Final NFL Week 6 Observations ... And Former Miami Dolphins Updates

Week 6 of the 2020 NFL season featured another Monday night doubleheader and a dose of reality for some players and teams

Week 6 of the 2020 NFL season concluded with a Monday night doubleheader that was eye-opening in many ways.

The first is that it reinforced the belief for man fans that two Monday night games are better than having a prime-time game on Thursdays, though that wasn't necessarily a result of the quality of the games we saw.

The first game Monday was interesting from a Dolphins standpoint because we saw the Bills with maybe their worst performance of the season. Yes, worse than in their 42-16 loss at Tennessee six days earlier.

Quarterback Josh Allen was kind of all over the place with his passes, which has to alarm Buffalo fans that he's going back to his accuracy issues of his first two seasons. More problematic for the Bills is a defense that can't stop the run and can't make plays on third down.

The Bills just don't look at this time like a team ready to challenge the elite teams in the AFC and — yes, we'll go ahead and say it — they don't like they're going to run away with the AFC East.

As for the second Monday night game, what can we say other than, man, oh man, is the NFC East bad.

For Arizona, former Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season, though it needs to be pointed out he had 97 yards in the fourth quarter, which began with the Cardinals leading 28-3. Drake ended his night with a 69-yard touchdown run right after the two-minute warning.

-- Since Tua Tagovailoa made his NFL debut in Week 6, it makes sense to check out what the other first-round quarterbacks did this week. Justin Herbert had a bye, and Joe Burrow had what has become a typical outing for him, which means a lot of passing yards, few touchdowns, and a loss. Burrow passed for more than 300 yards for the fourth time in six games, but he also went without a touchdown pass for the third time and the Bengals dropped a 31-27 decision against the Colts to fall to 1-4-1. Burrow had a chance at a comeback when he drove the Bengals from their 26 to the Colts 35 in the final minute, but he threw a game-clinching interception.

-- It was a great weekend all around for the Dolphins because not only the Bills but the Patriots also lost. And New England lost despite holding Denver QB Drew Lock to only 10 completions in 24 attempts with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Cam Newton was back in the lineup for the Pats, which obviously makes them better, but this was the type of loss that could indicate this finally might be the year we don't have to see them in the playoffs.

-- Former Dolphins first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick had a very quiet start to the season, but his pick-six was the biggest play in the Steelers' rout of the Cleveland Browns, which served both as a signal that the Steelers are legit (as someone, like me, predicted before the season) and that maybe the Browns aren't quite ready to compete with the elite yet. It was OK for the Browns to lose at Pittsburgh, but watching their offense get handled the way it did had to be disheartening.

-- The game also could prove costly to the Steelers, and that's because of the loss of linebacker Devin Bush to a torn ACL. Pittsburgh's defense has playmakers everywhere, but maybe the group's most versatile defender was the former Florida State standout. Pittsburgh's defense still should be good even without Bush, it just might not be as dominating as before.

-- Another AFC contender that had to deal with a major injury is Tennessee, which lost left tackle Taylor Lewan, also to a torn ACL. Do not underestimate the significance of his loss. Along with protecting Ryan Tannehill's blind side, Lewan also is a force in the running game. Yes, we know that Derrick Henry had his 94-yard rushing touchdown after Lewan left the game, but in the long term there's no way Tennessee's offensive line will be as good.

-- And, make no mistake, the Tennessee offense is a well-balanced group where every part helps the others. Tannehill continues to enjoy tremendous success in Tennessee, where he's in the perfect situation for his ability based on the scheme and the talent around him, but he needs the running game to remain a threat to be at his most effective.

-- The Titans and Steelers are set to face each other in Week 7 in their rescheduled game, and this obviously will provide a great measuring stick for how the balance of power in the AFC shapes up.

-- Finally, we look across the state to Tampa, where the battle between Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady turned into a showcase for the Buccaneers defense and former Dolphins interim head coach Todd Bowles. Tampa Bay sacked Rodgers five times and held him to a 35.4 passer rating, his lowest since 2014. Talk about Brady all you want, but the Tampa Bay defense is for real and there's no better pair of linebackers on one team than Devin White and former Miami Northwestern High School star Lavonte David.