They’re looking to end drought

The Oakland Raiders are loaded with running backs, the Carolina Panthers are running out of quarterbacks, and -- after a must-win victory at Denver, the San Diego Chargers are back.

A look at 10 things to watch in Week 6 of the NFL:

Winless wonders

1 So which team will get in the win column first: Miami (0-5), St. Louis (0-5), or New Orleans (0-4)? All three play on the road Sunday -- St. Louis at Baltimore, Miami at Cleveland and New Orleans at Seattle. Of those, the Saints probably have the best chance. Drew Brees, a Pro Bowl selection last season, simply cannot be as bad as his one touchdown and nine interceptions suggest.

Fly or be grounded

2 Two weeks ago, Philadelphia gave up 12 sacks to the New York Giants at the Meadowlands. On Sunday, the Eagles return to that stadium to face the New York Jets. So which offense will show up? The one that scored eight touchdowns against Detroit, or the one that scored a total of one in its three other games? Much of that depends on whether three hobbled offensive fixtures are ready to return: running back Brian Westbrook, tight end L.J. Smith and tackle William Thomas.

Tony Turnover

3 The Cowboys have to be giddy after their unbelievable come-from-behind victory at Buffalo. But they have to be worried, too, about Tony Romo’s five interceptions. What happened there? Can he regain his composure on a short week with undefeated New England coming to town? The game could be a Super Bowl preview and features two of the premier quarterbacks in the game -- as long as it’s the Romo of the first four weeks, and not the one who showed up Monday night.

The replacements

4 Heading into the second quarter of the season, several teams are reaching for their second -- and in some cases third -- quarterbacks. Arizona is going full time with Kurt Warner now that Matt Leinart has a broken collarbone. The future of Miami’s Trent Green is uncertain after he was knocked unconscious by a knee to the helmet. In Carolina, Jake Delhomme is done for the season and backup David Carr is doubtful for Sunday because of a back injury, leaving third-stringer Matt Moore as the starter.

Instant replay?

5 Kansas City is starting unproven quarterback Brodie Croyle against Cincinnati on Sunday. So the Bengals shouldn’t be too worried, right? Well, the Bengals probably didn’t fear Cleveland’s Derek Anderson, and he threw five touchdown passes against them. They also surrendered 215 yards rushing to Jamal Lewis in that 51-45 loss to the Browns. Makes you wonder what kind of damage Larry Johnson might do.

Yo, Adrian!

6 Minnesota has a rookie-of-the-year candidate in running back Adrian Peterson, and fans are clamoring for him to get the ball more. In the Vikings’ last game, against Green Bay, Peterson gained more than 100 yards in the first half yet had only two touches in the second. He wasn’t even on the field in some third-down and red-zone situations. How often will Coach Brad Childress call his number against Chicago’s patchwork defense?

Limiting LT

7 Hard to believe, but San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson, last season’s most valuable player, has yet to have a 100-yard rushing game. He has had seven in his career -- including a career-high 243 yards -- against the Raiders, who play at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday. The Raiders are ranked 26th against the run, giving up an average of 129.5 yards a game. In their last three meetings, they have been outscored by the Chargers, 82-24.

Rush to judgment

8 The Raiders have run the ball better than any team in the league, but it’s hard to know how seriously to take their 194.3-yard average because they have faced defenses that are lousy against the run. Cleveland, Miami and Denver -- all trampled by the Raiders -- are ranked, in order, 30th, 31st and 32nd against the run. The 10th-ranked Chargers will be a good test of how real Oakland’s top ranking is.

Bargain bin

9 Dominic Rhodes returns for the Raiders from his four-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy, and LaMont Jordan is on the mend from a back injury. Not only that, but Justin Fargas is coming off a 179-yard performance against the Dolphins. So, with the trade deadline approaching, the Raiders have to be thinking about dealing at least one of those backs. To Green Bay, perhaps?

Exit, stage Leftwich

10 Atlanta’s Joey Harrington got the yips in the third quarter against Tennessee, prompting the Falcons to replace him with the just-signed Byron Leftwich, who hadn’t worked with the first-string offense and was terribly off the mark. The team is switching back to Harrington for Monday night’s game at the Giants but could be without both starting tackles because of knee injuries. That’s especially bad news when facing a team that racked up a dozen sacks two weeks earlier.

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sam.farmer@latimes.com