Week 6 Preview

Week 6 in the NFL is already a good one as far as I’m concerned, for anytime the Steelers lose is a good week for me.

Meanwhile, here are some other games of interest on tap for the pro football weekend.

The winless Browns – the lone winless team remaining in the NFL now that the Saints have gotten off the proverbial schneid – are hosting the 3-2 Bengals.  I’m sure there is a win somewhere in Cleveland’s future, but I fear this is not it.

Likewise, I’m sure there’s a loss somewhere in Atlanta’s and Houston’s futures, but will it come in Week 6?  The Falcons have the challenge of heading to the West Coast. The Raiders did beat the Steelers in Week 2, and they’re coming off their bye week.  Still, Atlanta is statistically much better on both sides of the ball, and so I wouldn’t bet against the Falcons in this spot.

The Jets hosting the Colts is an interesting match-up, especially because of the juxtaposition of quarterbacks involved.  Luck is an impressive competitor, while Sanchez so often seems like a head case.  New York badly, badly needs this win, though, particularly with a trip to New England in store for the following Sunday.  The Colts, meanwhile, are riding high after their emotional victory over the Packers.  I’m predicting a letdown week for Indy, as New York rises up and gets the job done.

Speaking of the Patriots, they travel to Seattle this Sunday to take on the Seahawks.  Both teams are 3-2, which is enough to give New England the lead in their division.  In the tough NFC West, however, Seattle can’t afford to miss a step.  They have the better defense, while the Patriots have the much better offense.  Personally, I’m a believer that great defenses beat great offenses.  That, along with the cross-country trip and noisy home field advantage, make me like the Seahawks in this one.  (Well, not like them, but favor them to win.)

Another great match-up of east meets west is the Giants’ trip to San Francisco (a phrase that would sound like a historical reference to a baseball fan).  New York has been uneven so far early in 2012, while the 49ers have been hitting on all cylinders.  And, again, my inclination is to side with the better defense, especially when it is also the home team. 

Within our own Division, the Bears get the week off, while the Lions, Vikings, and Packers all hit the road.

Our road trip is indisputably the hardest one.  More about that in a moment.  The surprising Vikings head to DC to take on RGIII and the 2-3 Redskins.  Minnesota has the superior defense, but Washington brings some unique challenges with their versatile quarterback.  Minnesota is coming off an exhilarating blowout of Tennessee, while Washington lost a close, tough one to the Falcons.  I like the Redskins in this situation.  (And of course I’m rooting for them, too.)

The disappointing Lions, meanwhile, travel to Philly to play the 3-2 Eagles.  If Detroit was showing any of its stuff from last year, I’d pick them against the uneven Eagles.  But the Lions are so very un-disciplined and have been playing so badly that I have to go with the home team here.  (And, again, my head and my heart are on the same side.)

Finally, the Packers are on Sunday Night Football against the undefeated Houston Texans.  If it were last year’s Packers against this year’s Texans, it would be the undisputed game of the week.  As it is, however, the contest is simply a must-win for a desperate Green Bay squad that can’t seem to find itself. 

At times, our defense has been stifling, but they haven’t generated the turnovers, and they couldn’t stop the Colts when they needed to last week.  At times, the offense has looked like the score-at-will, well-oiled machine that was the hallmark of the 2011 team.  Those times have been relatively few and far between, however, while more often they have looked flummoxed by defenses who manage both to pressure Rodgers and to cover his receivers.  On paper, therefore, I like the Texans. 

Still, I believe the Packers of last year are in there somewhere, and I’m convinced that they’ve got the internal leadership to rise to the occasion.  If I were a betting man, therefore, I’d put my money Green Bay to put the pieces together, upset the Texans at home, and get folks talking again about the Packers as one of the best teams in the NFL. 

Week 6 began well.  I expect it to end well, too.