NFL Winners and Losers from Week 6

As Week 6 of the 2011 NFL season winds down, we'll take a look at the week's main winners and losers.

Some playoff contenders and Cinderellas went down, while some disappointing and underachieving teams came through and got back on track for the time being.

Here are three winners and three losers from the NFL's sixth week.

Winner: San Francisco 49ers

If you came up to me before the season and told me the 49ers would be 5-1 after the first six weeks of the season, I would have laughed in your face.

It's not so funny anymore.

Despite Jim Harbaugh's post-game altercation with Jim Schwartz, the 49ers' head coach is doing a fantastic job in his first year with San Francisco.

Riding on 141 yards and a touchdown from running back Frank Gore, the 'Niners handed the Detroit Lions their first loss of the season.

Harbaugh, Gore and quarterback Alex Smith have San Francisco sailing towards a playoff berth in an easy division. 

Loser: Houston Texans

The Houston Texans came into the season with fresh playoff hopes after a disappointing 6-10 season, but through the first six weeks, fans are already starting to sweat it out.

Sitting at 3-3 after their second straight loss, the Texans are in danger of yet another collapse after a relatively strong start.

Baltimore walked all over the Texans' revamped defense, and Houston couldn't move the ball against the stout Ravens. Matt Schaub had an OK day, but the Texans could never get a running game established and gave up 161 total yards to running back Ray Rice in a 29-14 loss.

In fairness, Houston does have a couple of good excuses for their disappointing start. Star receiver Andre Johnson and stud outside linebacker Mario Williams are both out. But Houston fans are sick of hearing excuses.

If Houston doesn't make the playoffs this season, don't expect the coaching staff to stay intact.

Winner: New York Giants

The New York Giants pulled off a big win in a pivotal game against the Buffalo Bills, one of the season's biggest surprise teams.

The Giants' 27-24 triumph elevated them to a 4-2 record and put them in good position to make the playoffs.

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw broke the 100-yard barrier and scored three touchdowns, while quarterback Eli Manning as efficient and took care of the ball.

Don't be surprised to see the Giants in the discussion at the end of the year, even with the Washington Redskins starting relatively well and the talented Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys looking to get back on track.

Loser: Washington Redskins

Head coach Mike Shanahan was making most of us look pretty stupid when we blasted his decision to stick with Rex Grossman and John Beck at quarterback, and Grossman came out and played well in a 3-1 start.

After their 20-13 loss to the previously 1-4 (who would have though we would be saying that?) Philadelphia Eagles, however, we feel a little better about ourselves. Grossman was back to his usual self, throwing four interceptions.

You might let him off the hook considering he was up against players like Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Asante Samuel, but three of his four picks were to safety Kurt Coleman. That's not a slight to Coleman's impressive performance, it's just that, frankly, he's no Ed Reed.

Shanahan has done a great job so far this season, but it's hard to win when your quarterback throws four picks and your offense can't move the ball against one of the worst-ranked defenses in the country.

Winner: Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles had a nightmarish start to the 2011 season, racking up four straight losses after a win over the lowly St. Louis Rams.

But after getting a lot of bad publicity (I didn't think ESPN would ever shut up about it), the Eagles rededicated themselves and defeated the previously 3-1 Washington Redskins.

Although they got plenty of help from Rex Grossman, that was no easy task against one of the best defenses in the NFL.

The Eagles put the game on the back of star running back LeSean McCoy, and quarterback Michael Vick had a decent day, limiting his turnovers and making a handful of big plays.

The 2-4 Eagles are most definitely not out of the woods yet, but this was a step in the right direction for the "dream team" (oh, how I wish Vince Young had never said that).

Loser: New Orleans Saints

At 4-2, the New Orleans Saints are still in good position to make the playoffs yet again. However, their 26-20 loss to the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers was unimpressive and didn't help their cause.

The same team that was incinerated by the San Francisco 49ers a week before came out and upset a team that hadn't lost a game since their week one loss to the undefeated Packers.

Drew Brees threw for 383 yards and a touchdown, but he was also picked off three times. In addition, the Saints couldn't get a running game established, and rookie Mark Ingram had just 22 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.

To add insult to injury (actually, the other way around), head coach Sean Payton tore his ACL when a player ran into him during the game.

This was a great bounce back game for the Bucs, but the Saints never should have let it happen.