Week 6 Preview

      Week Six in the NFL is the winding down of the early season thoughts. We have an opinion on most teams now that are going to be hard to change now. So after this week it might be time to think about 2013 if your team is 1-5 or the dreaded 0-6 (we are looking at you Cleveland). It also is a time to get some confidence in your team, so long as they aren't planning a nuclear meltdown.

Thursday Night Review: Sorry Tennessee, but this is more about Pittsburgh. The Steelers have been sort of fading the last couple years; but we always sort of scoffed it of because, well, they are the STEELERS. This year seems very different however. Pittsburgh is an average team on offense this year, ranking 16th in points and 17th in yards. It isn't even the usual suspect in the offensive line, as the Steelers are tied for 18th in sacks allowed. The one not really average thing on offense is that they are number one on 3rd down, converting 52% of the time. Not really a big issue though. The issue is the typically highly touted defense has just stopped being that good. They are 16th in sacks, 19th in points allowed, and are only have forced 6 turnovers. It is just average, and don't be surprised if the 2012 Steelers are just average.

Game of the Week: Giants and 49ers gets the nod for the most intriguing game this week. Anytime you rematch the NFC championship game it is going to be highly anticipated. Throw in the fact it went into overtime last year, and the Kyle Williams redemption story, and it is hard to imagine this game won't be good. It is seeming like everyone is on the 49ers as the best NFC team, which is all too perfect for the "us against the world" Giants. Everyone feels like the 49ers are going to win, which is all too perfect for the "us against the world" Giants. There was an article on ESPN earlier this week about how the Giants feel disrespected, and no one really reconsidered if they have overlooked them. WHICH IS ALL TOO PERFECT FOR THE "US AGAINST THE WORLD" GIANTS. They are going to win this, get an article about how they are still one of the best, and then proceed to lose next week. 17-10

Upset of the Week: I was thinking last week after the first time writing this about picking against Cleveland every week. Feeling like they may only win 4 games, I would probably be best served picking against them every week and accepting the 4 losses. Then, this week felt like there were a lot of either good games or easy picks. So guess what? CLEVELAND PICK! Joe Haden is back so hopefully he covers A.J. much better than the Browns covered Victor Cruz last week. Also, as stated last week here, Cincinnati isn't all that great. So coming back to 3-3 is not that crazy for them. Add in a good day for Trent Richardson, and I think Cleveland gets rid of the doughnut. 31-24 Cleveland. More likely though, I am taking a loss for betting on any Cleveland sports team to win.

Almost Game of the Week: The number one offense, versus the number one defense. The Patriots against the Seahawks is going to be a lot of fun on one side of the ball. Problem is we are also going to have to see the Seahawks offense (opposite of fun), take on an improved (but not great) Patriots defense. This is going to be close for the first half, but Tom Brady is going to wear the Seahawks defense down. Also, I am really never sure if the Seahawks are going to be able to move the football forward. 24-6 Patriots, but it will be so much closer than the score.

Chalk These Up: Atlanta can't go 16-0, but they can go 6-0 since they are playing the Raiders. 34-17. Miami pulled off the good karma upset last week. I don't think they can keep the good feeling going against the improved Rams. 20-7 St. Louis. I see a Tony Romo bounce back coming, just not against the Ravens. 21-13. The Cardinals are really not a 5-1 team, but they got an ice cold Buffalo Bills at home. There is no circling the wagons this week, 10-3 Cardinals.

Rest of the League: Indianapolis goes to New York to take on the Jets. Andrew Luck is looking solid in his 4th year in the league while rookie Mark Sanchez is struggling. Wait... Luck is the rookie and Sanchez is in his 4th season? 24-10 Colts. Detroit is not this bad, and unfortunately the Eagles are going to see them on the wrong week. Lions take this one in order to avoid going 1-4, 38-31. Both the Chiefs and the Buccaneers  have looked, well just plain awful. The Chiefs have been THE WORST team at holding on to the football, but they have been so bad that I think they have to come back to the pack a little. They take care of the ball this week, and win 27-16. Vikings and Redskins is definitely going to be the most underrated game this week. The Vikings are still very under the radar and still very dangerous. As for the Redskins it does not get much more fun than Robert Griffin's squad. 24-23, Vikings are sneakingly 5-1. Sunday Night Football is filled with story lines this week, and is going to be filled with great football. Texans will leave the Falcons in the ranks of the unbeaten, but just because the Pack needs it more. 34-31 Green Bay. Last game of the week, the old noodle arm that could Peyton Manning goes up against the Chargers. As Matthew Berry pointed out, the Chargers are 31st in yards per pass attempt. Couple that with the fact that Phillip Rivers is also on pace for a great decrease in pass attempts. It looks like nervous Norv Turner just doesn't trust his quarterback anymore. Peyton's arm looks rejuvenated and the Chargers get hit with the wet noodle. 30-21 Broncos.

Last Week's Record (10-3)