NFL Week 6 Review

Tennessee, Tampa Bay, Detroit and Oakland entered Sunday's action without the only statistic that ultimately matters. With all the day's activities complete, only Art Shell and the Oakland Raiders remain in search of their first win in 2006.

Quick recap of the day's events:

Detroit 20, Buffalo 17 - Though it's not likely going to end the "Fire Millen" chants, the Lion rode monster performances from Jon Kitna, Kevin Jones and Roy Williams in a 20-17 win over the Buffalo Bills. Unheralded defensive end James Hall was the real star of the game for the Lions, though. Hall registered 7 tackles, 3.5 sacks and forced a fumble. Detroit hasn't had this good of a weekend since Eminem's 8 Mile opened up.

New Orleans 27, Philadelphia 24 - The New Orleans Saints improbable 5-1 start can no longer be chalked up to a weak schedule or merely riding a wave of emotion. With Drew Brees at the helm, this team really is this good. Keeping McNabb on the field, milking the clock and putting themselves in position to win the game with a field goal is downright Belichick-esque. With a few more "W's", Sean Payton will be a unanimous "Coach of the Year" award winner.

Dallas 34, Houston 6 - A "Tale of Two Halves" in Big D on Sunday. Down 6-3 at the half, the Cowboys put 31 on the Texans in the game's final 30 minutes, including 3 touchdown receptions for that Owens guy. If you're looking for a positive note in Houston, the offensive line didn't yield a sack on Sunday, and...nope, that was it.

Carolina 23, Baltimore 21 - If you had "Week 6" in the Steve McNair Injury Pool, you were chanting "Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!" in the 1st quarter. Kyle Boller didn't play poorly, but his stats were aided by Michael Clayton, who obviously received an "A" in Tip Drill 101. Carolina has to be elated that Steve Smith is back, which is something the rest of the NFC isn't too thrilled about. 189 yards and a touchdown for the league's most explosive wideout.

NY Giants 27, Atlanta 14 - With a combined 482 yards on the ground, the Giants and Falcons stole a page from "A Flock of Seagulls" and "ran all night and day". The most eye-popping stat was that although Tiki Barber ran for 185 yards, not once did one of his runs result in him spiking the ball and doing one of those horrible dances from the Dish Network commercial.

Tennessee 25, Washington 22 - Wait a minute: Travis Henry is still in the league?? Henry's 32 carries for 178 yards and a touchdown get the Titans their first win in '06, and Vince Young's 1st win as an NFL starter. Losing at home, to the winless Titans, is probably a sure sign that you can go ahead and stick a fork in Washington.

Tampa Bay 14, Cincinnati 13 - Jay Glazer reported on the FOX pregame show that there could be a Buccaneers fire sale before Tuesday's trade deadline. I'm not sure if the last minute win will result in many of the veteran Bucs remaining in Tampa, but it couldn't have hurt the cause.

Seattle 30, St. Louis 28 - I mentioned on Friday that this game had a chance to be a statement game for the Seahawks. After trailing 21-7 at the half, a lesser team would've gone through the motions in the 2nd half, before going home to lick their wounds and lament that they were without Shaun Alexander, Jerramy Stevens and Bobby Engram. Seattle came out of the locker room and took control of the game. They obviously liked that feeling, because they gave it back to the Rams, and took it back again.

San Diego 48, San Francisco 19 - LaDainian Tomlinson may not have had a play go for more than 16 yards, but he did put up 135 total yards and made 4 trips into the end zone. The Chargers may not be the best team in the AFC, but they're getting there.

Pittsburgh 45, Kansas City 7 - You can spot teams like the Arizona Cardinals 14 points in the 1st quarter and win, but as the Chiefs learned Sunday, it's unwise to make a habit of doing that. Ben Roethlisberger played extremely well, and the Steelers ran all over the Chiefs. This game was over well before halftime, but if happened to be watching in the 3rd quarter, someone, namely Larry Johnson, finally tackled Troy Polamalu by the hair. It was bound to happen sometime. Not just because his hair extends to the middle of his back, but because Polamalu always seems to have the ball in his hand.

NY Jets 20, Miami 17 - Whoever picked the Dolphins to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLI is probably feeling the person who camped out overnight to be the first person to see "Gigli".
Denver 13, Oakland 3 - It's been 4,318 days since Art Shell last won an NFL game. The worst part? I can't seen when that dry spell is going to end.

The Ilegal Formation Controversey

With the Seahawks facing a 3rd and 9 from the Rams 31-yard line, Matt Hasselbeck took the snap from center and spiked the ball with :04 remaining on the game clock to set up the potential game-winning field goal. The ball wasn't the only object that hit the ground, as a flag was thrown on the play.

With no timeouts remaining, and the infraction against the offense, the prevailing thought would be that the officials would run ten seconds off the clock, ending the game.

Fortunately for Seattle, there was a lawyer in the house. The game's referee, Ed Hochuli, practices law in San Diego when he's not officiating NFL games in his skin-tight uniform. As a lawyer, and one of the NFL's best officials, Hochuli knew that not all offensive penalties in that situation result in a ten second runoff.

Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson was not lined up on the line of scrimmage, which results in a 5-yard penalty, but it does not make the snap illegal. Therefore, the officiating crew could not enforce the 10-second runoff of the game clock.

This will surely be discussed on the NFL Network's weekly discussion with NFL Director of Officiating Mike Pereira, but look, there is no controversy here. Hochuli's crew got the call right, took the time to explain during and after the game, and only speculation from Rams defensive end Leonard Little (who claims he heard Hochuli say there was a false start penalty on the play) is going to keep this "controversy" alive.

It should be pointed out that Burleson was lined up 1.5 yards behind the line of scrimmage, which doesn't appear to be an egregious infraction when you consider that offensive tackles line up that deep in the backfield on obvious passing downs. I watched enough plays today to see wide receivers line up in similar positions as Burleson, and no flags were thrown. Furthermore, it should be pointed out that Burleson was lined up where Seahawks fullback Mack Strong appeared to be down on the 2nd down run. The umpire spotted the ball rather generously, placing the football at least a full yard ahead of where Strong had been tackled.

Mac's Game Balls

Offense: Torry Holt, St. Louis Rams - 8 receptions, 154 yards and 3 TDs are impressive enough, but it's the way Holt got that 8th reception, those final 67 yards for that 3rd touchdown that really stand out. I was asked the other night who I thought the best WR in the NFL is, and it didn't take me long to come with an answer: Torry "Big Game" Holt. (That's right, Brian Baldinger, it's "Big Game" Holt, not "Big Play" Holt, though the latter is equally applicable.)

Holt may not be the most dynamic WR after the catch, and he certainly isn't the biggest or fastest WR in the NFL, but Holt has the best combination of all the skills you want in a go-to wideout. His hands, his concentration and precise routes, combined with his preparation make Holt the best WR, pound-for-pound, in the game today.

Defense: James Hall, Detroit Lions - Anyone who completes the "Sack Trick" (3 sacks in one game) automatically earns a mention in this space.

Special Teams: Josh Brown, Seattle Seahawks - Three field goals in the 4th quarter, all 49 yards or longer, including the 54-yard game-winner, earns Brown a game ball. Not to mention that Brown had better depth on his kickoffs, and his one missed field goal was clearly not his fault. Laces out, Ryan!

Quote of the Week: "Branch has done nothing in Seattle" - Unnamed friend of my brother on Friday night. All Deion Branch did in his 1st start with the Seahawks was haul in 6 passes for 76 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Branch also carried the ball once for 19 yards.

Monday Night Prediction

I can't possibly envision a scenario that has Arizona winning this game, or even keeping it close.

Chicago 34, Arizona 9