Emergence of a powerhouse

On Sunday afternoon the Raiders lost quarterback Jason Campbell for at least six weeks after he suffered a broken collarbone.

The Raiders responded quickly by acquiring Carson Palmer from the Bengals Tuesday. The Raiders sent a first-round pick in 2012 and a conditional first-round pick in 2013 to the Bengals in exchange for Palmer (the condition being a Raiders playoff win, otherwise the Bengals would receive a second-round pick in 2013).

It is obvious Hue Jackson and the 4-2 Raiders feel they are a playoff team this year based on the steep price they paid. Because of the Raiders' league-leading running game, Palmer won't have to win games all by himself. Plus, he's a big improvement over backup Kyle Boller.

The Palmer trade is a brilliant move for Mike Brown and the Bengals. After requesting a trade in the off-season it was clear Palmer had no intention of ever suiting up for the Bengals and Brown was in no hurry to meet his demands. Now a 4-2 Bengals team led by rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green will have two first-round picks in 2012 to further bolter their roster.

Time now to take a look back at what happened in Week 6.

A disturbing trend is emerging for Bills fans. For whatever reason, the Bills are a different team on the road than they are at home.

One thing was clear Sunday in their loss to the Giants: The Bills' defence dearly missed defensive tackle Kyle Williams and linebacker Shawne Merriman.

Of course the Giants are the toughest team in the NFL to figure out from one week to the next.

For nearly 58 minutes Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan had devised the perfect game plan to slow down Tom Brady. The only problem being a game is 60 minutes long.

With 2:31 on the clock, Brady calmly marched the Patriots down the field before hitting tight end Aaron Hernandez with the game winning touchdown.

The Jets win over the Dolphins Monday night is nothing to write home about, but considering the reports the Jets' locker room was on the verge of imploding Rex Ryan will take it. Monday night was another reminder why it is dangerous for a quarterback to throw the ball anywhere near defensive back Darrelle Revis.

Star of the week:

Aaron Rodgers is so good, week in and week out, that most media and fans take him for granted. It's come to the point where we expect Rodgers to be great every game. But as good as Rodgers was in the Packers win over the Rams, he wasn't as good as the Bears' Devin Hester.

Hester wins the star of the week award for his breathtaking performance in the Bears win over the Vikings. As a receiver Hester caught five passes including a 48-yard touchdown. As a kick returner Hester has no equal.

Proving once again that you should never kick to the man, the always-ridiculous Hester returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Hester now has 17 returns for touchdowns in his career, only two behind the all time mark of 19 held by Deion Sanders.

Stiff of the week:

Just how bad was Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman? He completed more passes to Eagles safety Kurt Coleman, three, than to his own No. 1 receiver Santana Moss, two.

Michael Vick and the Eagles didn't win because they played a great game; they won because Grossman threw four interceptions and basically handed the game to them. No wonder Mike Shanahan finally handed the offence over to John Beck.

Team on the rise:

I spoke last week about the 49ers and they didn't disappoint Sunday with a big win over the Lions in Detroit to improve to 5-1.

After coach Jim Harbaugh almost incited a riot at Ford Field, he told his team that was one of the best defensive performances he's ever seen. Pretty hard to argue with the man after the way Patrick Willis and the 49ers contained Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson.

Back in August I covered a Lions and Bengals pre-season game at Ford Field. The Bengals were a mess that night and Dalton looked completely lost. Well times certainly have changed.

Along with receiver Green, Dalton has led the Bengals to three straight wins and an unexpected 4-2 record. The best assistant coach nobody knows about is Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

"Dream Team" watch:

Well, all it took for the Eagles to get off the schneid was a date with Rex Grossman.

Sunday's win means Andy Reid can breathe easy for at least one week. Reid and Michael Vick better take Coleman out to lunch to thank him for his three interceptions in their win over the Redskins. Don't be fooled by their 2-4 record, the Eagles are still very much alive in the NFC East.

Ronnie Lott award:

With all due respect to all the hard hitting we saw, no player won the award this week. This week's Ronnie Lott award goes out to 49ers coach Harbaugh after his aggressive post-game handshake and over-the-top back slap he laid on Lions coach Jim Schwartz.

I loved Schwartz's reaction - the dude wanted to get Harbaugh into the Octagon and kick some ass.

Unsung hero award:

This award goes out to the entire Bucs offensive line after their stellar performance in Tampa's win over the Saints.

Not only did they not give up a single sack, the Bucs' O-line paved the way for backup running back Earnest Graham to run for 109 yards.

Catch of the week:

His good friend Peyton Manning might be hurt, but that doesn't mean Colts tight end Dallas Clark still can't get it done. Blessed with some of the best hands in the NFL, Clark came up with this ridiculous one handed grab in the Colts loss to the Bengals.

Big injuries of the week:

Where to start?

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu suffered a concussion in their win over the Jaguars. Rams quarterback Sam Bradford suffered a high ankle sprain and is listed as doubtful for their game Sunday against the Cowboys. Raiders quarterback Campbell broke his collarbone and is out at least six weeks, possibly the rest of the season.

The most serious injury in Week 6, however, was suffered by Saints head coach Sean Payton when tight end Jimmy Graham was knocked out of bounds and slammed into Payton's leg resulting in a torn MCL and a broken tibia.

What to watch for in Week 7:

The Raiders host the Chiefs in a crucial AFC West game. The Titans can extend their lead in the AFC South when they host the Texans. Detroit will look to rebound from their loss to the 49ers when they host the Falcons. Like a lot of people, I am really looking forward to the Bears and Buccaneers game.

Jim Lang is co-host of Brady and Lang in the morning on SPORTSNET 590 The FAN and a columnist for sportsnet.ca.