NFL Week 6 Essentials
It feels like NFL rivalry week, kids. The schedule starts with the undefeated Falcons visiting the desperate Saints, ends with the Eagles and Giants playing for NFC East supremacy and features John Harbaugh visiting San Francisco. The marquee game will be the Deflategate Bowl, as Tom Brady leads the Patriots into Indianapolis for a spicy
Sunday-nighter. Let’s dive into Week 6.
Sunday, Oct. 18
Denver at Cleveland:
Beating the Ravens in OT quiets Johnny Manziel talk for another week, especially since Josh McCown has shown great poise in leading Browns comeback bids the past two weeks. He’ll have to face a tremendous Broncos defense that has undeniably been the primary reason for their undefeated start, so he won’t be throwing for 457 yards like he managed to in Baltimore. He has developed a great relationship with tight end Gary Barnidge, who should be a main focus of Denver’s defensive game plan. The Broncos haven’t given up a touchdown to a tight end all season, but do rank among the worst in yards per catch against that position.
Cincinnati at Buffalo:
The Bills were amazingly not the most penalized team on the field in Sunday’s 14-13 win at Tennessee, being whistled for seven infractions after 17 in Week 4 had them on pace to become the most penalized team in NFL history. Buffalo beat the Titans in spite of just 3.2 yards per pass attempt, but Rex Ryan praised Tyrod Taylor’s heart as the difference in coming back from a 10-0 deficit. Taylor became the second QB since 1966 to throw for at least 100 yards, run for at least 70 and catch a pass. He’ll hope for more help than he had last week with rookie RB Karlos Williams (concussion) and Sammy Watkins (calf) potentially back. LeSean McCoy is likely still out with his hamstring tear as the undefeated Bengals come to town fresh off their stunning comeback win over Seattle.
Kansas City at Minnesota:
Jamaal Charles has been lost for the season with an ACL tear, so there may be some negativity lingering, especially since the Chiefs ended up blowing a double-digit lead against awful Chicago. The Vikings come off a bye and should be relatively healthy but lost coming off their week off in Mike Zimmer’s first season. Ironically, that setback came against last year’s woeful Bears squad, but Adrian Peterson wasn’t part of the equation and changes things dramatically. He’s averaging 93 rushing yards per game and leads the NFL with two runs of 40 yards or more.
Houston at Jacksonville:
Brian Hoyer will get his first start since Week 1 after taking back the quarterback job from Ryan Mallett in last Thursday’s loss to Indianapolis. Outside of the game-clinching interception, he really moved the Texans nicely, completing 19 of 21 before the ill-conceived throw that ended the comeback bid. The Texans are hoping to have Jadeveon Clowney out there after he turned his ankle against Indy, while Jacksonville is expecting that QB Blake Bortles will overcome a strain of his right throwing shoulder in order to start. Chad Henne would go if Bortles can’t play. The Jaguars also badly missed top linebacker Paul Posluzny in Sunday’s loss at Tampa Bay and could have him back from an ankle injury.
Chicago at Detroit:
Consecutive wins over the Raiders and Chiefs have the Bears at 2-3 despite being outscored by 56 points through the first five games. Only the 49ers have a larger deficit while these Lions have been outscored by 55. Jay Cutler has made plays down the stretch in both Chicago wins, leading a pair of fourth-quarter comebacks despite the absence of top receiver Alshon Jeffery, who should finally return this week. Matthew Stafford was benched during Detroit’s lopsided loss to Arizona, but will start ahead of Dan Orlovsky. The Lions are the only winless team in the league but are favored here, which means the Ford family could fire Jim Caldwell if the team suffers another loss here.
Washington at N.Y. Jets:
Coming off a bye week after an impressive performance in London that ended the Joe Philbin era in Miami, the Jets are looking to remain firmly entrenched in the AFC playoff picture. First-year head coach Todd Bowles adds talented DT Sheldon Richardson to the defensive line rotation, fortifying a unit that has already been the driving force behind surrendering the fewest points in the league. Kirk Cousins’ final pass this past Sunday was returned the other way by Atlanta for a game-ending score in OT, so he’ll have atonement as added motivation here. He’s had three multi-interception games this season and Washington hasn’t survived them once. The ‘Skins are 2-0 when he’s not picked off.
Arizona at Pittsburgh:
The Cardinals bounced back from their first loss with a lopsided win in Detroit and have now outscored opponents by a full 100 points through the first five games. All four of Arizona’s wins have come by double-digits, so the Steelers will have their work cut out for them on a short week coming off the Monday night game in San Diego. With Ben Roethlisberger still out, Michael Vick will be facing by far the best defense he’s seen to date. With weapons like LeVeon Bell and Antonio Brown at his disposal, this could wind up being the week’s most exciting game if Vick does his part.
Miami at Tennessee:
Dan Campbell’s turn as interim head coach begins as Miami looks to turn things around following a disastrous start. The Dolphins expected to make the playoffs and were talking Super Bowl when the season began, so they feel they have enough talent on the roster to go on a run. Coming off a bye, look for a Ndamakong Suh-led defensive line to try and get after Marcus Mariota. The Titans have blown fourth-quarter leads in each of the last two games and have been outscored 42-16 in the fourth quarter, so Ken Whisenhunt still has to teach his young team how to finish. Tennessee is 1-9 at home on his watch.
Carolina at Seattle:
The Panthers come out of their bye week hoping that linebacker Luke Kuechly will be cleared after spending the last month unable to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol. Although the Seahawks have a losing record in common with Carolina’s first four opponents, they’re by far the best team Cam Newton and Co. will have seen to date. Panthers’ victims Jacksonville, Houston, New Orleans and Tampa Bay are a combined 4-15, so this will be more of a test, especially on the road where Seattle is so dominant. Coming off a devastating OT loss in Cincinnati, the Seahawks will undoubtedly be cranky.
San Diego at Green Bay:
Aaron Rodgers’ interception-less streak ended in Sunday’s 24-10 win over St. Louis, but the Packers did win their 11th consecutive game at Lambeau Field. The Chargers haven’t played in Green Bay since 2007 and haven’t won there since 1984, so we’ll see if Philip Rivers can find a way to break through. Green Bay’s defense hasn’t received the attention it deserves due to Rodgers’ brilliance, but they’ve allowed just 16. 1 points per game, tops in the NFC and good for third in the NFL behind the Jets and Broncos.
Baltimore at San Francisco:
Colin Kaepernick’s slump finally ended thanks to a terrific Sunday night effort against the Giants, as he threw for a pair of TDs and completed 23 of 35 passes for 262 yards. Anquan Boldin was targeted 12 times with Vernon Davis still absent, while Torrey Smith caught both balls that came his way, so the passing game may finally be starting to gain traction. The banged-up Ravens arriving with Harbaugh in tow will generate plenty of headlines, but he may not be able to avenge his brother’s controversial departure considering the state of a defense that now may be without LB Elvis Dumervil, who aggravated a groin injury in Sunday’s OT loss to Cleveland.
New England at Indianapolis:
Andrew Luck should be back after missing the last two games with an injury to his right throwing shoulder and faces increased pressure since Matt Hasselbeck has managed to go 2-0 in spite of an inconsistent offensive line. The Patriots will have revenge on their minds given what they went through this entire offseason after the Colts blew the whistle on them, sparking a controversy over the deflating of footballs in the first half of January’s AFC Championship Game loss. The Patriots haven’t lost a game since December of 2014 and one can argue they’ll want to win this one as badly as they wanted to claim Super Bowl XLIX. Bill Belichick’s team has won their past two games by a margin of 81-23.
Monday, Oct. 19
N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia:
Despite their well-documented struggles with injuries and inconsistency, the Eagles are home with an opportunity to climb to the top of the NFC East if they can hold serve against the visiting Giants. Eli Manning shattered Phil Simms’ long-standing single-game record for most completions with 41 against San Francisco. We’ll see if he’ll finally get Victor Cruz back, which is more of a necessity since Reuben Randle is now nursing a hamstring injury. Chip Kelly is 3-1 against New York and seems to finally have a firmer grip on what he wants to accomplish offensively. The Eagles managed to score 39 points against the Saints despite Bradford throwing a pair of interceptions in the end zone.
