Here be your NFL Week 6 Awards, straight up!
The QB Controversy That Must Not Be Named Award: Manning v. Osweiler
After six weeks, we are down to five teams that are still undefeated. We know the Patriots and Packers are the real deal given their HOF quarterbacks, and the Bengals and Panthers have had some mighty impressive wins in recent weeks to prove they deserve to be here too. But the Broncos? They've only played one team so far that currently has a winning record, and they've only won one game by more than a touchdown. Taking into account the miraculous defensive stops Denver had with the Ravens, Chiefs, and Browns in particular, this team is on a razor-thin margin between 6 - 0 and 3 - 3. Undeniably, Peyton Manning has become a liability for the Broncos, and sooner or later, it's going to catch up with them this season. He has ten interceptions to just seven touchdowns through six weeks. That's more interceptions and fewer touchdowns than Blake Bortles, Josh McCown or Bryan Hoyer. Denver has been able to kick the can with some tight wins against bad teams, but I can't help but wonder if things will change under center after they face the Packers, Colts, Patriots, Steelers and Bengals in the weeks to come. No one's talking about Brock Osweiler just yet, but it feels like that day is coming sooner than Manning or Kubiak or Elway might want to admit.
On the one hand, I have to give Chuck Pagano a little bit of props for knowing the Colts would need a kitchen-sink approach to have a shot at upsetting the Patriots. And hey, they only lost by seven! But on the other hand, I really cannot think of a more perplexingly bad play in design and execution than that swinging gate fake punt in the third quarter on Sunday night. In case you're wondering how this could ever be a thing, here's a situation where it worked, but notice how Miami was able to take advantage of a totally confused receiving team that did not line up with the quarterback. Not only did Indy not get the misalignment they were looking for from the Patriots, they also managed to create their own illegal formation and opt to snap the ball for an immediate sack rather than take a delay of game or call a timeout. And yes, according to Pagano this was a thing that was practiced during the previous week. It's almost like the Colts tried to draw a hand turkey to submit to the Guggenheim and also left off the thumb.
The One Perfect Day Award: New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins (tie)
For the vast majority of this season to date, the Saints and Dolphins have looked totally inept. Both teams have failed to find rhythm and big plays on offense and have ranked among the league's worst defenses by any measure. But for one perfect day in Week 6, these two teams executed to perfection and got some lucky bounces along the way too. The Saints took down the reviled 5 - 0 Falcons, sacking Matt Ryan five times, recovering three fumbles, and blocking a punt for a touchdown a la the immortal Steve Gleason in 2006. Drew Brees looked vintage with 300 yards and a 91.8 QB rating. After much criticism for their underwhelming pass rush, the Dolphins landed six sacks and four takeaways against the Titans. Even more importantly, Miami's offense finally came alive - Lamar Miller had more rushing yards this week than in the previous four games combined, and the Dolphins scored nearly twice as many points as they have in any other game this season. Chalk it up to the prime time lights in New Orleans or the new coaching regime in Miami, but the clouds broke for one perfect day for these two franchises and their beleaguered fans. It was a beautiful thing.
Who the heck is Landry Jones, you ask? Only the Steelers' third-string quarterback who took over in the second quarter when they were down 0 - 7 and helped willed them to another improbable victory with Ben Roethlisberger on the sidelines. Jones was as electric as a backup could be expected to be - completing 75% of his passes and two touchdowns. Of course, all but 30 yards of Jones' production went to the fresh-off-suspension deep threat Martavis Bryant, but no one in Pittsburgh is complaining about that. Kudos to the Steelers for beating one of the tougher teams in the league with relative ease and keeping pace in what could be a tight wild card race.
The Clockwork Orange Torture Film Award: The Giants-Eagles Game
And finally, a game that probably gave Tony Romo an aneurysm while watching it at home. It seems no one really wants the NFC East except the guys on injured reserve. If you were looking to show your captive something atrocious with their eyes pried open a la A Clockwork Orange, consider the Monday night Giants-Eagles "game." It featured three interceptions, three fumbles and nine penalties... and that was just the winning team. All told, these two teams combined for seven turnovers and 21 penalties, making this one little more than football-flavored seasoning around a halftime Star Wars commercial. Expect some kind of revenge of the nerds for having to slog through one of the worst prime-time games of the season for a trailer they could have Googled minutes later. Blerg.
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