1. Cincinnati and Denver defenses are for real

Before the season started, fantasy owners probably saw their stars going against Denver and Cincinnati and salivated. Clearly, that is no longer the case. Both the Broncos and the Bengals have played great defense all season, and they have beaten every other team they have faced this season. Now, you may say this is a week too late to learn this, but I didn’t write this article last week, and both teams confirmed the statements they made last week in week 5. Pittsburgh and San Diego need to be careful, or these teams are going to steal their playoff spots.

2. The bad teams are worse than we thought.

Buffalol (Because they’re a joke) and Cleveland played one of the most uninspiring games I’ve seen in years. Derek Anderson went 2-17 for 23 yards and won the game for the Browns. Weren’t Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson, Lee Evans, and Terrell Owens supposed to be talented? What happened to the team we saw week one against New England? I thought the Bills would be bad this year, but where is J.P. Losman when you need him? Meanwhile, the Oakland Raiders continued their descent into NFL hell, losing 44-7 to the New York Giants. Losman’s Las Vegas Locomotives might look more like a competent team right now than the Raiders. Eli Manning’s playing status was up in the air all week. What does he do against the Raiders? Puts up a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating! Still, St. Louis tops them all, having lost 15 consecutive games, the NFL high today. So why is Donnie Avery celebrating a 4th quarter touchdown to cut the game to 31-10? Sigh.

3. Roddy and Miles dominate

These really could not be more opposite stories, but both Roddy White and Miles Austin tallied over 200 yards receiving to lead their teams to victory. Austin put up 250 yards and 3 touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime. Replacing the struggling and injured Roy E. Williams, Austin played far better than any Cowboy receiver had all year. Still, it was barely enough for the Cowboys to beat the lowly Chiefs. White, on the other hand, helped put away Atlanta’s game early en route to a 45-10 destruction of the 49ers. White hadn’t really gotten going in the first three weeks, and his 210 yard performance was more than he had all season. Both teams seem to be going in opposite directions. Despite the win, the Cowboys still look to be the third best team in their division, while the Falcons finally had a big road win.

4. Welcome back, Matt and Donovan!

Eagles QB Donovan McNabb and Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck returned from injury this week, and both proved early and often that they were fine. McNabb picked apart a porous Buccaneer secondary, posting 264 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a 157.2 QB rating. He also led the Eagles in rushing with 30 yards, which can’t feel too good for Eagles fans. Hasselbeck had no trouble with the Jaguars defense, putting up 241 yards and 4 touchdowns, 2 to Nate Burleson who has quietly been very impressive. Seattle and Jacksonville were two teams who were tough to figure out. Now, at least we know the Jaguars aren’t for real.

5. The Titans can’t lose again…can they?

Stick a fork in the Tennessee Titans. I could have bought an argument at 0-3 that they weren’t dead. At 0-4, they still could have won two straight heading into their bye and not be completely done. But at 0-5 they are finished. For the fifth straight week, people including myself were thinking, “The Titans are too good to be winless, right?” For the fifth straight week, the answer is no. Indianapolis is an extremely good team, but after three straight weeks of being close, the Titans showed that there is more to football than running the ball and stopping the run. Peyton Manning became the latest quarterback to torch the Tennessee pass defense. Next week they face New England in Gillete Stadium with the Patriots coming off a loss. Tom Brady and Randy Moss can’t wait to take out their frustrations next week. Can you say 0-6?

Check out Mackenzie Kraemer on his New York Jets blog.