For the second consecutive week, the Dallas Cowboys are the featured image in this article. That just goes to show you what they did on the road against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Falling down 10-0 early on, Dallas dominated the defending Super Bowl champions to pull off an impressive victory.
Outside of the Cowboys performance, there is a lot we can take away from Sunday’s Week 6 NFL action.
Like we have done throughout the season, let’s check in on 10 things that we learned from Sunday’s slate of games.
1. The Cleveland Browns Belong in the AFC North Conversation
Courtesy of ClevelandBrowns.com: Mike Pettine and Co. are on the rise.
By virtue of what has to be considered a dominating 31-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, these Browns are clearly in the conversation in the ultra-competitive AFC North. They won this game despite the fact that Brian Hoyer completed a total of eight passes.
The domination was up front, where Cleveland’s offensive line gutted a previously solid Steelers defensive front to the tune of 158 yards on 38 attempts. It’s that type of old-school mentality that enabled the Browns to pull off a win despite not playing their best football on offense.
Now at 3-2 on the season and coming off six consecutive quarters of good football, it appears that the Browns are finally prepared to turn the corner. With games coming up against Jacksonville, Oakland and Tampa Bay before an early-November matchup with Cincinnati, this team could very well run off a nice little winning streak. And for that alone, the Browns are clearly in the AFC North title conversation.
2. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are Horrible
Courtesy of Buccaneers.com: Surprisingly, the Buccaneers defense has been horrible this year.
You have to be able to compete on a regular basis in the NFL. And up to this point in the season, Lovie Smith’s team simply hasn’t done that consistently. For the second time in four games, Tampa Bay fell down big time early on. It was looking a 28-point deficit right in the face after the first 15 minutes of football. And when the game went into the half, Tampa Bay was down by a whopping six scores. That’s simply not going to get it done.
And unfortunately for fans in Tampa Bay, it was the defense that laid down against what had been a mediocre Baltimore Ravens offense. Joe Flacco threw five touchdowns in the first half and finished with a near-perfect quarterback rating. The secondary struggled big time, as Torrey Smith and Steve Smith both made big plays down the field. And when Baltimore went to the ground with the game out of hand in the second half, Tampa Bay couldn’t stop that either. Overall, the Ravens put up 48 points and nearly 500 yards of offense in the blowout victory.
Now at 1-5 heading into the bye, Tampa Bay must work on fixing major issues on both sides of the ball. What is its identity on offense and can it possibly find a way to improve on defense? After all, the struggles on that side of the ball have to be frustrating for a defensive-minded head coach in Lovie Smith.
3. The Dallas Cowboys are NFC’s Best
Courtesy of DallasCowboys.com: Dallas imposed its will against a heavily favored Seahawks team on the road.
This is rather clear. Following a game in which they dominated the defending champion Seattle Seahawks on the road (yeah, that happened), the Cowboys have clearly staked their claim as the best team in the NFC through six weeks. While having to come from behind in the fourth quarter of this one, it was clear that Dallas was the better team on Sunday. It outgained the Seahawks by nearly 200 yards, held on to the ball for 15 minutes longer and imposed its will in the trenches.
Falling down 10-0 early in this game, previous Cowboys teams would have completely fallen apart on the road at CenturyLink. Instead, Jason Garrett’s team pulled off an impressive win and has now put up their best six-game start since the 2007 season. Now winners of five in a row, the Cowboys have to be taken seriously as top contenders in the NFL. That much really cannot be ignored entering Week 7.
4. Talk of Tom Brady’s Demise Grossly Exaggerated
Courtesy of Patriots.com: Brady and the Pats might very well be back.
Following yet another great performance, all the talk that Brady and the Patriots are done can be thrown out the window. The future Hall of Fame quarterback completed 27-of-37 passes for 361 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions in an impressive 37-22 road win against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
In a sign that the Patriots offense is back and clicking, Brady connected with nine different receivers. It was also his ability to spread the ball around the field that enabled New England to overcome a ground game that put up just 50 yards on 27 rush attempts. After a horrendous start that saw him throw just four touchdowns in his first four games, Brady has now thrown six in his last two outings. He also completed nearly 70 percent of his passes in these two games, which came against good defenses in the form of the Bengals and Bills.
5. Detroit Boasts the Best Defense in the NFL
Courtesy of DetroitLions.com: With Calvin Johnson sitting, the Lions defense nearly pitched a shutout.
After holding the Minnesota Vikings to just over 200 yards of total offense and three points on Sunday, it’s rather obvious that Detroit boasts the best defense in the NFL through six weeks. This unit forced three Teddy Bridgewater interceptions, sacked the young quarterback eight times and hit him a total of 12 times in the 17-3 victory.
If you’re shocked by Detroit possessing the best statistical defense in the league, you’re not alone. This is a unit that has struggled in nearly every aspect of the game through the years. But now with Teryl Austin calling the shots, everything seems to be coming together. The Lions now rank first in total defense, first in points against, third against the run and second against the pass. Talk about complete and utter domination.
6. Cardinals are the Class of the NFC West
Courtesy of AZCardinals.com: Bruce Arians’ squad sit atop of the NFC West through six weeks.
This is true right now, but I have a hard time believing that the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are going to sit down and let Arizona capture the NFC West without a fight. With that said, the 4-1 Cardinals are the class of the best division in football through six weeks.
Welcoming back Carson Palmer from injury, Bruce Arians’ squad was able to overcome some sloppy play to defeat a bad Washington Redskins team 30-20. Palmer completed 28-of-44 passes for 250 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions in his return to action. With this performance, Cardinals quarterbacks have now gone a full five games and 178 pass attempts without an interception this season.
Defensively, Arizona looks as a strong as ever. It intercepted Kirk Cousins a total of three times, while the likes of Rashad Johnson, Tyrann Mathieu and Jerraud Powers played great football in the secondary. If the Cardinals are able to consistently put up performances like this on the defensive side of the ball, they are going to be tough to beat when they hit the NFC West part of their schedule late in the season. But for now, this team has to be taken seriously as one of the best in the conference.
7. Ties Suck
Courtesy of Panthers.com: No one wants to see a well-played game end in a tie.
Someone (I am not sure who), once said that ties are like kissing your sister. Based on the looks of some Cincinnati Bengals players as the clock struck zero in overtime on Sunday, this theory may very well be true. Though, I am pretty sure no one reading this article wants to test said theory.
As it is, the Bengals and Carolina Panthers played one heck of a game on Sunday afternoon only to come away with a 37-37 tie. One team (Carolina) was uber excited as Cincinnati’s kicker Mike Nugent missed a game-winning fied goal attempt as time expired in overtime. But at the end of the day, it was the same result for each team. And to be brutally honest, a tie like this can screw up the entire NFL playoff race, especially considering the two teams are from separate conferences. It’s also the third tie in as many seasons. Let’s just hope that the league’s rules committee addresses this in the offseason.
8. Kicking Could Cost the Lions Some Games this Year
Courtesy of DetroitLions.com: Matt Prater, who missed three of four field goals, wasn’t too happy after the game.
After newly acquired Matt Prater hit just 1-of-3 field goals in Detroit’s 17-3 win over the Minnesota Vikings, Lions kickers are now 5-of-15 on field goals this season. It doesn’t take a math major to figure out that this means 30 points have been left off the scoreboard for the Lions through six games. At some point, this is going to cost the Lions another game. And unfortunately for Jim Caldwell and Co., that could very well mean a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive NFC North.
With Nate Freese and Alex Henery already being shown their walking papers, it’s highly unlikely that Detroit will send Prater packing. This means that Detroit will have to rely on the former Pro Bowl, who probably doesn’t have a ton of confidence right now, to get the job done for the remainder of the season.
9. Something isn’t Clicking in Seattle
Courtesy of Seahawks.com: Wilson couldn’t pull this one out, as Seattle continues to play lackluster football.
Seattle’s defense yielded 23 first downs and 401 yards of offense against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. This represents the fourth consecutive game that the Seahawks have given up 300-plus yards of offense. For comparison’s sake, Seattle gave up 300-plus yards just seven times all of last season.
More than some perceived struggles on defense, Seattle’s offense was downright atrocious as the team was dominated in every category in a 30-23 loss to the Cowboys. It acquired nine first downs and 206 yards of offense. Russell Wilson completed just half of his passes for 126 yards. And to be honest, the offensive line is a complete dumpster fire right now.
Many proclaimed Seattle to be odds-on-favorites to win the Super Bowl heading into the season. Now after yet another lackluster performance, its standing as the top team in the NFL has to be questioned. By no means is this an indication that Seattle isn’t going to contend for a Super Bowl. Rather, it will have to fight harder than ever to get back to the big game.
10. Derek Carr is the Real Deal
Courtesy of USA Today: Derek Carr continues to impress in Oakland.
Carr may have thrown a game-clinching interception late in the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers, but his overall performance in the narrow loss is the main thing we should take out of this game. The rookie second-round pick connected on 18-of-34 passes for nearly 300 yards with four touchdowns and that one interception. He did so with a new head coach on the sideline and against a defense that has been among the best in the NFL up to this point in the season.
Even at 0-5 on the season, Oakland has to be happy with the progression of Carr at quarterback. While the team would love to win a few games, the more important thing moving forward this season is going to be Carr’s progression under center and just how well he responds to in-game situations. Through six weeks, the Fresno State product has proven that he’s the best rookie signal caller in the NFL and has a bright future. And for that alone, Raiders fans should be excited.
Photo: DallasCowboys.com