Week 6 Power Rankings: the Top 6 from each conference

[gettlemanjack]

PFF's Race for Rookie of the Year, Week 6

Cowboys

-RG Zack Martin (1st R, #16 overall): a key component in a recharged Cowboys team.

Seahawks

-RT Justin Britt (2nd R): Close to cracking the Top 10, with only really his poor showing against Denver keeping him out.

Packers

-C Corey Linsley (5th R): With eye-catching work in the run game, the fifth-rounder looks at home in the NFL, with what was a concern for Green Bay now being a reason to cheer.

Ravens

-ILB C.J. Mosley (1st R, #17 overall): One of a trio of former Alabama defenders sitting in the Top 5 of our inside linebacker rankings. Mosley has already proved an active force against the run, where his +7.5 grade sits atop the position

49ers

-OLB Aaron Lynch (5th R): his 13 quarterback disruptions aren’t to be sniffed at.

Chargers

-CB Jason Verrett (1st R, #25 overall): Allowing just 44% of balls thrown into his coverage to be complete.

-RB Branden Oliver (UDFA): The Chargers may have found something with Oliver (who has rushed for over 100 yds each of the last two games straight). The (5-7/208) undrafted free agent can turn open space into big yards and push the pile enough when required.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/10/15/race-for-rookie-of-the-year-week-6-3/

[gettlemanjack]

Percentage of teams to make the playoffs since 1990:

Started 5-1: 85% - Cowboys, Eagles, Chargers

Started: 4-1: 77% - Cardinals, Broncos

Started 4-2: 62% - Lions, Packers, 49ers, Ravens, Colts, Patriots

Started 3-2: 50% - Seahawks, Browns

Started 3-3: 38% - Giants, Bears, Bills, Steelers, Texans

Started 2-3: 22% - Saints, Dolphins, Chiefs

Started 2-4: 9% - Falcons, Titans, Vikings

Started 1-4: 5% - Rams

Started 1-5: 0% - Bucs, Redskins, Jets

Started 0-5: 0% - Raiders

Started 0-6: 0% - Jaguars

[gettlemanjack]

NFL.com:

Aaron Rodgers pulled a Dan Marino in Marino's pad. Unreal. The fake spike got the Pack inside Miami's 5-yard line, setting up Andrew Quarless' game-winning touchdown catch. You probably saw that. Yet, did you notice how cool Rodgers was throughout crunch time?

That Colin Kaepernick touchdown strike to Anquan Boldin was an absolute thing of beauty.

If ever a Baltimore quarterback looked like Johnny Unitas, it was Joe Flacco on Sunday.

[gettlemanjack]

Sports Illustrated:

Tom Brady is now 23-2 all-time against the Bills

Colin Kaepernick is hot.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' approach of late is reminiscent of a video game player who becomes so frustrated that he just starts mashing all the buttons. Against the 49ers on Monday, he just kept firing blitzes in hopes of getting to QB Colin Kaepernick. That plan backfired, as they all have thus far for a St. Louis defense still stuck on one sack for the season.

Were the Seahawks' season an overdramatized movie, we would be at the scene where Pete Carroll shouts, "I don't even know who we are anymore!" and goes for a long walk on the beach.

Don't look now, but the Packers found that all-important third target in the passing game to combine with Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Say hello to (age 21) Davante Adams, a Round 2 pick this past draft (the 9th WR taken). Not only did Rodgers target Adams on his critical fake spike play late Sunday (one of six catches for 77 yards by Adams), but the rookie receiver also showed enough presence of mind to get out of bounds -- the Packers were out of timeouts at the time and the clock would have expired had Adams been taken down in the field of play.

There might not be a more frustrating set of consecutive play calls than what Miami dialed up in trying to seal a win Sunday. Up by four on the Packers with 3:05 left, the Dolphins threw the football on 2nd-and-9. Ryan Tannehill's pass fell incomplete, but at least the plan was clear: pick up a first down and end the game. ... except the Dolphins then ran on 3rd-and-9 and punted the ball back to Green Bay with 2:04 still left. Miami needed to commit to either grinding down the clock or gunning for a first down there. Toeing the line set it up for the disastrous finish that followed.

The Titans beating the Jaguars by two points on a blocked field goal attempt is about as exciting as taking down your grandma in a game of Madden

The Buccaneers have a Week 7 bye, so they'll be just as mentally prepared to play this Sunday as they were last Sunday -- a 48-17 loss to Baltimore.

[gettlemanjack]

CBS Sports:

-The Broncos defense is improved over last season. Can't wait to see them vs. Chargers (in 7 days on TNF) on Oct. 23.

-The Seahawks may be looking at a season in which they win 10 games and still manage a playoff berth.

-the Ravens defense is playing to its normal high standard.

-If Colin Kaepernick can play like he did against the Rams, the 49ers will be tough to beat.

-That Aaron Rodgers fake spike brought back memories when Dan Marino did it

-The Jags found out they have a real keeper in Blake Bortles at quarterback. Now it's just about getting better the rest of the way around him.

-Raiders fans should be excited about Derek Carr, who will start winning games in the second half of the season. Teams that take the Raiders lightly in the coming weeks will get burned.

-Rams: Undrafted QB Austin Davis is better than most of the QBs drafted last year

-Titans: I wonder how long it is before we see rookie LSU QB Zach Mettenberger under center. It seems like time is growing near for Ken Whisenhunt to move away from the Jake Locker experiment.

[gettlemanjack]

Yahoo Sports

-If LeSean McCoy is finally out of his slump and plays like it's 2013 again, look out.

-After hearing reports that Carson Palmer didn't have much zip on his passes in practice last week, it was surprising to see him look as good as he did on Sunday. His shoulder will get better, too.

-We can gripe about the mistakes Colin Kaepernick makes and the things he doesn't do, then he makes a ridiculous play like his third-quarter touchdown to Anquan Boldin on Monday night, and you're drawn right back in.

-The two worst efforts in the NFL this season have come from the Buccaneers