OPINION

By Mike Florio

updated 3:46 p.m. ET Oct. 13, 2008

ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Florio weighs in on the biggest story lines of Week 6:

1. Watch out for the Saints
Though they're still in the basement of a division that features three teams with 4-2 records, the 3-3 Saints could be the most dangerous team in the NFC.

Why? Because wide receiver Marques Colston and tight end Jeremy Shockey are expected to return to the starting lineup next week against the Panthers.

That would be a huge boost for a passing game that has been doing quite well without them. Quarterback Drew Brees already is on pace to shatter the single-season yardage mark. Through six games, he has 1,993 yards, which projects to 5,314 for the entire year. Dan Marino established the current record with 5,084 in 1984 -- and he's the only quarterback to ever throw for more than 5,000 yards in a single season.

With a schedule that does not feature many tough games beyond their division, the Saints could still deliver on high preseason expectations.

And Brees could cement his status as the best free-agent acquisition since the NFL launched its current system in 1993.

2. Falcons flying high
After one of the most nightmarish years through which any NFL team has ever suffered, including the Michael Vick fiasco and the abrupt resignation of coach Bobby Petrino, the Falcons embarked on a widely-criticized search for a new head coach and GM, hiring Thomas Dimitroff without a face-to-face interview and tapping Mike Smith to replace Petrino at a time when no one had ever regarded Smith as a legitimate candidate to coach an NFL team.

Special feature NFL's top shots A look at the best photos from Week 6, including a Marvin Harrison sighting. NBCSports.com

But six games into the first year of the Dimitroff-Smith regime, the Falcons are 4-2.

Sunday's last-second miracle over the Bears was a win for the ages, and sends the Falcons into their bye week with a rare air of pride and achievement surrounding the previously-beleaguered team.

But can they keep it up? Half of their wins have come against terrible teams (the Lions and Chiefs), and the other two came at the expense of the up-and-down Packers and Bears. In their own division, the Falcons are 0-2.

And that's where their fate will be determined -- in the cluster of home-and-home games against the Panthers, Bucs and Saints.

For now, the Falcons have one factor operating in their favor, if it weren't so meaningless. In every season since the formation of the NFC South, the fourth-place finisher from the previous season has won the division the next year. Under that highly-reliable statistical formula (eye roll), the Falcons are due to emerge as the champion in 2008.

3. The Bolts Charge Ahead
Last year, the San Diego Chargers started the season at 1-3 and were promptly written off as serious postseason contenders. Three months later, they played in the AFC Championship.

This year, the Chargers started the season 0-2 and then 2-3 and were promptly written off as serious postseason contenders. After Sunday night's worse-than-the-score-suggests 30-10 beat-down of the Patriots, the Chargers should still be regarded as a legitimate candidate for the AFC's berth in the Super Bowl.

San Diego is now only one game behind the Broncos for first place in the AFC West. And while the balance of the schedule presents some real challenges, Denver suddenly looks vulnerable to a collapse.

The game to watch falls on November 16, when San Diego heads to Pittsburgh. With the Titans rolling toward one of the two first-round byes, the winner of the Chargers-Steelers game could be the other team to finagle a week off and a home game in the middle of January.

4. Redskins are not ready to be a great team
The Redskins recently completed a stunning two-game tour of the NFC East, knocking off the Cowboys in Dallas and the Eagles in Philly.

Video   Too much ado about Dallas? Oct. 12: Tiki Barber and Jerome Bettis debate whether the Cowboys are overrated, based on Dallas' recent struggles. NBC Sports

And so when they came home for a game against the hapless Rams, the Redskins laid an egg.

The mark of a truly great team is to win the games it's supposed to win.Though the Redskins have shown they can compete within the toughest division in the NFL, they won't make it to the Super Bowl if they can't defeat inferior opponents at home.

5. Eagles gain ground
With the Cowboys and Redskins losing on Sunday, dropping their records to 4-2, the Eagles gained valuable ground via a come-from-behind win at San Francisco.

The game was a lot closer than the 40-26 score made it seem. The Niners actually led by two points with less than eight minutes remaining in the game. After taking a one-point lead on a field goal with 7:46 to play, the Eagles added two more field goals and an interception return for a touchdown.

This is a great way for the Eagles to enter their bye week. Left for dead a week ago after losing at home to the Redskins, their second-consecutive defeat, Philly is now only one game behind two of their biggest rivals -- the Cowboys and Redskins -- for the pair of wild-card berths in the NFC.

The key moving forward will be the availability of running back Brian Westbrook, who missed Sunday's game with fractured ribs. They also need to get Pro Bowl guard Shawn Andrews back into the lineup, along with receivers Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown.

Bottom line? If the Eagles can get and stay healthy, they can still be a factor in the NFC.

6. The pack gets closer to Tennessee
Though the Tennessee Titans continue to be perched atop the AFC South with a 5-0 record, they saw each of their division rivals inch closer on Sunday with wins.

The Colts shredded the Ravens, the Jags upended the Broncos, and the Texans secured a long-overdue first win of the season.

Of the three, the biggest source of concern should be the Colts, who are now 3-2 after a dismal 1-2 start. Indy and Tennessee have yet to square off this season, and the Titans have a few other tough games on the schedule. If the Colts are ready to start reeling off wins, the Titans need to continue to hold serve in order to keep their cushion atop the a division that sent three teams to the playoffs last season -- and very well may do it again.

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