NFL Rewind

STORY OF THE WEEK

Sunday’s showdown of undefeated teams at the Superdome was far from super - at least if you’re a New York Giants fan. The New Orleans Saints downed the Giants like a hurricane on Bourbon Street.

Quarterback Drew Brees continued his success of the past three years, throwing for 369 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-27 rout. Those numbers left him with 101 touchdowns and more than 15,000 yards in 53 games with New Orleans, putting him at that yardage mark with one team faster than any other quarterback.

However, the differences this season for New Orleans, which is 5-0 after going 7-9 and 8-8 the past two years, are running back Pierre Thomas, who’s averaging 5.9 yards a carry, and a revamped defense under new coordinator Gregg Williams.

New Orleans stopped New York on seven of 10 third downs while surrendering just 171 yards in the first three quarters. Williams’ aggressive defense recorded its 11th interception - tied for the most in the NFL - while getting to Eli Manning twice to run its sack total to 12.

The Saints have crushed Philadelphia and the Giants. Atlanta (twice), Dallas (at home) and New England (at home) are the only nonlosing teams left on their schedule. It’s hard to see the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC not going through a dome - be it in New Orleans or Minneapolis.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Maybe all it took was an early New England snowstorm for the Patriots to get back in gear. The NFL’s dominant team of the past decade had been anything but that in the first five weeks despite the return of quarterback Tom Brady.

New England was 3-2 after losing in overtime at Denver a week earlier and was averaging just 21 points despite the presence of Brady and the other main weapons of 2007’s record-setting offense: receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

But Sunday, Brady and the Patriots blew away winless Tennessee like a nor’easter hitting Cape Cod. In the second quarter alone, Brady tossed two touchdowns to Moss and two to Welker with one in between to Kevin Faulk.

FIVE TRENDS FROM WEEK 6

UP: Brett Favre continued his amazing early season success. A year after leading the New York Jets to an 8-3 start, the 40-year-old guided Minnesota to its sixth straight victory, a 33-31 survival against Baltimore. Favre was 21-for-29 for 278 yards and three touchdowns as the hosts built a 27-10 lead and then won on a late field goal.

DOWN: Three weeks ago, the Jets weren’t regretting Favre’s move to Minnesota. After all, his successor, Mark Sanchez, wasn’t playing like a rookie, and they were 3-0 and on top of the AFC East. On Sunday, Sanchez threw five interceptions and passed for just 119 yards in a 16-13 home loss to Buffalo - New York’s third straight defeat.

UP: After getting blown out by Denver, Houston and the New York Giants, Oakland seemed destined for a seventh straight season with at least 11 losses. But Tom Cable’s guys sacked Donovan McNabb six times and got an 86-yard touchdown catch from Zach Miller to stun visiting Philadelphia 13-9.

DOWN: Cincinnati came into Sunday’s game with Houston on a four-game tear that had lifted the Bengals into the AFC North lead. The splat emanating from Paul Brown Stadium was the host team, which lost pass-rusher Antwan Odom early, lost its halftime lead within four minutes and never scored again in a 28-17 upset.

UP: Ten days ago, defending NFC champion Arizona was 1-2 and well behind San Francisco in the NFC West. On Sunday, the Cardinals moved into a tie for the division lead by blasting Seattle 27-3 on the road. Ageless quarterback Kurt Warner reached 30,000 passing yards in his 114th game, tying Dan Marino for the quickest road there.

NEXT MAN UP

Notable injuries from Week 6:

LB Lofa Tatupu (chest), Seattle: Tatupu suffered a season-ending torn left pectoral muscle in the second quarter of a 27-3 loss to Arizona. Second-year man David Hawthorne replaced him.

DE Antwan Odom (Achilles), Cincinnati: Odom, who came into the game tied for the NFL lead with eight sacks, tore his right Achilles tendon in the first quarter of a 28-17 loss to Houston. Odom will miss the rest of the season.

NT Kris Jenkins (knee), New York Jets: The big man in the middle is out for the season after suffering a torn left ACL during the second quarter of New York’s 16-13 overtime loss to Buffalo.

QB Trent Edwards (concussion), Buffalo: He was injured when he was sacked during the second quarter against the Jets. Edwards, who didn’t return, was replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick. It’s unknown whether Edwards will start Sunday at Carolina.

CB Nnamdi Asomugha (eye), Oakland: He was poked in the right eye during the first quarter of the Raiders’ 13-9 upset of Philadelphia. Asomugha returned but experienced pain and blurred vision, so he left for good in the second. His status Sunday vs. the Jets is unclear.

NUMBERS GAME

Interesting stat about the Week 6 games:

7

Saints players who scored against the Giants, making New Orleans just the fourth team to do that since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger - and just the second in the past 20 seasons.

HOT SEAT

Whose performance in Week 6 puts him in the spotlight for next week:

Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison

Baltimore’s defense ranked in the NFL’s top six in nine of the previous 10 seasons. The Ravens were No. 1 in 2006 and No. 2 in four other years, including 2008. Whether Marvin Lewis (1999-2001), Mike Nolan (2002-04) or Rex Ryan (2005-08) was in charge, the Ravens were a force on defense.

Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Ed Reed are still with the Ravens, but that era of greatness might be over. Mattison, promoted from linebackers coach when Ryan went to the Jets in January, might be the fall guy for the Ravens, who rank 17th in the league in defense. Sunday’s 33-31 loss at Minnesota was the third time in five games that the defense allowed at least 26 points; that didn’t happen once in 2008. The Ravens, who entering last week hadn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 39 games, now have done so on consecutive Sundays.