As is tradition, Week 6 kicked off with another Thursday Night Football snoozefest. Yet another case study on why teams shouldn’t be forced to play on a short week. Thankfully football stood tall and recovered with a strong slate of Sunday games.
And, as always, there was something to be learned from Week 6 in the NFL.
It’s time to worry about the Buccaneers and the Packers
Frankly there’s been reason to worry about the Packers since the offseason, if we’re being honest. The offense lacks consistency, and the defense isn’t good enough to carry the load. Aaron Rodgers’ numbers have dropped and while he doesn’t look even close to the quarterback that won back-to-back MVPs in 2020 and 2021, a lack of talent at receiver has also let him down.
The same can’t be said for Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, although there’s just as much reason to worry. The Buccaneers fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6, dropping them to 3-3 and losing sole possession of first place in the NFC South. The offensive line has been plagued with injuries and the run game is the worst in the NFL. Any semblance of balance is out of the window. A 45-year-old Brady shouldn’t have to carry the team on his back. Nor should a nearly 39-year-old Rodgers. But here we are.
The Buccaneers will still likely make the playoffs by virtue of winning the NFC South – unless the Atlanta Falcons can shock the world – but things aren’t so sure in Green Bay. The more the Vikings win, the harder it is to envision a path where the Packers are playing postseason football. Right now, on merit alone, it’s unlikely.
Bills and Chiefs don’t set the bar, they are the bar
Billed as the game of the week, and most likely the season, Bills vs Chiefs was always going to be a great game. It might not have lived up to the expectations of the AFC Divisional Round last year, but how could it? That game will live long in the memory as one of the best of all time. This one won’t, but it was still a really fun exercise for arguably the two best teams in the NFL with, most certainly, the two best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen combined for 667 passing yards and 5 passing touchdowns but, ultimately, it was Allen and the Bills that had the last laugh, winning 24-20. As a subtle reminder to how good both teams are, they were tied after the first, second, and third quarters, with the game coming down to the final few moments as Mahomes threw a costly interception on a potential game-winning drive.
The Bills defense stood resolute, racking up 36 total pressures on Mahomes, per PFF. It was their contributions that arguably made the difference, and might be the reason they are the best team in the NFL. The AFC runs through the Bills, but both of these teams are the tone setters.
New York football is back, baby
We spoke about the Giants last week, and it might eventually get boring to hear, but the New York Giants have a winning record. Not just any winning record, a 5-1 record, the second-best in the NFC, behind the Eagles. But, if you’re a New York aficionado, it gets even better because the New York Jets have a 4-2 record after beating the Green Bay Packers in Week 6. Plain and simple: New York Football is back, baby.
It’s the first time since 2010 where we can confidently say that both New York teams might actually be good. The Giants have had a lot of luck swing their way – a calamitous Ravens collapse on Sunday added to the list – and might not be as good as their record indicates, but they’ve been highly competitive and sometimes you just need a bit of luck.
The Jets arguably have the more complete roster and could be set up in a better position for years to come. Robert Saleh finally looks to be ingraining his philosophy into the team and it’s paying off. There’s a good chance that neither team makes the postseason, but New York having two football teams with a winning record feels right.
Russ and the Broncos continue their lethargy
From feeling right to feeling everything else, it’s hard to be optimistic about the Denver Broncos after another lacklustre showing on Monday Night Football. The Broncos are just absolutely torpedoing prime time games at the moment, and it has to stop. After the loss to the Chargers, the Broncos are now 2-4 and look like one of the worst offenses in the league – by a country mile.
The numbers back it up as well. They’re 29th in EPA and Wilson is having a career-worst year – completing just 58 percent of his passes and throwing only five touchdown passes through six games. Whatever was expected of Wilson and the Broncos offense at the start of the season, just isn’t clicking. They’re averaging 1.37 points per drive, 30th in the NFL and are 22nd in yards per drive, per Football Outsiders. Moving the ball is hard. So is scoring points. Things are not good in Denver.
Wilson started out hot against the Chargers, and it looked like he was slowly finding his feet before a horrific second half where he completed only 3 of 11 passes for 15 yards. It also doesn’t help that the Broncos have no real running game to lean on. Wilson is being asked to carry an offensive load that he just can’t handle. The Broncos are in real trouble.
The Eagles answer the call
After six weeks, the Eagles remain perfect. And it wasn’t easy. They were taking on the Dallas Cowboys and one of the best defenses in the NFL – a unit that hadn’t given up more than 20 points in a game all season – with maybe the best defensive player in the NFL right now in Micah Parsons. The Cowboys offense wasn’t setting the world alight, but they were 4-1 for a reason.
The Eagles raced out to a 20-0 lead in the first half before the Cowboys defense dug in and got some valuable stops. This allowed the offense to claw their way back into the game, scoring 17 points without reply. It felt like the first time in a while that the Eagles were in real jeopardy. The offense was stagnant and the Cowboys offense was churning up yards.
However, good teams find ways to win when backed up against a wall. And the Eagles responded perfectly with a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to put the game away and keep their undefeated season alive. It wasn’t perfect, but the Eagles showed they can win gritty games.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.