NFL WEEK 6

6 Weeks.  The time it takes to:  a) get halfway through a round of P90X, b) survive a full election cycle in England,  or c) reach Week 6 of the 2012 NFL season. I can't believe we're already 37% of the way through the season.   :(  (A season has 16 weeks of play with each team receiving one Bye week or week off.)

Week 6 Hot Topics:
New York Giants (NFC, 3-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (NFC, 4-1)
4:25pm EST FOX

The defending SuperBowl champ Giants are now considered an underdog this week to the speeding bullet train that is this year's 49er team.  (This is the only night game, so most fans watch this one) The takeaways for this game:
1.  Last year the Giants narrowly beat the 49ers to advance to the Superbowl and won.
2.  Alex Smith for the 49ers is the top rated passer in the NFL  (which is strange only because commentators have been bad-mouthing him for years---he was horrible, but has now found his footing in SF)
3.  Eli Manning (Giants' QB) is considered an elite quarterback in this league, and you can never count him out, though SF is favored to win by 5 points.

Green Bay Packers (NFC, 2-3) @ Houston Texans (AFC, 5-0) 
8:20pm EST NBC

1.  GB won the SuperBowl two seasons ago and finished the 2011 regular season at 15-1.  They still have all their weapons intact this year and should be winning, but they're just not.  (Notwithstanding the HUGELY controversial loss to Seattle due to a bad call by the replacement refs)

2.   Houston running back Arian Foster is a BEAST.  He already has 532 yards rushing with 0 fumbles.  (that's a big deal, because the RB handles the ball a ton in full contact situations)

3.  Houston is one of two undefeated teams remaining in the league.  Everyone is wondering when they're going to fall.  Green Bay could definitely get it done, though Houston is favored by 3 1/2 points.


Indianapolis Colts (AFC, 2-2) @ New York Jets (NFC, 2-3)

Indy QB Andrew Luck

The story here is not that we have two juggernaut teams by any stretch, but that we have a storied young quarterback in Indy's Andrew Luck (Stanford) and a QB controversy in New York.  Last year's Heisman Trophy winner propelled his team to an emotional victory last Sunday over the Packers.  Playing hard in honor of their coach, Chuck Pagano, who is being treated for Leukemia, Luck set personal bests with 31 completions in 55 attempts for 362 yards (anything over 300 yds is a big day for a passer) and 2 TD passes in a HUGE come-from-behind victory after being down 21-3 at the half.  Games like this are why football fans love this sport.  It's a big deal for a rookie QB fresh out of college to perform this well on the BIG stage. Watch to see if Luck continues his Pro-level performance, or if he falters, the way many rookie quarterbacks do when thrust into the high speeds and complicated offenses of the NFL.  (Cam Newton, the QB for the Carolina Panthers is currently experiencing the sophomore slump.)

Jets' QB Mark Sanchez

On the Jets' side of the ball, Hottie McHotterson, starting QB Mark Sanchez has completed less than 50% of his passes through 4 games (that's bad--the majority of QBs are in the upper 50s to lower 60s).  The team owner is a big fan of backup, Tim Tebow (Florida Gators--first sophomore ever to win the Heisman--drafted by the Broncos).  Up until this week, they have attempted to switch it up under center (that's where the QB lines up for each play) and use both QBs with no luck.  Sanchez started as a rookie in 2009, and led his team to the playoffs that year and in 2010, a first for a rookie QB in his first two seasons.  But if Sanchez doesn't improve his dismal numbers and produce some points for NY, head coach Rex Ryan faces a tough decision and, potentially, a polishing of the resume.  The unpredictable Tebow faces what's sure to be a shaky start on a very talented buy shaky team.

Tebow "Tebowing"