Week Six in the NFL: Wows and Woes

NFL Football Week Six.....Wows and Woes!

Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers

WOWS: Sunday at Heinz Field proved several things. First and foremost, Big Ben is BACK! Completing 16 of 27 for 257 yards, Roethlisberger threw one INT, while throwing three TD's. In doing so he proved to the entire league that the Steelers have multiple threats. Spreading the ball around, the Steelers scored touchdowns through four different targets. Mendenhall rushed for one touchdown, securing the ground game, while receivers Hines Ward and Mike Wallace both caught passes for scores. In addition to that, Ben hooked up with TE Heath Miller for six as well. Let the rest of the NFL be warned, the Steelers can impose their will on other teams on both sides of the ball. Once again the dominance of the defense was proven, while the offense put 28 points on the board. WOW!

Brown's rookie QB Colt McCoy proved that he can stand and deliver against the NFL's best defense. You have to give credit where it is due, and McCoy earned kudos yesterday. With both Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace sidelined with injuries, the Browns have a ray of hope in McCoy. WOW!

WOES: Sunday also proved that a rookie QB making his debut and a veteran QB returning from suspension can have the same results. Both Colt McCoy and Ben Roethlisberger had opening drives that ended with interceptions.

The Browns suffered key losses that limited their playbook options. Losing WR Joshua Cribbs took the wildcat out of the game, while losing WR Mohamed Massaquoi eliminated the deep threat, leaving the Browns very one dimensional.

New York Jets @ Denver Broncos

WOWS:

Sunday ended with the New York Jets having the best record in the NFL at 5-1, proving that Rex Ryan is willing to back his words with hardcore, smashmouth football. The Broncos' once again felt the sting of RB La Dainian Tomlinson as he waltzed into the endzone after a pass interference call on a crucial fourth down went against Renaldo Hill and placed the ball on the two yard line. Tomlinson did not look like the tired, past-his-prime running back the San Diego Chargers released earlier this year. Instead he looked like a healthy powerback who only wanted to wreak havoc on the Broncos' defense. WOW!

The Broncos, with a injury riddled roster and a shaky secondary, managed to force three turnovers. Denver's decimated defense still put up a fight, forcing the Jets to come from behind in the fourth quarter. Matt Prater showed he is a stud by nailing a career long 59 yard field goal. Tim Tebow also came to play, as he scampered in to the endzone for his first NFL touchdown. WOW!

WOES: The Jets committed multiple turnovers, and at times QB Mark Sanchez looked confused. Sanchez went 17 out of 30 for 198 yards. With only one TD and two interceptions combined and a fumble by WR Santonio Holmes, it is a miracle the Jets managed to win at Invesco.

The Broncos' have more serious problems. Once again they outplayed an opponent and lost. Kyle Orton had a horrible day, completing less that half of his throws. Even with talented offensive threats like WR Eddie Royal and RB Knowshon Moreno the Broncos' failed to mount any kind of sustained attack. The Denver defense has gaping holes in it due to injuries, and unless they can get help it looks like they will continue to let games slip through their hands.

Miami Dolphins @ Green Bay Packers

WOWS: It is hard to believe that a Florida team like the Miami Dolphins walked into the Frozen Tundra and handed Green Bay their third loss of the season. WOW!

It was not a pretty game on either side of the ball, but as always key players proved why they are relied upon to win games. Dolphins' WR Brandon Marshall will probably win the FedEx Air Player of the Week award with his breakout 127 yards and 10 receptions. WOW!

Aaron Rodgers proved he can earn his check every week going 18 of 33 and racking up 313 yards. Unfortunately he matched his touchdowns with interceptions. Still a defense that is missing many of its key players managed to get the Dolphins into a situation that led to overtime. WOW!

WOES: Green Bay is hurting on both sides of the ball. In a high powered offense that has a QB like Aaron Rodgers, who went 18 of 33 for 313 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT, deep threats like WR Greg Jennings, who chalked up 6 receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown, it seems improbable that they completely lack a ground game. The Packers managed only 76 yards on the ground, 14 of those by Rodgers, and looked very one dimensional against a stingy Miami defense.

On the other side of the ball it only gets worse for the Packers. Injuries have really hurt this train in a way that has made the preseason Super bowl favorite a mediocre team fighting to stay alive and praying for a miracle.

Miami walked away with a win, but they shouldn't get too cocky. They can enjoy a hard won victory at Lambeau Field against a depleted Green bay team, but they have a very rough road ahead of them beginning next week when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers.

San Diego Chargers @ St. Louis Rams

WOWS: The Rams are 3-3 and unbeaten at home. WOW!

Even more impressive is the fact that the Rams, who were destroyed last week by the Detroit Lions 44-6, rebounded by stunning the Chargers in St. Louis. Sam Bradford looked sharp, completing 18 of 31 for 198 yards and a touchdown. While Rams RB Steven Jackson rushed for 109 yards on 29 carries. The St. Louis defense was hard at work as well, sacking San Diego QB Phillip Rivers seven times and intercepting a pass in the end zone. WOW!

The NFL refs did not throw a flag on a blatant helmet to helmet hit on QB Sam Bradford by Charger ILB Kevin Burnett. WOW!

WOES: San Diego lost WR Antonio Gates and WR Malcolm Floyd to injuries, while K Nate Kaeding pulled a groin muscle after slipping on a field goal attempt. The Chargers, who had the top ranked offense, stumbled and failed to offer any protection to QB Rivers.

The Rams looked good, but they are inconsistent, and seem to win one week only to get blown out the next.

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots

WOWS: Without missing a beat, Super Bowl MVP WR Deion Branch stepped back into the the Patriots' lineup and played like the last time anyone had seen him in a Patriots' uniform, grabbing nine receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown. WOW!

Baltimore QB Joe Flacco completed 27 of 35 for 285 yards and 2 TD's, while hitting seven different receivers. Patriots QB Tom Brady hit 27 of 44 for 292 yards, hitting six different receivers, while adding 2 interceptions and 1 TD. Derrick Mason of the Ravens and Deion Branch of the Patriots led all receivers. WOW!

WOES: Not a lot of woes for either of these teams. A few players sidelined with injuries and a 145 yards in penalties are about the worst of it.

Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans

WOWS: Texans QB Matt Schaub went 25 of 33 for 305 yards, and put together a winning drive late in the 4^th quarter after the defense almost let the game get away from them. WOW!

The Kansas City Chiefs are actually a well rounded team, and surpassing preseason expectations by leaps and bounds. Matt Cassell completed 20 of 29 for 201 yards and three TD's, and managed to score in their first three possessions of the second half. Kansas City is becoming that threat in their division, and head coach Todd Haley has definitely improved the quality of play. WOW!

Mike Vrabel can still score touchdowns! WOW!

WOES: The Texans have had to come from behind often this season. They pulled out a win but lost DeMeco Ryans for the season with a ruptured Achille's. They still have a very poor pass defense, and if they have to go up against a pass heavy offense with serious weapons you can pretty much say goodnight Irene.

The Chiefs have a bigger problem, they cannot seem to close out games. They played the Colts tough in Week 5, but folded like lawn chairs against the Texans, letting them devisively dominate the last seven minutes of the game, and lose 35-31.

Detroit Lions @ New York Giants

WOWS: The Lions lose again on the road, after keeping it close and playing a good game. They are now tied for the worst NFL road record in history. Even though they put up more yards offensively than the New York Giants, the Lions killed themselves with turnovers and penalties. It is hard to win any game when you are penalized for 91 yards and commit three turnovers. Still the Lions played the Giants hard, and as they have done every game this year except last week's blowout against the Rams, they chalked up another loss. WOW!

Shaun Hill is now done for at least four weeks, probably longer with a broken left arm. The lone QB left to replace Hill was Drew Stanton, who hooked up with Calvin Johnson for an 87 yard touchdown. WOW!

Eli Manning went 20 of 30 for 177 yards, spreading the ball out heavy this week between six different receivers with WR Steve Smith and WR Mario Manningham getting the majority of the receptions available. Detroit, with Stanton taking over for the injured Shaun Hill, put up 301 yards in the air, but it was the Giants that found a way to win, which is what matters most in the NFL. There was a total of exactly 700 yards in offense in this game. WOW!

WOES: Detroit has improved. The addition of Suh on the defense has had a serious impact, yet they still cannot pull out a wins. The talent is there and they have been a play away from victory in every contest this season. They must find that missing ingredient and find a way to do what Eli Manning and the Giants are doing..........winning games.

The Giants are finding ways to win, so their woes are minimal. We will to wait and see how they fare against the Cowboys in Dallas this week.

Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles

WOWS: How about the bone crushing helmet to helmet blow involving DeSean Jackson and Dunta Robinson? Last I looked there were regulations in place to avoid these types of collisions. Expect there to be some sort of repercussions from the NFL for this one. Jackson has a concussion while Robinson has an undisclosed head injury. WOW!

Jeremy Maclin seems to have used the incident as an accelerant, and exploded with two TD's and a 159 yards off seven grabs. Kevin Kolb was no slacker either, connecting on 23 of 29 for 326 yards three TD's and only one interception. WOW!

Atlanta, after looking so good in the first weeks of the season, flopped. The defense gave up 474 yards and looked like they had no clue where they were for most of the game. After being the number two rushing offense, the Falcons managed only 65 yards against the Eagles. WOW!

WOES: Both teams suffered losses on a senseless and unnecessary collision. Thankfully they got up and walked off the field, but these kind of hits are what end careers. Hopefully both players will heal quickly and return to the field.

Atlanta did not look good, Gonzalez was picked off, they seemed unable to sustain a drive, and their ground game faltered. The Dirty Birds get the Bengals at home next week and we will see if they can rebound from a resounding beat down.

The Eagles look good, their list of woes is small, we will see if they can keep it up.

Seattle Seahawks @ Chicago Bears

WOWS: The Pete Carroll era has begun, and the Seahawk defense proved it by sacking QB Jake Cutler six times. WOW!

Chicago's WR Devin Hester returned his 13^th kickoff return for a TD tying an NFL record. WOW!!

Neither team had a rushing game per se, but both teams had receivers going over 100 yards. Seattle's WR Mike Williams ran up 123 yards on 10 catches, while Chicago's WR Johnny Knox caught 5 passes for 120 yards. WOW!

Jake Cutler only completed 17 of 39 for 290 yards. He was never picked off, but he failed to get a single TD. WOW!

WOES: Chicago seems to rely too heavily on a QB who once claimed his arm was bigger than John Elway's. The have plays that make you jump up and scream, while on the next series of downs you wonder “What the hell are they doing now?” Lovey Smith is more than likely on his way out of Chi Town after another season of ups and downs.

Seattle, on the other hand, seems to be limiting its woes, and are much improved this year under the new head coach. A few key injuries on the defense could haunt them.

 New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

WOWS: The Saints finally look like the world champions who hoisted the Lombardi trophy just a few short months ago. They managing to put up 475 yards of total offense while allowing Josh Freeman to complete 25 of 43 for 219 yards and a TD toss to Michael Spurlock. Doesn't matter who you play, 475 yards is a lot of offensive production. WOW!

Drew Brees finished the day 21 of 32 for 263 yards, three TD's and one interception. Looking like a Super Bowl winning QB he hit 11 different targets! WOW!

Saints RB Chris Ivory ran up 158 yards on the ground, while the Saints defense limited the Bucs to just 42 yards rushing. WOW!

WOES: Tampa Bay looked mediocre. Although they have tied last years total of wins already, they have fallen way short of the mark when playing the juggernauts of the NFL with embarrassing losses to Pittsburgh and now the Saints. They seem unable to find any answer for the ground game, allowing huge rushing numbers in both of their losses. Head coach Raheem Morris needs to find a solution quickly, or he will find his career ending with the 2010 season.

The Saints seem to have found their groove. That said, this was one game, and not indicative of the ball they have been playing up till this point in the season. Their next opponent is the Cleveland Browns, who will be looking for a win after a beat down at Heinz Field this week. The Saints need to prove they are back. One game doesn't equal a winning streak.

Oakland Raiders @ San Francisco 49ers

WOWS: The 49er's finally won a game! They did it in spite of 143 yards in penalties and QB Alex Smith completing less than half of his attempts. Smith did however manage two TD's in the second half, and ended 16 of 33 for 196 yards and no turnovers. WOW!

What is there to say about a game that involved two teams who haven't managed a winning season in the last seven years?

WOES: The Raiders have it bad! Even with Nnamdi Asomugha they are not much to watch. On both sides of the ball they cannot seem to put anything together that works. Tom Cable will soon be out of a job.

The 49ers aren't in a much better spot, and after close games they finally found a way to win, but at this rate Mike Singletary will join Cable in the unemployment line.

Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings

WOWS: At the beginning of the season these two teams were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders, and have looked like anything but the playoff teams of last season. WOW!

In a game of such magnitude, with the winner having a chance at saving their season, there is really nothing remarkable to write. WOW!

WOES: Once again, Dallas looked like a team on the skids. In a desperation game, they looked truly desperate. Neither side of the ball looked in sync, and everyone is just waiting for the team to self implode.

The Vikings didn't look very good either. Yes they won, but they looked sluggish and indecisive. Jared Allen and Adrian Peterson are who they are, and they are expected to play at the level they do each week, I think both would be much happier on teams that are actually capable of winning championships.

Indianapolis Colts @ Washington Redskins

WOWS: The Colts found a way to win in a game that was riddled with what should have been costly mistakes, and would have been if the Redskins had been able to capitalize on any of them. The Colts, who are not known for a ground attack, used Joseph Addai who ran for 128 yards, including a 46 yard gain, on 17 carries and a touchdown. That said, the Colts did not look like the Colts. WOW!

Redskins QB Donovan McNabb went 29 of 45 for 246 yards, one TD and two INT's, while the Colts QB Peyton Manning went 25 of 38 for 307 yards and two TD's. In a game that was obviously an aerial shootout neither team looked impressive. WOW!

WOES: Indy just doesn't look like the AFC powerhouse they have been for the last 10 years. They are tied with the Texans for a share of the lead in their division.

The Redskins added McNabb with playoff aspirations, but they are inconsistent, and still don't have Haynesworth in the lineup. They look like just another mediocre team trying desperately to find their identity.

Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars

WOWS: Another physical game that cost both teams their starting QB's. WOW!

Even though it was a complete rout, it didn't provide any wow moments, and was almost painful to watch at times.

WOES: The Titans have serious injury issues, and an offensive line that is stumbling. It is amazing that, against a team as bad defensively as Jacksonville is, RB Chris Johnson didn't have a break out game.

What is wrong with Jacksonville, they are struggling yet again this year? After week 6 they find themselves 3-3 and chasing any hopes of a playoff appearance already.