An unexpected week six in NFL football that typifies what the league is all about.

There were at least six unexpected upsets last week. A few of those games could be considered flukes but others changed the perception of a certain team.

Again it was another close week with eight games out of 14 finishing within one score. It was also the first week that a few teams got a break, with their bye week.

Switching up the format of these rankings, you’ll get some positive points from each team that helped their ranking and some negative things that held them back.

If your favorite team had a bye week and fell down the rankings, it’s not because of any particular reason, other than teams underneath them showed more promise in week six.

Buffalo Bills (5-1)

Week six result: Buffalo 24, Kansas City 20.

Positives

Buffalo only turned the ball over once against a top five team.
Josh Allen was electric with 329 yards and three touchdowns on 27-40 passing.
Stefan Diggs was Allen’s favorite target with 10 catches for 148 yards and a touchdown.
Devin Singletary was productive on the ground with 85 yards on 15 carries.
The defense forced two interceptions of Patrick Mahomes and held them to just two touchdowns.

Negatives

They were 4-11 on third downs and 1-3 on third downs.
Josh Allen fumbled on the first drive of the game.

Philadelphia Eagles (6-0)

Week six result: Philadelphia 26, Dallas 17.

Positives

Jalen Hurts didn’t throw or run for a lot, but he played smart with zero turnovers and two passing touchdowns.
The Eagles defense was on full display picking off Cooper Rush three times and limiting them to only two touchdowns.
Miles Sanders lead the rush with 71 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
Philadelphia defense back C.J. Gardner-Johnson was responsible for two interceptions.
As a team they had zero turnovers against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
They had possession of the ball a whole nine minutes longer then the Cowboys.

Negatives

While Hurts played smart, they’ll definitely need more out of him going forward.
6-14 on third downs is not enough to run a consistent offensive attack.

Minnesota Vikings (5-1)

Week six result: Minnesota 24, Miami 15.

Positive

The Vikings defense was able to create three turnovers from the Dolphins.
While Kirk Cousins only threw for 175 yards, he did it of 20/30 with two touchdowns.
Minnesota did not turn the ball over on offense.

Negative

They started the game with four straight punts and did not score until the second quarter, a top three team cannot do that against better opponents.
Only 234 yards of total offense, 78 of those yards came from rushing.
They went an abysmal 2-12 on third downs.

Kansas City Chiefs (4-2)

Week six result: Kansas City 20, Buffalo 24.

Positives

Mahomes slung the ball for 338 yards and two touchdowns on 25/40 passing.
Juju Smith-Schuster finally found some success with 113 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
Kelce continued to be Mahomes top target with eight catches for 108 yards.

Negative

Mahomes also threw two critical interceptions at the beginning and at the end of the game.
The Chiefs rushing attack was nothing too impressive with only 68 total yards on 19 total carries.
While they only lost by four, it’s hard to beat the number one team with just two touchdowns and two field goals.
They also were only 4-11 on third downs.

Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)

Week six result: Los Angeles 19, Denver 16.

Positives

The Chargers won.
Their defense was able to hold the Broncos to just 16 points, but Denver hasn’t proven they’re a good offense this far into the season.
Their offense was 11-22 on third downs, which is only 50% but, they had possession of the ball 10 more minutes than their opponents.

Negatives

They were forced to go to overtime, where they won the game winning field goal, but they never led until that moment.
Justin Herbert there 57 passes only completing 37 of them and threw no touchdowns and one interception.
The acquired nine penalties for 89 yards and were 1-4 on their trips to the end zone.

New York Giants (5-1)

Week six result: New York 24, Baltimore 20.

Positives

The Giants only turned the ball over once and their defense was able to force two Ravens turnovers.
New York took advantage in the red zone, scoring three out of five times.
Their defense was able to hold the Ravens to only 20 points.

Negatives

Saquon Barkley rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown, but other than him there was no rushing production.
Despite holding Baltimore to 20 points, they still allowed them to compile a lot of yards.

Baltimore Ravens (3-3)

Week six result:, Baltimore 20, New York 24.

Positives

Kenyan Drake went off with 119 rushing yards (NFL Week high) and a touchdown on 10 carries.
They had 406 total yards of offense.

Negative

Jackson threw a late-game interception, sealing the loss and did not throw efficiently.
They went 4-10 on third downs and 1-3 scoring in the red zone.

Dallas Cowboys (4-2)

Week six result: Dallas 17, Philadelphia 26.

Positives

The Cowboys defense was able to get to Hurts four times for a sack.
Dallas’ rushing attack was effective with 125 yards and a touchdown between Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard.
Their offensive line protected Cooper Rush allowing zero sacks.

Negatives

Even though Dallas got four sacks, they still allowed Philadelphia to roll all over them in the first half.
Rush finally showed a dent in his armor, he completed less than 50% of his passes and threw three interceptions, an NFL week high.
They were called for 10 penalties for 72 yards.
Their offense was stagnant in the first half, scoring only one field goal at the very end of the second quarter.

Cincinnati Bengals (3-3)

Week six result: Cincinnati 30, New Orleans 26.

Positives

Joe Burrow threw for 300 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions on 28-37 passing, he also was only sacked three times.
Burrow’s favorite target was Ja’Marr Chase with seven receptions for 1332 yards and two touchdowns.
The offense was 6-10 on third downs and completed their comeback for the win.

Negatives

They were down the entirety of the game until they scored with two minutes left in the game.
They muffed a punt in the first quarter, which led to a Saints touchdown.

San Francisco 49ers (3-3)

Week six result: San Francisco 14, Atlanta 28.

Positives

Jimmy Garoppolo threw for nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns.
Their defense held Atlanta to only 289 yards of total offense.

Negatives

Garoppolo threw two interceptions.
Too many empty drives resulting in no scores.
Their one fumble of the game was recovered for an Atlanta Touchdown.

New York Jets (4-2)

Week six result: New York, 27, Green Bay 10.

Positives

Rookie Breece Hall was stellar with 116 yards rushing and one touchdown.
Their defense held the Packers to just 278 yards of total offense, but most importantly they held them to only 10 points, nearly scoreless in the first half.
Once the Jets figured out that the Packers struggled stopping the run, they let their backs go to work.

Negatives

Zach Wilson struggled throwing the ball with 110 yards, 10/18 passing and zero touchdowns, he also had trouble sticking in the pocket on most possessions.
They were unable to score a touchdown until the third quarter.
They went 1-11 on third downs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3)

Week six result: Tampa Bay 18, Pittsburgh 20.

Positives

Chris Godwin looked healthy with 95 yards receiving on six catches.
They converted both of their fourth down attempts.
Ryan Succop was 4-4 on field goals.

Negatives

They lost to a poor all-around Pittsburgh Steelers
In the red zone the Buccaneers went 1-4 and were 4-14 on third downs.
Tom Brady threw for 210 yards on 25-40 passing.
Leonard Fournette rushed for only 63 yards on 21 carries, averaging just three-yards per carry.

Green Bay Packers (3-3)

Week six result: Green Bay 10, New York 27.

Positives

Robert Tonyan found himself open, a lot, with 10 catches for 90 yards.
The Packers defense held up well in the first half, but did struggle in the second half.

Negatives

With Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, they only combined for 60 yards rushing.
Rodgers was sacked four times for 36 yards lost and he struggled to find open receivers other than Allen Lazard and Tonyan.

New England Patriots (3-3)

Week six result: New England 38, Cleveland 15.

Positives

Bailey Zappe threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns on 24/34.
Defense held the Browns to 15 points.
Rhamondre Stevenson continued to impress with 78 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
They led the league with 38 points in week six.
Defense capitalized forcing four turnovers

Negative

Los Angeles Rams (3-3)

Week six result: Los Angeles 24, Carolina 10.

Positives

The Rams end their two-game losing streak.
LA’s defense was able to hold the worst offense in the league to 10 points and only 203 total yards of offense.

Negatives

Matthew Stafford still threw an interception against a bad team.
Cooper Kupp is still getting targeted the most, making it easier for opponents to game-plan.

Miami Dolphins (3-3)

Week six result: Miami 16, Minnesota 24.

Positives

The offense was able to generate 458 total yards and 23 total first downs.
Tyreek Hill played and caught 12 passes for 177 yards, an NFL week high.
Teddy Bridgewater threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns.

Negatives

Unfortunately for Miami, Bridgewater also threw two interceptions.
Miami lost a fumble during a potential scoring drive.
They tallied 10 penalties for 97 yards against them.
They started their comeback too late in the game, as their first half offense struggled.

Atlanta Falcons (3-3)

Week six result: Atlanta 28, San Francisco 14.

Positives

They beat a team they were heavily favored against.
Zero turnovers on offense.
Marcus Mariota played efficient and smart, 129 yards on 13-14 and two touchdowns.
Atlanta’s defense forced three turnovers.

Negative

Despite their efficiency on offense they’ll need to improve on moving down the field.

Las Vegas Raiders (1-4)

Week six result: Bye

Positive

Negative

Arizona Cardinals (2-4)

Week six result: Arizona 9, Seattle 19.

Positive

Besides his one interception Kyler Murray threw the ball okay with 222 yards on 23/37 and ran for 100 yards on 10 carries.

Negatives

The only touchdown Arizona scored was a fumble recovered in the end zone on defense, no offensive touchdowns.
Outside of Murray their backs only combined for 44 yards of rushing.
They also went for it on fourth down five times, they only converted once.

Tennessee Titans (3-2)

Week six result: Bye

Positive

Negative

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4)

Week six result: Jacksonville 27, Indianapolis 34.

Positives

Trevor Lawrence played smart with 165 yards and one touchdown off 20/22 passing.
The Jaguars rushing game combined for 243 yards and three touchdowns.
They held a battered Colts running back room to only 45 yards combined rushing.

Negatives

Their defense could not stop the Colts’ passing attack at all.
Their offensive line allowed Lawrence to get sacked four times.
The defense allowed the Colts to come down the field and win the game with less than three minutes remaining in the game.

Seattle Seahawks (3-3)

Week six result: Seattle 19, Arizona 9.

Positives

With a lot of their running back room injured, rookie Kenneth Walker III stepped up with 97 rushing yards and the only Seahawk touchdown, off 21 carries.
Seattle kicker Jason Myers was automatic making all four of his field goals and his one extra-point.
Geno Smith wasn’t spectacular but he was productive enough in the air and on the ground to move the offense.
Their defense held Arizona to only nine total points.

Negatives

One touchdown won’t cut it in the NFL unless the other team does worse.
They were 4-14 on third downwind only scored once on their five red zone trips.

Indianapolis Colts (3-2-1)

Week six result: Indianapolis 34, Jacksonville 27

Positives

Matt Ryan took advantage of the air with 389 passing yards (NFL Week high), three touchdowns and zero interceptions on 42/58.
Indianapolis was able to run their two-minute drill to take the lead on their final drive of the game.

Negatives

Without Jonathan Taylor, the Colts rushed for only 50 yards.
Their defense was only able to get one turnover to end the game, off laterals, otherwise the Jaguars got most of what they wanted on offense.

Cleveland Browns (2-4)

Week six result: Cleveland 15, New England 38

Positives

Rookie kicker Cade York was perfect with three field goals, one for 51 yards.

Negatives

Jacoby Brissett threw two interceptions and was sacked four times
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for only 68 yards rushing.
Their defense allowed the Patriots to score 38 points and only forced one turnover.
They only scored one touchdown.

New Orleans Saints (2-4)

Week six result: New Orleans 26, Cincinnati 30.

Positives

New Orleans was able to hold the lead for three and a half quarters, but did lose it late in the fourth.
Their wasn’t an outstanding player on offense, but they were able to find success spreading the ball everywhere.
They also did not turn the ball over, which is important to win in the NFL.

Negative

The Saints defense was unable to contain the Bengals in crunch time, therefore they lost.

Denver Broncos (2-4)

Week six result: Denver 16, Los Angeles 19.

Positives

Russell Wilson threw a touchdown pass.
Denver’s defense continued to carry this team.
They never were behind in scoring, until overtime.
Linebacker Alex Singleton went crazy for 19 solo tackles (NFL Week high).

Negatives

Their pass game was not efficient and only produced one score.
Their rushing attack was not good enough to make up for the lack of air production.
They were called on 10 penalties for 151 yards, (an NFL Week six high) more than half of their total offensive yards).
They were 4-14 on third downs and their offense struggled to stay on the field.

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4)

Week six result: Pittsburgh 20, Tampa Bay 18.

Positives

They won a game against a borderline top-ten team.
Once Mitch Trubisky came in, he played well with 144 yards and a touchdown on 9-12 passing.
Their defense held the Buccaneers to just one touchdown and 18 total points.
Zero turnovers for the Steelers.

Negatives

They only scored 20 points.
They rushed for a combined 77 yards on 29 attempts, not very efficient in the NFL.

Detroit Lions (1-4)

Week six result: Bye

Positive

Negative

Washington Commanders (2-4)

Week six result: Washington 12, Chicago 7.

Positives

Washington did not turn the ball over once the entire game.
The defense tallied five sacks and held the bears to only 154 passing yards.

Negatives

They only scored 12 points against the Chicago Bears.
214 yards of total offense is not enough to beat any other team besides Denver, possibly.
Another poor Thursday Night Football matchup.

Chicago Bears (2-4)

Week six result: Chicago 7, Washington 12.

Positives

Chicago dominated the ground with 238 total rushing yards.
The defense held Washington to only 214 total yards of offense.

Negatives

They were only able to score one touchdown, something that can’t happen in the NFL.
Two turnover won’t help a team already struggling to score.
Chicago had nine empty possessions, four ended on punts, three in downs, and two in turnovers.

Houston Texans (1-3-1)

Week six result: Bye

Positive

Negative

Carolina Panthers (1-5)

Week six result: Carolina 10, Los Angeles 24.

Positive

Christain McCaffrey combined for 158 scrimmage yards.

Negatives

Carolina’s offense combined for 203 total yards.
They went 2-10 on third downs and made only one trip to the red zone and they failed.
They only had offensive possession of the football for a third of the game, that won’t cut it in the NFL.

Photo Credit: Sauce Gardner – Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

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