NFL Preview: Week Six

Week Six will be an interesting one. There are only two divisional contests, but also several key interconference showdowns, headlined by New England at San Diego on Sunday night.

All four bye teams are from the AFC. Amazingly enough, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Tennessee are arguably the three best teams in the conference through five weeks, and Kansas City the worst.

All will return to action in Week Seven trying to build on their strong starts, or in the case of the Chiefs, avoid a complete meltdown.

GAME of the WEEK: Patriots at Chargers (Sunday night)

It took six weeks, but we finally have an all-AFC Game of the Week in my weekly preview. Matt Cassel seemed to have a coming out party in San Francisco, hooking up with Randy Moss on a long touchdown. That's probably a good thing, considering I was half expecting Moss to come out and complain about his lack of touches any day now (after which Belichick would have probably strangled him to death).

At 3-1 and without Tom Brady, the AFC East is no longer the Patriots to claim, but in their first national appearance minus Brady, I think they are hell-bent on proving they can still be a force in a wide open AFC race.

San Diego is a surprising 2-3, and can ill afford to fall any further behind the Broncos. The defense has had issues (how you give up nearly 400 yards to Miami is beyond me), and the offense's play has been sporadic at best.

This is a statement game for both teams, trying to prove they are still contenders. I could go either way on this game, but I will give the edge to Cassel and the Pats.  

Other top contests

Ravens at Colts

This sets up to be an interesting matchup of a couple of 2-2 teams. We have Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis offense going up against Ray Lewis and the Ravens' strong defense.

The Colts very well could be 0-4 entering this game, but I am sure they are hoping that last week's exhilarating win in Houston is a springboard back to the top of the AFC South. Bob Sanders continues to be on the sidelines, so Baltimore should be able to execute their run-heavy offense with success.

Keeping the ball out of Manning's hands and in Willis McGahee's will be key for Baltimore if they want to head home with a victory against their city's ex-team. Also, with the holes in the Colts' defense, Baltimore should be able to open up the game a little for Joe Flacco and build up his confidence even more, just days after being named the starter for the remainder of the season.    

Bears at Falcons

If you would have told me five weeks ago that the winner of this game would be sitting at 4-2 and in a prime position in their respective division race, I probably would have laughed at you.

But both Matt Ryan and Kyle Orton are doing a wonderful job managing their offenses, and Matt Forte and Michael Turner are running well on opposing defenses. Turner even leads the league in yards. Winning at Lambeau with an impressive game had to do wonders not only for Ryan but for the entire Falcons team. I'm sure we will see Atlanta come out with somewhat of a swagger on Sunday.

And I remind you many people didn't pick them to win three games all season. Chicago has momentum themselves after an upset of Philadelphia and blowout of Detroit, so this game really is a toss-up.    

Panthers at Buccaneers

Everybody is focusing on the strength of the NFC East, and rightfully so, but the NFC South is quietly off to a strong start. Everyone outside of the consensus pick to win the crown, New Orleans, currently sits above .500. The winner of this game at Raymond James Stadium will be able to stake a claim in first place, at least for the time being. 

Carolina's ball-control offense has been effective thus far in 2008, even with injuries to key offensive linemen, and this has allowed them to get off to a 4-1 start. Playing ball control against Tampa Bay will be no simple task, as we all know.

Brian Griese was hurt in Denver, so it is back to Jeff Garcia at least for this week. Garcia is more mobile and probably a better decision maker, but he can't make all of the throws like Griese. Jon Gruden might have to rely overwhelmingly on the run game to win this one.  

Jaguars at Broncos

Jacksonville's defense really let them down a week ago, outside of Rashean Mathis' interception return for a touchdown. Giving up 26 points against Pittsburgh makes it next impossible to win against a team with a very strong defensive unit. Their task will be a challenge this week, as they have to try and at least slow down Denver.

Tampa Bay effectively eliminated Brandon Marshall a week ago and thus limited the damage in a 16-13 Broncos victory. Jacksonville's run game once again faltered against the Steelers, but facing a porous Broncos defense, both Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor should have great games on the ground.

It is imperative that the Jaguars find a way to win this game, with Tennessee essentially running away in the AFC South. 

Cowboys at Cardinals

Well, it was another interesting week at Valley Ranch, and you have to wonder how it has affected the Cowboys' preparation for what should be a good test against Arizona. The Cardinals are one of the best passing offenses in the league, being led of course by the ageless Kurt Warner.

Warner should be licking his chops, as a Dallas secondary that already has problems in pass coverage will be missing Terence Newman from the lineup as he battles the effects of a sports hernia.

Dallas was listless last week, and as a fan, that bothered me. You should come out firing after losing a crucial division game against a hated rival, but that did not happen.  I think the Cowboys will come out ready to play for a change this week, but if they are not unable to slow down Fitzgerald and Warner, they will go home losers.  

And the rest…

Dolphins at Texans

Don't look now, but Miami might actually be a pretty decent football team. One month in, and they've already surpassed that magical mark of one win achieved in 2007. The Wildcat formation, featuring Ronnie Brown, has really thrown off defenses.

Houston looks to recover from blowing a 27-10 lead late in the fourth quarter against the Colts a week ago, but difficult losses such as that one don't evaporate from memory quickly.   

Raiders at Saints

The Tom Cable era begins with a trip to New Orleans to face a Saints team that is surprisingly in last place. Outside of the opener, Oakland hasn't played particularly poorly, they just haven't closed games. New Orleans, meanwhile, is probably desperate for a win considering the fact everyone else in the NFC South is above .500 while they sit at 2-3. 

Bengals at Jets

The best thing about the Jets' bye last week had to be not hearing about Brett Favre for a few days, even in light of his performance against Arizona. I'd be inclined to say he will have another good game against Cincinnati, but the Bengals' defensive backfield actually did a solid job in slowing down Tony Romo, T.O., and company.

If Marvin Lewis wants to live to see Christmas on the Ohio River, the Bengals can't keep putting up a zero in the W column.  

Lions at Vikings

In spite of Brad Childress' poor offensive gameplan, and Reggie Bush's two punt returns for touchdowns, Minnesota miraculously won in New Orleans on Monday night. Adrian Peterson had what, 32 yards on 21 carries? Things are suddenly looking up for our Scandinavian pirate friends, with Detroit coming to town this week. Plus, they are now only a game out in a very wide open Norris Division.   

Rams at Redskins

I know the NFC East is the best division in football, but FOX is pushing it too far when this game is the 1:00 part of their doubleheader on Sunday when they could have sent a majority of the country to Tampa Bay or Atlanta for games that won't be over before halftime. But you never know: Jim Haslett might have a positive effect on the Rams' play. Then again, look at the promoted defensive coordinator's defense this season.

Eagles at 49ers

Saddle up, because this contest will feature Mike Martz's offense against Jim Johnson's aggressive defense. J.T. O'Sullivan has proven to be easy to sack thus far, so look for the Eagles to attack early and often. Coming off a deflating loss to the Redskins and facing another Brian Westbrook injury, they really need to win this game to get back to .500. But cross-country trips are never easy for the road team.

Packers at Seahawks

Considering the fact that these two 2008 Divisional Playoff opponents are a combined 3-6, this may not be Sunday's best game, but it is definitely a must-win. Green Bay was off to a strong start, but injuries to Aaron Rodgers have really hampered their progress.

And Seattle has injury concerns as well, including Matt Hasselbeck. If either of these teams wants to take their very winnable divisions, they need to start getting back on track in this game. 

Giants at Browns (Monday night)

Luckily, there will be playoff baseball on Monday because MNF is not shaping up to be that interesting this week, aside from chants of "We want Brady" from the Dawg Pound. Cleveland is 1-3 and coming off the bye hasn't done anything to impress yet, as Derek Anderson has struggled.

Turning your season around on a game against the Giants' defense is never a good idea.

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