NFL - Week Six Recap

 

Quarterbacks Jayden Daniels (left) and Lamar Jackson put on a show in Baltimore.

The Baltimore Ravens (4-2) won the big game at home against the Washington Commanders, 30-23 on Sunday as quarterback Lamar Jackson passed for 323 yards with one touchdown and running back Derrick Henry rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns. It was the fourth consecutive win for the Ravens. The Commanders (4-2) tied the game 10-10 on a seven yard TD pass from QB Jayden Daniels (269 passing yards, two TD) to wide receiver Terry McLaurin  in the second quarter, but the Ravens took over from there and eventually built a 14-point lead before Daniels and McLaurin did it again with a six yard TD scoring pass early in the fourth quarter.

In London, the Chicago Bears (4-2) blasted the Jacksonville Jaguars, 35-16 with rookie QB Caleb Williams throwing four touchdown passes (two each to tight end Cole Kmet and wide receiver Keenan Allen) along with RB D'Andre Swift (17 carries for 91 yards) scoring on a one-yard run. The Bears defense forced two turnovers by the Jaguars (1-5) and QB Trevor Lawrence was sacked four times, but did throw two scoring passes to WR Gabe Davis in the loss.

The Green Bay Packers (4-2) throttled the visiting Arizona Cardinals, 34-13 with QB Jordan Love tossing four TD passes as they built a 24-10 halftime lead. The Cardinals (2-4) fumbled the ball away three times and QB Kyler Murray had a TD pass in defeat. 

In Philadelphia, the Eagles (3-2) outlasted the Cleveland Browns, 20-16 with QB Jalen Hurts throwing two TD passes while the Philly defense had five sacks. The Browns dropped to 1-5 this season and their only touchdown came on a 50-yard return of a blocked field goal.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers improved to 4-2 this season with a 51-27 trouncing of the host New Orleans Saints (2-4), who dropped their fourth game in a row. The Buccaneers scored 27 unanswered points in the second half and QB Baker Mayfield had four TD passes (also three interceptions) along with 325 passing yards to lead the rout. New Orleans stormed back from a 17-0 deficit by scoring all 27 points in the second quarter as rookie QB Spencer Rattler (243 yards, one TD, two INT) threw for a touchdown while Alvin Kamara scored on a four-yard run and Rashid Shaheed scored on a 54 yard punt return along with two field goals.

Houston improved to 5-1 with an easy 41-21 road win against the New England Patriots (1-5) as QB C.J. Stroud threw for 192 yards and three touchdown passes while RB Joe Mixon (1-2 rushing yards) rushed for a touchdown and also caught a TD pass. The Texans put the game away midway through the final quarter when RB Dameon Pierce went 54 yards for a scoring run. Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye made his first start and had three TD passes along with two interceptions and 243 passing yards in defeat, which was the fifth in a row for the Pats.

The Indianapolis Colts (3-3) beat the host Tennessee Titans, 20-17 behind a pair of scoring passes by QB Joe Flacco, starting again in place of injured QB Anthony Richardson. Flacco's second TD pass went ten  yards to WR Michael Pittman, Jr. with 7:27 remaining in the fourth quarter to decide the game. The Titans (1-4) led 17-10 after three quarters, but couldn't stop the Colts in crunch time. Titans QB Will Levis had a TD pass and RB Tony Pollard scored on a 23 yard run in the loss.

The Thursday night game in Seattle was a shootout won the by the San Francisco 49ers, 36-24 as QB Brock Purdy threw for three touchdowns and the 49ers (3-3) gained 483 yards in offense, including 228 rushing yards. 'Niners tight end George Kittle caught two TD passes and WR Deebo Samuel (three receptions for 102 yards) also had a TD grab. The Seahawks (3-3) closed the deficit to 23-17 after three quarters as Laviska Shenault took a kickoff back 97 yards for a score and Kenneth Walker III scored a rushing touchdown. San Francisco scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

 

The Detroit Lions (4-1)  went on the road and annihilated the Dallas Cowboys, 47-9 as their offense rolled up 492 yards and QB Jared Goff passed for 315 yards and three touchdowns. The Cowboys (3-3) had five turnovers and managed just three field goals in the loss, while only amassing 251 yards in  total offense. The Lions lost All Pro defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (pictured right) to a broken leg in the second half as he sacked Dallas QB Dak Prescott and he will be out for the rest of the season.  

In Denver, the Los Angeles Chargers built a 20-0 halftime lead and then held off the Broncos, 23-16 to go to 3-2 this season. Denver (3-3) mounted a furious comeback in the fourth quarter to erase the 16-point deficit in the final minute of play, but couldn't recover the onside kickoff. Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins ran for 96 yards and had a rushing touchdown while QB Justin Herbert passed for 237 yards and one touchdown in the win. Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix (216 passing yards) threw for two scores and was intercepted once and also rushed for 61 yards as the Broncos three-game win streak was snapped.

The Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) dominated the host Las Vegas Raiders, 32-13 with QB Justin Fields scoring a pair of rushing touchdowns and RB Najee Harris also scoring a rushing TD as he went for 106 yards on 14 carries. The Raiders (2-4) took a brief 7-3 lead on Alexander Mattison's three-yard scoring run. The Steelers racked up 183 rushing yards and the defense forced three turnovers in the easy win.

The host Carolina Panthers (1-5) battled the Atlanta Falcons, but ran out of gas in the second half as they lost, 38-20. The Falcons (4-2) stayed in a first place tie with Tampa Bay in the NFC South as QB Kirk Cousins passed for 225 yards and one TD while the running back tandem of Tyler Allgeire (105 yards, one TD) and Bijan Robinson (95 yards, two TD) combined for 200 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Panthers QB Andy Dalton had two TD passes along with 221 passing yards and two interceptions in the loss.

The Sunday night game between the host New York Giants (2-4) and Cincinnati Bengals (2-4) was a yawner  as the Bengals won, 17-7 with QB Joe Burrow scoring on a 47-yard run and RB Chase Brown scoring on a 30-yard run with 1:52 remaining in the fourth quarter to seal the win. The Giants lone touchdown came on a one-yard run by Tyrone Tracy, Jr. to even things up at 7-7 with 5:48 left in the third quarter. 

In the Monday Night Football game, the Buffalo Bills beat the host New York Jets, 23-20 thanks in part to very windy conditions that caused three missed field goals combined by both teams, two of them by usually reliable Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein (from 43 and 32 yards out). Bills QB Josh Allen rushed for a touchdown and passed for two more scores to pace the offense as the Bills improved to 4-2 while the Jets fell to 2-4 with their third consecutive loss. Jets QB Aaron Rodgers had two TD passes along with 294 passing yards and one interception in the setback.

WEEK SIX RESULTS 

San Francisco 36, Seattle 24 

Chicago 35, Jacksonville 16 

Philadelphia 20, Cleveland 16 

Baltimore 30, Washington 23

Indianapolis 20, Tennessee 17 

Green Bay 34, Arizona 13 

Tampa Bay 51, New Orleans 27 

Houston 41, New England 21 

Atlanta 38, Carolina 20

L.A. Chargers 23, Denver 16

Pittsburgh 32, Las Vegas 13

Detroit 47, Dallas 9

Cincinnati 17, N.Y. Giants 7

Buffalo 23, N.Y. Jets 20