We are entering into that phase of the NFL season when the wheat gets separated from the chaff. Are the Seahawks really going to make a run at the playoffs, or have they left themselves with too much to do in the NFC West? Will any of the Panthers, Bucs or Falcons manage to hang onto the Saints’ coat-tails? Can the Bills … no, come on now, I can’t even type that with a straight face.

It’s a similar story in the SkyBet Pick Six. CRAIG LLEWELLYN has opened up a two-point lead at the top of the standings. OWEN MARSDEN and WEST COAST OFFENCE are joint-second, then behind them is another three-point gap. But it is not too late to catch up to them in a season when we have still not yet seen anyone get a perfect six out of six.

So here’s your latest chance. Full standings, as ever, at the bottom of the column.

Cleveland Browns @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sunday 6pm BST)

Did the Chargers provide the rest of the league with a blueprint for blowing out the Browns? Notionally, yes. If you can run the ball as effectively as they did with Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler, it will make it an awful lot easier to avoid the turnovers that have fuelled Cleveland through the early part of this season.

The question is whether Tampa Bay are capable of it. Where the Browns lead the league with 16 takeaways, the Bucs have 11 giveaways. Five of those belong to the now benched Ryan Fitzpatrick, but Jameis Winston has been picked off four times himself in two games (only one of which he started). He has two fumbles, too, though both were recovered by his team.

Tailback Peyton Barber produced his best game of the season last weekend, but still has just 230 rushing yards in five games on a 3.7-per-carry average. On paper, I really like this match-up for Cleveland. But I also think that losing Joe Schobert at middle linebacker is a major blow. He is not only their leading tackler this season, but more crucially the ‘quarterback’ of the defence: the player trusted to take the calls from the sideline and make audibles on the field.

Buccaneers win

PAOLO’S PUNT: Buccaneers to win, Jameis Winston & Baker Mayfield 1+ INT each….5/2

New England Patriots @ Chicago Bears (Sunday 6pm BST)

Patrick Mahomes could not outgun the Patriots, so what hope do we give Mitch Trubisky? Second-year quarterbacks have a combined 8-32 record against New England in the Bill Belichick era, but at least playing at home gives him a shot. No passer under the age of 25 has ever beaten Belichick in Foxboro.

Trubisky is playing extremely well, but what gives him a better shot than Mahomes is the quality his team boasts on the other side of the ball. Khalil Mack ought to be back from his ankle injury but, even without him, the Bears would still have an athletic linebacking corps well equipped to counter the Patriots’ heavy reliance on quick passes to players coming out of the backfield. Rookie Roquan Smith has shone in coverage.

Chicago did suffer a meltdown against Miami, but I’m willing to view that as a blip. According to Pro Football Focus, their 19 missed tackles were four more than they had in the previous four games combined. I expect this to be tight. But I am still going to take Belichick against a young quarterback working under a first-year head coach.

Patriots win

PAOLO’S PUNT: Patriots to win, Sony Michel & James White & Jordan Howard to all score TDs….10/1

Detroit Lions @ Miami Dolphins (Sunday 6pm BST)

Don’t call it #Brocktober. OK, do, because that’s a funny hashtag, but try not to get carried away with Brock Osweiler’s game-winning turn against Chicago all the same. This is still a player who played so badly in Houston that the Texans paid the Browns a second-round pick just to take him (and the remainder of his $72m contract) away.

Osweiler is not as bad as his critics have sometimes made out, but he isn’t good, either. He has had impressive games before now but rarely two in a row. I’m not convinced that he is about to turn that habit around against a Lions defence that has produced 17 sacks in five games despite playing almost entirely without its best pass rusher, Ziggy Ansah, who has a chance to return from injury here.

The Dolphins are not defined solely by the man behind centre. This is a team that runs the ball well, generates turnovers and is undefeated at home. Lions head coach Matt Patricia knows from his past experience as defensive co-ordinator for New England just how difficult they can be to beat at Hard Rock Stadium. His team, though, is well rested coming off a bye. And, unlike the Bears last week, they have seen Brock Osweiler coming.

Lions win

PAOLO’S PUNT: Lions to win, Matt Stafford 2+ passing TDs, Brock Osweiler 1+ INT….3/1

Minnesota Vikings @ New York Jets (Sunday 6pm BST)

The Jets ought to be flying high after consecutive wins dragged them back to 3-3, but injuries at key positions are threatening to undermine their good work. Quincy Enunwa’s ankle sprain will deprive Sam Darnold of his favourite target, but it is the state of the secondary that troubles most.

Free safety Marcus Maye has been ruled out for three to four weeks with a broken thumb, while starting cornerback Trumaine Johnson missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a quad injury. Buster Skrine is working his way through the concussion protocol and must also be considered a strong doubt for Sunday.

Opponents have found it hard enough to cover Adam Thielen and Stefan Diggs this season at full-strength. Kirk Cousins is not a popular man among Jets fans, many of whom feel that he strung them along in the offseason. Their team, though, is not in ideal shape to impose belated regrets.

Vikings win

PAOLO’S PUNT: Vikings to win, Vikings 4+ sacks, Adam Thielen 100+ receiving yards….6/1

New Orleans Saints @ Baltimore Ravens (Sunday 9.05pm BST)

Drew Brees has never won a game against the Baltimore Ravens. That thought probably doesn’t keep him up at night – he has only played them three times – yet he has beaten every other team in the league. A victory this weekend would place him alongside Brett Favre and Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to make it 32 out of 32.

For that to happen, though, he will need to overcome a Baltimore defence that looks to be the best in the NFL. It’s not just the fact that they are giving up the fewest yards (270.8 per game – 35.7 fewer than the next best team) and points (12.8) but the way they are doing it, with a group that can hit you from all angles.

The Ravens’ league-leading 26 sacks are shared between 13 different players, with no individual boasting more than Za’Darius Smith’s 5.5. Even for a quarterback of Brees’ quality, it is no easy thing to find a way past cornerbacks as good as Jimmy Smith and Marlon Humphrey whilst contending with such a varied pass rush.

Ravens win

PAOLO’S PUNT: Ravens to win, Alex Collins 2+ TDs, Alvin Kamara 1+ TD….9/1

Dallas Cowboys @ Washington (Sunday 9.25pm BST)

Is there a more Jekyll-and-Hyde team in the NFL this season than Dallas? That 40-7 win over Jacksonville was astonishing, and improved their home record to 3-0. But they are also 0-3 on the road, where they have only scored 38 points combined.

They are unlikely to be given any cheaply here. The Cowboys’ ground game remains their greatest offensive strength, with Dak Prescott joining Ezekiel Elliott in ripping off some big gains against the Jags. But Washington are one of only two teams in the NFL (along with the Vikings) who are yet to surrender a rushing play of more than 20 yards.

Running on the Cowboys is not straightforward, either, and it will make a big difference to Washington’s offence if Chris Thompson – who has been limited in practice – is able to play, allowing them to take advantage of his versatility out of the backfield instead of simply ploughing ahead with Adrian Peterson. But they will not need a huge score to win if Dallas remain as toothless as they have been thus far on their travels.

Washington win<

PAOLO’S PUNT: Washington to win, Alex Smith OR Dak Prescott to score a rushing TD….11/2

Or perhaps you fancy one of these:

Buccaneers, Lions, Patriots, Vikings, Ravens and Washington ALL to win…20/1

5+ of Buccaneers, Lions, Patriots, Vikings, Ravens and Washington to win….3/1

Buccaneers, Lions, Patriots, Vikings, Ravens and Washington scoring 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

21 – CRAIG LLEWELLYN
19 – OWEN MARSDEN, WEST COAST OFFENSE, MATTHEW SHERRY
16 – GAZM013, JOHN O’GORMAN, POMPEYDINO
15 – K.JACKSON
14 – JOSH PEACOCK, PAOLO BANDINI, TED BOVIS
12 – JROSCOW, THOM OWEN
9 – AALIPOUR1
5 – STEFF HARRIES
4 – ADAMCONOR90, ANDREW COSTANZA, ANDREW HULBERT, HEFIN DAVIES, ITSMILKS, JAKE BURTON, KPERSON, RANDY BULLOCK
3 – ANDYJET88, CHARLESWALFORD, DAN SPENCE, DAVE H, JAMIE FERGUSON, LEE JELF, LEONPERRY, LEWIS, MORN01, PETER MORAN
2 -CHRISTIE PEARSON, DAVID, KATHRYNFRAMP10, LEE C,
1 – ROB ALLEN, ROBLAWTON