NFL Week 6 Recap: Who’s Up, Who’s Down, What’s Next for Every Team

Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry took down Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, Jordan Love tossed four touchdown passes in Green Bay's win over Arizona and Tampa Bay pummeled New Orleans with 277 rush yards.

Henry rumbled for 132 yards and two touchdowns in Baltimore's dominant win over the Commanders on Sunday. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Jump to a game

1. Ravens 30, Commanders 23 
2. Texans 41, Patriots 21 
3. Packers 34, Cardinals 13 
4. Buccaneers 51, Saints 27 
5. Eagles 20, Browns 16 
6. Bears 35, Jaguars 16 
7. Colts 20, Titans 17 
8. 49ers 36, Seahawks 24 

The day began in England and will end in New York. Between those games, there will be 11 others in Week 6, with perhaps the best coming from the Beltway.

In the early morning, the Chicago Bears easily handled the Jacksonville Jaguars (1–5) to keep pace in the NFC North, running their record to 4–2.

The 1 p.m. ET slate featured a litany of intriguing games, but none more dynamic than the Washington Commanders (4–2) visiting the Baltimore Ravens (4–2). Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson accounted for 363 yards and a touchdown in a 30–23 win at home.

In the late window, the Detroit Lions (3–1) visit the Dallas Cowboys (3–2). Dallas is coming off an ugly win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and is a game back of the Commanders in the NFC East.

Finally, the Cincinnati Bengals (1–4) face a virtual must-win on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants (2–3).

Let’s get to the action, starting across the pond.

SUNDAY

Ravens 30, Commanders 23 

My take: Baltimore (4–2) is fully back on track. The combination of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry is proving to be the dynamic attack expected when Henry signed, with the duo combining for 495 total yards and three touchdowns. All told, Washington (4–2) was shredded throughout, allowing 7.4 yards per play and 28 first downs. On the flip side, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels looked excellent once more with 291 total yards and two touchdowns, albeit in a tough defeat.

Stock up: After having a middling start to his season, Zay Flowers dominated against Washington. Although he didn’t have a catch after halftime, Flowers posted nine receptions for 132 yards, consistently getting open on short and intermediate routes. 

Stock down: Washington’s defense. The unit has really struggled against good offenses and star quarterbacks. Against the Bengals and Ravens, the Commanders allowed 920 yards and 63 points. Unfortunately, there was also a pair of injuries Sunday with Jonathan Allen (pec) and Dorance Armstrong (ribs) leaving early.

Up Next: Panthers at Commanders, 4:05 p.m. ET Oct. 20; Ravens at Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. ET Oct. 21

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Texans 41, Patriots 21 

My take: Houston (5–1) is starting to run away with the AFC South. At this point, nobody is within two games of the Texans, who handled New England (1–5) with relative ease. Of course, the story of this game is the rookie debut of Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who had a decent performance after throwing an early interception. All told, Maye went 20-of-33 for 243 yards, three touchdowns and two picks. Maye should have an easier time of it next week when the Patriots go to England to play the woebegone Jaguars. 

Stock up: After missing the past three games with an ankle injury, veteran back Joe Mixon looked good, rushing for 102 yards on 13 carries while helping Houston control the game. He ran for 59 yards on one carry, more than New England mustered all afternoon on the ground.

Stock down: Entering Week 6, only the Browns had allowed more sacks than New England. Against Houston, Maye was sacked four times, including three by second-year star Will Anderson Jr. With Maye needing time, the Patriots’ line could be a huge problem.

Up Next: Texans at Packers, 1 p.m. ET Oct. 20; Patriots at Jaguars, 9:30 a.m. ET Oct. 20

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Love had four touchdown passes against the Cardinals on Sunday. / Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Packers 34, Cardinals 13 

My take: Green Bay (4–2) is finally healthy and starting to roll. After beating the Rams last week, the Packers came back to Lambeau Field and crushed an overwhelmed Arizona (2–4) squad. Playing in arguably the best division in football (NFC North), Green Bay has little room for error if it wants to host a playoff game. Beating Arizona was key with the Texans coming to Wisconsin next week. As for the Cards, the talent level isn’t there. Arizona has consistently been a tough out each week, but contending teams should handle the Cardinals.

Stock up: Love had an uneven showing against the Rams, but was terrific against the Cardinals. The former first-round pick threw for four touchdowns and 258 yards in victory, including two to Romeo Doubs fresh off his one-game suspension.

Stock down: Arizona needs more from its receivers. Of course, Marvin Harrison Jr. can’t be faulted as he left with a concussion, but Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch combined for three catches and 37 yards before fourth-quarter garbage time.

Up Next: Chargers at Cardinals, 8:45 p.m. ET Oct. 21; Texans at Packers, 1 p.m. ET Oct. 20

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Buccaneers 51, Saints 27 

My take: Remember when New Orleans (2–4) was threatening to take over the league with its offense under coordinator Klint Kubiak? Unfortunately for the Saints, largely because of myriad injuries, New Orleans hasn’t been able to win in a month. Conversely, Tampa Bay (4–2) traveled early to New Orleans last week due to Hurricane Milton and managed to get a win. Baker Mayfield threw four touchdowns with three interceptions in a wild victory, while Chris Godwin scored twice and amassed 125 yards.

Stock up: When the Buccaneers and Ravens get together next Monday night, we could see 400-plus rushing yards. Tampa Bay ran over the Saints all afternoon, going for 277 yards on 7.9 yards per carry, including 136 by Sean Tucker, his first 100-yard game as a pro.

Stock down: Dennis Allen. New Orleans’s coach has a 26–50 record between his stints with the Raiders and Saints. His calling card is defense and yet, over the past four weeks, New Orleans has allowed at least 460 yards three times. If the defense is terrible, what is Allen’s contribution?

Up Next: Ravens at Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. ET Oct. 21; Broncos at Saints, 8:15 p.m. ET Oct. 17

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Eagles 20, Browns 16 

My take: Cleveland (1–5) is atrocious. Want proof? Check out its final offensive drive. After getting to the Philadelphia 3-yard line, the Brown took a false start, Deshaun Watson threw an incomplete pass that would have gained three yards and the Browns jumped early again, leading to a field goal on fourth down. The good news? The city of Cleveland has the Guardians in the ALCS, and mock drafts are really fun to do. On the other side, Philadelphia (3–2) got an uneven performance from Jalen Hurts and couldn’t finish off the Browns until the final minutes. It’s a win, but far from convincing. 

Stock up: In his first action since Week 1, A.J. Brown starred, catching five passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, helping Philadelphia win coming out of its bye week. The Eagles desperately needed Brown back, especially with tight end Dallas Goedert leaving early due to a hamstring injury. 

Stock down: Everything about the Browns. They can’t convert third downs. They can’t block and the quarterback is the most uninspiring player in the league. And to the first couple of points, Cleveland is a rancid 11-of-49 on third down since Week 3 while the Browns have allowed 31 sacks, by far a league-high.

Up Next: Bengals at Browns, 1 p.m. ET Oct. 20; Eagles at Giants, 1 p.m. ET Oct. 20

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Williams was outstanding against the Jaguars on Sunday, passing for 226 yards and four scores. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Bears 35, Jaguars 16 

My take: The Jaguars should do what no other team has ever done: fire their coach while overseas. Jacksonville was embarrassing in every phase, losing in lopsided fashion to an ascending Chicago team. Caleb Williams torched the Jacksonville secondary, throwing for 226 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another 56 yards. For the Bears, they take a three-game winning streak into their bye and it’s their first time two games over .500 since Week 8 of the 2020 season. For the Jaguars? Burn it to the ground. 

Stock up: When talking about the league’s best tight ends, Cole Kmet doesn’t get a bunch of praise. He should. Kmet caught two touchdown passes in the first half, highlighting a day that included five receptions for 70 yards. Finally playing with a talented quarterback, Kmet is shining.

Stock down: Everyone involved in Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence has been brutal through six games after signing a five-year extension worth in the offseason worth $275 million. Doug Pederson seemingly has no answers and the defense can’t stop anybody, ranking toward the bottom almost every category, including 31st overall and 32nd against the pass entering Sunday’s matchup.

Up Next: Bye; Patriots at Jaguars, 9:30 a.m. ET Oct. 20

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Colts 20, Titans 17 

My take: Tennessee (1–4) has to face reality. Will Levis isn’t the answer moving forward, and at the moment, doesn’t give the Titans the best chance to win. While Mason Rudolph isn’t the long-term fix, he’s a better option than Levis, who against the league’s worst defense threw for 93 yards and an interception. If coach Brian Callahan and Levis can’t scheme up a few scoring drives and some easy yardage in the passing game against Indy’s defense, this might be an unsalvageable partnership. 

Stock up: Shane Steichen and Gus Bradley deserve credit. The Colts were without Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor on Sunday, with star receiver Michael Pittman Jr. being limited with a back injury. Somehow, Indianapolis went on the road and won, churning out a defensively-driven win against a divisional opponent.

Stock down: Levis could have taken up this space, but let’s talk about Calvin Ridley. After getting a $92 million contract, he has nine receptions for 141 yards through five games. On Sunday, he was targeted eight times and caught none of them. Brutal. 

Up Next: Dolphins at Colts, 1 p.m. ET Oct. 20; Titans at Bills, 1 p.m. ET Oct. 20

THURSDAY

Aiyuk and Juszczyk had plenty to celebrate against the Seahawks on Thursday night in their big NFC West win over the Seahawks. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

49ers 36, Seahawks 24 

My take: San Francisco (3–3) needed a win after collapsing against the Cardinals four days earlier, and it got the job done. The Niners ran up 483 total yards, with Brock Purdy throwing for 255 yards and three touchdowns. Conversely, Seattle (3–3) has now lost two consecutive at home and falls to second place in the NFC West. The big issue was three turnovers, including a pair of Geno Smith interceptions. Next up? A trip to Atlanta before hosting the Bills and Rams and then heading to San Francisco. A defining month is ahead.

Stock up: The Niners are a factory for running backs. After seeing Jordan Mason leave the game with an AC sprain in his shoulder, Isaac Guerendo stepped up and ran for 99 yards on 10 carries, including a 76-yarder to seal the deal. All told, San Francisco rushed for 228 yards and a touchdown.

Stock down: Seattle couldn’t do anything on the ground. The Seahawks ran for a paltry 2.6 yards per carry and 52 yards total. Considering Smith was having a rough night, Seattle needed to run but couldn’t. 

Up Next: Chiefs at 49ers, 4:25 p.m. ET Oct. 20; Seahawks at Falcons, 1 p.m. ET Oct. 20