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Wolverines in the NFL: Brady keeps rolling

Another week, another stellar outing by Tom Brady. Also, Denard returns, Kovacs tallies a sack, Harris tackles everybody, and Charles Woodson talks playing through his 40s.

By nichcant and Amanda Jerzykowski
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback

Tom Brady (New England Patriots)

Week 6 stats: 23/37 for 312 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception

The Brady train kept rolling in his first meeting with the Colts since Deflategate. You may have noticed Brady threw his first interception on Sunday - which the Colts returned for a touchdown - but it did bounce off of Julian Edelman's hands. He also may be more mobile now than he's ever been before, making him an even bigger threat. Since there's nothing new to say about Brady performing at an elite level, I'm going to defer to Pats Pulpit for a succinct summary:

Brady was efficient, he was accurate, and he did it in what had to be an emotionally charged environment.

Running Back

Denard Robinson (Jacksonville Jaguars)

Week 6 stats: 7 carries for 19 yards, 3 receptions for 19 yards

Denard returned to the Jags lineup after sitting out with a sprained knee since Week 2. He found little success on the ground, a theme for Jacksonville this week as they managed a minuscule 46 yards rushing on 17 attempts this week.

Wide Receiver

Jason Avant (Kansas City Chiefs)

Week 6 stats: 1 reception on 3 targets for 4 yards

Avant continues to play a minimal role in Kansas City's offense after another quiet week. Of his three targets, the two non-catches seem to be the fault of bad passes rather than Avant drops.

Devin Funchess (Carolina Panthers)

Week 6 stats: 2 receptions on 6 targets for 24 yards

Funchess had an up and down showing in Week 6. He's struggling with consistency and "growing pains." For instance, he dropped "a perfectly thrown pass that hit him right in the hands" one play then turned around six plays later and made "a diving, fully-extended beautiful catch for a first down."

Defensive Line

Alan Branch (New England Patriots)

Week 6 stats: 2 assists

Branch continues to be a big piece in the Pats rotation on defensive line. Pats Pulpit broke down this rotation at defensive tackle and had this to say about Branch's role:

Alan Branch is primarily a run stuffer in the 4-3 front, but also feature strongly as the two-gapping defensive end in the 3-4 defense. Branch is trusted with staying on the field for full drives.

Mike Martin (Tennessee Titans)

Week 6 stats: None

Played on seven defensive snaps this week and failed to record any stats.

Linebackers

Brandon Graham (Philadelphia Eagles)

Week 6 stats: 3 solo tackles, 1 assist, 0.5 sacks

Defense has a been a huge plus for Philly this season, and Graham stood out against the Giants, earning a +3 grade from PFF (the second-highest for an Eagles defensive player this week). From Bleeding Green Nation:

Graham arguably had his best game of the season against New York. He finished with half a sack, one quarterback hit, three hurries, and two tackles.

David Harris (New York Jets)

Week 6 stats: 5 solo tackles, 6 assists

Harris led the Jets defense this week with a team-high eleven tackles. Even though there's more to good defense than total tackles. Harris is yet again on pace for over 100 and could break his career-high of 127, which he reached in both '07 and '09.

Jake Ryan (Green Bay Packers)

Week 6 stats: None

Ryan returned this week after missing two games. He played on 14 special teams snaps and failed to record any stats.

LaMarr Woodley (Arizona Cardinals)

Week 6 stats: None

Woodley entered Sunday as a game-time decision but ended up starting. On 24 defensive snaps - roughly 42% - he didn't record any stats and had a quiet game overall.

Secondary

Leon Hall (Cincinnati Bengals)

Week 6 stats: None

Hall sat out this week with a back injury. Lucky for him, the Bengals have their bye week coming up, and he should be good to go come Week 8.

Jordan Kovacs (Miami Dolphins)

Week 6 stats: 2 solo tackles, 1 sack

Kovacs made the most of his first defensive snaps this season as he sacked Zach Mettenberger on the final snap of the game. It's cool seeing Kovacs get some action outside of special teams.

Charles Woodson (Oakland Raiders)

Week 6 stats: Bye week

Anyone else think Woodson could actually play until he's almost 50?

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Tom Brady

Big surprise (not)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

David Harris

Led the Jets in tackles, only defensive player to stand out this week

PLAY OF THE WEEK

Devin Funchess's "Beautiful Catch"

Unfortunately, we couldn't track down footage for this catch. However, it proved to be more than just "beautiful" as the catch helped extend a Panthers drive that ended in a touchdown.

WEEK SIX MATCHUPS REVISITED

Tom Brady vs. Andrew Luck

Tom "Terrific" outdueled Luck on Sunday night in Indianapolis, throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns while leading the Patriots to a 34-27 victory. The only blemish on his stat line was a pick-six that came in the second quarter on a bobbled pass by WR Julian Edelman. Brady is now 14-4 all-time against the Colts.

WINNER: Tom Brady

Jason Avant vs. the Vikings Secondary

Avant only recorded one catch for four yards on three yards against the Chiefs on Sunday. Based on that, it is safe to say that the Vikings easily won this matchup.

WINNER: Vikings Secondary

LaMarr Woodley vs. the Steelers Offensive Line

Woodley missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday and was listed as a game-time decision on Sunday with both chest and thigh injuries. While he did start the game for the Cardinals, he did not record a tackle against the Steelers, his former team.

WINNER: Steelers Offensive Line

WEEK SEVEN MATCHUPS TO WATCH

Tom Brady vs. the Jets Defense

Brady has been laser-focused thus far in 2015, throwing 14 touchdowns and one interception. On Sunday, the Patriots travel back home to Foxboro for a matchup against the 4-1 Jets, who are ranked first in the league in total defense and second in passing defense. The Jets have been dominant on third down defense and are led in the secondary by former Patriot Darrelle Revis. Expect Brady, with an injured offensive line, to struggle in the passing game this week.

ADVANTAGE: Jets Defense

Charles Woodson vs. the Chargers Receivers

Woodson has recorded four interceptions on the season, already tying his total from 2014. Throughout his career, Woodson has been relatively successful against the Chargers, picking off San Diego quarterbacks three times. However, the Chargers are ranked first in the league in total offense, led by QB Philip Rivers and WR Keenan Allen. This matchup seems like it could go either way with playmakers on both sides of the ball; however, the slight edge will be given to Woodson based on his statistics in recent weeks.

ADVANTAGE: Charles Woodson

David Harris vs. the Patriots Offensive Line

Harris is coming off an impressive game against the Redskins in Week 6, recording 11 total tackles and one tackle for loss, even though he was limited in practice all week with a quad injury. The Patriots offensive line has been shaky this season, due in large part to the multitude of injuries they have sustained, namely at the left tackle position. If the Pats offensive line woes continue into Week 7, look for Harris to record a monstrous game.

ADVANTAGE: David Harris