Week 6 NFL Preview

“It’s all about football around here,” says quarterback ALEX SMITH of the NFC West leading 49ers. “The focus is on details. The focus is on football. The focus is on teaching. Players are executing and we’re getting better every day. There’s no secret. We just want to continue to take steps every single day and so far we’ve done that.”

Entering Week 6, there are 18 teams with a .500 or better record. That’s two behind the most such teams (20) through the first five weeks of a season in NFL history (2001, 2010).

“We’re giving ourselves a tremendous opportunity,” says Bills running back FRED JACKSON about the team’s 4-1 start. “But that’s all it is. It’s still early. We still have a lot of work to do to get where we want to be. We’re happy where we are right now, but we’re not going to settle. We still have a lot of work to do and a lot of teams left to play.”

Nine teams – Detroit (5-0), Green Bay (5-0), Buffalo (4-1), New England (4-1), New Orleans (4-1), San Diego (4-1), San Francisco (4-1), Baltimore (3-1) and Washington (3-1) – lead the way with one loss or none.

“We’re just taking it one game at a time,” says Packers defensive tackle B.J. RAJI. “We think of it as a one-game season every week. We just want to go out there and handle our business. And it’s worked for us so far.”

There is still a lot of season left to be played. And in the NFL, the only thing predictable is the unpredictability. 

Of the 18 teams with a .500 or better record, half of them (nine) won six games or fewer a year ago. Those nine clubs, who have a combined 29-13 (.690) record this season, finished 2010 with a 49-95 (.340) mark.

“What we went through last year, nobody wanted to go through again,” says Bills head coach CHAN GAILEY, whose team has already matched last season’s win total (four). “We learned we could play in the big ball games and we were right there last year. We’ve learned this year how to find ways to win games in the clutch.”

Comebacks continue to be a trend in 2011. Last week, the Kansas City Chiefs overcame a 24-7 deficit to defeat Indianapolis 28-24. It marked the seventh time this season that a team trailed by at least 17 points and came back to win the game. That is the most through the first five weeks of any season in NFL history.

In addition to the Chiefs’ victory, the Packers (14 points) erased a double-digit deficit to win at Atlanta. A total of 18 teams have come back from a deficit of at least 10 points to win a game this year, the most ever through the first five weeks.

A look at some of the key games in Week 6:

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4-1) at DETROIT LIONS (5-0) (Sunday, FOX, 1:00 PM ET)                

What a difference a year makes. The 49ers and Lions enter this week’s contest with a combined record of 9-1. Through Week 5 of last season, the teams had a total of one win and a 1-9 mark. This year, San Francisco leads the NFC West and Detroit ties for the top spot in the NFC North.

San Francisco improved to 4-1 last week with a 48-3 win over Tampa Bay. The 45-point margin of victory was the most by the 49ers since Super Bowl XXIV, when the club defeated Denver 55-10. Quarterback ALEX SMITH, who ranks second in the NFC with a 104.1 passer rating, threw three touchdown passes and posted a 127.2 passer rating; in his career as a starter, the 49ers are 8-0 when Smith has a rating of at least 100.

“Everybody is on the same page,” says San Francisco running back FRANK GORE, who rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers. “Alex is playing great ball. As long as we just keep working and take it one game at a time, and continue to get better every day on the practice field, I feel like we can do whatever we want to do.”

The Lions are 5-0 for the first time since 1956. Detroit knocked off Chicago on Monday night by a 24-13 score and the victory marked the third consecutive game that the Lions trailed at halftime but rallied to win. Wide receiver CALVIN JOHNSON had 130 yards and a touchdown to become the first player in NFL history with nine receiving touchdowns in a team’s first five games of a season. 

“We’ve got a big game on Sunday and we’ve got to try and do it again,” says quarterback MATTHEW STAFFORD, who ranks third in the NFL with 13 touchdown passes. “That’s the way this league is. There are 16 games and we’ve only played five. We’ve got to keep grinding and get back to work. We’ve got a tough team in San Francisco coming in.”

BUFFALO BILLS (4-1) at NEW YORK GIANTS (3-2) (Sunday, CBS, 1:00 PM ET)                

The Bills knocked off Philadelphia last week to improve to 4-1 and equal the team’s win total from 2010. Buffalo forced five turnovers (four interceptions, one fumble) and leads the NFL with 16 takeaways and a +11 turnover differential.

“One of the things we’ve done a tremendous job with this year is winning in different fashions,” says Bill running back FRED JACKSON, who ranks third in the NFL with 712 scrimmage yards (480 rushing, 232 receiving). “We’ve made plays on defense to win games, we’ve made plays on offense and we’ve made plays on special teams. As long as we continue to make plays like that as a team, we’re going to be hard to beat. The number one thing we’re trying to focus on is to get team wins.”

The Giants enter the contest at 3-2 and look to get back on track after a loss in Week 5. Quarterback ELI MANNING passed for a career-high 420 yards last week and wide receiver VICTOR CRUZ had a career-best 161 receiving yards.

“We are confident,” says Manning, who ranks third in the NFC with a 102.3 passer rating. “We are doing a lot of good things but we just have to keep working. Everybody had a great study from this tape and we will come back and have a great week of practice.”

HOUSTON TEXANS (3-2) at BALTIMORE RAVENS (3-1) (Sunday, CBS, 4:05 PM ET)                

Two teams with at least a share of first place in its division will meet in Baltimore. The Texans enter tied with Tennessee for first place in the AFC South while the Ravens lead the AFC North.

Houston ranks third in the AFC averaging 132.8 rushing yards per game and the Texans are the only team in the NFL with two running backs with at least 250 rushing yards (BEN TATE, 321 yards & ARIAN FOSTER, 256). However, Houston will be tested on Sunday as it faces the AFC’s top ranked rushing defense in Baltimore (72.5 yards per game).

“This is the NFL,” says Texans linebacker BRIAN CUSHING, “and every week is going to be a fight. The great teams find a way to win. We’re going to play a great team at their place this week. It will definitely be a test.”

The Ravens were off last week and have had success in games following a bye, notching a 3-0 record under JOHN HARBAUGH and winning eight of their past nine.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (4-1) at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (3-2) (Sunday, FOX, 4:15 PM ET)                

First place in the NFC South will be on the line when the 4-1 Saints visit the 3-2 Buccaneers. The teams have split the season series each of the past three years and the road team has won four meetings in a row.

The Saints won their fourth game in a row with a 30-27 win at Carolina. Quarterback DREW BREES completed 32 of 45 passes (71.1 percent) for 359 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Saints. He now has thrown a TD pass in 32 consecutive games – equivalent to two full regular seasons – and that is the third-longest streak in NFL history. He also extended his NFL-record streak of consecutive games with at least 20 completions to 25 games in a row. Brees has passed for at least 350 yards in each of the past three contests and can become the first player in NFL history with 350+ passing yards in four consecutive games. 

“We’re going to get a Tampa Bay team that’s hungry,” says New Orleans head coach SEAN PAYTON. “When you play a team that comes off a tough game like they are, you understand that they’re going to be focused and ready to get past it.”

Tampa Bay is seeking its third consecutive win at home and looks to rebound after a Week 5 loss at San Francisco.

“This is the National Football League,” says Buccaneers head coach RAHEEM MORRIS. “The schedule is tough every single year and every single game. We have to embrace the fact that we get to play tough teams. That’s fun football and we have to get better this week. We have to get ready to play a tough football game against the New Orleans Saints.”

###What to Look For — Week 6

SIX-AND-WHOA!: Tied atop the NFC North with 5-0 records, the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are the last remaining undefeated NFL teams this season. If both win this Sunday, it would mark the second time since the divisional structure was implemented in 1933 that two teams in the same division started 6-0.

In 1934, Detroit and the Chicago Bears, then members of the NFL’s Western Division, each started 10-0. Chicago finished 13-0 before losing the 1934 NFL Championship game by a score of 30-13 to the New York Giants. The Lions (10-3) finished second in the Western Division.

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SCORING IN BUNCHES: NFL teams have combined for 3,566 points in 2011, the most points through five weeks in NFL history.

That record total equates to 46.31 points per game. If the current average stays at this pace, it would rank as the second-highest of any season in history (1948, 46.48 points per game).

The seasons with the highest scoring average in NFL history:

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CLIMBING BACK: Teams off to a slow start are justified in believing that they can turn it around.

Since the current playoff system (12 teams) was instituted in 1990, 12 teams have rebounded from being at least three games under .500 after the season’s first five weeks or later to qualify for the postseason. That includes five 1-4 teams that ultimately won their divisions.

Since 1990, teams that were three or more games below .500 after Week 5 or later and made the playoffs:

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TURNAROUND TEAMS:  Hope springs eternal in the NFL. Through the first five weeks of the 2011 season, all eight divisions have at least one new team either in first place or tied for the top spot. If that holds, it will be the most new division winners in a single season.

Three teams that started 1-5 or worse in 2010, Buffalo (0-6 in 2010, 4-1 in 2011), Detroit (1-5, 5-0) and San Francisco (1-5, 4-1), are in first place or tied for their division lead. If the Bills and 49ers both win this Sunday, this season would be the first in NFL history featuring three teams with 5-1 or better records that started 1-5 or worse the previous year.

Nine teams since 1990, including this year’s Lions, have rebounded from a 1-5 or worse start to a 5-1 or better record the following season. All eight teams to previously accomplish this feat since 1990 finished 9-7 or better:

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POWER PAIR: With a win against Dallas on Sunday, New England’s TOM BRADY and BILL BELICHICK can tie Pro Football Hall of Famers DAN MARINO and DON SHULA of Miami for the most wins (116) by a quarterback-head coach duo in the Super Bowl era (since 1966).

Marino and Shula combined for 116 wins from 1983-1995 with the Dolphins, while Brady and Belichick have combined for 115 victories with the Patriots since 2000.

The most wins by a quarterback-head coach combo (since 1966):

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PASSING FANCY: Green Bay Packers quarterback AARON RODGERS is the first player in NFL history with a 110+ passer rating in each of his first five games to start a season. He had six such games in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

If Rodgers posts his sixth game with a 110+ passer rating this weekend against St. Louis, he would become the second quarterback since 1970 with at least six such games in three consecutive seasons (STEVE YOUNG, 1992-94).

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CAM-TASTIC: Carolina’s CAM NEWTON, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft, leads all quarterbacks with five rushing touchdowns (no other QB has more than two).

Through just five games, Newton’s five rushing touchdowns already tie for the fourth-most by a rookie QB in a season since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. He will look to move up the list this Sunday against Atlanta and needs two rushing touchdowns to tie VINCE YOUNG (seven in 2006) for the most by a rookie QB during that span.

The most rushing touchdowns in a season by a rookie quarterback (since 1970):

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COOL BREES: New Orleans Saints quarterback DREW BREES needs to pass for at least 350 yards against Tampa Bay in Week 6 to become the first player in NFL history with 350+ passing yards in four consecutive games.

Brees is one of eight players in NFL history with 350+ passing yards in three consecutive games, and he’s the only player to do it twice.

The players with three consecutive games with 350+ passing yards: