NFL Week 6 Review

Well, the NFL season is now approaching the midway point already. And while a few teams look either as good, or even far better than most people expected, including New England, San Francisco, Buffalo, and Seattle, there are other favorites that are really clearly struggling at this moment. These include Dallas, the Rams, and, perhaps most surprisingly, Kansas City, all of whom have now dropped consecutive games. The Cowboys and Rams each have dropped three straight after undefeated starts, while the Chiefs lost their second straight home game, and appear far more vulnerable than most people would have expected.              

So, two winless teams finally earned their first victories. Washington hung on in a tight one at Miami, while the Jets also hung on to narrowly beat the Cowboys, although their defense seemed to be tiring and vulnerable towards the end.              

That leaves two winless teams left, Cincinnati and Miami. There are also two unbeaten teams left, New England and San Francisco.              

Meanwhile, there were some interesting developments with teams caught somewhere in the middle, as well.              

Let’s take a closer look at each game from the weekend of week 6 in NFL action for the 2019-20 season:  


Washington 17, Miami 16 – Washington 17, Miami 16 – Ah, the battle of the winless teams, which took place down in Miami. Someone would finally manage to win their first game, while the other would have the double dubious distinction of remaining winless by losing to another winless team. Washington was dominating most of the game, scoring a touchdown in the second quarter, then adding another for a 14-3 lead in the third quarter. They made it 17-3, before the Dolphisn made a comeback attempt, scoring two touchdowns, the last with just seconds left in the game. They could have gone for the tie, and forcing overtime. Instead, they went for the two-point conversion, which failed, with the unintended consequence of preserving Washington’s victory. Case Keenum completed 13 of 25 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns for Washington, while Adrian Peterson added 118 yards on 23 carries. Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 12 of 18 passes for 112 yards and one touchdown for Miami. Washington earned their first win to improve to 1-5, while Miami falls to 0-5, now one of only two winless teams remaining this season.  My pick: Accurate  

London UK Game - Carolina 37, at Tampa Bay 26 – The Panthers earned their fourth straight win Kyle Allen completed 20 of 32 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns for Carolina. Jameis Winston completed 30 of 54 passes for 400 yards and one touchdown, but a whopping five interceptions.  Tampa’s offense committed seven turnovers in this game, effectively killing whatever chances they might have had. This game really was not quite as close as the score would suggest, as the Panthers entered the final quarter with a 34-10 lead, before the Bucs scored a couple of late touchdowns, with successful two-point coversions both times, to make the final score look much more respectable. But make no mistake: the Panthers dominated this game. They improve to 4-2, while the Bucs fall to 2-4. My pick: Accurate 

Minnesota 38, Philadelphia 20 – The Vikings took a 24-3 lead midway through the second quarter, and this proved insurmountable for Philly. The Eagles did fight back, and got within four points again midway through the third, before the Vikings managed to once again score some points with two touchdowns to put the game out of reach. Carson Wentz completed 26 of 40 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns, with one INT. Kirk Cousins had a better day for Minnesota, completing 22 of 29 passes for 333 yards and four TD’s, with one INT. Alexander Mattison added 63 yards on 14 carries on the ground for the Purple People Eaters, as the Vikings improve to 4-2 on the year, and remain unbeaten at home. The Eagles, meanwhile, fall to 3-3 on the season, although they remain tied with Dallas, who also lost, for first place in the NFC East. My pick: Accurate 

Baltimore 23, Cincinnati 17 – Things keep going from bad to worse for the Bengals this season. Andy Dalton completed 21 of 38 passes for 236 yards. The Bengals loss now drops their record to 0-6 on the season, which is their worst start since the 2008 season. The Ravens, meanwhile, strengthened their hand considerably in the AFC North, which is a good thing for this notoriously inconsistent team. They raised their record to 4-2, which is a full two games ahead of the Browns and Steelers, who are tied for second place at 2-4. My pick: Accurate

Seattle at Cleveland – Well, the Browns just got exposed and humiliated in San Francisco. I already saw some people comparing Baker Mayfield to Johnny “Football” Manziel. Now, I am not quite ready to write him off that fast, simply because he had a bad day by the Bay. But they definitely need to do something, and in a hurry, to improve. Unfortunately for the Browns, this will not be an easy game to get back on track, because the Seahawks are hot, and look like they are for real. That does not mean that they are unbeatable, however. Their defense is good, but not like the old days, when they were real Super Bowl contenders every year. Their offense is solid and productive, but not the most explosive unit in the league, either. So, the Browns can pull this one off, and they need to, because another loss might just send their season into tailspin. I do not know how mature Mayfield is, but as a Giants fan, I am familiar with the staggering levels of immaturity and selfishness of their new star wide receiver, Odell Beckham, and he can hurt the Browns as much as he hurt the Giants. Yes, he is very talented, but his off the field antics were very frustrating, and did not help New York. If things go bad, and Beckham begins to show that side again, it will be to the detriment of the Browns franchise. Let us hope that he has grown up a little bit, because if he focuses on his enormous talent, the Browns can remain as competitive as they appeared up until that embarrassing result in San Francisco. If Mayfield and Odell respond with focus, determination and maturity, they should be able to pull this one off, If not, watch for the Browns to begin to implode on what started off as a very promising season. My pick: Cleveland  

New Orleans at Jacksonville – The Saints have looked fantastic, even with Drew Brees out. They had hoped to go .500 in his absence, but they might do much, much better than that. This is not to say that New Orleans are necessarily favorites to reach the Super Bowl, but let’s just say that this phenomenal stretch where they seem to keep winning tough games, without their star quarterback. That said, the Jaguars present a unique challenge, because they also have been playing much better than expected without their star quarterback. Gardner Minshew has been playing extremely well in place of the injured Nick Foles who, like the Saints’ Drew Brees, is a former Super Bowl MVP. Granted, they lost last weekend, but many expected Jax to be out of the playoff picture by now, and they are not. They should be especially tough at home, but it seems that the Saints are specializing in that lately. This is one of those games where I would not be surprised no matter who wins or loses, but I still will go with who I believe is the better, more complete team overall. My pick: New Orleans  

Houston 31, Kansas City 24 – Well, this might be the point where Chiefs fans can start to really worry. Their red hot offense is not looking quite as explosive and unstoppable as they had last season and even earlier this season, and the Chiefs dropped a second game in a row at home, blowing a 17-3 lead in the second quarter. The Texans completely dominated the time of possession battle, holding the ball for almost 40 minutes, controlling the ball for nearly twice as long as KC. The Texans produced 472 yards of total offense, to just 309 yards by Kansas City, and earning 35 first downs, to only 20 by the Chiefs. Even worse, the Chiefs offense looked almost inept after they took that 17-3 lead in the second quarter, getting outscored 28-7 the rest of the way. Deshaun Watson completed 30 of 42 passes for 280 yards and one touchdown, with two INT’s. Carlos Hyde added 118 yards and another touchdown on 26 carries for Houston. Patrick Mahomes, in a losing cause for the Chiefs, completed 19 of 35 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. The Texans win their second in a row and move to 4-2, into first place in the NFC South, while the Chiefs fall to 4-2, and are looking more and more vulnerable with each passing week. My pick: Inaccurate

San Francisco 20, L.A. Rams 7 – This is one of those uh-oh results for one team, that being the defending NFC champions, the Rams. They lost three regular season games all of last season, but have now dropped three straight after an impressive 3-0 start. This was a tough one, a second straight home loss, and a costly one, as they handed the win to a division rival. The 49ers, by virtue of the win, are 5-0 for the first time since 1990. The Rams started off impressively, scoring a touchdown and seeming to appear fired up. But it all 49ers from that point on. Jimmy Garoppolo completed 24 of 33 passes for 243 yards, with one INT. But he also ran for one touchdown. Jared Goff, meanwhile, completed 13 of 24 for a mere 78 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. The 49ers enjoyed a huge advantage in time of possession, hanging onto the ball for nearly 39 minutes, or almost two-thirds of the game. They produced 331 yards of total offense, to just 165 for the formerly explosive Rams offense, which not long ago was seen as the “Greatest Show on Turf 2.” But the Rams did not look explosive at all today, producing only 10 first downs, to 22 for San Fran, and serving as a liability in this game. The 49ers earned the right to remain unbeaten for at least one more week, and relying on their so far impressive defense to earn this road win against a divisional opponent. My prediction: Inaccurate 

Arizona 34, Atlanta 33 –  It looks like the Falcons season is effectively done, as they lose yet another game that they should have won, as they fall to 1-5, and seem intent on cementing this as a last place season for themselves in the NFC South, and possibly the NFC, period. That, despite producing 444 yards of offense and 31 first downs, while enjoying a decisive advantage in time of possession. But the defense could not stop the Cardinals offense. Yet, after falling behind by 17, Atlanta did manage to tie it before falling behind again. Still, they scored another touchdown for what seemed to be a tie, before placekicker Matt Bryant rather shockingly missed the extra point attempt, thus preserving the win for the Cardinals. Kyler Murray completed 27 of 37 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns, while Matt Ryan completed 30 of 36 passes for 356 yards and four touchdowns in a losing cause. The Cardinals earned only their second win of the season.  My prediction: Inaccurate  

Denver 16, Tennessee 0 – The Broncos seem to be getting this season back on track a bit after that horrendous 0-4 start, improving to 2-4, with their second straight win. Meanwhile, the Titans lose again, and fall to 2-4, looking shaky once again. Tennessee was blanked by the tough Denver defense, and Marcus Mariota played so poorly, completing merely 7 of 18 pasess for 63 yards and two INT’s, that he was ultimately benched. Ryan Tannehill replaced him and completed 13 of 16 passes for 144 yards, with one INT. But the Titans still failed to score any points. For Denver, Joe Flacco completed 18 of 28 passes for 177 yards, with one touchdown. Hardly a game with much offense, but the Broncos defense proved tougher and played better, producing seven sacks and three turnovers. Now, there are questions regarding Mariota in Tennessee, and whether the Mariota era is done. He once was the team’s quarterback pick for the future, but he seems to have fizzled.  My pick: Accurate 

N.Y. Jets 24, Dallas 22 – Right away, you could sense that this was a different game than any other this season for the Jets. Their offense, with Sam Darnold back behind the helm, seemed to be able to move the ball, and even to score, with greater efficiency than we have seen them to date. They scored an early touchdown for a 7-0 lead, which was only the fourth drive that Gang Green had had this season inside of the red zone, although the league average by this point was 16. But to their credit, the Jets looked more natural and comfortable all game long, and they took several trips inside of the red zone in this game. Meanwhile, the Gang Green defense was very tough all game long, or almost all game long, holding the Cowboys offense to field goals until the fourth quarter. To be fair, Dallas had worn out the Jets defense towards the end of the fourth quarter, when they suddenly seemed able to move the bal at will against the Jets, and got a field goal attempt, and two touchdown drives, to close a 21-9 margin in the final quarter to a very close, tight contest. In fact, the “boys managed to get a touchdown to make it 24-22, and needed the two-point conversion to tie it, and possibly force overtime. But the Jets defense held, probably aided by a key no call when the intended target, Jay Witten, could have made the tying catch. The Jets managed to hang on for the inevitable onside kick, despite some difficulties, and they took a few kneel downs to preserve their first win of the season. Darnold’s presence sparked the Jets with his 23 completions in 32 attempts, which was good for 338 yards and two touchdowns, although he also had one INT. Le’Veon Bell picked up an additional 50 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries.Dak Prescott, in a losing cause, completed 28 of 40 passes for 277 yards, with no touchdowns nor interceptions. Ezekiel Elliott carried the ball 28 times, picking up 105 yards and a touchdown. New York earns their first win of the season to go to 1-4, while the Cowboys drop their third straight, to fall to 3-3. My pick: Ijnaccurate

Sunday Night Football – Pittsburgh 24, L.A. Chargers 17 – The Chargers committed some unforgivable football mistakes, particularly in the first half, and allowed the visiting Steelers to take a commanding 21-0 lead by halftime. Yes, the Chargers missed tackles on defense, missed blocks on offense, and just looked completely inept for the vast majority of the game, before finally beginning to put things together a bit better in the fourth quarter. By then, of course, it was far too little and much too late. They made the score appear more respectable, but this was a game that really was dominated by the Steelers, who controlled the ball for over 34 minutes, and capitalized on three turnovers by the Chargers, while committing only one themselves. Devlin Hodges earned the win for the Steelers, completing 15 of 20 passes for 132 yards and one TD, with one INT as well. Benny Snell, Jr. added 75 yards on 17 carries. Philip Rivers, in another losing cause for the Bolts this season, completed 26 of 44 passes for 320 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Steelers improve to 2-4 on the season, while the Chargers fall to 2-4. My pick: Inaccurate    My prediction: Inaccurate 

Monday Night Football – Detroit at Green Bay 23, Detroit 22  – The Lions were controlling the momentum of this game until the last drive, which ultimately resulted in a game wining field goal to hand the win to the Pack. However, the drive was sustained by a controversial call which went against Detroit and that, frankly, should not have been. It kept a drive alive that, otherwise, would have given the ball back to the Lions late in the fourth quarter. The NFL admitted that this was yet another blown call by the referees, and it was a huge blown call, because it kept a drive alive that ultimately became a scoring drive. Green Bay was able to hang onto the ball right to the end of the game, milking the clock and not allowing Detroit to get the ball back and see what they could do with it, or if perhaps they could milk the clock with their lead themselves. And they got it wrong twice with Trey Flowers. As announcer Booger McFarland (what the hell kind of a name is that, even a nickname?) said, the first blown call cost Flowers a sack on Rodgers. The second blown call cost the Lions the game. And it is small consolation for the NFL to admit that the call was wrong. It did not do the Lions a bit of good, just like it did not do the Saints any good after last year’s NFC Championship Game, when the league admitted that all officials on the field had completely missed the infamous illegal hit that effectively cost New Orleans an appearance in the Super Bowl. Detroit once got screwed in the playoffs as well, when a bad call went against them and favored Dallas, and was key in cementing the win for the Cowboys. That was back in the 2014-15 season, and the Lions could have earned only their second playoff win since the 1950’s, and their first playoff win since the 1991 season. Detroit currently has an NFL record nine straight losses in their last nine postseason games, but it could and probably should have ended right there in Big D, if not for referees blowing calls. Now, in a key game that could have given the Lions some serious momentum in the tight NFC North race early this season, Detroit gets screwed yet again, on the road at Lambeau Field. I think Lions fans have every right to feel absolutely disgusted by how badly their team seems to keep getting screwed, particularly in those seasons when their team finally seems to have a real chance to accomplish something impressive and even amazing. My pick: Accurate