Schrager's Week 6 Cheat Sheet: Cowboys, Browns can prove they are for real
When you've got that giant star on your helmet . . . a stadium that triples as a football field, modern architectural marvel and an art museum . . . arguably the most recognizable quarterback in the league not named Tom or Peyton . . . and the largest fan base in the country, it's hard to really be "under the radar."
But somehow, the 2014 Dallas Cowboys -- for all their warts and lumps and summertime skeptics -- are sitting at 4-1 and tied for the lead in the NFC East with very little fanfare.
Maybe a five-game sample size, the NFL's leading rusher and one of the most surprisingly stout defensive units in the NFL isn't as sexy or as fun as a Tony Romo late-game meltdown, a shaky defense prone to giving up the big play or a star wide receiver having a meltdown on the sideline. Maybe the media is just a collection of sadists, cheering for schadenfreude instead of a consistently meat-and-potatoes, run-based offense and opportunistic defense. Whatever the reason, the same pundits and Twitter Einstein's who poked and prodded and wrote off this team, its head coach and its owner back in July have been awfully hesitant to give the Cowboys some deserved praise.
Or, maybe they're just waiting for Sunday's test.
Hey, going to Seattle is no walk in the park. It wasn't back in January 2007 when Tony Romo botched a snap that cost Dallas a playoff win. It certainly isn't now, where Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson have lost just once over the past three seasons in CenturyLink. If we're holding our collective breaths to see how Dallas fares on Sunday, I think that's fair. I also would be shocked if it's the blowout I'm hearing many expect.
So would the Cowboys.
This year's team isn't big in the headline-grabbing quote department (Where have you gone, Terrell Owens?) and the stat-heads may not have much to chew on outside DeMarco Murray's rushing numbers, but there's some real bite to it. I liked Jeremy Mincey's comments on Wednesday. "We have a bunch of hungry men in here and Seattle wears their pants just like we wear our pants," the Cowboys defensive end said. "They are all men. We have to come out focused with intensity and do what we have been doing. No retreat. No surrender."
Citing Springsteen lyrics, too. All sportswriters appreciate that, right? Right?!
But this team? It just hasn't received the respect it deserves yet.
Beat Seattle in their building on Sunday? And well, even the most hardened of critics will have to take notice. Read on for my pick . . .
Disagree with what I write? Good. Hit me up @Pschrags on Twitter or email me at PeterSchrager@gmail.com and let me have it.
Week 6 NFL Cheat Sheet Trivia Question of the Week
With 130 carries through five games, DeMarco Murray is currently on pace for 416 carries, which would tie the NFL single-season rushing attempt record. Who currently make up the top three on that list?
(Answer at bottom)
THROWBACK JERSEY OF THE WEEK
Each week, we'll direct you to a throwback jersey worth purchasing. In honor of his first NFL game as an NFL on FOX broadcaster this weekend (Arizona-Washington), here's a sweet, limited edition Brady Quinn Chiefs jersey.
Now, on to the picks.
Week 5 Record: 11-4
Overall Season Record: 48-28
Indianapolis at Houston: The Thursday night games have been atrocious -- I mean, really, really bad. No Thursday night CBS game has been decided by less than 20 points, and yet an average of 16.2 million viewers tune in each week.
Last Thursday's Vikings-Packers game was a 42-10 smashing by Green Bay that was over before it started -- and featured Christian Ponder as one of the team's starting quarterbacks! Guess what? An average of 16.5 million Americans watched it. Over the summer, it was announced that “Big Bang Theory” -- the No. 1-rated rated comedy on CBS (and one I actually really, really like) -- would be moved to Mondays to accommodate for the NFL package. There were skeptics. Those skeptics were wrong. The most recent Thursday night game increased CBS's primetime viewership by 33 percent, as compared to last year at this time.
So, yes, the quality of play is second-rate compared to Sundays. Arian Foster isn't the only player unhappy with it, and of course there are gripes in the coaching community about the short week to heal and prepare. But these games are not going away anytime soon. As long as Americans are tuning in and the advertisers are getting what they're paying for, Thursday nights are here to stay -- 30-point blowouts and all.
As for this game? I'll take Andrew Luck over Ryan Fitzpatrick on a national stage, regardless of where the game is being played, when it's being played, or what Sheldon and Blossom are doing on Monday.
The Pick: Colts 31, Texans 20
Jacksonville at Tennessee: I know, I know. A win is a win and a loss is a loss. But despite their record and some awful defeats five weeks into the season, the young Jaguars have actually shown some real flashes this year. They were a poorly timed pick-six away from a potential win over the Steelers a week ago. Many of you will roll your eyes at this statement -- but Gus Bradley's squad is an extremely well-coached, well-built team. The Jags are just so young. I like them in this one on the road.
The Pick: Jaguars 20, Titans 16
Baltimore at Tampa Bay: How good is Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley? Well, he's hands-down my pick for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year five weeks into the 2014 season. Currently, Mosley is the only player in the NFL to have at least 40 tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. Wearing the No. 57 in Baltimore is a major honor. O.J. Brigance and Bart Scott are two Ravens players who have donned the jersey in the past, and so far Mosley is doing them proud. Oh, and playing middle linebacker in Baltimore is a fairly big deal, too. But Mosley's exceeded all expectations. "Some of the plays he made on the field today, it's unbelievable," cornerback Lardarius Webb said after Sunday's loss in Indianapolis. "He reminds you of Ray (Lewis).” Laugh if you want. Then watch Mosley on any given Sunday. You'll see that he's right.
The Pick: Ravens 27, Buccaneers 21
Denver at New York Jets: I haven't spent enough time with the Jets this season to make corny time-zone jokes or question the state of their locker room. I will tell you, though, that Sunday's game will tell me a lot about what they're made of. In the past, Rex Ryan has gotten his team up for these games. The Jets beat the Patriots and Saints a year ago at MetLife. They took down the Colts, Patriots, and Chargers on the road as big postseason underdogs in years' past. They're home. They're the subject of everyone's scorn. They're being written off. So, right where they're most comfortable. Give me Geno and the Jets on Sunday!
The Pick: Jets 23, Broncos 20
Detroit at Minnesota: Back in August, you probably didn't expect this to be the battle of George Winn and Matt Asiata, but that could be the case in the running back department on Sunday. Winn joined the Lions in July, his sixth team after going undrafted in 2013. He bounced from practice squad to practice squad and finally got his first real action last Sunday with the Lions' first three backs battling injuries. It's not Peterson vs. Bush, but Asiata-Winn could make for a good battle in the NFC North. Teddy Bridgewater should be in the lineup (and that's a great thing), but there are just too many injuries up and down the Minnesota roster for me to pick the Vikings this week.
The Pick: Lions 27, Vikings 23
New England at Buffalo: I didn't mind Bills DC Jim Schwartz getting carried off on players' shoulders after last week's win at the Lions -- the team that fired Schwartz as head coach after last season. Hell, you only live once. I also didn't mind Tom Brady spiking the ball like he was Rob Gronkowski after New England reached the end zone last Sunday night. Schwartz has his defense playing sound football and both linebacker Brandon Spikes and defensive line coach Pepper Johnson know the Patriots inside and out. The Bills fans will be amped for it and Brady won't have it nearly as easy as he did last Sunday, but I like the Patriots to come out on top.
The Pick: Patriots 23, Bills 19
Carolina at Cincinnati: Will the real Bengals please stand up? It seems like Cincinnati is perfectly fine in any game played in daylight or with a second or third announcing team on the call. The second we go under the lights or the A-teams are calling the games, a different squad shows up. Luke Kuechly, a Cincinnati native, could have a career day on Sunday. But the game's being played at 1 p.m. ET and isn't the national-TV one, either. Give me Dalton and the Bengals.
The Pick: Bengals 30, Panthers 23
Pittsburgh at Cleveland: I know DeMarco Murray and J.J. Watt are getting all the love, and you can make a sound argument for Russell Wilson over both of them. But when it comes to MVP, I'm putting Brian Hoyer in the conversation, too. Through four games, Hoyer has the Browns at 2-2 and is on pace for 4,032 yards, 24 touchdowns and just four interceptions on 62.1-percent passing (328 completions) this season. He's doing this without his top wide receiver, and his top running back and tight end have been in and out of the lineup. A different Brian (Sipe) led the Cardiac Kids in 1980. This Brian has his Browns doing incredible things, too. Cleveland has been favored against the Steelers just three times in the past 20 years. Read that stat again. Just crazy. Well, the Browns opened as two-point favorites this week. And I'm taking them.
The Pick: Browns 31, Steelers 26
Green Bay at Miami: It would be difficult to find any NFL coach outside of Green Bay who is as familiar with Aaron Rodgers as Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin. As Rodgers' offensive coordinator for five seasons in Green Bay, Philbin won a Super Bowl ring and watched a young apprentice to Brett Favre blossom into one of the best -- if not, the best -- quarterback in all of football. "He challenged me as a young player to really think about it a lot," Rodgers said this week of Philbin's ability to get Rodgers to control his body language in his early days as a starter. "I'm very passionate about the game and I'm a competitor, and Joe reminded me often about my body language and that everyone is looking at me as the QB for energy. That really stuck with me and I appreciate him for that." Green Bay's offense is averaging 40 points a game over the past two weeks. Miami will battle, but I'm riding with the student over the teacher in this one.
The Pick: Packers 27, Dolphins 23
San Diego at Oakland: Oakland interim head coach Tony Sparano buried a football this week. It was symbolic of something -- I think. I appreciate the effort and the flair for the dramatic, but unless he can bury the contracts the Oakland front office doled out to a dozen aging veterans this offseason, I'm not sure any coach or any ritualistic sacrifice is doing anything for the Raiders this season. The Chargers always have a tough time in Oakland, but I just can't see this Raiders team notching its first win on Sunday.
The Pick: Chargers 31, Raiders 20
Chicago at Atlanta: One big, passing offense with a struggling defense and a frustrated fan base will play another big, passing offense with a struggling defense and a frustrated fan base. Outside? Give me the Bears. Inside? Give me the Falcons. Well, that was easy.
The Pick: Falcons 42, Bears 31
Dallas at Seattle: I love what the Cowboys are doing this year, can't get enough of their offensive line's dominance in the trenches, and think Rod Marinelli is making opposing offenses look foolish with his looks and schemes. But I can't pick against the Seahawks in Seattle. Not when Russell Wilson is playing the way he's playing and not when this team is seemingly healthy across the board. How good are the Seahawks? They committed 13 penalties on Monday night and I still left FedEx Field thinking they were one of the most disciplined, balanced teams I've ever seen. It's a game Sunday, yes. But it's a Seahawks win.
The Pick: Seahawks 27, Cowboys 23
Washington at Arizona: Tricky one considering the Arizona quarterback situation, but I like the Cardinals in the desert. If it's Logan Thomas, it's Logan Thomas. I'm confident Bruce Arians and this defense will do enough to notch the W.
The Pick: Cardinals 23, Redskins 20
New York Giants at Philadelphia: Sorry, but I can't get worked up over a Twitter photo featuring two Giants players who've never won Super Bowl rings of their own celebrating the fact that the Eagles have none. So, let's leave that manufactured “storyline” at that. An actual storyline? The Eagles offense still isn't clicking on all cylinders. The defense and special teams have been carrying the load in recent weeks, but I think LeSean McCoy and Nick Foles get going in a Sunday night affair. The Eagles have beaten the Giants the last five times the two teams have played under the lights. That's a stat I don't find useless.
The Pick: Eagles 31, Giants 23
San Francisco at St. Louis: The St. Louis Cardinals play the San Francisco Giants on Sunday and Tuesday. On Monday? The cities' NFL teams square off. When Frank Gore retires, he could someday get one of those Derek Jeter ceremonies in St. Louis. In 14 games vs. the Rams, he has rushed for 1,191 yards and 15 touchdowns on 269 carries, including five 100-yard games. His 15 rushing touchdowns versus the Rams are his most against any team in the NFL. St. Louis prides itself on its defense, but the unit's been mediocre this season. Robert Quinn, a few months after being paid handsomely for his breakout 2012 and 2013 campaigns, hasn't been much. Give me the 49ers.
The Pick: 49ers 34, Rams 20
Reader Email of the Week
Peter,
Any thoughts on the Brian Hoyer dancing video? I think he actually had some good moves, but what do I know? I can't dance.
Roger,
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Roger,
He did have good moves. I asked Hoyer about it on Tuesday and he said he saw Joe Thomas, his big offensive tackle, busting a move and Hoyer couldn't resist. Hoyer can do no wrong in my eyes at this point. Is he going to win “Dancing with the Stars”? Probably not. Can he hold his own at a wedding or a Bar Mitzvah with those moves? You better believe it.
Week 6 NFL Cheat Sheet Trivia ANSWER of the Week
The NFL's top three single-season rushing attempts in a season are:
1. 416 -- Larry Johnson, Kansas City, 2006
2. 410 -- Jamal Anderson, Atlanta, 1998
3. 407 -- James Wilder, Tampa Bay, 1984