Four NFL teams guaranteed to lose in Week 6

Week 6 brings us some awesome matchups, including some divisional rivalries and big-time grudge games. Unfortunately, it also features a few stinkers. Based on early season performances, it’s easy to assess which teams are doomed to fail going up against top teams.

The following franchises will surely lose in Week 6 versus a superior opponent.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers escaped with a victory against the San Diego Chargers last week when Le’Veon Bell scored a last-second touchdown.

However, they’ll be looking at loss No. 3 against the Arizona Cardinals, who are shredding opposing teams this season. Arizona’s offense ranks No. 5 overall and should be unstoppable versus Pittsburgh’s shabby secondary. Furthermore, Arizona is averaging 134.8 rushing yards per game at an average of 5.0 yards per attempt, which is the second best in the NFL. This is all happening while Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald, who each look 10 years younger, are making a mockery out of opposing defenses.

As for Pittsburgh’s offense, Michael Vick is decent, but he is struggling to get the ball to the team’s best receiving weapon, Antonio Brown. Brown’s targets have diminished significantly, and he only has managed eight catches in the last two weeks. Furthermore, Brown hasn’t scored since Week 2, and his lack of touchdowns is hurting the team.

If anyone is going to save Pittsburgh’s game, it will be their stud rusher Bell. Although the Cardinals have only allowed one running back rushing score all season and will be on double duty to shut Bell down without a viable passing threat to contend with.

There are just two many variables that favor Arizona as a better team overall to dominate Pittsburgh in Week 6.

Indianapolis Colts

This is going to be a fantastic Sunday Night Football game that is all about revenge, even though New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says it is not.

The Patriots and Brady are playing some of the best football we’ve seen in a long time, and they’ll be heading to Indy to put the Colts go through the ringer after Indianapolis accused them of cheating last January. Brady did not have a great summer break hassling with the “Deflategate” scandal, and he’ll make the Colts pay.

Andrew Luck will likely be back after missing two weeks, and he’ll be looking to post his first win against a team that has gotten the better of him ever since his rookie year with the Colts. During the four games in which Luck has faced the Patriots, the Colts have lost by at least 20 points each time. That’s an ugly stat that Luck and team would like to put to rest.

Luck unfortunately is off to a horrific start this season statistically, while sustaining a shoulder injury along the way. He has some fantastic offensive weapons, and we witnessed Matt Hasselbeck take advantage of them over the past couple of weeks. The only way the Colts could possibly win is if Luck can stop turning over the ball, which is something he has managed to do eight times over three games.

Even if Luck plays well, the Patriots offense is too finely well-tuned. The Colts feature the 29th-ranked defense in the league, which will be no match for Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Co. It will be one of the most incredible upsets of the season if the Colts somehow pull a win out of their hat.

Seattle Seahawks

 

The Seattle Seahawks have not been too impressive this year, while the Carolina Panthers have managed four straight wins because of some outstanding play by Cam Newton, who will finally beat Seattle for the first time in his career.

Currently, Carolina’s defense is allowing only 5.7 yards per passing attempt, along with only four passing touchdowns.

Russell Wilson only has six touchdowns so far this season and could easily be stymied by Carolina’s stout secondary. Additionally, Carolina’s rush defense is quite legit and has only allowed 92 ground yards per game. The Seahawks finally found their rush game last week when Thomas Rawls posted the only score Seattle has to date on the ground. For a team who relies on its running game, there hasn’t been much of one this season.

As for Seattle’s secondary, it isn’t nearly as scary as it was in years’ past. The Legion of Boom is having a terrible time slowing down offenses, especially in the fourth quarter. Seattle has dumped two games in overtime contests, and it nearly lost to the Detroit Lions in Week 4 when a bad referee call saved the game.

Meanwhile, Newton and the Carolina Panthers are getting the job done offensively, while limiting opposing teams with their ominous defense.

Normally we would assume that Carolina would beatable playing on the road in Seattle. However, the Seahawks as a unit are playing too poorly this season to support that theory.

Washington

It’s time for Washington’s perfect road record against the New York Jets to end in Week 6 at MetLife Stadium.

The Jets are returning fresh from a bye week, and they also get defensive end Sheldon Richardson back. Even without Richardson, the Jets’ defense has been brutal, forcing the most takeaways (3.25) on average per game than any other NFL team this season. Combined with the fact that quarterback Kirk Cousins has the incredible knack to choke at just the wrong moment in any particular game, this is a recipe for disaster.

And, while Cousins has the ability to pile up some massive passing yards, he’ll be hard-pressed to accomplish this task against the Jets’ secondary in Week 6. The Jets’ mighty “D” has allowed an average of only 199.25 quarterback passing yards per game.

Washington will be challenged on the ground as well, because they’ll be up against a rush defense that has yielded only 94.75 rushing yards per outing at a pace of 3.8 yards per attempt.

Washington’s defense will pose its own threats to the Jets’ offense, although it’s going to struggle to stop Brandon Marshall, who surpassed 100 yards in his last three games. The Redskins will also have their hands full limiting a slippery Chris Ivory, who destroyed the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 with 166 yards and one touchdown at a pace of 5.72 yards per carry.

In the end, Washington will be hard-pressed to finish victorious against the Jets, who have allowed opposing teams to score a measly average of only 13.75 points per game. Week 6 easily goes to the home team.