This weekend will go a long way in exposing the identity of teams floating around .500. Teams like Baltimore, San Francisco, and Miami are trying to gain respect, while Indianapolis, Jacksonville, and Philadelphia look to meet lofty expectations. Are they contenders or pretenders? Week six in the NFL hopes to have the answers.
Baltimore Ravens (2-2) at Indianapolis Colts (2-2)
Plainly put, both teams are lucky to be where they are. Baltimore has surprised everyone thanks to their top-tier defense and Joe Flacco’s decision making. Flacco, recently named starter for the rest of the season, has been steady for this Baltimore offense, if nothing else. He’ll need his defense to step it up this week, as the Colts may have found their stride after their ridiculous come-from-behind win at Houston. If Peyton Manning has shaken off the rust, he won’t be held under twenty points. Unfortunately, that’s about the mark that the Ravens need to keep him at in order for Flacco and a struggling running game to match. Indy must start piling up the wins if they want to lock in a playoff spot, much less catch the Tennessee Titans at 5-0. Joseph Addai hasn’t been producing out of the backfield which takes away Indianapolis’ play-action threat. The Colts need to get back to being a three-dimensional offense to give their defense a much-needed break without Bob Sanders.
Carolina Panthers (4-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
The NFC South is surprisingly more competitive than anybody wanted to predict. Carolina has been the “sexy” pick for years, and now may be poised to finally claim that title. John Fox can rest easy, as his coaching seat is now only lukewarm. The Panthers’ plan of giving Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams 35-45 total carries a game to set up Jake Delhomme’s play action pass has worked to perfection this season. Don’t expect that to change on Sunday against Tampa Bay, who along with Atlanta, sits directly behind Carolina in the standings. The Bucs will have an ornery Jeff Garcia starting under center, who returns to the line-up after Brian Griese was knocked out of last week’s contest with a swollen right elbow. He’ll be looking to impress Jon Gruden in hopes of keeping the job, which will work if he wins and won’t if he loses. Or maybe not, who can really tell what Gruden thinks when it comes to his quarterbacks?
Miami Dolphins (2-2) at Houston Texans (0-4)
After two tough wins against the Patriots and Chargers, the Miami Dolphins better not let their guard down. It’s a drop-off in competition, but the Texans will be looking to rebound aggressively in front of their home crowd who watched in dismay at their collapse against the Colts. Matt Schaub will be back in the starting line-up, but he has yet to earn the mega-deal he received after being traded from Atlanta. He’d best begin soon or he will find himself without a job. Miami has doubled their win total from last year through just four games, but they’re not resting on their .500 laurels. Chad Pennington and the offense are going to keep using the “single wing” formation until somebody learns how to stop them, especially if they keep winning. Joey Porter and the defense is playing lights out, holding their last two opponents to thirteen and ten points. Tony Sparano will keep his team on their toes, to make sure they don’t settle for just being an average team. I’m sure Bill Parcells will too.
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3) at Denver Broncos (4-1)
The way preseason predictions were going; these two teams should be in the opposite positions. For Jacksonville, their running game hasn’t come close to the pounding success it was last season. That means the pressure is on David Garrard and his under-achieving wide receiver corps to keep drives alive. As long as that’s the case, don’t expect the Jaguars to win many games this year; they simply don’t have the talent at wide-out to keep it going. The defense is slacking, giving up at least twenty points in each of their last four games. Jacksonville is built on running the ball and tough defense, so major problems will arise when neither aspect of their game is performing. As for the high-scoring Denver Broncos, they’re coming off an odd showing against Tampa Bay. Their offense, normally a lock for 24 points, only managed sixteen against a tough Tampa defensive unit. The Denver defense however, showed some gumption and shut down the Buc offense, allowing only thirteen. That’s a great sign for Coach Mike Shanahan, as it proves his offense won’t have to win every game by themselves. This will be a true test for both teams and will go a long way in settling their positions in the AFC playoff race.
Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) at San Francisco 49ers (2-3)
This is a must-win for two teams that were trendy picks to make an appearance in the post-season. Philadelphia will almost certainly be on the outside looking in come January if they lose, as their divisional flat-mates all have very winnable games for the weekend. Brian Westbrook is out for another week with broken ribs, so the Eagles will have problems rushing against Mike Nolan’s stout defense. Donovan McNabb, despite his claims of being “embarrassed” by his play must pick up his team to prevent falling into a 2-4 hole in the toughest division in football. The 49ers started strong, winning two of three, but have since dropped two straight. Luckily, the first place Cardinals are only 3-2 and face a tough Dallas team, so this is an opportunity for San Francisco to jump back into first place. J.T. O’Sullivan needs to make the Eagles pay for their aggressive blitzes early, or the most sacked quarterback in the league will have another painful afternoon.
New England Patriots (3-1) at San Diego Chargers (2-3)
Who knows what we’re going to see from these teams on Sunday night? The Brady-less Pats are 3-1, but haven’t faced any real opposition. They’ve scored the bare minimum on offense, while their aging defense has been put to the limit. Matt Cassel finally located Randy Moss deep last week, and he’ll need to continue that trend to beat an angry San Diego defense. New England’s ground game just hasn’t been getting the job done behind a shaky offensive line, so Cassel will have to win games. The defense will have lapses similar to their game against Miami, and opposing head coaches will try to exploit them. San Diego is having issues of all sorts, from Philip Rivers regressing from the start of the season to L.T.’s mysterious toe injury that won’t go away. This normally potent offense is a shadow of its former self, so Norv Turner better whip something special out of his offensive bag, or his Chargers could be out of the playoffs after six games. The defense has settled down after an awful first three games, giving up 18 and 17 points, but those games were played against the Raiders and Dolphins, who aren’t known for their offensive prowess. If they can keep the Patriots around seventeen points, their offense should be able to handle the rest.
