NFL Report: Strong QB play fuels unbeaten teams, except one

Six weeks in, and there are still five unbeaten teams. That has never happened before in the NFL, and if you're looking for reasons why it has now, it should come as little surprise that superior quarterback play tops the list.

There is, however, an element of surprise to some of the quarterbacks playing at an elite level and in the one team that has remained unbeaten in spite of its quarterback play.

Tom Brady, who at 38 is saying he wants to play 10 more years, is the league's highest-rated passer. His 118.4 rating is better than the 117.2 he posted in 2007 when he threw 50 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The New England Patriots remained unbeaten all the way to the Super Bowl that season before suffering a devastating defeat to a New York Giants team that did not even win its division. In five wins this season, Brady has thrown 14 touchdowns and just one interception, which was not his fault.

The No. 2-rated passer in the NFL also is the quarterback of an unbeaten team. If you guessed it was Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, you are incorrect. Rodgers, at 115.9, is a close third behind Cincinnati's Andy Dalton, who checks in at 116.1.

The Bengals are 6-0, and Dalton is playing the best football of his life. Despite leading Cincinnati to four playoff appearances in his first four seasons, Dalton has never won a postseason game, and the biggest knock has been that he throws too many interceptions. He has six playoff picks and just one touchdown. So far this season, Dalton has 14 touchdown passes and only two interceptions.

Rodgers, as expected, has been sensational for the 6-0 Packers. He lost star receiver Jordy Nelson in the preseason, but he still leads the NFL with 15 touchdown passes and has thrown only two interceptions.

The Eagles will face a quarterback of an unbeaten team Sunday night, but don't be fooled by Cam Newton's pedestrian passer rating of 83.2, which ranks 22d in the league. Newton's legs are what make him one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL, and they make the Panthers' rushing offense difficult to defend.

The quarterback of the NFL's other unbeaten team is among the best to ever play the position, but Denver's 6-0 record has a lot more to do with its defense than the play of Peyton Manning. His league-worst 10 interceptions match the total he has thrown in five of his seasons, and he is on pace to throw fewer than 20 touchdowns for the first time in his career.

Denver is proof that a dominating defense can be just as effective a formula for winning as a great quarterback, but you have to wonder whether the Broncos can continue their success if Manning keeps playing like a man pushing 40.

Of the five unbeatens, the Broncos are the least likely to remain that way. After their bye this week, they have three of the unbeaten teams on their schedule, starting Nov. 1 against the Packers. The combined record of Denver's remaining opponents is 31-21.

Brady and the Patriots appear to have the best shot of running the table again. They face just two teams that currently have winning records the rest of the way, with road games against the New York Jets and Denver being the most difficult.

There are only nine days left before the NFL's Nov. 3 trade deadline, and even though it never generates the same interest or movement as the other professional sports, there are some interesting names that could be on the trade block. San Francisco tight end Vernon Davis and St. Louis tight end Jared Cook top a list that also could include Chicago running back Matt Forte.

Two players the Eagles should consider going after are Baltimore wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., who plans to retire after this season, and Washington wide receiver Pierre Garcon, who can be a free agent after next season. Chip Kelly's Eagles desperately need help at the position, and a veteran presence would be good for the younger guys.

The Kansas City Chiefs are 1-5 and have lost star running back Jamaal Charles for the season to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. It is the worst start ever for former Eagles coach Andy Reid, and, yes, it can get worse. Vanilla quarterback Alex Smith is suffering from a thumb injury and was listed as questionable for Sunday's home game against Pittsburgh.

Regardless of what happens against the Steelers, however, free beer awaits Chiefs fans before their Week 8 game. All they have to do to get it is travel to Trafalgar Square in London Friday, where Chiefs fans will be offered free beer for three hours, according to team president Mark Donovan. Kansas City plays the Detroit Lions next Sunday in London.

"What we came up with was, let's figure out a way to buy them beer," Donovan, a former Eagles executive, told ESPN.com. "The idea is if you're coming to London, whether you came in on a train from Manchester where you live or whether you came over on a flight or whether you came in from Germany because it's easier to get to London than Kansas City, you came to support the Chiefs, and we want to buy you a beer."

You must have a ticket to the Sunday game to get the free suds. Memo to all you German Chiefs fans: The beer, the food, and the football will be better if you stay in your own country.

Give Dallas coach Jason Garrett credit for trying to teach his players some life lessons by arriving a day early for the Cowboys' road game against the New York Giants Sunday. The purpose was for the team to tour ground zero. "Jason is really into those kinds of things for the team," owner Jerry Jones told ESPN.com. "We're going to ground zero and go to the observation tower and . . . get a feel for what really heroes were like during those trying times." Garrett was a backup quarterback for the Giants and living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan when the attacks occurred.

Commissioner Roger Goodell is likely to suspend Cleveland quarterback Johnny Manziel after his alcohol relapse last week was accompanied by an apparent physical altercation with his girlfriend, Colleen Crowley. Manziel, who spent 10 weeks during the offseason in a Berks County rehab facility, admitted to drinking, but police in Avon, Ohio, determined he was not intoxicated. Regardless of what conclusions are eventually drawn by police and the league, the fact that Manziel had even one drink is a step in the wrong direction for a recovering alcoholic. It's also an indication of how powerful addiction can be.

Top early afternoon game: New York Jets at New England

The Jets, who had Bill Belichick as their head coach for one day, are 10-22 against the Patriots coach since he spurned them and left for New England after the 1999 season. That record does not sound all that good, but the 10 wins are tied with Miami for the most against Belichick since he joined the Patriots. The Giants, at 3-2, are the only team with a winning record against Belichick. The Eagles are one of four teams never to have beaten him.

Top late afternoon game: Dallas at N.Y. Giants

After three straight losses with Brandon Weeden filling in for the injured Tony Romo at quarterback, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett has made the switch to Matt Cassel, who is 5-12 in his last 17 starts. It would help the veteran QB if receiver Dez Bryant played for the first time since his Week 1 foot injury, but that seems unlikely.

Sunday night game: Eagles at Carolina

The last time Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford played against the Carolina Panthers was Oct. 20, 2013, at Bank of America Stadium. Bradford's St. Louis Rams lost, 30-15, and he suffered the first of his two torn left ACL injuries after being pushed out of bounds by cornerback Mike Mitchell. The video is worth watching because of how teammate Harvey Dahl defended Bradford.

Monday night game: Baltimore at Arizona

The Ravens, at 1-5, are off to their worst start in franchise history. The last team to make the playoffs after a 1-5 start was Cincinnati in 1970; the Bengals started 1-6 that year. John Harbaugh only failed to make the playoffs once in his first seven seasons as the Baltimore coach.

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