$.01--With the 5-0 Vikings on a bye, the top NFC tilt came in Seattle. Both Atlanta and Seattle entered the game with just one loss. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks came from behind to edge the Atlanta Falcons 26-24 after blowing an early 17-3 lead.

The officials decided Seattle should be 4-1. That much was plainly obvious on the final play, when the zebras kept their flags holstered as Richard Sherman blatantly grabbed Julio Jones' right arm on Matt Ryan's deep throw on fourth down. Jones got his other hand on the football and nearly secured it even with Sherman still clinging to the right arm and dragging him down, a process he initiated well before the throw arrived.

It's a shame that will be the story of this great game, but that's life in today's NFL.

Just one Atlanta drive earlier, Jones had a rare misplay on a ball. Ryan's pass clanked off his hands, off Sherman's hand and into safety Earl Thomas' waiting hands for the INT. That set up redemption for Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka, who nailed the go-ahead field goal after missing a 29-yarder earlier and also having an extra point blocked.

Seattle was the better team for three of the four quarters, including the fourth. The Seahawks defense won the battle at the line of scrimmage and bottled up the normally effective Atlanta rushing tandem in the first half. Cliff Avril's strip sack helped keep the high-flying Falcons to just one first-half field goal.

Atlanta dominated the third quarter, and in those 15 minutes it was easy to see why the Falcons are so dangerous. The first three drives out of halftime all went at least 75 yards and produced touchdowns. It so flummoxed Seattle's defense that Sherman nearly came to blows with teammates on the sidelines.

This is where Seattle's culture of winning, and some home cooking from the officials, paid off. Atlanta is good but not quite there yet.

$.02--While it's not set in stone yet, the Raiders sure seem on the brink of leaving Oakland once again. Say hello to the Las Vegas Raiders.

The State of Nevada came through with a $750 million funding plan to help build a new domed stadium just off the famous Las Vegas Strip. Raiders owner Mark (son of Al) Davis praised the move, calling Vegas a "proud new home for the Raider Nation."

As Lee Corso would say, not so fast ....

Any move requires approval of 75 percent of NFL owners, who can vote as early as the league meetings in January. They will have to put aside their historical disdain for gambling, a real tough sell for some owners.

Given how they acquiesced to weaselly Stan Kroenke and the Rams moving back to Los Angeles, that seems more a formality than a challenge. St. Louis had a far more compelling local funding initiative and stadium situation than Oakland does right now.

Oakland will no doubt try hard to keep the Silver and Black where they belong. Unfortunately, the State of California cannot help and the local community appears tapped out for public funding dollars. The stadium issue has dogged Oakland for years, and the Davis family has threatened another move almost since the day they moved back from Los Angeles.

Was the announcement a distraction? Oakland played its worst game of the season in losing 26-10 to the rival Chiefs as Spencer Ware gashed the Raiders defense for 131 yards and a TD. The Raiders had a great opportunity to seize control of the competitive AFC West but now are in a 2-loss tie with both Kansas City and Denver.

$.03--The Dallas Cowboys improved to 5-1, comfortably beating the Packers 30-16 in Green Bay. It's not necessarily the final score that is a surprise. However, the way in which the two offenses got to that score is the stunner.

By now we shouldn't be surprised with Dak Prescott. The Cowboys rookie continues to exude control and confidence running the Dallas offense. He's very smart at identifying the proper receiver, the most favorable matchup on his passing plays. Even without Dez Bryant, Prescott effectively picked apart the injury-riddled Green Bay secondary.

The real surprise is the ongoing struggles with Aaron Rodgers. The Packers QB just isn't what he was at his incredibly impressive best, and the sample size of his decline is nearing the validation point.

He still posted decent numbers, and the one touchdown drive was masterful. His depth of receiving weaponry has definitely declined, most notably at tight end. The running game is very hit/miss. There are legit excuses but the plain truth is Aaron Rodgers is no longer great. At least not the No. 12 we have seen for the vast majority of the last 16 games, that Rodgers is merely good.

There was a throw late in the game which illustrates Rodgers' decline. Randall Cobb broke wide open near the back of the end zone and Rodgers flat-out missed him. Badly. Under little pressure. That's unthinkable for the Rodgers of 2008-2014, but it has happened several times this year.

With all the Packers injuries and watered down supporting cast, Green Bay cannot afford this Rodgers. Only a damned fool would write him off right now. Yet when the fiercely loyal Packer backers in Lambeau Field all see it in their aghast horror and it's the primary talking point weekly (aside from the growing kvetching at head coach Mike McCarthy), it's getting to the point where it's hard to consider the Packers a real threat in the NFC anymore.

Dallas most certainly is. Prescott is but one reason. Fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott is the game-changer, and he proved once again he's the runaway Offensive Rookie of the Year. He might garner MVP votes if he keeps this up, raking the top-rated Packers run defense for 157 yards at Lambeau Field. Green Bay entered Sunday giving up just 2 yards per carry, and Elliott eviscerated them for those 157 on 28 carries.

The vaunted offensive line did its part for Dallas, as expected. Cole Beasley's second touchdown reception was one of the filthiest routes you'll see all year. But the defense is making plays, and that's the big surprise to me. I was quite skeptical of their potential to generate pressure, create turnovers and sustain coverage. So far, Rod Marinelli's defense is passing the tests with flying colors.

$.04--If it's Thursday that must mean we are subjected to bad quarterback play. This week's guilty party? Trevor Siemian and the defending champion Denver Broncos.

Siemian struggled against a beat-up San Diego defense. His passes were consistently off-target, especially those down the field. The first-year starter completed 30-of-50 pass attempts, but those 50 attempts netted just 230 yards. That's about as efficient as hand writing individual copies of your résumé.

To be fair, he didn’t get much help. The line couldn't block Chargers rookie end Joey Bosa, or Chargers rookie linebacker Jatavis Brown. The running game never really got on track either. Denver's offense was predictable on down and distance, too.

It's important to remember Siemian had some clunkers during his collegiate career. He was benched twice in his senior season, one of them a truly abysmal performance vs. Iowa. It's also important to know he was playing with an injured left (non-throwing) shoulder. That showed on his Hail Mary attempt which came up about 7 yards shy of the end zone with little arc. Still, it's hard to imagine rookie Paxton Lynch isn't a more viable option going forward.

Philip Rivers had no such problems for San Diego. The Chargers tried hard to give this game away, as is their 2016 modus operandi. A reserve lineman fumbled away a free kick, setting up a touchdown to close the gap to 21-10. San Diego's next drive was a 3-and-out that took exactly 20 seconds off the clock. Denver tacked on another field goal and recovered the onside kick to give Siemian a shot at tying it up, but the Chargers mercifully held on to a much-needed win.

$.05--San Francisco finally started Colin Kaepernick at quarterback, hoping to spark a moribund offensive attack. It didn't work.

Buffalo romped 45-16, with the Bills offense proving that Steve Young and Jerry Rice could have come back for San Francisco and they still wouldn't have been able to keep up with the home team. Kaepernick was largely a non-factor; his 13-for-29, 187 yards, one touchdown are eerily reminiscent of the deposed Blaine Gabbert. He did run for 66 yards but failed to string together any semblance of momentum against the Bills. San Francisco's one TD came on a blown coverage where Torrey Smith somehow got alone 10 yards beyond any defender.

Rex Ryan and the Bills never removed the boot from San Francisco's neck. The 49ers could not stop LeSean McCoy, who ran for 140 yards and 3 touchdowns on 19 carries. Buffalo converted 8-of-13 third downs, mostly on the ground. The Bills have now won four in a row after dropping the first two, validating Ryan's controversial and desperate decision to fire offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

Kaepernick's social protesting and politics are unfortunately part of the story. Cacophonous boos rained down. Outside the stadium shirts with Kaepernick’s head in gun sights sold briskly as tailgating Buffalo fans tackled and burned effigies. So much for sports being an escape from the drudgery...

$.06--Any Given Sunday, Week 6 edition: Miami 30, Pittsburgh 15.

As Mike Tomlin succinctly stated in his postgame press conference,

"No way to sugarcoat it, we got beat today."

Indeed, coach. Jay Ajayi ran for over 200 yards as the Steelers defense missed numerous tackles and got pushed around by Miami's makeshift offensive line. Ben Roethlisberger wasn't good early and then departed with a wounded knee. He came back but it mattered little.

This continues a rather disturbing trend for Tomlin's teams to play down to the level of vastly inferior teams. Make no mistake, Miami is not a better team than Pittsburgh. Not even close. But on this given Sunday, the Dolphins looked like the team that was twice as good as the Steelers on the scoreboard.

To make matters even worse:

That is the same knee Roethlisberger injured last year. The initial speculation is he will miss somewhere between two and six weeks, depending on what the surgeons discover this week.

Guess who the Steelers play next? That's right, New England and Tom Brady on his Screaming for Vengeance tour.

$.07--Three of the four teams in the AFC South won on Sunday. The only reason all four didn't win is the Texans and Colts played one another on Sunday Night Football.

Take note because it might not happen again in 2016.

This week's results took a favorable confluence of scheduling events. Tennessee squeaked past winless Cleveland, improbably improving to 3-3 with an aggregate margin of victory of four points in those wins. Jacksonville escaped Chicago with a one-point win over the hapless Bears, who like Cleveland are one of the prime contenders for the No. 1 overall draft pick. The Jaguars are now 2-3.

Houston had no business forcing overtime at home against Indy. Brock Osweiler was flat-out stealing money as Texans quarterbacks for most of the night before a pair of very strong drives late brought his team back from the dead. His strike down the left sideline to Jaelen Strong set up the game-winning field goal.

How stupid was this game? Frank Gore became the first Colts running back to top 100 yards since 2012, but got tackled for a loss on his next carry and went back down to 99 before surpassing 100 for a second time in overtime. Andrew Luck, solid all night with both his arm and legs, was anything but clutch on Indy's final drives in regulation as the Houston pass rush became even more intense.

The Texans surge out to 4-2 and remain undefeated at home. The Colts are now in last place at 2-4 and sure look like they will remain there all year, even in the NFL's worst division.

$.08--NFL Quickies

--RIP Quentin Groves. The 2008 second round pick from Auburn died of a heart attack while on vacation in Trinidad with his family. Groves had to retire early due to a heart issue. As someone who has dealt with heart issues myself, I'm deeply saddened by Groves' passing.

--Another RIP, this one for inspirational former Jets defensive lineman Dennis Byrd. Once thought to be paralyzed during a Jets game, Byrd eventually walked again and became a motivational influence for many. New York named its inspirational player award after Byrd. He was killed in a car accident at age 50.

--Back to something more pleasant ... my Detroit Lions. Matthew Stafford tossed four touchdowns and was on point all afternoon as the Lions held off the visiting Rams 31-28. Detroit is now 3-3 and has consecutive wins over teams who entered with winning records.

--Don't look now but Washington has reeled off four in a row after opening 0-2. Washington defeated the Eagles 27-20 and did so with defense. Carson Wentz and the Philly offense managed just 12 first downs and 48 total plays. The Eagles touchdowns came on a punt return TD and a pick-six.

--Carolina cannot protect Cam Newton. They cannot rush the opposing passer. There are more reasons beyond those the defending NFC champs are 1-5, but until those two get fixed the Panthers are going to lose a lot more than they win.

$.09--College/Draft quickies

--Ohio State edged Wisconsin in overtime in an entertaining game worthy of two top-10 teams. It was a back-and-forth affair, with the Badgers starting strong but the Buckeyes making more plays in the second half.

Wisconsin is the best team in the country with two losses. The losses to No. 3 Michigan and now No. 2 Ohio State were each one-score games. I have zero doubt the Badgers would be the best team in the SEC East, PAC-12 South, ACC Coastal or the entire Big 12. It's just unfortunate for T.J. Watt and company they are in the same conference as two of the best three teams in the country. They should get a revenge shot at one of them in the Big Ten Championship game, and don't be surprised if they pull it off.

--It's hard to put the weight of a loss on one player's shoulders, but North Carolina State kicker Kyle Bambard will struggle to live down the Wolfpack's 24-17 overtime loss at Clemson. Bambard missed three field goals on the day (one was blocked), but the 33-yarder he pushed right as regulation time expired is the kind that can haunt forever. Clemson took advantage of the divine intervention to stay in the CFB Playoff forefront.

--From that Clemson game, once again Deshaun Watson underwhelmed as an NFL prospect. Ball placement continues to be an issue, and his decision making appears to have regressed from 2015. He still posted impressive numbers (39-of-52, 378 yards, two touchdowns) and shows enough to stay in the conversation at the top of the draft, but Watson struggled again in the red zone and was late on some reads. He's not near where I saw either Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota two years ago at the same point.

--Purdue fired coach Darrell Hazell a day after the Boilermakers fell to Iowa 49-35. That loss evened their record at 3-3, which is progress from last year's highly uncompetitive 2-10.

Speculation about the next coach to take on one of the worst programs in the FBS is rampant already. The three big names I've heard bandied about: ex-LSU coach Les Miles, Western Kentucky's Jeff Brohm and Western Michigan firebrand PJ Fleck.

I can't speak to the other names, but it would greatly surprise me if Fleck left Western Michigan for Purdue. The Broncos are undefeated and ranked 20th after pasting a good Akron team 41-0. They have more wins over the Big Ten West in the last two years than Hazell managed at Purdue. Bigger and better programs will come calling to Kalamazoo. Heck, two of them reportedly did last offseason and couldn't woo the dynamic young Fleck.

--Staying in the MAC, my Ohio Bobcats fell at home 27-20 to Eastern Michigan. There is a real stigma with losing to EMU, similar to a chef not washing his hands after defecating, but that needs to change. The Eagles are now 5-2 and are playing well. They have a legit quarterback in Brogan Roback and a much more athletic team overall than the one which hadn't won five games over FBS opponents this decade.  They play at Fleck's Western Michigan this week, and it's not crazy to think the Hurons (they'll always be the Hurons to me) keep it close.

--I'll have a draft piece coming this week, but I'll tap into my colleague Ryan Booher's offering from last week here…

I'm with Booher, and others, who don't see Tennessee running back Jalen Hurd as much of an NFL prospect. He's got decent feet for a big guy, but he is the opposite of elusive with his chest and hips. In a running back class with a lot of depth and variety -- though not any elite prospects at the top that I've seen -- Hurd just doesn't stand out. In his last two games against pretty strong defenses in Georgia and Alabama, Hurd has 23 carries for 70 yards and broke exactly one tackle.

$.10--Last week I led off this column with grumbling about the NFL's new social media policy. I must have touched a nerve because I got more feedback on that particular cent than anything I've written here this season.

Most of the comments were along the lines of, "Why does the NFL not want us to enjoy football?" As my friend Eric noted, "it's like their market research is at a senior center." The angry backlash at the NFL on all social media platforms from pretty much all demographics confirms my suspicion.

Roger Goodell and the NFL just don't get it.

It's becoming clearer all the time the NFL is trying to milk all it can out of the current broadcast contracts. And while that's prudent business sense in the short-term, the league is sacrificing the next deal and alternate revenue streams in the long term. With ratings down and more companies eschewing the high advertising rates, they can't really think the TV networks are going to pay more for the product?

I'm also encouraged by the response from some of the teams' social media departments. This passive/aggressive offering from the Philadelphia Eagles is the grand winner…

The Browns followed suit as well. At least some folks understand how the modern fan consumes media these days and try to keep them engaged.