Six weeks into the NFL season, the Giants and Browns are in first place, the Eagles should probably start thinking about next year, and I’m still not buying the Jaguars hype. Just a perfectly normal Sunday.
We also got a reminder that a big fourth-quarter lead is only comfortable until your team decides to stop playing football. The Bears nearly turned a blowout into a disaster, and the Giants somehow went from getting embarrassed to creating a quarterback controversy. If you figured either game was over early and changed the channel, I can’t blame you. But you missed a few things.
Here’s my biggest takeaway from each game on the Week 6 Sunday slate.
Takeaway: I tried to warn y’all about jumping on the Jaguars bandwagon.
Look, this isn’t to say Jacksonville isn’t a solid team. But the media was very quick to anoint them as a major contender in the AFC. I’ve said many times that this team isn’t nearly as good as everyone thinks, and that showed against the 1-4 Texans. Jacksonville even had the advantage of already being in London, while Houston had to travel across the pond this week.
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The Jaguars allowed C.J. Stroud to throw for 312 yards and three touchdowns. Trevor Lawrence is definitely playing some of the best football of his career and the Jags are the best team in the AFC South. But they’re not a true AFC Championship contender right now.
Takeaway: Don’t look now, but the Browns are in first place.
Well, kinda. With the upset win over the Ravens, Cleveland moves to 4-2 and into a tie with Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Yes, the Ravens were missing Lamar Jackson, but this was a huge win for the Browns. I don’t think many people, myself included, would have predicted that Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns would be 4-2 and tied for the AFC North lead after six games. Watson only threw for 164 yards and he still doesn’t look that good, but, as the great philosopher Bill Parcells once said, “You are what your record says you are.” Right now, it says the Browns are 4-2.
Takeaway: There’s a new QB1 in New York.
Jameis Winston showed some of that Jameis magic in Week 5 when he led the team from two touchdowns down in the second half to force overtime and eventually a tie against the Commanders. But the magic wasn’t there in Week 6. Winston threw two interceptions before New York turned to the recently acquired J.J. McCarthy … who promptly threw an interception of his own.
But even after the rough start, McCarthy rebounded to lead three consecutive scoring drives, cutting the 34-10 deficit to 34-27. He finished with 243 passing yards and a touchdown pass in just over 11 minutes. He even moved the team to the Saints’ 14-yard line in the final seconds, but couldn’t quite make the game-tying play. Still, it’s pretty clear that this team (which is in first place, by the way) has to give the reins to McCarthy moving forward.
Takeaway: Shane Steichen’s seat should be red hot.
Losing to the previously winless Tennessee Titans at home is nearly a fireable offense on its own, especially when your team had a 13-0 lead at halftime. Last season, Steichen could point to Daniel Jones’ season-ending Achilles tear in Week 14 last year as the Colts’ season unraveled. This year, Jones is healthy and playing as badly as he did at times with the Giants. Jones threw two picks and was sacked six times. The offensive line struggled, but Jones holding the ball too long didn’t help.
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Takeaway: I want to feel bad for Nick Sirianni, but I don’t.
The Eagles placed Jalen Hurts on injured reserve Saturday because of a superficial blood clot in his calf, sidelining him for at least four games. His health is obviously the priority, and his absence isn’t Sirianni’s fault. And yes, playing with a backup QB is always tough. But scoring just 14 points against a Carolina defense that allowed 59 points earlier this season is not good enough. This is a Philadelphia team that should already be looking ahead to 2027, but whether Sirianni is still the head coach next year remains to be seen. My money is on no.
Takeaway: The Patriots still don’t look like the defending AFC champions.
Yes, the Patriots won. But it wasn’t particularly pretty. They let the Jets hang around for most of the game, thanks in large part to two costly fumbles. Drake Maye is looking more comfortable as the season goes along, but a team like the Patriots shouldn’t have this tough a time with the Jets at home. The defense clamped down in the red zone and on two crucial fourth-down plays, but still allowed New York to gain 324 yards.
Takeaway: The Bears have to finish better than that if they want to be true NFC contenders.
The NFC is starting to look wide open beyond the unbeaten 49ers, and the Bears have a chance to make a run. But head coach Ben Johnson isn’t going to be happy that his team nearly blew a 24-point lead with just over 12 minutes to go.
Not only did the defense allow two quick touchdowns (and two two-point conversions), including one on a 91-yard drive that took just 2:38, but the offense went three-and-out, fumble, three-and-out on three consecutive fourth-quarter possessions. Atlanta had the ball with a chance to tie, and the defense redeemed itself with a strip-sack, but it got a little too close for comfort.
Johnson had pulled most of his starting defense with Thursday night’s game against the Patriots in mind, but this should serve as a reminder to the second-year head coach that the game isn’t over until it’s over.
Takeaway: Teams should stop electing to kick off in overtime.
I understand the strategy of wanting to know what the other team does before you get the ball. Here’s the problem: regular-season overtime is only 10 minutes. The Bucs became the latest team to kick off and then watch their opponent run nearly seven minutes off the clock before scoring a touchdown. The Steelers got to run their normal offense, while Tampa Bay was forced into a must-throw hurry-up offense. Plus, if overtime becomes a three-possession period, the receiving team has the advantage. Adding it all up, it should be clear that receiving the ball in OT is the correct decision.
Takeaway: So much for the superteam.
Look, I still think the Los Angeles Rams are a good football team. But, as I wrote earlier, “you are what your record says you are.” Right now, their 2-4 record doesn’t say anything good about the preseason Super Bowl favorites. The Rams are too talented to struggle all season, but they should have serious concerns about the offensive line. Matthew Stafford was under duress all game, and he struggled badly when pressured, as he has all year. The upcoming schedule isn’t overly difficult, so they can turn it around, but they did just lose to the Cardinals, so the opponents might not matter as much as the Rams would like.
Yes, another questionable call helped cost the Rams a win. But it’s their own fault for being in that position against a team that entered with one win.
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Takeaway: Josh Allen is a magician.
If you didn’t see Allen’s ridiculous touchdown pass to Keon Coleman, I suggest you go take a look. The 2024 NFL MVP is in MVP form again this season, and the Bills are 5-1 and leading the AFC East. This is a good win for a Buffalo team that is wrapping up a two-game trip out West, beating the preseason Super Bowl favorite Rams and the better-than-expected Raiders. But, as we know, Allen’s career isn’t defined by his regular-season success. Buffalo is well on its way to another playoff berth, and Allen needs to finally break through and lead his team to the Super Bowl.
Takeaway: Do Chargers fans miss Brandon Staley yet?
I kid. Sort of. But Staley was hated and run out of Los Angeles after posting a 24-24 regular-season record and zero playoff wins in nearly three seasons. Jim Harbaugh was hired to much fanfare, but he’s now 22-18 in the regular season with zero playoff wins as the Chargers head coach. And it doesn’t look like he’s going to win a playoff game this year, since Los Angeles is basically out of it in Week 6. Say what you want about Staley, but none of his three Chargers teams started 0-6.
Takeaway: The Cowboys are all hype, no bite… again.
Feels like every year we hear, “This is going to be the Cowboys’ year!” And, every year, it isn’t. Dallas had a ton of hype surrounding it in the preseason, per usual, but this season actually felt a little different. Dallas used two first-round picks on safety Caleb Downs and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence to try to fix a defense that was basically a sieve in 2025.
But every game it seems one unit shows up, and the other doesn’t. For the second straight week, it was the offense pulling a no-show. This is a unit that features two-star receivers, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, so there’s no excuse for that.
It’s particularly embarrassing against a Packers defense that was missing several key starters and that had allowed at least 30 points twice this season. Before Sunday, the Packers had held three opponents under 20 points. Those teams’ starting quarterbacks: Geno Smith, Jalon Daniels and Case Keenum.
Well, now we can add Dak Prescott to that list.