Here's a Jenn Sterger-free look at some of the big games for Week 6 in the NFL.
The following NFL preview has been declared a "Jenn Sterger" free zone. So put your camera phones away and take a look at some of the big games for week six in the NFL
The don't tell Tom Brady he has hair like a girl game
Ravens vs. Patriots in New England
In my mind, this qualifies as one of the seven signs of the apocalypse. Justin Bieber is now making fun of Tom Brady's hair in a freestyle rap video on YouTube. Bieber skewers Brady with this line: "Tell him to leave his hair to the guy who sings 'Baby.'" No wonder Randy Moss made fun of Tom and told him he had hair like a girl. If Moss made fun of Brady's hair, what in the world do you think that Ray Lewis and the Ravens defence are going to say to him during Sunday's game?
Ignore that knob Justin Bieber for a moment and consider that going into this weekend Brady has the highest quarterback rating in the NFL. It will be interesting to see how much the absence of Moss in the Patriots offence affects Brady. Even with a secondary that isn't close to being at full speed, the Ravens are still proving to be a nasty defence to deal with and are only giving up an average of 14.4 points per game. Ray Lewis isn't getting any younger, but the man is still the one player that all other linebackers are measured by.
The Ravens unleashed something last week the Patriots are all too familiar with: Ray Rice and the power running game. As much as Bill Belichick is concerned for his team's run defence, it is his young secondary that has been a real issue in New England. The Patriots rank 28th in the NFL in yards passing allowed per game. Even though the Ravens added a proven receiver like Anquan Boldin, they are averaging 214 yards passing a game -- the exact same number as last year. That means quarterback Joe Flacco needs to pick up his game and see if he can exploit the weak links in the Patriots secondary.
The great Wisconsin M*A*S*H unit game
Dolphins vs. Packers in Green Bay
Packers fans were a little relieved Thursday to find out that quarterback Aaron Rodgers was able to take part in practice. Now that doesn't mean the Packers medical staff have cleared Rodgers to play Sunday against the Dolphins, but at least he was able to practise after suffering a concussion in the Packers loss to the Redskins.
Mike McCarthy has a lot more to worry about than just the health of Rodgers. His outstanding tight end Jermichael Finley is out for at least eight weeks after he had his knee scoped. Finley's back-up Donald Lee will likely not dress for Sunday's game. Green Bay's Pro Bowl-calibre linebacker Clay Matthews has a hamstring injury and he's a major question mark as to whether or not he will be able to start Sunday.
Meanwhile the Dolphins are coming off a bye week and come into Lambeau Field on a mission. The Dolphins need to keep winning in order to keep pace with the Jets and the Patriots in the AFC East. If there is one player that concerns the Packers it is Dolphins linebacker Cameron Wake. The former B.C. Lion has done a great job of putting consistent pressure on the quarterback this year. If Rodgers ends up getting the green light from the medical staff to start, keeping guys like Wake out of his grill will be a top priority for the Packers offensive line. The Dolphins have an aggressive and physical defence, keeping them away from Rodgers won't be easy.
The Godzilla versus Megatron game
Lions vs. Giants at the Meadowlands
Megatron is the nickname for Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. Godzilla should be the group nickname for the Giants front four. Much like Godzilla laid waste to cities and towns throughout Japan in the 1960s (I'm pretty sure it was a fictional movie) the Giants front four have been laying waste to opposing quarterbacks the last two weeks. Osi Umenyiora has five sacks in his past two games, Justin Tuck has four. The Lions offensive line better have their pass protection technique dialed in for Sunday's game or poor Shaun Hill is going to receive the dreaded "Jay Cutler" treatment.
The big issue for Lions coach Jim Schwartz is the status of his Megatron. Johnson has a banged-up shoulder and while he practised this week, his status is also in doubt. The Lions are coming off a big win over the Rams and served notice to everyone that they are a much better than their 1-4 record indicates.
Because they play in New York, everything the Giants do, good or bad, is magnified. Three weeks ago the Giants lost to the Titans and the New York media were ready to fire Tom Coughlin and had all but hired Bill Cowher as his replacement. Well coming off of back-to-back wins over the Bears and the Texans, all of a sudden Coughlin is a good coach again. Go figure.
If the Lions are going to have a chance in this game, they are going to have to do a much better job covering Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks than the Texans did.
The never-ending Mardi gras party could be over game
Saints vs. Buccaneers in Tampa Bay
Mike Florio of profootballtalk.com had a frightening story this week. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, even if they are able to make the playoffs, expect to have every game blacked out on local television this year. That speaks volumes of the still recovering American economy. It should also serve as a huge wake-up call to NFL owners and the NFLPA as to what's at stake should the league end up in a work stoppage.
Right about now, the Saints don't really care about the Bucs' attendance woes because they have issues of their own. Coming off their loss to the Cardinals, the Saints offence is scoring an average of 19.8 points per game. During last year's magical run to the Super Bowl the Saints led the NFL by scoring an average of 31.9 points per game. That's a big difference and that's why Sean Payton and Drew Brees look so stressed on the sidelines.
The Vegas odds makers have listed the Saints as four-point favourites for this game. Considering how much moxy this young Bucs team has shown and considering the Saints struggles on offence, I like Tampa to cover the spread.
The Dirty Harry he gets results game
Falcons vs. Eagles in Philadelphia
Forget about the handle the "Dirty Birds," the Atlanta Falcons should be called the "Dirty Harry's" of the NFL. As in, you might not always like their methods, but they get results. In their past three games, the Falcons beat the Saints in overtime, they had a last-second win over the 49ers and had a win gift-wrapped courtesy of Jake Delhomme. Falcons coach Mike Smith could care less about style points; he's only in the business of winning.
In Philadelphia, Andy Reid is still waiting for Michael Vick's damaged ribs to heal and on Friday, the Eagles announced Kevin Kolb will get his second straight start. Kolb played a good game in the Eagles' win over the 49ers. Whereas Alex Smith was throwing picks and fumbling the game away, Kolb didn't throw a pick and only had one fumble.
While he thought Kolb was far from perfect, Reid liked the way he played against the 49ers: "A couple throws there you would like to have back, but I thought the rest of it, he did a pretty good job." No reason to rush Vick back into the lineup against a pretty tough Falcons defence.
The triumphant return of Big Ben game
Browns and the Steelers in Pittsburgh
The guy I feel really bad for is Colt McCoy. He seems like a really good kid. Because of injuries to Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme, the young McCoy is making his first NFL start Sunday at Heinz Field. Yes, McCoy will make first NFL start against the Steelers' No. 1 ranked defence in a game where Ben Roethlisberger makes his return to the Black and Gold.
If I were McCoy, I might be puking my guts out before the start of the game. So far this year, the Steelers defence has been scary good. An even scarier thought is what James Harrison and the Steelers defence is capable of doing against a raw and unproven quarterback like McCoy.
The one player the Steelers defence has the utmost respect for is the Browns' 250-pound running back Peyton Hillis. The fact that a neophyte like McCoy is likely starting for the Browns, the pressure is really off of Big Ben. Roethlisberger only has to be good, not great, to beat the Browns. The Steelers defence will be able to more than make up for whatever rust Roethlisberger might have in his game.
The what a difference a coach can make game
Colts vs. Redskins in Washington
This past summer, I started my NFL training camp tour by attending Redskins camp in Ashburn, Virginia. It took all of 10 seconds to realize that Mike Shanahan runs the show at Redskins Park. Whatever coach Shanahan wants, he gets. To my surprise, the players I spoke to loved playing for Shanahan and loved his iron fist of discipline. Watching the Redskins reel off back-to-back wins over the Eagles and the Packers, it certainly appears everyone in D.C. is buying into Shanahan's way of doing things.
The Colts are coming off of an uninspiring win over the Chiefs where they didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter. Now on paper, Peyton Manning is still Peyton Manning. But there's more to a football team than just a quarterback, even if that quarterback is Manning.
Despite the win over the Chiefs, the Colts defence is not as effective as it was in 2009. Highlighting the struggles on the Colts defence is the fact neither one of Dwight Freeney nor Robert Mathis have registered a sack in the last two games. Colts fans are still waiting for their team to break out and look the squad that was dominant in 2009. I don't like their chances of doing that against a tough Redskins team this Sunday. If the Colts do end up winning, the margin of victory will be very slim.
I know everyone is beginning to get sick of Brett Favre and all the discussion of his various body parts. But I had to share this little bit of gold from Jimmy Johnson. The Fox football analyst took time out from running around in his gitch on Survivor to take some shots at Favre. Johnson was on Fox Sorts radio recently and said that Favre is a "drama queen" and "loves to play it up." While that sounds harsh, there is a real element of truth in what Johnson is saying.
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