned to practice on Thursday, but it would be a surprise to see him go straight back into Baltimore’s starting line-up. The Ravens have won two straight with Lamar Jackson behind centre, having previously been on a three-game losing skid. The rookie’s athleticism should be an asset against opponents who rank 25th in the league against the run.

The only question is whether Baltimore need more from Jackson through the air. He has 10 more rushes (37) than completions (27) over the past fortnight, and has been intercepted three times. You can get away with that at home to Oakland and Cincinnati. Perhaps not on the road against a Falcons team that still boasts Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Mohamed Sanu.

Still, I like his chances. For all the talent in that foursome, the Falcons haven’t got to 20 points since week nine. And Baltimore have averaged more than 36 minutes in time of possession since Jackson came into the line-up. Not even Ryan can pile up the points if he’s stuck watching on the sideline.

Ravens win

PAOLO’S PUNT: Ravens to win, Lamar Jackson 50+ rushing yards, 1+ passing TD and 1+ rushing TD….7/1

Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, 6pm GMT)

Andy Dalton is out for the season after injuring his thumb. Jeff Driskel, replacing him at quarterback for Cincinnati, has a 92.2 passer rating on 36 career attempts and has a combined three touchdowns (one passing, two rushing) without turning the ball over.

It’s a pretty small sample. Driskel is a former sixth-round pick who failed to beat out Christian Ponder for a spot on the 49ers roster back in his rookie year, 2016. Optimistic columnists in Cincinnati have reminded us that Brett Favre was an overlooked back-up, too, until Don Majkowski got hurt. But, yes, I might hold off until we have a little more data before clinging too tightly to that comparison.

The Bengals should have AJ Green back on Sunday, which would certainly make Driskel’s life a lot easier. But he might need more than that to overturn a Broncos team that just snapped the Steelers’ six-game winning streak.

Broncos win

PAOLO’S PUNT: Broncos to win, Philip Lindsay 150+ scrimmage yards and 1+ TDs, Jeff Driskel 1+ INTs….7/1

Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans (Sunday, 6pm GMT)

The Baker Mayfield era in Cleveland is up and running. Or should we call it the Gregg Williams era? The Browns are 2-1 since promoting their defensive co-ordinator to interim head coach, and it is tempting to wonder where they might be if this decision had come sooner.

Mayfield’s performances, after all, are not the only reason to imagine that this team is capable of springing an upset on Sunday. Myles Garrett has the talent to terrorise a Houston offensive line that has struggled all year in pass protection. Only two quarterbacks in the league have been sacked more often than Deshaun Watson.

Then again, the Texans know how to get after an opposing passer as well. Since drafting JJ Watt in 2011, Houston have played 10 games against rookie quarterbacks and won nine of them.

Texans win

PAOLO’S PUNT: Texans to win, JJ Watt and Myles Garrett 1+ sacks each ….2/1

Minnesota Vikings @ New England Patriots (Sunday, 9.25pm GMT)

Road teams do not often come into New England and win. Tom Brady has lost 19 regular season home games in his entire career, and this is his 19th year. The Patriots are favourites with good reason. And yet, in a season when they have lost three games to worse teams than the Vikings, I actually don’t think this is an especially good match-up for them.

Minnesota’s greatest offensive weakness is a line that has neither protected Kirk Cousins well nor opened lanes consistently for Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray. But the Patriots’ pass rush is among the worst in the league. If Cousins does get time to throw, then the Vikings – with their diverse array of receiving weapons – should be able to find weak spots against a Patriots defence that is thin in the secondary and slow at linebacker.

On defence, meanwhile, Minnesota’s more impressive front four is capable of unsettling Brady. The availability of Xavier Rhodes is uncertain, and New England’s own array of offensive weaponry is daunting, yet are Josh Gordon, Julian Edelman and this season’s Rob Gronkowski as capable of the quick strike as Stefon Diggs (who has, admittedly, also missed time at practice this week) and Adam Thielen?

On paper, I really do like the Vikings. At Foxboro, though, I’ll still plump for the Pats.

Patriots win

PAOLO’S PUNT: Patriots to win, Adam Thielen 100+ receiving yards, Sony Michel & Rob Gronkowski both to score TDs….13/2

Los Angeles Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Monday, 1.20am GMT)

The Steelers have won six of their last seven games. The Chargers have won seven of their last eight. In both cases, the lone defeat was against Denver. These teams have more in common besides, with a Pouncey twin on each roster and two of the league’s elder statesmen producing some of the best football of their careers at their respective quarterback positions.

Both teams have run the ball well for most of the season, and yet each has some present cause for concern. Pittsburgh’s James Conner has rushed for just 78 yards on 22 carries these past two weeks. LA’s Melvin Gordon is out with a sprained knee.

But the Chargers can call on Austin Ekeler, whose 7.48 yards per touch lead the entire NFL this season. My hunch is that they will still be able to run the ball just fine against a Pittsburgh defence that gave up a combined 303 yards on the ground against Jacksonville and Denver.

Chargers win

PAOLO’S PUNT: Chargers to win, Philip Rivers 300+ passing yards & 2+ passing TDs, Antonio Brown to score 1+ TDs….9/1

Or perhaps you fancy one of these:

5+ of Panthers, Ravens, Broncos, Texans, Patriots & Chargers to Win….7/2
Panthers, Ravens, Broncos, Texans, Patriots & Chargers ALL to Win….22/1
Panthers, Ravens, Broncos, Texans, Patriots & Chargers 20+ points each….7/2

Think you can pick a winner? How about all six? Why not leave your predictions in the comments section below…

OVERALL STANDINGS

39 – WEST COAST OFFENSE
38 – K.JACKSON, OWEN MARSDEN
36 – JROSCOW
35 – THOM OWEN
34 – GAZM013
33 – PAOLO BANDINI
31 – CRAIG LLEWELLYN
30 – JOHN O’GORMAN
27 – AALIPOUR1, POMPEYDINO
25 – JAKE BURTON
20 – MATTHEW SHERRY
15 – JAYESH PATEL
14 – JOSH PEACOCK, TED BOVIS
11 – SCAMPTON
10 – ROB ALLEN
5 – STEFF HARRIES
4 – ADAMCONOR90, ANDREW COSTANZA, ANDREW HULBERT, HEFIN DAVIES, ITSMILKS, KPERSON, LEEDER, RANDY BULLOCK
3 – ANDYJET88, CHARLESWALFORD, CRAGGLES, DAN SPENCE, DAVE H, JAMIE FERGUSON, LEE JELF, LEONPERRY, LEWIS, MORN01, PETER MORAN
2 – BARRY MCNEIL, CHRISTIE PEARSON, DAVID, KATHRYNFRAMP10, LEE C
1 – ROBLAWTON