NFL Week 6 Picks and Preview

Welcome to a weekly preview of the next round of NFL games. A look that will be less quarterback crazy and more about offensive lines, defense, running games, maybe even the casual punter, and everything that makes it the greatest team game ever invented, not the individualized, star-driven sport that too many of us try to make it out to be. An effort will be made to keep the tone between “Going old-school” and “Get off my lawn!” »

Thanks to the start of Jonathan Gannon’s late career as an NFL head coach, neither the Cardinals (2-3) nor the Colts (4-1) should have to worry this week about Indianapolis receiver Adonai Mitchell or Arizona running back Emari Demercado dropping the ball before crossing the goal line. One might assume that this sudden NFL trend of selfish goal-line gaffes is over after two weeks, but hey, let’s not totally underestimate the next modern bone-headed player who’s more interested in his appearance than the job he’s being paid to do.

A week after Mitchell’s showing error turned a 75-yard touchdown run into a fumble for a touchdown in a one-score loss to the Rams, Demercado upped the ante on stupidity by returning the ball prematurely for what would have been a 72-yard score and a late 28-6 lead in a game the Cards lost 22-21.

The price of that decision was much higher and likely won’t be paid in full until the Cardinals completely distance themselves from Gannon’s viral altercation with Demercado by firing him, likely before the end of Gannon’s third season as head coach. The team already fined him $100,000 after he apologized publicly and to Demercado, so good luck regaining control of this roster. And, oh yeah, Gannon has another hole in his sunken ship – he became the first coach to lose three straight games by walk-off scores.

Did Gannon go too far by making contact with Demercado’s chest and hitting his shoulder pad? Even Mike Ditka himself might say yes, but let’s pump the brakes a little. A. You can’t transfer normal human decorum to the NFL playing field, so stop all the “you never lay your hands on…” arguments. Even Andy Reid and Travis Kelce jostled on the sidelines. B. Demercado wore pads, and any of us of a certain age who played the game at any level remembers an angry coach hitting a pad or two. C. The mistake was extremely selfish and came as every coach in the league was showing clips of Mitchell and telling their players not to be that guy.

In the future, if you want to look cool, do what the great Earl Campbell did after crushing an entire defense: hand the ball to the referee once the play is over and the goal line is crossed.

$49.5 million. That’s the difference per season between what the 49ers pay starting quarterback Brock Purdy ($53 million) and what they pay backup Mac Jones ($3.5 million). Purdy is 1-1 with four touchdowns and four interceptions. Jones is 3-0 with six touchdowns and one interception. This seems like the perfect time to give Purdy more time to rest from all his ailments.

49ers (4-1) at Buccaneers (4-1). For the first time since 2014, the NFL has no undefeated team heading into Week 6. The league is also coming off a record six double-digit wins in Week 5 — a feat that has only happened six times, most recently in 2013. There are six 4-1 teams, including four in the NFC. Two of them meet in Tampa Bay, where the 49ers continue to make anyone’s injury excuses hollow while the Bucs continue to ride MVP favorite Baker Mayfield. In last week’s 38-35 win at Seattle, Mayfield completed 29 of 33 (87.9 percent) for 379 yards and two touchdowns to become the first player in NFL history to throw for 375 yards with fewer than five incomplete passes.