NFL Week 6 - What We Learned

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Week 6 in the NFL may not have been as wild and as crazy as Week 5 turned out to be, but it was still extremely entertaining. This was the week we saw one of the undefeated teams suffer their first loss while the rest held on to perfection. This is the week we saw some teams claw their season back from the brink and we were also witness to the dumbest special teams play in the history of ever. Either way, there were plenty of stories on the field this week and here are the top ones that caught my eye.  

1. So far, so good for Miami Dolphins Interim Head Coach Dan Campbell. This was an inspired Miami squad on the field this last week. One that looked hungry and focused on the win. They blocked better, they tackled better, they scored at last and I have to say I was impressed with what I saw on the field. Granted this is only one week under the new coach and there's a lot of season ahead but it's clear now that Joe Philbin did not get the most out of his players and Dan Campbell has done something to inspire his players and ignite their passion to play football. Good for him, and here's to hoping Miami has a better 2015 season going forward. 

2. The Detroit Lions finally showed up to play. It was close, and at times it was extremely ugly, but the Lions finally snagged a win this weekend and that could not have come at a better time. This was a team that a week ago looked lost and confused and was staring down a long and ugly season and then this happens. They come out and ball. The defense still needs a lot of work unfortunately, since they let through many a touchdown, but the two most important players on the team, Stafford and Johnson put together the big play when it counted. It's going to be a long season for the Lions regardless, thanks to their current record but this is a building block none the less and their chance to put together a little momentum.

3. It's quite possible the dominating defense in Seattle known as "The Legion of Boom" has come to an end. They let Cam Newton...a terrible passer, drop a huge touchdown pass to win the game with seconds to go and well, that's been their story all season long. Doesn't matter if Kam Chancellor is in the game or not, this defense stinks. They can't tackle, they can't rush the passer when they absolutely need to and on a couple of occasions their players, Kam included, seem confused and lost on the field and stand there as wide receivers and tight ends fly right by them. It's an ugly site to see just as a football fan and it's going to be more of the same until the D stops chewing one another out on the field and gets back to their fundamentals. 

4. I want to be excited and happy about the Denver Broncos 6-0 start, but I'm not. The offense is simply awful. Every week it's turnovers or dropped passes or sacks on Peyton Manning. The good news is the run game finally got going against Cleveland and the protection was better, not great, but better and yet here we are, still discussing how bad Manning looked throwing the ball. He's clearly rattled, he's clearly not comfortable and I don't know what it will take to get him there. I hope something gets fixed during the bye week because some tough tests are coming and one key thing missing from the Broncos offense is Manning's  leadership. He used to pull the squad aside and celebrate or coach after a series, now he goes to the bench in frustration. It's up to Kubiak and Manning to figure this out and figure it out quick or the second half of the season is going to be ugly when teams start ripping that offense to shreds. 

5. I've seen a lot of football in my days. Seen a lot of good plays in that time, seen a lot of bad plays, but none of the bad plays will ever compare to the sheer stupidity on display Sunday night thanks to the Colts and whatever the hell that special teams mess was. I actually think highly of Coach Pagano and what he has accomplished in Indy, but that...that was beyond ridiculous. The fact it was even in the playbook is amazing enough and I really don't understand what the players were thinking snapping that ball. Pagano is in the final year of his contract in Indy, and this kind of stuff weighs heavy on the decision for a contract extension. I can't say this one moment will cost him his job next year, but it certainly won't help...after all he just embarrassed himself, his players and his franchise on national television.

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