NFL whip around: What we're watching in Week 6
RENTON, Wash. - A quarter of a way into their post-Super Bowl season, the Seattle Seahawks certainly look like a team equipped to make another championship run - with a top-rated run defense, an ascending young quarterback and of course, the 'Legion of Boom' defensive secondary.
That's even after an early-season, on-the-road loss to the San Diego Chargers that showed the big, bad Seahawks are indeed vulnerable.
But now that it's mid-October, the Seahawks aren't so much focused on what could happen come January or February, but on a competitive NFC West race. Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona each have three wins through the first five weeks (Seattle and Arizona have each had their bye weeks). Seattle hosts 4-1 Dallas at CenturyLink Field on Sunday in a game that, while not in the division, will certainly matter as the Seahawks try to keep pace or pull ahead of their division rivals.
'We're not out here to try to win the World Championship right now. We're trying to win this week, you know, and when we get to a playoff situation, we're going to try to push it as far as we can,' Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told USA TODAY Sports this week. 'That means winning our division. That's hugely valuable to us, and we use that as a goal because that means we get to play [in Seattle]. We have that language in our head.'
Reminders of last season's success are everywhere at the team's headquarters in Renton - the shiny Lombardi Trophy in the lobby (quarterback Russell Wilson filmed a video to post on his Twitter account in front of it earlier this week) and a large Super Bowl XLVIII logo on one of the walls in the locker room.
Carroll's quest has simply been to make sure his players remember what they did to earn that trophy in the first place.
'We have been working for this moment for years. We've been talking about getting here, we've been preparing to be in the spotlight, we've been prepared to be the best team so that when we got there, it would be something we had earned and deserved it and we would be normal with it,' Carroll said. 'It's the out of the norm thinking that takes you away from what you could be. The distractions, the expectations all that stuff - we don't hear it. We don't talk that way.'
Now on to the Whip Around: Cardinals quarterback questions
Need to know: The Arizona Cardinals head into Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins with a huge question: Who will be the starting quarterback? The Cardinals have found themselves in this situation because starter Carson Palmer continues to deal with a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder that has kept him out since the season opener. He's made improvements recently and has been able to resume throwing - lightly, at least - but it doesn't seem likely he's ready yet for game action. Backup Drew Stanton, meanwhile, suffered a concussion last week in a loss to Denver and has to clear the final hurdles of the league's concussion protocol before he'll be allowed to play. That leaves rookie third-round pick Logan Thomas, who went 1-of-8 in relief of Stanton last week (that one completion being an 81-yard touchdown).
What to expect: Let's go ahead and remove Palmer from the mix, once again. That leaves the decision between Stanton and Thomas, and the fact that head coach Bruce Arians didn't name Thomas the starter on Friday means the Cardinals are optimistic Stanton could be cleared in time. With the Cardinals in a tight NFC West race, they can't afford to drop a game to 1-win Washington this early in the season.
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Need to know: Last week, the New England Patriots were reeling from a Monday night blowout, and now, after a statement win against Cincinnati in Week 5, the Patriots find themselves in a position to take control of the AFC East. What a rapid turnaround. It has been an emotional week for the Bills as well coming off a win behind new starting quarterback Kyle Orton last week in Detroit and the finalization of the sale of the franchise to the new owners, the Pegula family.
Start of Sparano era in Oakland
What to expect: New England quarterback Tom Brady showed up on the Patriots' injury report on Friday and is listed as questionable with an ankle injury, but it seems unfathomable that Brady would miss a game. It just won't happen, not with Brady and the Patriots offense having the chance to build upon their offensive resurgence that began last week. One more interesting player to watch in this game: Buffalo linebacker Brandon Spikes, the former Patriot who is playing his first game against his old team. Let's set the over-under for Spikes personal foul flags at 1.
Need to know: The Oakland Raiders will begin the post-Dennis-Allen era against the San Diego Chargers (with Allen's close friend, Mike McCoy, coaching from the opposite sideline) - but how much different will things be under interim head coach Tony Sparano? Much of the answer to that question is up to rookie starting quarterback Derek Carr. It was Allen who made the surprising - but probably correct - decision to go with Carr over veteran Matt Schaub, but it wasn't a move that could save his job. Now Carr needs to grow up quickly enough to try to save the Raiders' season.
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What to expect: The Raiders beat the Chargers at home last year - but this current San Diego team looks much tougher than it was a year ago, with Philip Rivers playing at an MVP level, and with tight end Antonio Gates in the middle of his own late-career resurgence. If the Raiders have a chance in this game it will because injuries will have finally caught up with San Diego. The Chargers will play Sunday without their top three running backs - rookie Branden Oliver will get the start Sunday with Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown all out; and are down to their fourth-string center.
Need to know: The first time the Cleveland Browns played the Steelers, back in Week 1, Browns' biggest question was at quarterback. Fast forward to this week, and Brian Hoyer is firmly entrenched as the Browns' starter and there is little cry for rookie Johnny Manziel to unseat him. The issue now for Cleveland is at cornerback, and their other first-round pick, Justin Gilbert. Star corner Joe Haden didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday and was limited on Friday because of a hip injury. He is expected to play, but how effective he'll be against Steelers' receiver Antonio Brown is certainly in question. It's a big deal because Gilbert has struggled through the Browns' first four games, leaving the Browns without a great backup plan if Haden is ailing.
What to expect: Don't turn this game off early. The Browns are the comeback kings this season - it started Week 1 with a failed rally against Pittsburgh. With so much at stake in the competitive AFC North, with the Bengals, Ravens, Steelers each with three wins, one game up on the Browns, it only feels right that this one will come down to the final moments as well.
PHOTOS: Best of the NFL Week 6
Fantasy fallout: If you started St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis last week, congratulations to you, because you somehow stumbled into a 300-yard, three-touchdown day from a former third-string quarterback. It seems unlikely that Davis will put up those sort of numbers again on Monday night against San Francisco - but Davis looks like he is worth picking up if your struggling team is having quarterback issues.
For entertainment purposes only: Once again, the Denver Broncos are the favorites heading into a game at MetLife Stadium. This time, it seems like a much safer bet that they'll cover the double-digit spread against a New York Jets team that is in turmoil.
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