Minnesota and New England reign supreme in NFL Radio’s Week 6 Power 12

Week 6 of the NFL season is upon us. The Vikings and New England Patriots are tops in the NFC and AFC this week. New to the Power 12 are the Buffalo Bills and gone are the Baltimore Ravens with their second loss in as many weeks. This week’s pollsters from SiriusXM NFL Radio are: James Lofton, Bruce Murray, Brady Quinn, Pat Kirwan, Jim Miller, Vic Carucci, Alex Marvez, Gil Brandt, and Brian Lauvray.

NFC

MINNESOTA (5-0)

Week 6 opponent: BYE

The Vikings continue to vanquish foes with their “Hammer of Thor” defense and an offense that simply refuses to make mistakes or turnovers. Minnesota’s offense, never a thing of beauty in the best of times, save for Adrian Peterson, has morphed into, if not something outwardly attractive, at least damn efficient. Headed into their bye this week, Minnesota is the league’s sole undefeated squad, before traveling to Philly next weekend for a showdown with the Eagles that has playoff ramifications written all over it.

ATLANTA (4-1)

Week 6 opponent: @ Seattle (SIRI 93, XM 228, Internet 801)

In the midst of a tough, two-week West Coast jaunt, the Falcons, a week after handing the Broncos their first defeat, take the long flight from ATL to SEA to face the rugged Seahawks defense at the C-Link. If Atlanta takes down Seattle on the road, a big “if,” the Dirty Birds will have arguably the best resume in the entire NFL this season. Anticipate a push into the top spot next Power 12 if they win is what we’re trying to say.

SEATTLE (3-1)

Week 6 opponent: Atlanta (SIRI 81, XM 225, Internet 828)

The Seahawks come out of their bye week with a home match against the high-flying Falcons’ offense and the devastating Matt Ryan-Julio Jones connection. Anticipate Pete Carroll’s secondary to try and “slow down” Jones, et al (early reports are stating that Richard Sherman will shadow Julio), while Seattle’s defensive front seven contains Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman. I fully anticipate Russell Wilson to methodically pick apart Atlanta’s defense at a sure-to-be-rowdy Century Link Field.

GREEN BAY (3-1)

Week 6 opponent: Dallas: (SIRI 82, XM 82, Internet 811)

The Packers offense still hasn’t hit that “next gear” and maybe we all need to adjust our expectations for this offense? I’m not sure, but Aaron Rodgers looked great early against the Giants and then he (and the rest of the Pack) looked outright pedestrian for the remainder of last week’s Sunday nighter. If Green Bay’s offense struggles again this week versus Dallas, the Green + Gold are in for a dogfight that they may not win.

DALLAS (4-1)

Week 6 opponent: @ Green Bay: (SIRI 83, XM 226, Internet 808)

Did you have the Dallas Cowboys pegged at 4-1 after five weeks? Behind the astonishing brilliance of rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot, to say nothing of the incredible offensive line which makes the opportunities for ‘Zeke and Dak, Dallas has played a devastating, ball-control offense that forces opposing offenses to stay off the field. Dallas has the personnel, with or without Tony Romo, to beat Green Bay in Lambeau this weekend and to make some noise in the NFC East.

PHILADELPHIA (3-1)

Week 6 opponent: @ Washington (SIRI 132, XM 226)

The Eagles and Carson Wentz finally blinked…against Detroit of all teams. After their first loss of the season, Philly now finds itself on the road against sneaky divisional foe Washington. With Minnesota on the horizon, a loss in the nation’s capital could quickly turn one loss against Detroit into a three-game losing streak. Philadelphia should really hope to win this game against Washington…

NFC Fantasy Spotlight, Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman, ATL, RB’s

.@MikeNolanNFL is giving a lot of love to the @AtlantaFalcons in naming the most impressive @NFL players from Week 5 pic.twitter.com/iBRGNTt9SY

— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) October 12, 2016

That’s NFL Radio’s Mike Nolan singing the hosannas of Atlanta’s running backs, Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman. The Dirty Bird duo faces another brutal defense in Seattle, so maybe hedge a little this week, but these two backs are going to be winning some season-long leagues for the smart gamer.

AFC

NEW ENGLAND (4-1)

Week 6 opponent: Cincinnati (SIRI 82, XM 82, Internet 819)

“Hi, Tom. We missed you. Thanks for throwing all those touchdowns.” -Pats fans across the land.

New England’s grade of competition gets a bump up this week against a hungry-for-a-win Bengals squad, but the game’s at Gillette and the Pats simply do not lose there. Spoiler: For more on Touchdown Tom scroll down to our AFC Fantasy Spotlight.

PITTSBURGH (4-1)

Week 6 opponent: @ Miami (SIRI 84, XM/Internet 825)

The 4-1 Steelers head to South Florida to take on the 1-4 Miami Dolphins in what should be a thorough beatdown for Ben Roethlisberger and Co. LeVeon Bell’s return matched the hype and anticipation and his impact on Pittsburgh’s offense cannot be overstated. Miami’s only hope is for a win involves a miraculous turn of events incorporating voodoo and injuries. Bad juju all around with this Dolphins team.

DENVER (4-1)

Week 6 opponent: @ San Diego (SIRI 83,  XM 226, Internet 809)

One loss does not make or break a season, particularly not when a rather green, rookie QB is leading the offense in said loss. Still, it was impressive to watch Atlanta’s defense slow down the Denver running game. Denver needs Trevor Siemian more than anyone expected and that’s (slightly) scary. Happy Halloween, Broncos.

OAKLAND (4-1)

Week 6 opponent: Kansas City (SIRI 145, XM 227, Internet 823)

Another week and another shootout victory for the young Raiders. Oakland’s offense is the real McCoy, but man, this shaky Raider defense is going to get throttled by [scans Oakland’s schedule and realizes they face no capable offenses for remainder of season. Seriously.] Oakland’s offense is solid enough to keep them in any game for the remainder of the season. They’ll struggle mightily against this very good KC outfit and will again struggle against Denver, but who else can Oakland not outscore on their schedule? Want a must-listen? Here’s Oakland’s Derek Carr talking about the jump the Raiders have made this year with SiriusXM’s Adam Schein. 

BUFFALO (3-2)

Week 6 opponent: San Francisco (SIRI 81, XM 225, Internet 803)

After dropping their first two games of the season, the Bills have now reeled off three straight impressive wins and, surprisingly, the Bills opportunistic offense seems to be leading the way. Now in Week 6 and hosting the 49ers in the Kaepernick Bowl, Buffalo has a chance to stake an early claim to the wild-card lead. Yes, it’s early, but it’s never too early to begin thinking about wild-card jockeying, just ask the NY Jets from a season ago.

Kansas City (2-2)

Week 6 opponent: @ Oakland (SIRI 136, XM 229, Internet 815)

And speaking of the wild-card chase, at a decent 2-2 record, the forgotten Chiefs are already in the third position in the rugged AFC West behind Oakland and Denver, but are shaping up for yet another playoff run. It sounds crazy, but the Chiefs can make up some needed ground this weekend directly against Oakland and then have a cupcake schedule for the remainder of October and the majority of November. This is Kansas City’s way and it works fine for them.

AFC Fantasy Spotlight, Tom Brady, QB, New England

Who was the most impressive @NFL player in Week 5? The answer is obvious to @SiriusXMNFL‘s @TomPelissero pic.twitter.com/vxwRMCIqYj

— SiriusXM Sports (@SiriusXMSports) October 12, 2016

Tom Brady is on the warpath between now and forever after #DEFLATEGATE. If you have him on your team, roll with him every week until proven otherwise.