NFL 2017-18 Week 6 Review

This has been a really strange season so far, hasn't it? We keep seeing results that surprise everyone, and that means that we see several teams that most people did not think much about suddenly looking competitive. Who would have thought the Rams would be in first place in the NFC West at 4-2 right now? Who would have thought that the Giants would enter this weekend winless, or that Dallas would sport a losing record? Who could have foreseen that the Eagles would be 5-1 right now?

This weekend continued this trend of strange results. The Bears shocked the Ravens in Baltimore. The Saints exploded for 52 points and downed the Lions, who are in danger of falling upon all too familiar hard times again. The Dolphins knock of the Falcons in Atlanta. And Aaron Rodgers is out for the season, possibly. In any case, he will likely be out for some time.

Not what we expected to see, for sure.

Let's take a closer look at what happened in week 6:



Chicago 27, Baltimore 24 - Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky got his first victory for Chicago, while Baltimore's Joe Flacco threw a pick-six, and the Bears did just enough to earn a rare victory. They took a sizable lead, but almost blew it when the Ravens started coming back, and forced overtime. But once it went to overtime, Chicago running back Jordan Howard burst through for a huge run that underscored how much he can pound opposing defenses, and got the Bears into field goal range to win it.   My pick: Inaccurate

Houston 33, Cleveland 17 - The Browns were like a weaker opponent beaten down and up against the ropes early in this one, and if this would have been a heavyweight fight, it would have been stopped early. Houston was all over Cleveland, and the outcome was never in doubt, although the Browns scored a couple of garbage time touchdowns to make the outcome look more respectable. It was a much needed win for the Texans, who are now tied with Jacksonville and the winner of tonight's game for first place. As for the Browns, they are rapidly approaching the relatively rare "feat" of being the very worst team in the league for two years running now. Unless they start playing much better, they will actually get this dubious distinction, adding to the growing legacy of Cleveland's "Factory of Sadness."  My pick: Accurate

New Orleans 52, Detroit 38 - The Lions really need a break from these tough games! Really, they have played exclusively difficult challenges thus far, and perhaps that is why their .500 record looks pedestrian. If they played the Bears and the Browns and the Niners and, yes, the Giants, every week, they might look like a superpower. Instead, they have to take on very good teams under difficult circumstances, and so they look mediocre. The Saints have a very potent offense, and they tore the Lions up, taking an early and sizable lead, and just cruising the rest of the way. Sure, Detroit put up some points towards the end to make it appear more respectable, but the Saints handed them their butts. My main question is when the Lions will catch a break. But then again, the Lions might be one of the teams that really benefits from the injury to Rodgers. Time will tell.  My pick: Inaccurate

Minnesota 23, Green Bay 10 - Obviously, the big news with this game was not the final score, and who won or lost the game. The big news was that hit taken by Aaron Rodgers, which may have ended his season prematurely, although the final analysis has not yet been released. But the Packers clearly are worried, as they are not the same team without him. This changes the entire complexion for not only the Packers, but for the entire NFC North. Suddenly, the Vikings and the reeling Lions would appear to have a serious chance, and the Bears are looking better, too, while the Pack have to show us that there would be life after Rodgers for the duration of this season. Ultimately, the Vikings won this contest, but again, it was far more about the loss of Green Bay's starting quarterback than anything else, and speculation on how the Packers will respond, one way or the other. Tough luck for Green Bay, though.   My pick: Inaccurate

Miami 20, Atlanta 17 - Man, the Falcons never seem to safely hold onto a lead, do they? At least not against AFC East teams. Atlanta was at home, where they are supposed to be virtually unbeatable, even though they have now lost twice there. And they were leading, 17-0. At home. Yet somehow, it happened again. A big lead starting shrinking, shrinking, shrinking, until it was gone. The Falcons could not get anything going offensively, despite looking good earlier in the game. Atlanta's defense suddenly looked tired and unable to stop an offense that they had completely shut down earlier in the game. And the Dolphins did exactly what they needed to do, and earned a huge road win in a dramatic way that probably rejuvenates this team exactly when they needed it most. A huge win for the Dolphins, and a brutal loss for the Falcons, who will soon go up to Foxboro to play the New England Patriots again, where memories of another collapse surely will loom.    My pick: Inaccurate

New England 24, N.Y. Jets 17 - The Jets have looked surprisingly good so far this season, and were locked in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East heading into this game. But New England is tough, and they are prepared, and they know the Jets. Still, Gang Green fought hard, actually taking a 7-0 lead early, and this game was knotted up 14-14 by halftime. However, the Pats did enough in the second half to dictate the tempo, grabbing momentum with a big touchdown pass from Brady to Gronkowski, and New England wore the Jets down the rest of the way. Not a blowout win, but a typical, trademark victory for Belichick and the Pats, nevertheless.   My pick: Accurate

Washington 26, San Francisco 24 - Washington took a decent sized lead early against San Fran by halftime, but to their credit, the Niners battled back and made a game of it in the second half. In fact, the 49ers managed to outscore Washington 10-0 in the third quarter to tie it, and they were really battling late in the game. But an interception in the game's final seconds preserved the win for Washington, keeping San Francisco winless. Good win for the home team, another heartbreaker for the winless road team.  My pick: Accurate

L.A. Rams 27, Jacksonville 17 - Perhaps it was predictable that a battle between two surprising teams this year would not go the way that I expected. The Rams, just trying to recover from a disappointing loss to the Seahawks last week, dictated the tempo of play early and took a decent lead, in part because of unusual plays, such as the kickoff return for a touchdown. But it was enough for them on this day, and Blake Bortles just was not solid enough to help his team to victory on this day. My pick: Inaccurate

Arizona 38, Tampa Bay 33 - The Cardinals jumped out to a big lead early, and then managed to hold off Tampa Bay's comeback rally just enough to secure the win. It was a win that made Arizona look a little suspect, but a win is a win, and this team was getting desperate for one, just to try and keep within striking distance of not one, but two teams ahead of them in the NFC West. For Tampa Bay, it is a disappointing loss, but one nonetheless where they can feel good about showing some fight, not simply allowing a very bad start on the road to necessarily mean a blowout loss. Tampa Bay rallied to make a game of it, relatively speaking, and if there is a moral victory, they earned one in that regard. My pick: Accurate

L.A. Chargers 17, Oakland 16 - You know, when I watched the Jets get crushed by the Raiders last month, I was a bit suspicious of how much celebrating they were doing up in Oakland. After all, you do not celebrate like you just won a playoff contest in week two, after defeating the lowly Jets. Indeed, that seemed premature then, and it seems especially premature now that Oakland just dropped their fourth straight game. This is the point where the Raiders need to find some sense of urgency. The Chargers are suddenly finding ways to cement games in the clutch, and now have tied with the Raiders in the AFC West, although they each remain well behind the Chiefs and even the Broncos. But for the Raiders, what a disastrous slide from elite status last year, and even early this season, into irrelevance and mediocrity now, with four straight losses. They already have as many losses as they did all of last regular season! The Raiders need to stop the bleeding, and fast, to salvage this season!   My pick: Inaccurate 

Pittsburgh 19, Kansas City 13 -  The Chiefs still just cannot beat the Steelers! Pittsburgh is to KC what New England is to Pittsburgh, apparently. Le'Veon Bell had a monster day, and other playmakers for the Steelers came up big, as well. Of course, the Chiefs did themselves no favors by making mistakes, such as the high snap deep in their own territory that sailed well out of Alex Smith's reach, and went out of bounds in the end zone for a Pittsburgh safety, and getting the ball back. KC had looked great with their undefeated, 5-0 start, but whatever veneer of invincibility the Chiefs may have been able to build up during that run, this loss clearly shows some chinks in their armor. And it happened in front of their loyal home fans, once again! Tough loss, and now, they need to show that they can bounce back.  My pick: Inaccurate

Sunday Night Football - N.Y. Giants 23, Denver 10 - Well, the Giants are no longer winless, and in danger of being viewed as the worst team in history. Instead, they are just very, very bad. As a fan, I am glad that they got a win, finally. But what good would it do them now to start winning a few games, only to move them out of getting a high draft pick? Still, a win in Denver is no small thing, and I can recall only one previous victory for the Giants up in Denver, and that one was way back in 1989, with that big Gary Reasons hit on the goal line to preserve the 14-7 victory. Not so sure that these G-Men are anywhere near the level that those guys were playing at, as that team finished 12-4, and would go 13-3- and win Super Bowl XXV the following season. Ah. the memories! Anyway, a solid win, and under surprising circumstances, for New York, and they finally earn their first "w" for this year - and it come sin mid-October!    My pick: Inaccurate