NFL Week 6 Preview
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by Crixtopher
Season record straight up: 51-25
For the first 59:58 of this past Monday Night Football Bills/Cowboys match up I thought I was a football forecasting genius. Coming off a week where I had selected the Arizona Cardinals to upend the then undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers when most people in America gave them absolutely no chance to win, I was feeling pretty good. Then during the Bills game I was patting myself on the back and cheering on the underdog as they were dominating a team no one gave them a chance to beat. Unfortunately, this game was eerily reminiscent of last year's Cardinals/Bears Monday Night Football debacle, and I have to believe even with 10 more turnovers in their favor the Bills still would have lost. When you are a losing team, until they turn the corner the sad reality is that finding a way to lose comes more naturally than finding a way to win. Still, there were a lot of positives to come away with.
Despite the laundry list of injured players particularly on defense, the Bills young inexperienced unit was mostly swarming, aggressive and effective. Trent Edwards only had only one big mistake the entire game in his first NFL start, albeit a crucial rookie QB INT that helped the Cowboys stay undefeated. I know it may seem lame to blame the coaches in defeat, but I can't help but point out that the Bills did nothing to take the pressure off of Edwards, if they had allowed him to throw deep to Lee Evans even just a few times, it would have made them account for a deep ball, which would have equated to less pressure in the pocket for Edwards and more running room for Marshawn Lynch. Which brings me to my criticism of Dick Jauron, who always seems to play things just one degree too conservative in my opinion. If he hadn't played it so close to the vest the Bills could have gotten more than 3 points out of their offense and won that game.
When I take a glance at this week's games there is something amiss: there really just isn't a huge underdog that I think will pull it off this time. So as boring as it is, here are my ho-hum picks for Week 6.
Tennessee @ Tampa Bay: could be a rebound game for the Bucs but I like the Titans defense, they are smothering. Titans.
Minnesota @ Chicago: teams coming off a bye week are tough, and I like Minnesota's defense, but I think the Packers helped open the Bears' can of worms. Bears.
Houston @ Jacksonville: Jags are a strange team because home field isn't much of an advantage for them, much like the Panthers they seem to do just as well if not better on the road. Still, speaking of smothering defense, I don't see Houston moving the ball as well as they have this time around. Jaguars.
Miami @ Cleveland: toss up, really it is. I'll take Miami to win their first game of the season ignited by Cleo Lemon at QB, because you can pass on Cleveland. Dolphins.
St Louis @ Baltimore: Baltimore is one of the toughest stadiums to win in if you are not a Raven, and the Rams are still banged up. Ravens.
Washington @ Packers: Ordinarily I wouldn't pick the Packers to lose two in a row at Lambeau Field, but the Redskins are heating up and their defense is improving ever week. Redskins.
Cincinnati @ Kansas City: You can never count out Cincy when they have Carson Palmer on the roster, but Larry Johnson is about to ignite. Chiefs.
Philadelphia @ NY Jets: I like Donovan McNabb coming off a bye week, Eagles.
Carolina @ Arizona: Much like Cincy with Palmer, you can never count out the Panthers because of Steve Smith, but on paper, Cardinals fans are licking their chops about this game. With first string QB Jake Delhomme on IR and gone for the year, the confidence-battered backup David Carr possibly also missing the game with a bad back, and undrafted rookie QB Matt Moore and 43-year old Vinny Testaverde taking all the snaps in practice this week, this could be Arizona's first victory with a large margin all season, you'd think right? This fan though is actually more worried about the impact that either a fresh faced kid with no game tape to plan for, or a veteran with a strong arm, both playing with nothing to lose but a lot to prove, will make on this game. Moore threw 2 passes in his first NFL action last week. One of them was a 43-yard completion. With Steve Smith's sick athleticism, I'm sure one of these guys can get him the ball in space and do some damage. Still, I'm clinging to the idea that the Cards are finally ready to keep building on their confidence, and heres to hoping they can maintain the defensive intensity that keeps QB's on the run, and keeps their '07 record at home flawless. Cardinals.
Oakland @ San Diego: Oakland is in first place but the Chargers found their mojo. Chargers.
New England @ Dallas: New England is robotic. Patriots.
New Orleans @ Seattle: The Seahawks are embarassed by last week's shutout at Pittsburgh. Seahawks.
NY Giants @ Atlanta: Giants are playing good ball right now. Giants.
