Are you excited for NFL Week 6? Sure, Bills-Rams just ended like eight hours ago. But the Seahawks and Broncos are playing in another iteration of the Russell Wilson bowl on Thursday! The Texans' season hangs on the brink against the Jaguars in London on Sunday morning. Caleb Williams should be back for the Bears against the Falcons Sunday afternoon! And Micah Parsons... apparently won't play in his revenge game against the Cowboys on Sunday night. Whatever.
Every Tuesday of the NFL season, I'll turn the page from the previous week to the upcoming one with seven things I think. These aren't full-scale predictions. They aren't concrete takeaways from the past week of NFL action, either; those are fired off Sunday or Monday. Instead, these are the uncertain topics. They are things that might be true, but it'll probably take the next few games to find out. And at the bottom, you'll find a few extra half-thoughts... just those little inklings I'm unable to shake.
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This week, I'll start with a quarterback change I'm expecting to see soon, touch on a couple of defenses in need of big talent lifts, and anticipate an improvement for an undefeated team. Here are seven things I think ahead of Week 6.
Jump to: One more start for Cousins? Seahawks need more than Charbonnet? Two head coaches in trouble? Murray, Vikings rounding into form? Cowboys need to sit some vets? Time for the Cards to look at Beck? Massive issues in the Bears' secondary? Some extra inklings
I think... Kirk Cousins will get one more start before Fernando Mendoza time
Cousins has been totally solid for the Raiders this season. Relative to expectation and contract, there has been nothing disappointing about his play.
That said, the Patriots went after him Sunday. New England defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr blitzed Cousins on 41.2% of his first-half dropbacks, per NFL Next Gen Stats, and got a 53% pressure rate and two sacks for his trouble. Although Cousins is a wily veteran capable of identifying blitzes and carving them up with hot routes, he's also 38 years old and was not particularly mobile even a decade ago, let alone now.
The Patriots' game plan was apparent and smart. With starting cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III both unavailable due to injuries and a couple of depth corners also laid up, Kuhr tried to break the Raiders' passing game at the pocket before Cousins could attack his inexperienced cover men. On paper, it didn't work too great -- Cousins was 10-for-15 with 123 yards and a score through two quarters. But it got the Patriots off the field when they needed it.