13 Thoughts from Sunday's Week 6 Games
The carriage Brock Purdy has been riding since taking over as the 49ers starting quarterback finally turned into a pumpkin against the Browns on Sunday. Not only did San Francisco lose for the first time with Purdy under center from start to finish, their offense looked pedestrian in the process. Purdy struggled with the rain, the Browns pass rush, and actually looked like the last pick in the NFL Draft for the first time in his career. The Browns, on the other hand, showed that they have a championship-caliber defense, as we wrote a few weeks ago. They are 3-2 despite getting barely anything from the quarterback position this year.
Jalen Hurts joined Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes on the list of quarterbacks who have thrown multiple interceptions and looked outmatched against the Jets defense. Like Allen, Hurts fired 3, including a critical pick in the final 2 minutes while Philly was nursing a 2-point lead. The Jets are now 3-3 without Aaron Rodgers, and one can only wonder what they’d be if Rodgers was able to play (or what Rodgers’ career would look like if he had a defense like this in Green Bay).
Speaking of defenses, the Lions kept the Buccaneers from getting anything going all afternoon and ultimately held them to just 6 points at home. Detroit is now 5-1 and has won each of those 5 games in multiple ways. Can we say they’re on the same level as Philadelphia and San Francisco yet?
The Dolphins moved to 5-1, and Tyreek Hill’s 162 receiving yards were a big reason why. Hill is now on pace for a ridiculous 2,304 receiving yards this season, which would surpass the current record by 340.
C.J. Stroud is off to a great start in his career, but DeMeco Ryans also has that Texans defense playing pretty well. While they allowed a lot of yards on Sunday, they still held the Saints to just 13 points, largely because of their ability to prevent New Orleans from scoring touchdowns on all 3 of their red zone possessions. The Texans have held opponents to 17 points or less 3 times this season, all wins.
The Patriots offense was a bit better today, but man are they dysfunctional. They consistently struggle to simply operate, let alone operate effectively. False starts. Delay of games. Illegal formations. Holding penalties on run plays..all at inopportune times. It didn’t help that DeVante Parker dropped a perfect pass from Mac Jones in the closing minutes that would have put the Patriots within striking distance to kick a game-winning field goal. It also didn’t help that Jones still can’t avoid the critical mistake (or the ill-timed sack on 2-minute come-from-behind drives). The Patriots are now 1-5, and it doesn’t get any easier with the Bills on deck in Week 7.
Speaking of the Bills, Buffalo just can’t help playing to the level of their opponent. They escaped against a far inferior Giants team on Sunday night, winning 14-9. It’s tough to complain too much if you’re a Bills fan, though. A win is a win in the NFL. Come January, no one will care how they did it.
The Jaguars are 4-2 for the first time since 2007. Their offense struggled to get into a rhythm (just 233 yards and 3.8 yards per play), but the defense forced 4 turnovers on the way to a convincing 17-point victory. Let’s hope Trevor Lawrence’s injury isn’t serious.
Desmond Ridder came crashing back down to earth with 3 interceptions in Atlanta’s loss to the Washington Commanders. The Falcons are an improved team and will be in it until the end of the season because of the nature of their division. But Ridder needs to start putting consecutive good games together.
The Rams got their running game going for the second time in three weeks, rushing for 179 yards on 28 carries (6.4 yards per rush). 2nd-year back Kyren Williams ran for a career high 158 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
The Bengals offense took a step back after appearing to hit their stride against the Cardinals last week. In keeping with the theme of the week around the NFL, it was their defense that ultimately got them the win, sacking Geno Smith 4 times and forcing 2 interceptions.
It helped that Justin Fields wasn’t able to finish this game, but the Vikings defense was able to impose their will on an opponent in a way we really didn’t see in 2022. They sacked Bears QBs 5 times, forced 3 turnovers, and added a defensive touchdown. Even though they’re in a rebuild, I get the feeling that defense will be humming later in the season as the players master Brian Flores’ blitz schemes.
The Ravens defense has been outstanding to start the year, and it showed up again vs. Tennessee on Sunday. 6 sacks and 2 takeaways helped seal this victory across the pond.