Week 6 Winners and Losers

I would say it was as wild of a weekend as we've seen this year, but it wasn't, still, it was almost as interesting as we've seen. Let's dive in and get to it.

NOvsNE - The Saints playing from behind is always interesting because you hear a lot this is a defense that is not a play from behind defense. Well they played rather well in the 2nd half, as they were behind most of it. But when it counted, and they were ahead late in the game, they couldn't stop the Tom Brady no huddlle, 2-minute offense. This was going to be a good game, and it lived up to the billing. You can no longer say the Pats aren't legit because Tom Brady doesn't have any good targets. Not the worst loss for the Saints, as they split a pair of tough road games.

DETvsCLE - The Lions were fortunately able to bounce back from a weak 2nd quarter and pull this thing out. I know the 2nd half wasn't great, and the Browns were exposed in the passing game, but good grief, I am impressed with the effort the Browns are giving right now when everyone is throwing their season in the garbage. It was a good, much needed win for the Lions. Tough loss for the Browns. The Lions are an interesting sleeper headed towards the meat of their schedule.

PITvsNYJ - Just when I'm buying into the Jets and their offensive play calling, despite lacking play makers, and I'm thinking Geno Smith isn't playing so bad as a rookie, they go and have a terrible, absolutely terrible performance like this. Even though Pittsburgh was off a bye, this was a Steelers team the Jets should have dominated. The weak offensive line should have give Big Ben problems all day, but it didn't . The Jets secondary, though beat up, was just torched. I'm not ready to say the Steelers have figured out their flaws, and I'm not ready to bury the hatch on the Jets, but this was a game I was very confident calling Friday.

GBvsBAL - Another game I was stunned by Sunday. I thought the Ravens would be able to get things going on the ground with Clay Matthews out. I thought Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers might meet up in a shoot out. It was the exact opposite. There's something about Aaron Rodgers that just doesn't look right, right now. I can't decide if he's uncomfortable in the pocket, maybe he's losing faith in his receivers. I don't know, but he is not his usual self, and he really needs to find it. On the flip side, this is a bad loss for Baltimore. They needed a win at home, and you can't afford to lose games like these. Not saying they're in trouble, but they are not in a good spot right now.

STLvsHOU - Well the Rams defense finally turned in the performance I gave up on them giving. As much flack as the Texans are catching, and for good reason, this is a really good Rams defense. Up front, the front 7 are very good and the secondary is very underrated. Now for the Texans. The problem is the offensive line. This was a unit I felt really confident in at the beginning of the year, but they do not look good at all right now. Obviously the problems are beyond JUST Matt Schaub. And a quick note, you Texans fans that are cheering an injury, to any player but YOUR own player for that matter are classless clowns. Way to make your franchise it's intelligent fan base look like idiots. Well done. At any rate, the Texans are absolutely in trouble and are letting this division slip farther and farther away by the minute.

CINvsBUF - For as bad as Andy Dalton and company looked last week against the Pats, they looked much better. However, big plays the defense gave up and penalties in bad spots kept Buffalo in the game. Stats and everything shows the Bengals dominated this game. And when you can go on the road, and not play well and still win the game, you have to feel good about it. The schedule is tough ahead for Cincinnati, as three of the next four are on the road before their week 12 bye.

Other quick notes from Sunday...

OAKvsKC - Turnovers and penalties were killer for Oakland in this game. If they eliminate those, this game is a little more uncomfortable for Kansas City. Still, the Chiefs took advantage of the mishaps and downed Oakland to remain unbeaten. A very favorable schedule is ahead for Kansas City, as they could go into their bye undefeated before a week 11 matchup at Denver. The drama is building in Kansas City.

PHIvsTB - Nick Foles looked terrific. The Bucs offense was horrible. The Eagles offense appears to be rolling once again. At 3-3, if the Eagles win Sunday vs Dallas, they are in 1st place in the NFC East... It's hard to believe.

TENvsSEA - I really felt a Seattle victory Sunday would be on the shoulders of a big Russell Wilson day, and he was accurate, he wasn't all that impressive. The Seahawks defense really played conservative I thought. Ryan Fitzpatrick didn't help out the defense, who played well enough for the Titans to pull off the upset on the road. I wasn't overly impressed with Seattle after a tough loss last week, but again, when you don't play your best football and you win, you have to feel good, as a fan that is.

JAXvsDEN - The Broncos started strong, but the Jaguars didn't lay down and play dead for once. But after the half, it was all Denver. Not much more to say about this one.

CARvsMIN - Matt Cassell is terrible. Just terrible. I didn't like the move to him over Christian Ponder. I didn't necessarily dislike pulling Ponder, but why go to Cassell. The Vikings, and the NFL, already know what he is. Find a young QB to invest in. They did in Freeman. Freeman has to start Monday vs the Giants. He has to. I also am curious if the Vikings were overtaken by the Adrian Peterson family tragedy. I don't know. I'm sure if that is the case, they wouldn't admit it.

Five biggest winners from Sunday...

1. Detroit Lions - The Lions could have easily had a letdown and the Browns could have continued to stun the NFL, but the Lions went on the road, and played well. I'm a sucker for road victors.

2. Cincinnati Bengals - With Baltimore and Cleveland losing, the Bengals won a very ugly game for them on the road and remain in the hunt for an AFC North crown. Like I said though, the Bengals schedule is tough, but favorable.

3. New England Patriots - The Pats would probably be #1 on this list if they would have won on the road. But the Pats are so tough at home, and a very solid victory for Brady and company. Brady clearly sent the message, it doesn't matter who he has to throw the ball to, if they can catch it, he's going to win. Very good win for the Pats.

4. Philadelphia Eagles - I really thought the Bucs would end their self implosion and finally get a victory, but the Eagles offense was just too much. The Eagles looked very good as every aspect of the offense was stellar. Despite struggles in the early season, the Eagles are in good shape to compete in the division.

5. Green Bay Packers - Another road team with a solid victory. Even though they didn't play their best, the Packers were winners Sunday and remain in the hunt for the NFC North title. The schedule is very favorable for the Packers to get back on track.

Biggest losers from Week 5...

1. Houston Texans - The struggles continue in Houston. There are a lot of problems and I'm not sure where the free fall ends. The division, and even a wild card birth, are looking more and more bleek by the week.

2. Baltimore Ravens - Another winnable game slips through the grips for the Ravens. At 3-3, a run at the playoffs isn't out of the question, but you have win your home games, especially against teams like Green Bay.

3. Indianapolis Colts - While I didn't think they'd go on the road and win, the Colts had a very good opportunity to win this game, and just flat out dropped it. 4-2 is better than a lot of people thought they'd be, and while this loss doesn't set them back a whole lot, they could have used a road victory like this.

4. New York Jets - After a signature performance in Atlanta last week, the Jets should have dominated this game. Should have. But a roller-coaster like season took another dip into a valley. We'll see if the Jets can bounce back as they host New England Sunday.

5. Seattle Seahawks - This was a tough one, but I have a few reasons for picking the 'Hawks. Yes they won, but after a road loss last week, I would have thought they would be in line for a better performance at home, against a Titans team that is not to the level of the Seahawks and simply should not have been in this game. I also think the Seahawks looked very timid to try and make a big play. A dent put in the armor last week by Indy I don't think went away this week. Seattle may be vulnerable to a couple bad losses in the coming weeks, as they play three of the next four on the road.

Power rankings

1. Denver Broncos
2. New England Patriots
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Seattle Seahawks
5. Kansas City Chiefs

That's a wrap for another week in the NFL. Enjoy the week!