Even in a week with fewer surprises than usual, there were still a couple of results that had people shaking their heads.
As I write this, the Monday night game has been over for a few hours. It wasn't pretty, but when are they ever? It's not often that those games are any good; NBC has generally taken all the good matchups. ESPN and CBS/NFLN are left with the scraps for Monday and Thursday.
At any rate, being a Cowboys fan, I have to give them some credit here at the top. Not only have they won five in a row after that mind-numbingly bad loss in Week 1, but they just went to Seattle and took out the champs. Unsurprisingly, since the NFL is now a running league, the Cowboys did it with defense and running the ball a bunch of times. This shouldn't surprise anyone, since Seattle's offense is usually pretty plain (aside from when they're making special effort to be anything other than boring) and when the running game isn't working, there's not a lot they can do otherwise. The problem with Russell Wilson at this point in his career is that the OC and Pete Carroll don't seem to trust him enough to let him go on a consistent basis. He was somehow able to do it against Washington, but then again, they somehow have a worse defense than the Cowboys.
Romo played well when he wasn't just handing it off to Murray/Randle and watching them run. There wasn't the huge mistake like in the game against Denver from last year. There were mistakes, to be sure, especially on special teams, but Romo isn't responsible for their tomfoolery.
Also, I should probably address the tie. Cincinnati and Carolina played 75 minutes of football and there wasn't a winner. NFL coaches are conservative; this is the nature of the beast. When jobs are highly coveted (outside of Oakland or Jacksonville, at least), guys will do things conservatively and minimize risks to lessen their chances of losing said job. Marvin Lewis doesn't appear to have anything to worry about, given that his dreadful playoff performance has yet to result in negative consequences, and yet he was obviously comfortable enough going for a field goal when he could have had Dalton...you know, win the game (cue Herman Edwards clip...now).
Dalton didn't get a chance and Mike Nugent honked the kick in hilarious fashion. There's your ball game.
Also, Brady, Peyton, and Rodgers looked like their usual "elite" selves. I like it.
Here are the Rankings for Week 6:
1.) San Diego (5-1) [no change]
I find it odd that the guy referred to just two short years ago as "arm-punter" is now a legit MVP candidate. I watched more than a few of those games, and I can confirm that he was indeed terrible. And this week he and the rest of the Chargers almost lost to Oakland. There is no reason now or in the future that the Chargers should ever lose to Oakland. At least disaster was averted this time.
Next opponent: vs. Kansas City (10/19)
2.) Philadelphia (5-1) [no change]
It's possible that the Eagles have yet to play their best. If so, Sunday night wasn't just a step in the right direction, it was like Usain Bolt coming off the starting block. Coughlin tried some delaying tactics at the end to get points on the board, but Chip Kelly and his defense (suddenly monstrous, it should be said) were up to the task of holding onto the precious shutout. Philly would be the clear #1 in the NFC East...except, yeah.
Next opponent: at Arizona (10/26)
3.) Dallas (5-1) [no change]
They moved up in my heart, if nothing else. By beating Seattle at home, they accomplished something almost completely unfathomable for me. And I can say unreservedly that it was their best win since the last time they won a playoff game. Yup, it was that good. Now they have another test at home as the Giants meet up with them at Jerry Dome/World.
Next opponent: vs. NY Giants (10/19)
4.) Denver (4-1) [+1]
I admit, it was a bit dicey. And then Geno Smith threw another costly and stupid pick-six that sealed it. It's not like Peyton Manning had a bad game; far from it as both he and Ronnie Hillman excelled. But for some reason they were having trouble putting the Jets away in Jersey...until Geno happened. But I'm sure I'm misconstruing that somehow, right?
Next opponent: vs. San Francisco (10/19)
5.) Arizona (4-1) [+1]
Apparently, when Carson Palmer plays, the Cardinals win. Okay, so they were playing a Washington team that is still starting a mostly terrible backup QB. The defense stepped up and showed that Cousins is terrible by picking him off three times. It doesn't get much harder in Week 7. Actually, it should be easier.
Next opponent: at Oakland (10/19)
6.) Cincinnati (3-1-1) [+1]
I'm still not sure why I moved them up. Getting a tie is not exactly the desired result...and yet, here we are. Dalton isn't completely crippled without A.J. Green like Stafford is without Megatron. I guess that's a small victory to come from this.
Next opponent: at Indianapolis (10/19)
7.) Indianapolis (4-2) [+1]
I'm not sure what it says about Indy when they start out with 24 and end up with only 33. Nothing good, obviously, but a win is a win, especially in the division. Honestly, the Colts should be 6-0 in the division at the end of the season, because their competition is pretty horrific. The Texans are the only other "good" team, and they're now 3-3. Whoopee!
Next opponent: vs. Cincinnati (10/19)
8.) Green Bay (4-2) [+1]
I admit that I was pretty close to writing off Green Bay and their QB who wasn't holding up his end of the bargain. Then all of a sudden, they started playing patsies and the wins are piling up. There were some late-game heroics thanks to the perennially terrible defense keeping Miami in it. Rodgers' fake spike was something to see, as was the TD pass to Quarless. Speaking of division winners who should run away with it, Green Bay is one to look at, as Chicago is infuriatingly inconsistent and mediocre, and Detroit can't get out of its own way.
Next opponent: vs. Carolina (10/19)
9.) New England (4-2) [+1]
Tom Brady's demise was greatly exaggerated. He took out overrated Cincinnati and division "rival" Buffalo in consecutive weeks. And now that the O-line is protecting him a little more than never...he actually throws the ball downfield and hits his receivers! It's going to be a little tougher with Ridley out, but if Brady plays like he did against Cincy and Buffalo, I have a hard time counting out the Pats, especially in the AFC East.
Next opponent: vs. NY Jets (10/16)
10.) Baltimore (4-2) [-]
I'm not sure what to think about Baltimore. They've been generally good since Week 2 and have put beatdowns on a couple of teams. But are they actually good? I'm not sure just yet. I guess they're the favorite to win the AFC North at the moment, but if Cleveland continues to play like they did against Pittsburgh I don't think it's cut-and-dry. And of course, if Cincy manages to pull their heads out of their rear ends and play like they did the first couple of weeks, they're a threat in the regular season.
Next opponent: vs. Atlanta (10/19)
That's all for this week. See you next week.
