Scully’s NFL notebook: Nick Foles has the Bears roaring

Three unbeaten teams remain after Week 6. While 5-0 Seattle enjoyed a bye week, Pittsburgh crushed Cleveland, and Tennessee rallied to beat Houston in overtime.

The Jets continue to be a nightmare from a betting perspective (0-6 against the spread), but oddsmakers fared well, as favorites went 5-9 ATS in Week 6. Dallas is the only other team that has failed to cover this season.

Home0field advantage is irrelevant for bettors ,as road teams improved to 50-39-1 ATS.

Here are my three takeaways from Week 6 of the 2020 NFL season.

49ers and Bucs bounce back, Green Bay in rebound mode

Another week, another reminder that things aren’t always as they appear in the NFL.

San Francisco bore little resemblance to the squad that was humiliated by Miami a week earlier and dominated the Los Angeles Rams in a contest that wasn’t as close as the 24-16 final score indicated. Tampa Bay made a mistake-filled loss to Chicago 10 days earlier look like an aberration, when it manhandled the unbeaten Green Bay Packers, 38-10, as a slight home underdog.

In a vacuum, Green Bay appeared significantly inferior to Tampa Bay. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was unable to complete half his passes (16-for-35), and the defense couldn’t slow Ronald Jones II (113 rushing yards and two touchdowns) or pressure Tom Brady. Of course, Week 6 wasn’t an accurate representation of Green Bay’s abilities.

The Packers were due for a letdown, after they won and covered the first four games. And their recent track record suggests an immediate rebound. Green Bay shrugged off a pair of lopsided road losses last year with wins and covers.

Green Bay will look to take their frustrations out on Houston in Week 7.

Defensive Bears improve to 3-0 on the road

Defense led Chicago to a 23-16 road victory over Carolina in Week 6, and the 5-1 Bears know exactly who they are.

“Would you rather lose pretty or win ugly?” quarterback Nick Foles asked. “I think that we’d rather win ugly.”

Every win has been ugly, and Chicago has been favored only once this year, against the New York Giants at home. The Bears are 3-0 on the road.

Foles is not an elite quarterback, but he represents a significant upgrade from Mitchell Trubisky, who compiled a disappointing 8-8 record last year with the preseason NFC North favorite and was benched in Week 3 this season. The team lost faith in Trubisky, but it’s a different vibe with Foles at the helm.

Turnovers and heath are always a concern with Foles, but he is capable of distributing the ball to a fine collection of weapons. Allen Robinson II is one of the premier wide receivers in the league, and Foles spread 23 completions among seven players, as he outplayed Teddy Bridgewater in Week 6.

Defense was still key to the win. Chicago forced three turnovers, including an interception on Carolina’s final drive to seal it, and recorded four sacks. The Panthers only converted three of their 13 third-down attempts.

Philadelphia the team to beat in the NFC East

Philadelphia has become marginal because of injuries, but they are still the class of the NFC East, despite a 1-4-1 record. Dallas was the favorite, but they can’t replace quarterback Dak Prescott. The New York Giants and Washington are both candidates to lose 15 games.

It’s the worst division in NFL history, and it promises to be ugly the rest of the way. The division winner will wind up with double-digit losses.

Philadelphia still has quarterback Carson Wentz, but he is seemingly introducing himself in the huddle as they pull new guys from off the street. The Eagles concluded Week 6 with only two projected starters remaining on offense, with the losses of Zach Ertz and Miles Sanders against Baltimore, and the defensive injuries have been massive, as well.

But while the Eagles couldn’t get out of their own way earlier in the season, with losses to Washington and a tie with Cincinnati, Philadelphia has found a way to turn things around, in a sense. After a win at San Francisco, Philadelphia was competitive against Pittsburgh and Baltimore the last two games, and the Eagles expect to get some receivers back in Week 7.

Wentz is also the only decent quarterback remaining in the division.

Dallas has become a turnover waiting to happen, with a league-worst -12 turnover margin, and Andy Dalton won’t get it done. The Cowboys also feature the worst scoring defense in the NFL, with 36.3 points allowed per game.

Washington was fortunate to catch Philadelphia in Week 1, which allowed it to avoid a winless campaign, and the Football Team have zero faith in whoever lines up under center. New York probably should have lost to Washington in Week 7.

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