NFL Week 6 Wrap-up

Six weeks in, and some teams are turning things around, for good and bad:

Turning Good:
The Denver Broncos
After tying the Chargers at 8-8 but losing their division last season, the Broncos were an afterthought in the AFC West. They have a rookie head coach, and a starting QB who played ok but not great in the past. But starting with a fluke win in Week 1, the Broncos are undefeated and are quickly running away with the West. They even beat up on the much-talked about Chargers last night, winning 34-23, and dropping the Chargers to 2-3, and beat the presumed NFL Champion Patriots last week. With a revatalized D and an offense thats actually been getting along, the Broncos can wrap up their division pretty quickly if they can keep this up.

Pittsburgh Steelers
With a 1-2 start and no running game to speak of, the Steelers looked in trouble. But with RB Willie Parker's injury came the emergence of Rashard Mendenhall, and the return of the run in Steel Town. Now they've won three straight and are tied atop the AFC North with the Bengals. Mendenhall has allowed Ben Roethlisberger to do what he does best: make big plays when he has to and simply manage the game the rest of the time. If the running game as it stands can stay healthy, thats a recipe for another division title.

Turning Bad:
NY Jets
The Jets started out 3-0 and looked like the team to beat in the AFC. But in Week 4, their offense couldn't get on the same page. Week 5, the defense looked like swiss cheese against the Miami Wildcat. Now in Week 6, the defense played well, the running game set single-game records, and Mark Sanchez looked like a college back-up instead of an starting NFL QB. With a 5 INT performance(6 if you count the jump-ball thrown up by Steve Weatherford on a botched field goal), the Jets have lost three striaght to even out at 3-3. The losses are compounded by the fact that two of them came against the Bills and Dolphins, who were a combined 2-7 when they played the Jets. Combined with the loss of defensive anchor Kris Jenkins, the Jets are reeling and will have to face a Raiders team coming off an upset win of the powerhouse Eagles this week. Rex Ryan had said the Bills game was a must-win. Now, playing in Oakland where they have traditionally struggled, this game takes on even more importance, as a loss here going into the Dolphins rematch could be completely demoralizing.

Tennesee Titans
Last season the Titans were 10-0 to start the season. Their only major personnel loss in the offseason was NT Albert Haynesworth. They are so far 0-6, and are coming off what is tied for the worst shutout loss in post-merger NFL history. Tom Brady, who has struggled at times this year, threw for 380 yards and 6 TDs. In contrast, Titans QB Kerry Collins was 2/17 for -7(yes, thats NEGATIVE SEVEN) yards passing. NFL.com lists Vince Young as the teams leading passer, and he had no completions. Kerry Collins and head coach Jeff Fischer's days may be numbered, especially if they can't fix things after this weeks bye.

Injuries:
Kris Jenkins, NT, Jets: out for the season with a torn ACL
Lofa Tatupu, LB, Seahawks: out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle
Antwan Odom, DE, Bengals: out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon
Trent Edwards, QB, Bills: day-to-day with a concussion

Fantasy Studs:

1. Tom Brady. I've chronicled his struggles just about each week this season. But there's no denying he blew up with a legendary performance this week, and didn't even play most of the second half.
2. Matt Schaub. It was an even-numbered week this week, so the Houston Texans won. Schaub threw for more yards than Brady, 392, but only 4 TDs in the win.
3. Maurice Jones-Drew. When MJD first blew up a few years ago, most people asked "Where did this guy come from?" At times this season people have asked "Where did this guy go?" But the Rams layed down like sheep for him, and he ran over them for 133 yards rushing, 45 receiving, and 3 TDs.
   

Fantasy Duds:

1. Kerry Collins. 2/17, -7 yards speaks for itself.
2. Mark Sanchez. A TD-to-INT ratio of 0-5 speaks for itself, too.
3. Nate Washington. I don't even know how this is possible, but he had 1 reception for -22 yards. And due to the fact that the Titans only completed one other pass, he was the teams second leading receiver.

Week 6 Picks:
Straight up: 8-6, 59-31 overall
ATS: 7-7, 54-36 overall
o/u: 3-10-1, 37-52-1 overall


Questions for Week 7:
Will Washington improve?
Jim Zorn has been stripped of his play-calling duties, and they've been handed to previously retired Sherman Lewis. Zorn said himself after this weeks 14-6 loss to winless Kansas City that the offense is better than 6 points. Hes right, of course. In the next three weeks, they face Philly, have a bye, then face Atlanta. They need to show improvement in that span to save peoples jobs, if it isn't already too late.(It probably is)

Will the Jets improve?
3-0, then 0-3. Kris Jenkins is out for the season. They have a rematch against the Dolphins in two weeks. They play on the West Coast this week, where they were 0-4 last season. Mark Sanchez is coming off his worst game, probably at any level, ever. If they can't put it all back together this week, are their early-season playoff hopes dashed?

Will we see more changes in the coming weeks?
With the bye this week, the Titans need to take a long look at putting Vince Young back on the field. The Redskins might be looking to shake up the team even more. The Browns have their only win with Derek Anderson, but that doesn't mean he's played any better than Brady Quinn. The Rams and Bucs both benched their starters, without improvement. Where will the next major changes come from, and will they actually have an impact on their teams?