10 Things We Learned On The NFL’s Sixth Sunday

Added on Oct 18, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

The 2010 NFL season is beginning to make sense. At least as far as which teams are good and which ones aren’t is concerned. It seems fairly safe to assume that the Steelers, Jets, Patriots, Ravens, Colts, Saints and Giants are solid. Meanwhile, the Browns, Lions, 49ers, Raiders, Chargers and Cowboys all have serious issues that may or may not be correctable. Everyone else can be placed in the ‘wait and see’ category. As always, there was much to be learned on this sixth Sunday of the season. Ten things to be exact.

10. The Packers are average – As the injuries continue to mount for the Packers, it’s painfully clear they are no longer a surefire bet to make the postseason. Nail-biters and overtime games have a tendency to catch up with even the most talented teams. At 3-3, Green Bay has little room for error. Brett Favre and Randy Moss are lying in wait.

9. The Chargers remain an enigma – Norv Turner has survived the guillotine before, but the executioner must be sharpening the blade at this point. They have been a nightmare on the road and an ankle injury to Antonio Gates won’t do anything to improve their mood. The 4-1 Patriots arrive in town next Sunday. Stay underwhelming, San Diego.

8. Big Ben makes the Steelers the team to beat – Now that naughty Ben Roethlisberger has served his time in bad boy jail, the Steelers can get on with the business of beating the hell out of everybody in their path. Suffocating defense, punishing running game, championship-winning quarterback. You do the math. Pittsburgh has a super look about them.

7. Kansas City isn’t ready to turn the page – Back-to-back road losses to the Colts and Texans has left the formally unbeaten Chiefs scrambling for answers. It’s probably small consolation, but they have played well in defeat. It’s the little things that separate contenders from also-rans. KC is headed in the right direction. Baby steps, Todd Haley.

6. The Lions are running low on quarterbacks – Matt Stafford is recovering from a bad shoulder. Backup Shaun Hill has a busted arm. This leaves ex-Spartan Drew Stanton left to step under center. A near amazing comeback against the Giants has reason to believe the gritty gutty Lions aren’t doomed. However, the are still 1-5, so it might not make much difference who’s tossing the pigskin.

5. There’s still a quarterback controversy in Philly – Leave it to the Eagles. Kevin Kolb looked like the second-coming of Derrick Anderson six weeks ago. Now he looks like the second-coming of um, uh, the 2009 version of himself? Andy Reid thinks having two starting signal callers is “beautiful.” Methinks the local and national media does too.

4. The numbers never lie – Here’s why the Bears lost to the Seahawks: 0-12 on third-down conversions, six sacks allowed, 12 called running plays for 42 yards. A Mike Martz offense sounds great in theory, but when put into practice it almost always falls short of expectations.

3. Jason Campbell is still Jason Campbell – 8-21, 83 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs. Good gracious. When Bruce Gradkowski is missed, you know the situation is dire. I’m not sure Campbell belongs in the UFL let alone the NFL.

2. Bad playcalling and turnovers are a recipe for disaster – With less than eight minutes and the score locked at 21-21, the Cowboys faced a 3rd and 1. Even though Marion Barber had converted all his previous 3rd and 1 runs, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett called a pass. What happened? Tony Romo threw an interception. The Vikings took over and kicked the eventual game-winning field goal. No wonder Dallas is 1-4.

1. The Redskins are fun to watch – Five of the Skins’ six games have been decided by six points or less, and two of those were in overtime. Just goes to show that great coaching can go a long way. Despite being undermanned in the talent department most weeks, Mike Shanahan’s bunch are a tough out.