Most of week 6 is in the books and it started back on Thursday night with a game between the 49ers and Seahawks. This was another great Thursday night football game and the 49ers would go on to take care of business and win with a score of 36-24. The Seahawks made this an interesting game late as it was 29-24 with less than 2 minutes to play, and with 49ers fans sweating this one out – rookie Isaac Guerendo had a big run at the end to ease Niners fans never, and then Kyle Juscyzk put the final nail in the coffin. Brock Purdy played really well in this game, and several other players did too including both George Kittle and Fred Warner. The Niners couldn’t afford to drop to 2-4 and this was a must win game because their next two are against the Chiefs and Cowboys. A win on the road over a division rival, and 228 yards on the ground is a recipe for winning football. Seattle has been frustrating over the past few games and this game encapsulated their problems. Seattle has a -6 turnover difference during their losing streak and they averaged just 2.6 yards per carry in this game. Seattle is getting dominated in the trenches week in and week out right now and it shows. If there’s any takeaway for Seattle – it’s that the 3-0 start was fun, and will probably prove to be the best part of their year. This has been a telling last couple of games.
The Chicago Bears took care of business in London with a score of 35-16 and Caleb Williams threw 4 touchdown passes. This was as good of a start to the long football sunday as Bears fans could have asked for as this game had everything. Their rookie quarterback looked great, Cole Kmet played great, and Keenan Allen even scored twice. Shane Waldron called a great game which is not something Bears fans would have expected to hear a couple of weeks ago, and they’re 4-2 through 6 games. I’m glad Caleb is not a bust as those claims were ridiculous just 2 games into his NFL career, and believe it or not – Caleb Williams has the same number of touchdowns during his rookie season as Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields had during theirs. In week 6. The Jags looked terrible and this is an awful situation. I did a video on the Jags a few weeks ago discussing everything wrong with this team if you want to go check it out and this game was awful. I think Doug Pederson has lost the locker room and the only reason he may not get fired after this game is because they play in London next week too – and they’re staying over there. I realize I may sound old here – but Trevor Lawrence and Gabe Davis joking around down 20 points on the way to being 1-5 on the sideline really rubbed me the wrong way – and I think that’s a sign of where this locker room is. This is a bad situation.
I was disappointed with the Cardinals as they lost in Green Bay by 21 points. I know Marvin Harrison Jr going down early didn’t help, but they weren’t competitive and Green Bay dominated this game in the trenches. Trey McBride was the lone bright spots for the Cardinals and I didn’t expect this team to be a Super Bowl contender just a month and a half ago – but two losses by 21+ points in the first 6 games was not what I was expecting either. This was a very frustrating loss after such a thrilling win just 7 days ago over the division rival 49ers. My hope is the Cardinals play more competitive in the next few weeks. On the other hand, this was one of the most complete team wins of any game in the 2024 season. Green Bay ran for 179 yards as an offense, and 9 players caught a pass in this game. Jordan Love was on, the Packers offense was on, and this was a cruise control win for Green Bay. It is a win over the Cardinals and not a premier team so I don’t want to over react and claim they are now Super Bowl bound – but this was a good win for a good team. And good teams take care of business. And it was also great to see Romeo Doubs score not once – but twice. And I have to question Xavier McKinney not getting an interception in this game and if the free agent signing was really worth it.
Winning on the road against a division rival is huge – and so is getting back to .500 as the Colts are now 3-3. They won this game without their starting quarterback and running back, and out of the Colts receiving core – Josh Downs quietly has 3 straight games with 65 or more yards. Now Colts fans would certainly agree that this was not a pretty win by any means, but a win is a win nonetheless. Unfortunately I don’t think the Colts are a great team and I think this game is a good example of this despite the win, but they play Miami in week 7 and there’s a chance they can improve to 4-3 through 7 games. I have a lot of questions about the Titans moving forward and this game was a shining example of the problems Tennessee has. There were countless times I wanted to see them open up the playbook and let Will Levis take a deep shot – but it seemed like it was run after run after run. I also don’t trust Will Levis as the guy moving forward and finishing a game 16/27 for 95 yards is not good. I don’t think he is the long term solution and it becomes more and more evident every Sunday. For every flash there’s 2 or 3 what are you doing plays and it doesn’t even need to be the plays we saw him essentially lose the Titans games earlier in the year. Their next two games are at Buffalo and at Detroit, and I would be surprised if they’re not 1-6 in two weeks.
The Texans got a road win against a team that will not make the playoffs and they put up 40+ points without one of the best receivers in the league. They improved to 5-1 and after having Cam Akers be their back for a few weeks – Joe Mixon came back and rushed for over 100 yards on just 13 carries. It is worth noting – Mixon had a big 59 yard run to contribute to that, and that it wasn’t an average of 7 yards per carry – and that his long run heavily skews his numbers from this game. It helped playing a rookie quarterback and winning the turnover battle 4-1 and what needs to be remembered for the Texans is – this could have been a trap game as they play at Green Bay next week and could have had been looking a week ahead. Drake Maye looked uncomfortable early and I thought a few series in that he was going to be in way over his head – and that this was going to be a big mistake – all of which would be due to the front office. But Drake settled in, played well, and the big touchdown to Kayshon Boutte was something the Patriots offense hasn’t seen since the early days of Mac Jones before things went south. Not surprisingly the Patriots lost, but what they saw from Drake Maye is nothing short of encouraging. And I am very happy for him and the Patriots fan base
The Bucs jumped out to a 17-0 lead and in a rookie 5th round picks first career start I thought it was going to be a long day for New Orleans. They quickly bounced back and actually led 27-24 at half. Unfortunately Tampa scored 27 unanswered points and won with a score of 51-27. Whether Rattler or Carr started I don’t think the result changes and the Saints quickly went from 2-0 to 2-4. This type of game was always why I was hesitant on fully buying in with the Saints regardless of how good they looked in the first two games. They allowed 50 points and the tackling at times was truly awful – which has nothing to do with Derek Carr. I thought Rattler showed a few flashes and I can’t wait to see how he plays on Thursday in a rookie duel between him and Bo Nix. Tampa had 594 yards of offense in this game and I think what’s crazy about this was Mike Evans only had 34 yards receiving. Tampa ran for 277 yards, and both Sean Tucker and Bucky Irving looked good in week 6 – which is very promising. I would prefer this to be the duo moving forward as I was never a huge Rachaad White fan.
Chris Godwin is the definition of ole reliable as he has not had a game with less than 50 yards receiving this year, and he is quietly a very very good receiver.
Cleveland is in one of the worst situations in football and it was shown yet again in this game. We are now 6 weeks into the season and forget one game of 25 or 27 points – this team has failed to put up 19 points in one game. I also feel particularly bad for Kevin Stefanski because the owner will not allow him to bench Deshaun Watson when he is clearly not working. Watson failed to reach 170 yards and their lone touchdown in this game by way of a Myles Garrett blocked field goal. They’re 1-5 and I don’t care that Watson was 11/11 in the second half – failing to score a touchdown on a bad defense is what matters. Not putting up 19 points in one game is what matters. They’re done and this is the worst situation in football. The Eagles aren’t as bad as their fan base thinks they are at times, but they have to start faster if they want to make any noise. I think they can still win the division, but not if they only give themselves 3 quarters to score points. We already knew this, but this game proved why AJ Brown is so valuable to this offense and the impact he has every single game. If I have one takeaway for Philly – it’s that coaching will absolutely limit this team – and it starts with Nick Sirianni. Sirianni telling the crowd he couldn’t hear them was embarrassing and there’s very Eagles fans that were behind that. They are a talented roster, but coaching will limit this team
The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Washington Commanders in a battle of the beltway 30-23 and this was one of the best games on Sunday. After starting out 0-2 with a tough loss to Kansas City and a brutal blown lead to the Raiders – the Ravens have responded with 4 straight wins. If there is any big takeaway for Baltimore – it’s that they are all the way back. As simple as this idea is – once they figured out they could run the ball – they have been a near impossible team to stop. They have now ran for over 175 yards in each of the last 4 games and when I pictured what the 2024 Ravens would be entering the year – the last 4 games have been it. Zay Flowers also has back to back 110+ yard games and there’s a reason it’s called mid season form. And the Ravens are here – and they’re here to stay. Tough loss for Washington, but you’re 4-2 and you clearly have a quarterback of the future. Entering the year, nobody expected to win this game and the Commanders two losses are to the Bucs and Ravens – both of whom will probably make the playoffs. Their next 3 games are against Carolina, Chicago, and the Giants and it won’t be easy – but this team has a path to 7-2. They’re fine, and it also didn’t help how non existent the run game was in this one – which will generally happen when your starting running back is out. Washington is fine
The Chargers won off of their bye as they improved to 3-2 with a 23-16 win over the Broncos. The Chargers defeated the Raiders and Panthers back in weeks 1 and 2 and they weren’t very close games, but have no fear – the Chargers had more of a Chargers win in week 6. It was more stressful, and there was a lot of frustration – but they came out with a win. Justin Herbert looked like the old Justin Herbert in the first half which was a stark contrast to what we’ve seen through most of 2024. I think the Chargers can win at least 3 of their next 4 games and be a 6-3 team through 9 games – but they need to play both halves. The difference between the first and second half Chargers is startling – and I don’t think they’re going to be a Super Bowl contender – but they need to play better than what they have in the second half of games – if they intend to make the playoffs. Denver is 3-3 but despite 3-3 – they’re rebuilding, and Bo Nix was their leading rusher – again. This team battled back despite being down 20, and they did that with a rookie quarterback. They could have easily rolled over, but they didn’t. The good news for Denver is – their next two games are at New Orleans, and home against Carolina and if their defense can suffocate them the way they have a lot of their opponents through the first 6 games – they can be 5-3 in two weeks
This was a great bounce back win for the Steelers and for I was glad to see them be able to truly pound the rock. They ran for over 180 yards as a team and I was very critical of Najee Harris over the past few weeks – but he played his tail off and he ran for over 100 yards despite having just 14 carries. And I’m happy for Najee and hope this is a sign of things to come. Justin Fields also ran for two touchdowns in this game and he did more than enough to win – and that’s all that matters. TJ Watt did very TJ Watt things and had two forced fumbles and the Steelers final two games before their week 9 bye – are home against the Jets, and Giants – and don’t be surprised if this is a 6-2 team entering November. The Raiders lost the turnover battle 3 to 0, they’re not a good team, and the best receiver they’ve had in the past 15 years is not playing for them because he wants out. I don’t have anything positive to say here. They are not a good team, they have the most turnovers in the NFL while also having the fewest takeaways, and this is a train wreck. They need to embrace the tank because 7-10 or 8-9 seasons are never going to cut it. This franchise is in a bad position
The Falcons ran for 198 yards as a team and it was good to see both Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson play well in this game. Some people forget – but Tyler Allgeier actually had 1,000 yards as a rookie back in 2022 – and when they drafted Bijan – I thought games like this were possible. I thought Atlanta was going to be a true thorn in a lot of teams sides because of their emphasis on running the football and being a true nightmare to defend. Atlanta is now 4-2 ad their losses were a week 1 loss to the Steelers, and a loss to the Chiefs and I’ll leave it at that – and Falcons fans may have an opinion on that game from back in week 3. But the biggest thing is – they’re 3-0 in the division. They play home against Seattle in week 7 and with how much Seattle is struggling – I’d be surprised if Atlanta isn’t 5-2. Carolina is a bad football team and everyone knows it. There’s not a lot of takeaways here, other than it’s glaring how much talent they need to – just – get better in 2025. Xavier Legette looks good when he’s targeted, but with how lost this season is – I would just try and get him and Jonathan Brooks the football when he comes back and see what you have. Legette should receive more than 4 targets every week. I hope they are more competitive down the stretch
The Detroit Lions embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys with a score of 47-9 and put on a clinic offensively. Ben Johnson is in mid season form and took Mid Zimmer to school. Repeatedly. The Lions had nearly 500 yards of offense and I thought they were going to win this game, just not by 38 points. The running back duo is unstoppable, and the Lions can get the football to quite literally any of their offensive weapons and they’re fine. This is a truly elite football team. And my heart goes out to Aidan Hutchinson, his family, the Lions fan base and any other player that got hurt in – not just week 6 – but throughout the season. That was a gruesome injury and we wish him the best in recovery. Now for the Dallas Cowboys – they’re done. This was the worst loss for the Cowboys ever at AT&T stadium. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say all 4 NFC North teams would beat the Dallas Cowboys right now. Even if Dallas makes the playoffs – does it matter? I know they had several defensive starters out. But when the Lions offense is clicking – it wouldn’t have made that much of a difference when you put up 9 points and your starting quarterback plays terrible too. This game was over from the start and they have an absolutely brutal schedule ahead of them. The Dallas Cowboys are done.
