NFL 2018-19 Week 6 Review

Interesting games yesterday. The Cowboys and Seahawks completely blew away their competition, as did the Ravens on the road. The Chargers won convincingly in Cleveland, as well.

The Jets, Falcons, Dolphins, Texans, and the undefeated Rams did just enough to pull off wins in their games, while the Pats won the big showdown against the previously unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs. 

Let's take a look at the week that was:

N.Y. Jets 42, Indianapolis 34 - This was not a game that I expected to wind up as an offensive shootout, yet that is exactly what happened. Ironically, the scoring started with a defensive touchdown when Andrew Luck threw a pick six that Jets cornerback Morris Claiborne ran back 17 yards for a touchdown to give Gang Green a very early 7-0 lead. After that, Luck and the Colts settled in and looked capable of running the ball up and down the field against the Jets. Ultimately, however, the Jets defense bent but did not break, and they more or less held Indy in check through the first half, with New York taking a 23-13 lead into the locker room. The Jets had opted to get the ball firs tin the second half, and so they were able to march down the field and get another touchdown for a commanding 30-13 lead, but the Colts kept fighting their way back. In fact, Indianapolis got to within six when Eric Swoope caught a twoyard touchdown pass from Luck early in the fourth quarter. But the Jets kept pounding away, getting three straight field goal drives to put the game effectively out of reach, earning another win to keep within a game of both Miami and New England, the AFC East division leaders.  My pick: Accurate

L.A. Chargers 38, Cleveland 14 - Watch out, because the Chargers are hot! True, that other LA team is grabbing all of the attention with that 6-0 start, but right now, the Chargers seem to have everything going for them. After dropping their two of their first three games (against elite teams in KC and the Rams), the Chargers not only have won three straight games, but keep benefiting from the failures of the other teams in their division. The Broncos and especially the Raiders keep floundering, and the Chargers keep adding cushion between themselves and those two teams. But with the Chargers beating the Browns convincingly yesterday, coupled with the Chiefs losing for the first time this season, the Chargers suddenly are within one game of first place. Impressive! By his standards, Philip Rivers actually had a statistically mediocre game, completing 11 of 20 passes for 207 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. Baker Mayfield had a tough day against an inspired Charger defense, and completed only 22 of 46 passes for 238 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. For the Browns, they now sink to sole possession of last place within the division, but they have to expect games like this from time to time.  My pick: Accurate

Miami 31, Chicago 28 (OT) - Not sure what it is,  but the Dolphins often seem to be the team that ends a hot start by Chicago. It happened in the historical 1985 season, when the Bears suffered their only defeat after a 12-0 start, then lost to Miami. It would be the only loss of the season, and the Bears would release their famous video, dominate the league the rest of the way, and easily win the Super Bowl. In 2006, Chicago once again got off to a hot start at 7-0, only to lose to Miami once again. They still wound up going to the Super Bowl, but lost that one this time around. Now, the Bears looked hot. Not undefeated, because of that epic comeback by the Packers to open the season. But still, the Bears looked like a young team on a meteoric rise, when suddenly, the Dolphins once again made them look pedestrian again. I was almost positive that the Bears would win this thing, but somehow, the Fins came up with the goods. Brock Osweiler, the well-traveled veteran quarterback for the Dolphins in place of injured Ryan Tennehill, had a very good game, completing 28 of 44 pass attempts for 380 yards and three touchdowns, although he also had two interceptions. In a losing cause for Chicago, Mitchell Trubisky completed 22 of 31 pass attempts for 316 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. This was a back and forth contest that ultimately went to overtime, but it ended with Miami's Jason Sanders splitting the uprights on a 47-yard field goal attempt to clinch the win for the Dolphins. They keep pace with the Patriots atop the AFC East, while the Bears drop to 3-2, and are essentially tied with the 3-2-1 Vikings atop the NFC North.  My pick: Inaccurate

Atlanta 31, Tampa Bay 26 - The Falcons had to win. They just could not keep losing and keep any realistic hopes of sneaking into the playoffs flickering, so they had to win, especially against their weakest divisional opponents. And win they did, although after racing off to a 21-6 second quarter lead, they basically just hung on to secure the win - their first since week two, ending a three game losing streak. And yet, these two teams are now tied for last place in the NFC South, with both teams well behind the Panthers and division leading New Orleans. Jameis Winston completed 30 of 41 passes for 395 yards and four touchdowns, although he also had two interceptions. Meanwhile, YDS, Matt Ryan had another great day for Atlanta, completing 31 of 41 attempts for 354 yards and three touchdowns.  My pick: Accurate

Minnesota 27, Arizona 17 - The Vikings seemed to need home field advantage against the lowly Cardinals. They did not win this nearly as convincingly as I had assumed they would. Still, Kirk Cousins continues to produce for Minnesota, completing 24 of 34 passes for 233 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Latavius Murray was very strong on the ground for the purple and gold, collecting 155 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. In a losing cause for Arizona, Josh Rosen completed 21 of 31 passes thrown for 240 yards, with one interception. The Vikings now more or less pull even with the division leading Bears, while the Cardinals sink to 1-5, and await the results for tonight's game with the 49ers and Packers to see if they will be alone at the bottom of the NFC West, or if they will continue to share that dubious distinction with San Francisco.  My pick: Accurate

Houston 20, Buffalo 13 - The Texans are hot. After dropping their first three games of the year, they have now won three straight, and now find themselves in a three way tie for first in the AFC South with the Titans and Jaguars. The Texans essentially smothered the Bills very limited offense, while producing just enough from their own sluggish offense to win. This game was tied at 13 points apiece in the fourth quarter, when Houston cornerback snatched an interception and returned it 28 yards for the winning touchdown, lifting Houston over the stubborn Buffalo team. My pick: Accurate

Washington 23, Carolina 17 - So much for the Panthers being hot, eh? Carolina fell behind early, allowing two touchdowns in the first, and finding themselves down 17-0 early in the second quarter, before they finally seemed to get their bearings late in the first half with a touchdown. But it was a bit too little, and seemingly much too late. Washington just kept kicking field goals to put some cushion on their lead, and Carolina simply was unable to close the gap. Cam Newton completed 27 of 40 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, in a losing cause. Washington's Alex Smith completed 21 of 36 passes for 163 and two touchdowns. Adrian Peterson added 97 yards on 17 carries for the Redskins.   My pick: Inaccurate

Seattle 27, Oakland 3 - The Seahawks completely dominated, looking like the Seahawks team from just a few seasons ago, when they were perennial contenders for the Super Bowl. Russell Wilson completed 17 of 23 pass attempts for 222 yards for three touchdowns, with one interception. Derek Carr struggled a bit, completing 23 of 31 pass attempts for 142 yards. The Raiders essentially managed to avoid an embarrassing shutout at London's Wembley Stadium with a garbage time field goal, but were never really in this one. My pick: Accurate

Pittsburgh 28, Cincinnati 21 - This was a typical game between these two teams. It went back and forth, was close. But in the end, the Steelers pulled it out, this time on a touchdown with just 10 seconds left in the game. Ben Roethlisberger completed 32 of 46 passes for 369 yards and a touchdown, while Cincinnati's Andy Dalton continued to struggle against the black and gold, completing 26 of 42 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns. The Bengals lose ground in the AFC north, as they are now tied with Baltimore, and just half a game ahead of Pittsburgh. My pick: Accurate

Los Angeles Rams 23, Denver 20 - It was a cold day in Denver. It had snowed early, and was cold still by kickoff. Still, the Rams remained hot, largely off the running of Todd Gurley II, who picked up 208 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. Jared Goff completed 14-of 28 passes for 201 yards, with one interception, while Denver's Case Keenum completed 25 of 41 pass attempts for 322 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The Rams stay red hot as the league's only remaining unbeaten team at 6-0. Denver has now dropped four in a row.  My pick: Accurate

Baltimore 21, Tennessee 0 - The Titans were clearly not up for this game. Usually, the Titans are much tougher at home, but they showed nothing on offense in this game. f course, the Ravens themselves are not known for their incredible offensive firepower, yet they got more than enough yesterday. Alex Collins picked up 54 yards on 19  carries, but had two crucial touchdowns. Joe Flacco completed 25 of 37 passes for 238 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Tennessee's Marcus Mariota was completely ineffectual, completing only 10 passes on 15 attempts for 117 yards. The Ravens are back in a two-way tie with the Bengals atop the AFC North, with the Steelers peering over their shoulders, while the Titans are in a three way tie atop the AFC South, although they have now dropped two straight. My pick: Inaccurate

Dallas 40, Jacksonville 7 - The Jaguars should be embarrassed! They got dominated from the beginning, and went into the lockers at halftime down 24-0. They got their first and only points on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Blake Bortles to Dede Westbrook, and they never scored again. Dallas, meanwhile, just poured on the point, and routed the clearly over-matched Jaguars. Bortles completed only 15 of 26,pass attempts for 149, with one touchdown and one interception. Dallas received some decent production from quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliot. Prescott completed 17 of 27 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns, while Elliott pounded 106 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, helping to lift the 'Boys to an easy win over Jax. 

Sunday Night Football

New England 43, Kansas City 40  - Well, I was right about the outcome, but did not think this would be nearly as exciting or, frankly, strange a game as it ended up being. The Chiefs, to their credit, fought back from significantly down on the road, as New England owned a decisive 24-9 lead at halftime. But KC came back in a big way, and very nearly took this game. The two teams exploded for a whopping 30 points in the fourth quarter alone. Patrick Mahomes had a very solid game, completing 23 of 36 pass attempts for 352 yards and four touchdowns, although he also had two interceptions. Tom Brady did not have quite the fireworks that his younger counterpart did, but still enjoyed a solid game, completing 24 of 35 passes for 340 yards and one touchdown. He also had a late touchdown running from four yards out, on a play when Chiefs rookie linebacker Breeland Speaks somehow let Brady go from what seemed a sure tackle. Speaks later explained that he was nervous about getting called for new rules protecting quarterbacks, although Brady's touchdown might very well have decided this game, as it proved to be critical in such a tight game. The Chiefs suffer their first defeat of the season and drop to 5-1, while New England earns their third straight win to improve to 4-2 on the season.  My pick: Accurate