NFL RedZone companion, week six: London calling for the Raiders and Seahawks, and the Steelers try to topple Cincinnati
Week six is here, and the NFL is coming to London! On Sunday evening the Raiders and Seahawks will kick off three straight weeks of action at Wembley Stadium. We have Chargers-Titans next weekend, before the Super Bowl champion Eagles take on the AFC heavyweight Jags in what might be the biggest clash in London's 11-year NFL history.
But there's plenty more action to look forward to as well. The Eagles ruined Saquon Barkley's breakout game on Thursday night, the Saints and Lions are on a bye week and the Packers and 49ers play on Monday night, which means we have 13 games to look forward to on NFL Sunday.
Here's everything to look out for on RedZone this week (with a slight cheat - more on that later, but I promise you it's worth it).
Five games to dial in on
Two of the UK's favourite teams grace Wembley
Let's start on home soil, shall we? The Raiders and Seahawks are two of the UK's best supported franchises, and while neither team is at the height of their powers it's always exciting for fans when they get the rare chance to see their heroes in the flesh. Expect to see a lot of Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, Derek Carr and Marshawn Lynch shirts around London on Sunday (as well as jerseys from every other team, of course).
There are a couple of key areas on which this game will hinge. The first is the run game - with Chris Carson and Mike Davis Seattle have finally found one for the first time since losing Lynch, while Lynch himself is always a danger for Oakland. What makes this interesting is that the Seahawks and Raiders have two of the worse run defenses in the NFL. This game may come down to which team is able to pound the other hardest on the ground.
The other important match-up is Carr against the Seattle pass defense. The Seahawks have made a lot of big takeaways this season, and Carr has thrown more interceptions than any other quarterback in the league. He needs to eliminate the sloppy mistakes or the Raiders will fall to 1-5.
The Bengals try to Steel the AFC North
This one has all the makings of a shootout, though to be fair you can say that about almost any Steelers game this season. A win would put the Bengals three games ahead of Pittsburgh in the AFC North, and put them solidly in pole position for the division. For that to happen they're going to need their defense to play like they did against the Dolphins last week.
Cincinnati had two defensive touchdowns in their comeback win over Miami. Jessie Bates III has been one of the league's best rookies on that side of the ball, and Vontaze Burfict has made an immediate impact on his return from suspension. Ben Roethlisberger is racking up some big numbers through five weeks, but has also been there for the taking. This game could come down to one big interception, and if I were to bet on which team will get it it'd be the guys in the tiger-striped helmets.
Then again, Pittsburgh's offensive firepower means they can put up 40 points on anyone. Both Antonio Brown and James Conner had their biggest games of the season last week against the Falcons and if they repeat the Bengals defense won't have enough to stop them. As I said, a shootout.
A very Chargery trip to Cleveland
If you can remember back to Christmas Eve 2016, it was the Chargers that Cleveland defeated to end the possibility of a humiliating 0-16 season. They went and did it the following year anyway, of course, but the point here is that the Chargers have a knack for losing games they really should win.
However, the 2018 Browns are a very different team. In Baker Mayfield they not only have a good, exciting quarterback, but a leader everyone can rally around. In Myles Garrett they have a defensive end with Hall of Fame potential, and their leader on the other side of the ball, while Denzel Ward is a dynamic defensive playmaker. There were lots of raised eyebrows when the Browns took Ward at number four back in April. Not anymore.
Despite Cleveland being competitive again, this is still a game the Chargers will expect to win. They have one of the strongest rosters in the AFC and Philip Rivers is quietly playing at MVP level. No one's giving him much credit, but Rivers has the league's third highest QB rating - behind Drew Brees and Jared Goff - and has been excellent in every game. On the flip side, the defense looks weak in Joey Bosa's absence (though Derwin James is a revelation). This is the most intriguing game of the week.
Titans and Ravens battle for the playoffs?
Week six is far too early to call anything a playoff decider, but there's a real chance the Titans and Ravens could find themselves fighting over one wildcard spot come December. Sunday's clash could be the difference between January football and an early look towards the draft.
These two teams have followed similar paths this season. Both have had performances which got us thinking they might be dark horse Super Bowl contenders, then followed them up with deeply disappointing losses against inferior outfits.
Overall I think the Ravens look better set up to succeed. They have a top-three defense, and with a solid receiver room around him for the first time since Steve Smith retired Joe Flacco is playing better than he has in years. Tennessee's defense has also been good, but question marks still hang over Marcus Mariota, the run game and the receivers' ability to make catches when it matters most.
If Baltimore's front seven can get after Mariota and make life difficult for him in the passing game I'd back them to win a very tight game, despite being on the road.
The Patriots and Chiefs definitely not playing for top seed in the AFC...
Reporter to Bill Belichick: "Bill, does it feel like you're playing for the top seed in the AFC?"
Belichick: "It feels like we're playing Kansas City."
Reporter: "Does it feel like..."
Belichick: " It feels like we're playing Kansas City.
You have to feel the reporters know what they're doing when they ask Bill these types of questions at this point. Doesn't stop it from being entertaining, though.
In all seriousness though... they might be playing for the top seed in the AFC, but right now I don't even care about that, because this is going to be a cracking game. So good, in fact, that I'm cheating (there it is) and talking about it here even though it's the late game on Sunday, and won't be on RedZone. You can catch the whole thing live on Sky Sports Action, though.
It's always fun when the Patriots play the Chiefs - the Chiefs actually lead the series 18-14-3, and you'll remember them stunning New England 42-27 on the opening day of last season, when Kareem Hunt had a monster game. Hunt was quiet in the early part of the season, leaving Patrick Mahomes to carve apart opposing defenses, but he's getting a bigger role now. You imagine Andy Reid might give him a good share of touches against a leaky Pats run defense.
If the Chiefs win this one we have to put them up there with the Rams as Super Bowl favourites, but is the (pretty awful) defense really going to be able to hold off Tom Brady now he has Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon at his disposal? This is a game worth staying up for.
Five players to keep an eye on
Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Winston is getting his first start back as the Bucs' QB1, and it couldn't come at a much better time. The Falcons' injury-depleted defense is the only one in the NFL giving up more points than the Buccaneers' own.
Given Atlanta's problems you'd think this would be the perfect game for the gunslinger, Ryan Fitzpatrick, but one of the NFL's most enjoyable early season stories has now been resigned to the bench by Dirk Koetter. If Winston can't make hay against the Falcons early on will Fitzmagic find himself back in the action?
Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams)
Yes, Gurley is one of the NFL's most notable names, and yes, he's been brilliant every week for Los Angeles, but I had to include him here against a Denver defense which gave up 318 rushing yards to Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell last weekend.
If those two can take Denver to the cleaners, what will the league's best running back be able to do? He's already had two three-touchdown performances this season, could he make it three in six?
Byron Jones (Dallas Cowboys)
Jones is Pro Football Focus' top graded cornerback of 2018. The fourth-year starter has 26 tackles and four pass defenses through five weeks, and now has an opportunity to make some showier plays against the Jags and Blake Bortles.
Bortles threw four picks against the Chiefs last weekend, and the Cowboys' defense has been one of the best in the league. This defensive battle could be closer than it might look on paper.
Geno Atkins (Cincinnati Bengals)
Atkins has more quarterback pressures than anyone else this season, and is also tied with the Watt brothers for first in the NFL in sacks, with six. Atkins being able to put pressure on Big Ben could be the key to the Bengals forcing mistakes and getting a huge win on Sunday.
To go with his big sack numbers Atkins also has 22 tackles (eight for loss) on the season. He's in the form of his life.
Taylor Moton (Carolina Panthers)
You probably don't hear Moton's name banded about a whole lot, but that only means he's doing a good job. The Panthers right tackle is averaging 91 snaps per pressure allowed this season - the best of any tackle in the league.
If Cam Newton is well protected the Panthers offense can fire, and that's especially vital for them this week against a Redskins defense that's looked really strong.
Five bold predictions
Andrew Luck throws for at least twice as many yards as Sam Darnold in the Jets-Colts clash.
Philip Rivers and Baker Mayfield both register a passer rating of over 100 in Browns-Chargers.
Adam Thielen makes it six straight games with 100+ receiving yards for the Vikings against Arizona.
There are less than 35 points in the Raiders-Seahawks game in London.
The Falcons, Texans, Bears, Jaguars and Packers all win.
