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Well, two of the three remaining winless teams entering this weekend managed to win, while one of the four remaining unbeatens lost their first game. Meanwhile, some teams took serious steps towards establishing themselves as teams to be taken seriously, such as the Colts, Bucs, Titans, and Bears, while others fell and cemented their status as disappointments, including the Vikings and Texans.
Let’s take a closer look at the games that were in the NFL for week six:
NY Giants 20, Washington 19 – For weeks, it seemed that the G-Men were always on the cusp of their first win of the season, only to lose it right at the end. But in a tough divisional game against the Washington Football Team, the Giants just had enough to hold onto a lead, with their defense holding on the crucial two-point conversion that Washington went for after scoring a touchdown late that might have gone to overtime had they decided to settle and not go for the win right away. For the G-Men, it iced their first win of the season, at long last following a very frustrating 0-5 start. The two teams are now tied at the bottom of the NFC East, although neither team is yet too far behind in the standings for what has proven to be a very weak division, likely the weakest in the entire league. My pick: Accurate
Pittsburgh 38, Cleveland 7 – For the Browns, this was a brutal reminder not to get too far ahead of themselves, even after a four game winning streak. If the offense had looked like they were catching fire, a blowout divisional road loss – the second such loss for Cleveland this season – is a sobering reminder that there is still plenty of work to do. The offense looked terrible, and the defense may have looked even worse than that. They clearly betrayed their frustration on the sidelines. As for the Steelers, this was a very solid win that keeps them unbeaten on the year, as they now improve to 5-0 for only the second time in franchise history. This is now their best start to a season since the 1978 season. My pick: Inaccurate
Chicago 23, Carolina 16 – A tough, mostly low-scoring affair, which is what you would mostly expect from these two teams. The Bears did not exactly light it up on offense, but they find a way to keep winning, week after week. Each of their five wins have been in tight games decided in the final minutes, and this one was no exception. A crucial interception late in the game iced it for Da Bears, who improve to 5-1 on the season, and who also now find themselves in a first-place tie with the Packers, who lost. My pick: Accurate
Tennessee 42, Houston 36 (OT) – The Texans looked like they were about to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the season, and hand the Titans their first loss. Instead, the Titans came storming back, playing well when it mattered the most, scoring late to force overtime, and then scoring a touchdown once in overtime to secure the win to remain unbeaten. They enter a big showdown against the Steelers next week, in a battle of the two remaining undefeated teams in the AFC, where they will enjoy home field advantage. My pick: Accurate
Baltimore 30, Philadelphia 28 – The Ravens took an early and seemingly decisive big lead, only to have the Eagles storm back and make this a far more competitive game than it seemed to be at first. But the Ravens managed to hang on and secure the win, to stay hot and improve to 5-1 on the season. They need to keep winning, too, since the Steelers have managed to avoid losing any games to this point. As for the Eagles, this was another disappointing setback in a season that seems to have too many of those so far. They are better than their record indicates, but at some point, they are going to need to show how good they are with more wins. My pick: Accurate
Detroit 34, Jacksonville 16 – The Lions got the job done when they needed to. Neither team could really afford to lose this game, at least not if they wanted to remain relevant this season. But the Jaguars were dominated again, and the Lions, to their credit, earned a solid win that restores some faith for this season. They looked good on both offense and defense, and now move fully ahead of the reeling Vikings into third place. They may be too far behind both the Packers and the Bears to entertain any hopes of making a run for a division title, but they can still possibly do some impressive things this season, if they can build on this. That is ind of a big “if” traditionally for Detroit, but this was nevertheless a solid win that surely makes them feel a bit better. On the flip side, this was another disappointing setback for Jax, as their season continues to fall apart at the seams. My pick: Inaccurate
Atlanta 40, Minnesota 23 – This was yet one more game that took me by surprise. The Falcons seemed to be in a free fall. It seemed like they just could not keep a lead, that they had the talent, but perhaps lacked the heart, or at least the killer instinct, to put their opponents away. And it kept getting worse for them, as they kept losing, until they entered this game at 0-5. Not that the Vikings were doing way better, as they had stumbled their way to a 1-4 start themselves, despite being quite talented and coming off a very solid and promising season. I had expected the Vikings to come out strong, swinging, and enjoy a statement like win to try, at least, to turn around a season that had been getting away from them. Instead, the Falcons jumped all over them early, and just kept going. This time, Atlanta actually carried it through to the end, not collapsing or giving up the big lead, but holding it through to the end to earn their first victory of the season. And an impressive win, at that! My pick: Inaccurate
Indianapolis 31, Cincinnati 27 - Through most of the first half, this looked like the Bengals were going to be one of the teams meant to pull off a surprising upset. The Colts looked good this season going into this game, yet they fell behind badly to Cincy, and looked poor in the process, down 21-0 early in the second, and still down 24-7 as that quarter grew late. To their credit, however, the Colts scored two quick touchdowns just before the first half to suddenly make it a close game. The Bengals got a field goal in the third quarter, but the Colts scored a touchdown early in the fourth to take the lead for the first time. They kicked a field goal to force Cincy to have to score a touchdown to win it, and the Bengals offense fell short, icing the impressive comeback win for Indianapolis. My pick: Accurate, but barely
Denver 18, New England 12 – Well, if there was one game where it seems like it is now clear that these are not the same old New England Patriots that we are used to seeing, then this would be it. The Pats, normally very tough at home, came out flat. The defense proved tough, especially in the red zone, and the Broncos never actually managed to score a touchdown. Yet, they were able to get field goals – a whole bunch of them. Six, to be exact. And the Denver defense did a number on the Pats offense, frustrating Cam newton all day, much like they did in the Super Bowl some years ago, when Newton was the star quarterback for the Panthers. That defense held the Pats to just a field goal through the first three quarters, before New England rallied in the fourth with a touchdown and a field goal. Unfortunately for the Pats, the two-point conversion after the touchdown failed, and they were unable to get another touchdown. They made the game relatively close towards the end, but their comeback effort fell just short. The loss drops the Patriots to 2-3 on the season, and they now sink to third in the AFC East, the division that they have traditionally owned, having won the division title every single season dating back to 2009. That’s 11 seasons, but they now find themselves behind both the Dolphins and the Bills. As for the Broncos, this was a second straight win, following another Eat Coast win over the Jets. They are now 2-3, and in third place in the AFC West. My pick: Inaccurate
Miami 24, NY Jets 0 – Well, this loss drops Gang Green to 0-6 on the year, and leaves them now as the sole remaining winless team in the league. Unfortunately for the Jets, this one really underscored the problems that they have been enduring through this season, especially on offense. Getting shut out is not a good sign, to say the least. The defense did not have an awful game, but they did not exactly have a great game to keep the team competitive despite the offensive woes, either. Another bad loss in what is quickly turning out to be a disastrous season for the Jets, even by their standards. As for the Fins, this was a great win right on the heels of a terrific road win at San Francisco last weekend, and pushes them ahead of the Patriots in the AFC East for second place, and possibly moving within a half a game of the Bills, should Buffalo lose to Kansas City tomorrow. My pick: Accurate
Tampa Bay 38, Green Bay 10 – Wow! I clearly got this one very wrong. In truth, the Packers offense had looked virtually unstoppable to this point, and I did not see them having such a poor performance here. The offense looked very pedestrian, while the defense clearly was also not up to the task. The now 43-year old Tom Brady looked poised and solid in the pocket, throwing two touchdowns, and easily winning this showdown of two of the best quarterbacks in league history. The Bucs improve to 4-2 on the season, while the formerly unbeaten Packers fall to 4-1, half a game now behind the Bears. My pick: Inaccurate
Sunday Night Football: San Francisco 24, LA Rams 16 – Another game that I got wrong. The Rams had looked solid on defense to this point, but it always seems that they struggle against San Fran, especially on the road. That was the case this time around, as well. The Rams did not perform well, and the 49ers, on the other hand, looked and played solidly. They won when they needed to, as a loss would have pulled them down convincingly to last place. Instead, they stay within half a game of the Cardinals, and are now only one game behind the Rams for second place. For Los Angeles, however, this sobering loss now sets them back even further against the still unbeaten Seahawks, who did not play. But if they remain unbeaten for much longer, they may have this division wrapped up for all intents and purposes well before Thanksgiving. My pick: Inaccurate
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