After a whirlwind weekend that saw me consume more caffeine than ever before, I can finally look back on something other than school. Considering the 49ers were not playing, the weekend could not have gone much better.
The Seahawks and Cardinals both managed to lose, dropping to 3-3 and only 1/2 game ahead of the 49ers. More importantly, based on the circumstances, they were games both teams probably should have won. The Seahawks were beaten at home 28-17 by New Orleans, in a game that saw the Saints possibly begin to right the ship. The Cardinals were facing a Carolina squad helmed by 43-year old Vinny Testaverde. The Cardinals managed to lose in Glendale 25-10, in spite of the QB situation in Carolina.
As we head into Week 7, the Seahawks are at home against the Rams in a game they should easily win. I had been placing Miami last in my Power Rankings ballot, but that will change from here on out. The Rams are by far the worst team in the NFL, hands down. The only thing that would keep them from going 0-16 is if Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger can make it back and be effective. Personally, I'm not holding my breath.
The Cardinals will head into Washington for a suddenly important game for both teams. Washington had their chances but couldn't beat Green Bay, while the Cardinals suddenly find themselves in the thick of an early playoff race for the first time in years.
And thus we come to the 49ers. Coming off a bye week, we really won't know if there is any improvement until Sunday against the Giants. The Giants face off against the Falcons in a game that ESPN has to be pumped to have on Monday Night Football. The Giants have won 3 straight but really haven't looked all that impressive in doing so. The 49ers enter a key 3-game stretch with offensive question marks. If New Orleans is in fact returning to form (or even close to form) that becomes a much tougher game. The good news is the 49ers defense is up to the task of containing Reggie Bush and the Saints passing attack. Once again, it's a matter of the offense being equal to the task.
In the meantime, today and tomorrow we'll start looking ahead to the upcoming Giants matchup to get a better idea of our opponent. Road games are always tough, but this is one the 49ers have to win if they want to make any sort of statement about the playoffs.