Check out the highlights of Sunday night’s New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts Week 10 game. The game is remembered for Bill Belichick’s questionable call on 4th down with two minutes that gave Peyton Manning back the ball in great field position. However, the game was much better than that and included some truly memorable plays. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Randy Moss, and Reggie Wayne lived up to the hype and gave NFL fans a show.

Personally, I didn’t mind the call if the plan was to allow the Colts a quick touchdown and get the ball back with 1:45 or so ala Mike Holmgren in the Super Bowl. However, that was not the plan and the Patriots lost to another Peyton Manning comeback. I kind of like a coach with the guts to go for it on 4th down in that kind of situation. Yet, playing defense especially when the Colts were at the goal line is really the questionable call in my opinion. Once Addai got down to the goal line, I was shocked that the Pats didn’t allow him to walk in. It is slightly disappointing that such a great game will be remembered for a coaching decision and not the play of some of the greatest NFL players of our generation.

Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots Highlights Video

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Lost in all of the hype coming into the 2009 NFL season was arguably the greatest NFL rivalry of the decade. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have captivated the world over the last decade with their series of classic showdowns. The world will once again come to a stop as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will headline NFL Week 10 with the marquee event of the regular season.

The lack of hype for this game is amazing to me. In past seasons, the countdown for this game would have started in pre season. Unfortunately for these two teams, they have taken a backseat to the Brett Favre-Aaron Rodgers rivalry this season. On top of the great rivalry on paper, these teams always deliver. The word blowout or disappointment doesn’t exist with this rivalry. These teams always deliver and I would expect nothing less on Sunday night.

In retrospect, this is the first time that these two teams have played at even strength in two years. The Indianapolis Colts won last year’s meeting, which didn’t include Tom Brady. Peyton Manning also came into last season at far less than 100% and some even speculate Peyton wasn’t healthy all season. Their last big game came in the New England Patriots 2007 historic season. Both teams came into the game at 7-0, yet the Pats won a tight game 24-20.

This season, the Indianapolis Colts that come into the game with the lone undefeated record. The Colts and Pats have flown under the radar this season due to the success of the Broncos, Steelers, Vikings, and Saints. The slight difference here between these two teams is that the Pats struggled early, yet have been on fire for the last several weeks. The Colts rolled early, yet have struggled to close games the last few weeks. If I was going to read anything into this, I’d suggest that the Patriots may be a fresher team coming into Week 10 than the Colts.

Believe the hype, this game has playoff implications. Unless the Colts fall apart, the only hope the Patriots have at home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is a win here. The Patriots don’t want to be playing here in January, and definitely don’t want to be playing in Denver or Pittsburgh. A loss here wouldn’t be the end of the world for the Colts, yet it would make their hopes for a home advantage in the playoffs a little more difficult. There aren’t any other regular season games with this much on the line in the AFC for the rest of the regular season.

It is imperative that the Colts establish a running game. The Patriots can be run on, yet nobody has been able to take advantage of this in weeks. Not only can the Pats be run on, the Colts need to keep Tom Brady off of the field. At the same time, Laurence Maroney has really stepped up for the Pats this season. Maroney has scored in each of the last three games. In the end, I think the Colts are ripe to be had. I think the tough games the Colts have had recently will play a toll as this one gets down to the wire. I predict another classic showdown with the New England Patriots squeaking out a win in Indy.

Another game with huge playoff implications features the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Carson Palmer and Ben Roethlisberger had the chance to be another Brady-Manning rivalry, yet injuries and a terrible Bengals team have precluded this. Don’t blink now but the Bengals own the AFC North this season, and are 4-0 in the division. The wins include a huge Week 3 win at home against the Super Bowl champions. The Bengals won a very close one which featured Cedric Benson averaging 4.8 yards a carry against the number one rushing defense in the NFL.

The Steelers showed a ton of moxy on Monday night coming back and beating the Denver Broncos on the road. I can’t think of many better come-from-behind quarterbacks currently in the NFL than Ben Roethlisberger. That guy is money! The Bengals seem to be getting better and better by the week. The defense of the Bengals had a field day last week against the Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals have the luxury of getting the Steelers on a short week. I think that is the difference here. I am tired of picking against the Bengals and eating crow on Monday morning. This week I am picking the Bengals!

An intriguing game pits the Philadelphia Eagles traveling to San Diego to take on the Chargers. These are two of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL. The Chargers had a huge win last week in New York. Normally I would give the east coast a huge disadvantage for traveling west, but the chargers also had to travel from New York to San Diego. The game is also at 4:15 PM/EST which would be 1:15PM in Philly, not a big difference for the birds. Brian Westbrook is questionable which makes this a completely different game. I like the Eagles to strike early and take a win from the Chargers.

Ah, remember those great Green Bay Packers-Dallas Cowboys rivalries? The Ice Bowl, Favre vs. Aikman, and now Tony Romo vs. Aaron Rogers becomes the story here. It was just a few years ago when these two teams looked like they were on a collision course to the NFC title game. I have arguments all of the time about Aaron Rodgers. I think he is the most overrated quarterback in the NFL. Taking a page from Rush Limbaugh, I think that the media has been very desirous that a Green Bay quarterback do well! The Cowboys are red hot, while the Packers continue to struggle. The Packers have no hopes at the playoffs with a loss here. I am going with the upset here and picking the Green Bay Packers.

Quick Hits – Steve Slaton is on a bye week so his fantasy owners can prepare in advance for zero points. The Seahawks vs. the Cardinals is a real fascinating game considering that the Seahawks play better at home and the Cards play better on the road. The Carolina Panthers are getting hot at the wrong time for the Atlanta Falcons. The Minnesota Vikings continue their bye week with a game against the Detroit Lions. I would not be surprised at all by a Washington Redskins upset. The Baltimore Ravens finally get a break in the schedule this week against the Cleveland Browns. I look for the Wildcat to run wild on the Buccaneers on Sunday.

Fantasy Fix – Ricky Williams. I try and give you the names that aren’t so obvious week-week and if you have followed my advice, you have had some bit hits this season. I gave you Vince Young and Steve Slaton (hey he scored) last week, yet unfortunately I gave you the Green Bay Packers which bit me hard. I gave you Ricky Williams two weeks ago against the Saints and people thought I was nuts. Once again, I love the Wildcat here. As I mentioned two weeks ago, NFC teams aren’t spending too much time worrying about an AFC team they will play once every three years. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers certainly didn’t spend countless weeks in the off season preparing for the Wildcat. Ricky Williams is the 11th ranked back in my fantasy league in total points, yet nobody ever writes much about him. He has six touchdowns on the year and get this…he has double-digit fantasy points against all of his NFC opponents this season. Plug in Ricky and feed the cat!

Matthew Stafford - Here is a name that I haven’t suggested all season. Did you know that Stafford has had double-digit games since coming back from injury? Did you know that as impressive as the Minnesota Vikings are, the Vikings are one of the most susceptible passing defenses in the NFL? Minnesota gives up over 22% more points to ff quarterbacks than the average NFL team. The Vikings are the 21st overall team against the defense in the NFL. If I haven’t convinced you yet, did you know that the Vikings are horrendous against tight ends this season. Stafford and Brandon Pettigrew are getting into a groove at just the right time. I don’t expect an upset, but play Stafford if you need a quarterback and Pettigrew as well.

Braylon Edwards - I really like his matchup this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jets also had a bye week last week, which gave Edwards and Mark Sanchez some time to work together. Last week was really the first time that Edwards has had a chance to take a breath since coming to New York. The Jags give up over 30% more points to wide receivers than the average NFL team. The Jags are 26th in the league against the pass and have given up 15 touchdowns in the air. Go with the Jet this week and Mark Sanchez if you need a quarterback.

Jamaal Charles - Charles was a huge disappointment last week getting only six carries. Considering how many carries Larry Johnson would get per game, this was a terrible sign for owners looking to jump on the Charles bandwagon. Charles is in a three-back committee which is just death to fantasy football owners. However, Charles is playing the Oakland Raiders this week. As a Steve Slaton owner, I picked up Charles two weeks ago specifically for this game. The Raiders give up over 56% more fantasy points to running backs than the average NFL team. Charles could have a huge day here, however it all comes down to how much Todd Haley involves him in the game. It is a risky play but one that could turn out to be very productive for your fantasy team if he gets 15 or more carries.

CamelClutchBlog.com Fantasy Football Standings

Division 1
Dusty’s RedBellySpot 6-3 (Eric Gargiulo)
Havertown Spoilers 6-3 (Bryan Reigel)
Team Nuetral Zone 4-4 (Brett Clendaniel)
Team We Own You 4-5 (Erik Espenberg)
Team Wheelhouse Radio! 3-6 (Jeff Peck)

Division 2
Team The Nice Guys 8-1 (Jeff Porrini)
…Not You!!! 7-2 (John Yomtov)
1st Place 3-6 (Derek Sabato)
The Kings of Krista 3-6 (Josh Usher)
Team Rowland 1-8 (Justin Rowland)

NFL Week 10 Picks!

I had a huge bounceback week going 10-3 last week. Like most, I never saw the Bucs win coming. I am 84-45 overall on the season. Now for the NFL Week 10 Picks (Picks in BOLD) -

Chicago Bears vs San Francisco 49ers
New Orleans Saints vs St. Louis Rams
Tampa Bay Bucs vs Miami Dolphins
Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings
Jacksonville Jaguars vs NY Jets
Buffalo Bills vs Tennessee Titans
Cincinnati Bengals vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Denver Broncos vs Washington Redskins
Atlanta Falcons vs Carolina Panthers
Kansas City Chiefs vs Oakland Raiders
Seattle Seahawks vs Arizona Cardinals
Dallas Cowboys vs Green Bay Packers
Philadelphia Eagles vs San Diego Chargers
New England Patriots vs Indianapolis Colts
Baltimore Ravens vs Cleveland Browns

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The 2009 NFL regular season is halfway way through as we enter Week 9. After eight weeks we are starting to see the Super Bowl contenders separate from the NFL pretenders. Today is report card day for the AFC. Let’s take a look at some teams on the Dean’s List and some teams who are worthy of a big fat “F” for fail.

There are several different components I take into account in grading the teams. The first is overall won/lose record. The second is quality of competition and how teams played up or down to their competition. Third, are these teams over or underachieving based on pre season projections and analysis? Fourth, I take into account coaching and how well teams have been prepared and whether any coaching decisions have won or lost games. Fifth, overall individual efforts from team players are definitely taken into consideration in both positive and negative grades. With that said, let’s hand out the NFL First Quarter Report Cards for the AFC.

Dean’s List -
Indianapolis Colts

The Colts remain on the Dean’s List for the second report card of the NFL 2009 season. The Colts are now the lone unbeaten in the AFC. Peyton Manning and crew have had some scares and it hasn’t been easy in some cases. However, they have never had to come from behind the way the Saints have to remain unbeaten. The Colts remain to have issues with stopping the run. The problem is that teams have to abandon the run to play catch-up to Peyton and crew. This year’s Week 10 game against the New England Patriots will be the next NFL game to capture the nation. Indy has a very tough stretch down the line so I don’t see Indy going 16-0. However, past lessons have taught this team never to let up. The Colts are truly in a class all by themselves in the AFC.

Grade A -
Denver Broncos
Cincinnati Bengals
New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers

The Patriots have dramatically improved from a slow start. Tom Brady seems to be back in his 2007 groove and the team is looking more confident by the week. The Bengals and the Broncos are the surprises of the AFC this season. I still question the longevity of the Broncos success with Kyle Orton at quarterback. The Bengals look better than they ever have under Marvin Lewis and that includes their pre-Carson Palmer injury run a few years ago. The Steelers continue to come up in big situations. However, they continue to have a hard time putting away teams. It is arguable that they would have lost the Vikings game if not for some questionable calls. I am still not buying into the Steelers as being some kind of NFL juggernaut this season.

Grade B -
Houston Texans
Baltimore Ravens
San Diego Chargers

The Chargers and the Texans move up from a “C” grade on their previous report card. The Baltimore Ravens unfortunately move down a grade. Of the three teams, I think Houston has the only real shot of making it into the playoffs. Unfortunately for the Baltimore Ravens they share a division with the Steelers and the Bengals. Houston has been the quietest offensive show in the NFL. Matt Schaub is the “Matty-Ice” of the NFL this year as he has been a touchdown machine. Steve Slaton got it back on track until his benching and even the defense has played well. The Chargers are in the worst division in the NFL, so division wins aren’t a big deal to me. San Diego has some major problems and may get exposed a bit once they start playing some NFC East teams. However, you can’t argue with their record or mid-season turnaround.

Grade C -
New York Jets
Miami Dolphins
Buffalo Bills
Jacksonville Jaguars

The biggest drop in the report card is the Jets dropping from an “A” to a “C” grade. Teams have finally gotten a look at Mark Sanchez and have been able to prepare for the boy wonder. Rex Ryan has made some rookie coaching mistakes and the Jets have lost some close games. Braylon Edwards looked like a great pickup in his first game against the Dolphins, but hasn’t been a difference maker since. The only reason the Bills are here is because of their record. Like the Washington Redskins, the Bills have a tremendous passing defense and just an awful offense. I don’t believe the Bills are for real, but we’ll see. The Jaguars are a one-man show with MJD. David Garrard is a joke and this is a team that has had problems replacing Mark Brunell at quarterback for years. I love the Dolphins and I am a big fan of their offense. They are the only team in the NFL to properly run a Wildcat offense. However, like the Jags they need a quarterback and until they get one, they will wind up as a really good team with a mediocre record.

Grade D -
Oakland Raiders

This one hurts and they belong as a failure, but the Eagles win has to count for something. After being a blown out a week earlier, the Raiders played the game of their lives against the Eagles. The Raiders never let up and took a big favorite by surprised and pulled off the upset. As for the rest of the season, JaMarcus Russell is the worst NFL starting quarterback I have ever seen play football. Tom Cable looks confused and their rookie wide receiver tandem haven’t done squat. Richard Seymour predicted the Raiders would make the playoffs. I don’t even think the make .500 by the end of the season.

Grade F -
Kansas City Chiefs
Tennessee Titans
Cleveland Browns

Of all three teams, the Titans have the best shot of an immediate turnaround. The Titans finally made the quarterback switch and have gone with Vince Young. Vince Young finally won for the Titans, and the Titans looked great against a team that destroyed them earlier this season. I don’t think they are making the playoffs, but Vince could take them to an 8-8 record. The Cleveland Browns are without a doubt, the worst team in the NFL. There are some bad teams with talented players, but this team is just awful. Congress should investigate how Derek Anderson has been able to keep his job the last few weeks. I do believe that the Chiefs are on the way to good things, but those good things are a season or two away. Larry Johnson has killed the Chiefs on and off of the field. Todd Haley has run the ball to the death, yet his star running back isn’t even averaging 3.0 yards a carry. The only thing that could hold this team back is Matt Cassel. If he is going to be a bust, it will be a longtime before this team turns around.

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5. Mark Sanchez throws 5 INTs

Amazing what six weeks can do to you in the beginning of your NFL career. In the first three weeks Mark Sanchez was on top of the New York sporting world. New York sports radio was calling Mark Sanchez as the top New York sports figure in the city. He was just a day away from getting a key to the city and a ticker tape parade.

The Jets were 3-0 preparing themselves for a Super Bowl and a statue of their new rookie quarterback. Three weeks later Mark Sanchez is the talk of New York sports radio again for all the wrong reasons. No one thought the Jets would be 3-3 after Week 6 and that Mark Sanchez would have a meltdown against the Buffalo Bills.

That meltdown came in the form of 5; yes count them 5 interceptions in the game. Sanchez did everything he could do for the Bills to win. He was Terrell Owens favorite quarterback at the end of the game. But this is the trials and tribulations quarterbacks tend to see in their rookie season, Sanchez showed the poise that he will be a start in the NFL and should eventually bounce back. This Jets team is too good not to make the playoffs this season.

4. How is Jim Zorn still the head coach for the Redskins?

Jim Zorn has become everyone’s favorite underdog in the NFL. Never before has a coach’s job been on the line every single week like it has for Jim Zorn. You have to give the guy credit for staying positive after every single Redskin legend has attempted to run him out of the organization. It’s a sad situation since people should be pointing the finger more at Daniel Snyder the owner of the Redskins.

Zorn will finish the season with the Redskins but he most definitely won’t be back. No matter what Jim Zorn does he is a sitting duck in Washington and he knows it. Mike Shanahan or Bill Cowher will be the favorites for the Redskins position following the offseason. For Redskins fans this is going to continue to be a tough season.

3. The Eagles lose to the Raiders

This could very well be the biggest upset of the 2009 season so far. Nobody saw this coming. The Eagles were in my opinion one of the top NFC teams going into this season. But they are definitely not having the season they were hoping for when they took the field on Week 1.

To lose to the Oakland Raiders, a team that just like the Washington Redskins; in shambles, is embarrassing. JaMarcus Russell is one of the worst quarterbacks in the league and you let him throw for what most would consider being a career game for him in the NFL. If the Eagles lose to the Chiefs in Week 7 we should get ready for the Kevin Kolb rumors to start in Philly. A very disappointing loss for what should be a top team in the NFL.

2. Broncos, Saints and Vikings stay undefeated

These three teams continued to separate themselves from the rest of the NFL this past week with big wins that kept them all undefeated this season. The most surprising by far is the Denver Broncos who have improved their record to an amazing 6-0 this season. They completed the trifecta (Cowboys, Patriots, Chargers) of games that I deemed would make them a team that is “for real.” They are 6-0 and are gaining confidence every game they play. They are most definitely no longer a “pretender” in the AFC; this team is without a doubt a contender.

The most impressive win of the three undefeated teams goes to the New Orleans Saints; turning the Giants defense into the Lions defense with their victory in Week 6. I do not remember a time where the Giants defense gave up that many points in a game. To put over 40+ on the board against the G-Men is impressive and really shows everyone that the Saints are THE team to be in the NFC this season. Drew Brees is by far the first half of the season MVP.

Finally the Minnesota Vikings squeaked through with a victory over the sliding Baltimore Ravens. This game was one of the better games in Week 6 as the Vikings let the Ravens walk into striking position for the victory in the 4th quarter. While despite winning the Vikings are still not a convincing undefeated team. When you’re dealing with a 40 year old quarterback and a often injured running back eventually something is going to give. But for the meantime Brad Childress is looking like a genius, which is very hard to do.

1. Tom Brady is back in the first half

The entire region of New England breathed a loud sigh of relief this past weekend when Tom Brady finally returned to the football field and it only took his return to comeback in the first half of a game. In the first half alone Tom Brady threw for 5 touchdowns. Yes I wrote that correctly as in the first half Tom Brady threw for 5 TDs. Some football players if not most will never do that feat in their career let alone in the first half.

Terrific Tom would add one more TD in the 2nd half for 6 total TD passes before finally letting the bleeding stop against the Titans. What football fans saw this weekend was the eve of what could be the 2007 Tom Brady that took NFL franchises down for 18 straight games in the ’07 season. If that is the case, look out as it appears Tom Brady and the New England Patriots sent a huge message this past Sunday.

Jeff Peck is the producer for the “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at http://www.wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com

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Out of all the past weeks in the NFL, week 6 seems to be the most important in terms of declaring who is the cream of the crop in the NFL. Teams are coming off huge wins and heartbreaking losses, while other teams have yet to be challenged thus far. The headline matchup of the week has to be the New York Giants going to play in the Superdome against the New Orleans Saints.

The Giants have been a superior team through the first five weeks of the season but they have played teams with a combined record of 6-19, with two of those wins coming from the lowly Redskins. So clearly the 4-0 Saints will be the toughest team that the Giants have seen. The Giants usually play “old school” football with a rock solid defense and a hard-nosed rushing game. However, the Giants go to guy from a year ago, Brandon Jacobs, has looked soft as ever with a 3.6 yards per carry and only one touchdown. Combine this with a much improved Saints run defense, and it looks like the Giants are going to have to air it out with Eli Manning.

On the other side, the Saints seem to be solid all over. Sean Payton’s play calling has transformed the Saints into a double threat with the pass and the run. Pierre Thomas has a ridiculous 6.4 yards per carry and although Drew Brees hasn’t thrown a touchdown since September 20th against the Eagles, remember, he’s still Drew Brees who threw for 9 touchdowns in the first 2 games.

Without the matchup of the undefeated, the Ravens/Vikings game might have been the top game of the week. The Ravens are coming off a last second loss against the Bengals at home and the Vikings are coming into the game stronger than ever with a 5-0 record.

Some might think that it’s going to be a matchup of the great rush defense of the Ravens versus and the great rushing game of Adrian Peterson and the Vikings; however, the Vikings are just 11th in the league in rushing and have only had two 100 yard rushing games this year. The key to the game in my eyes is how both teams play towards the end of the 4th quarter. In the past two games the Ravens have done poorly on both sides of the ball at the end of the 4th quarter, with a failed last minute drive against the Patriots and letting Carson Palmer, with the help of a vicious late hit by Ray Ray, march down the field and score to win the game at M&T Bank Stadium. This bodes well for the Vikings who are showcasing the greatest comeback quarterback of all time in Brett Favre and a feared rushing game that can control the clock with Adrian Peterson.

A game with huge implications that is not getting as much coverage as the games previously mentioned is the Chicago Bears at the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football. Both teams are 3-1 and both have big wins over good competition. This game features two teams that are very much like each other. Both have a solid but under achieving rushing game. Both have a quarterback that has an immense amount of skill but still has something to prove. And both teams have a defense that rank in the top 6 in points per game.

Both Matt Forte and Michael Turner are not the running backs that they were a year ago, but they still have time to get back to that form. Forte has been clearly affected by the decrease in touches and Turner doesn’t seem to be running like a bowling ball the way he was last year. In a game with teams that are so closely matched, the deciding factor will be clock control. Any team that can dominate the ball and most importantly, eat up time in the 4th quarter will end up winning the game.

Other games that draw attention are the Broncos at the Chargers and the Texans at the Bengals. Broncos are still for some reason considered underrated with a 5-0 record and aren’t looking to slow down. The game will be a boxing match with the Chargers desperately needing a win and the Broncos defense being one of the league’s best in most categories. The Bengals are coming off a great victory at the Ravens by scoring in the last minute. The Texans, in my opinion, are a much underrated team and I can see them pulling an upset. Bengals have a great pass defense but Schaub to Johnson is a deadly connection against any defense. Add that to a slumping Slaton who needs a breakout game and this has the making of an upset.

Fantasy wise, the following list of players will be the Miles Austin or Roddy White of the week by feasting all over the defensive matchups. MJD is going to play with a chip on his shoulder and thanks to his complaints during the week, he should see much more of the ball and that’s bad for any defense, especially the awful Rams. Aaron Rodgers should capitalize against the Lions and their pass offense that made Jason Campbell look like a Pro Bowler. And if Steve Smith of the Panthers doesn’t take advantage of the Bucs pass defense than he and Jake Delhomme have lost their magic. A sleeper of the week can be Donnie Avery because the Jags have the 30th ranked pass defense and everyone knows they will be down by more than 14 and will be airing it out. A person I don’t like this week has to be Phillip Rivers. The Broncos pass defense with the new addition of Brian Dawkins has been stingy to all the QBs, including Tom Brady. Look for a below average effort from Rivers.

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Come this Sunday we will be a third of a way through the season. A season where we have seen surprises (Broncos & Bengals) and some let downs (Titans). The first six weeks do not cement a season but they help build the foundation on that season for each franchise. Where you stand after Week 6 will help determine if you are a contender or pretender when it comes to play Football in the winter months of 2010.

I stated in my Week 4 preview blog that it was going to take the next three games (Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers) to determine if the Denver Broncos were a team to be taken seriously. The Broncos approach Week 6 still undefeated and heading into the last leg of games that would make them a contender in the AFC. Win, loss or draw at this point the Denver Broncos are for real. They have a great head coach leading the way in his first season and a team on a mission to prove that they can complete the goal of raising the Vince Lombardi trophy in January. The last two times the Denver Broncos started the season 6-0 they won the Super Bowl, it will be interesting to see if Denver can keep that tradition alive against the Bolts this Week.

The Week 6 schedule looks much better then the Week 5 schedule as the NFL is giving us at least four good games in the Falcons/Bears, Broncos/Chargers, Giants/Saints and Vikings/Ravens matchups. The Giants/Saints matchup in my opinion is the most intriguing cause this will showcase who is the most dominant team in the NFC.

The Giants defense vs. The Saints offense will be the focal point for this matchup and when it comes down with that I always go with the old saying of, “defense wins Championships.” This is the New York Football Giants first real test this season and the Saints are coming off of a bye week. The Giants need to get Brandon Jacobs motor started in this week or they will be in trouble as the season continues. Drew Brees will not have a huge day like he did in the first two weeks of the season as this Giants defense is by far the most superior defense in Football. We are looking at an early season NFC Championship game, whether that will continue is debatable for another time. But you can’t talk NFC Championship without mentioning the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons will be taking on the disappointing Chicago Bears in a Week 6 matchup that I feel will continue to cement the Falcons dominance in the NFC. The Falcons have the offense to take apart this once great Chicago Bears defense. I look for Michael Turner to finally turn the jets in Week 6 and join Roddy White in finally waking up this season. Jay Cutler will make the Falcons defense look good, really good.

Finally the Vikings/Ravens matchup is a very intriguing matchup that makes me feel like most fans are writing off the Ravens as a dominate team after their Week 5 loss to Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens defense will make Brett Favre look like a 40 year old Quarterback in the NFL shutting down the passing game. But the weapon of “All-Day” Adrian Peterson will show flaws in the rush defense of the Ravens in the early part of this season. The Vikings are among the Giants, Saints and Falcons as the NFC elite at this point of the season. I believe the Vikings will continue to be undefeated until the finally step on the hollowed grounds of Lambeau Field on November 1st.

Week 6 should be a fun week to watch for most NFL fans and will start to shape up the top of the food chain in both conferences. With that being said here are my Week 6 picks:

Week 6 Picks:

Falcons over Bears
Jets over Bills
Broncos over Chargers
Steelers over Browns
Cardinals over Seahawks
Redskins over Chiefs
Eagles over Raiders
Giants over Saints
Packers over Lions
Panthers over Buccaneers
Jaguars over Rams
Vikings over Ravens
Bengals over Texans
Patriots over Titans

Week 5 Record: 8-6

2009 Record: 47-28

Want to challenge my picks? Send me an e-mail at wheelhouseradio.jp@gmail.com and remember to tune in Thursday October 15th @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at www.blogtalkradio.com/thewheelhouse for your chance to win a “prize pack” by picking the most correct NFL games courtesy of The Wheelhouse!

Jeff Peck is the producer for the “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at http://www.wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com

You can visit The Wheelhouse’s official website where you can download “high quality” shows & see all the latest happenings with the show at http://wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com.

If you would like to subscribe to “The Wheelhouse” on iTunes simply subscribe for free at iTunes by typing in “Wheelhouse Radio!”

You can follow Wheelhouse Radio! on Twitter by visiting their page @ www.twitter.com/thewheelhouse and you can e-mail them @ wheelhouseradio@gmail.com.

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