There were Sunday showdowns at Kansas City and at Philadelphia. But did those results change the top of the NFL Power Rankings?
This past week in the NFL, the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans got the week off. That means 12 other teams that reached the playoffs in 2021 were in action. There were games in Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Philadelphia in which two clubs in the postseason a year ago clashed.
Scoring continues to be at a minimum. But there were plenty of surprises in Week 6.
The Carolina Panthers have a new head coach in Steve Wilks, who replaced fired sideline leader Matt Rhule. The Panthers traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Rams and it was a long afternoon for quarterback P.J. Walker and the Carolina offense, which never found the end zone.
There was also drama with wide receiver Robbie Anderson, who was sent to the locker room during the game. And on Monday, the big-play performer was dealt to the Arizona Cardinals.
Four weeks into the season, no team in the league had scored more points (140) and allowed more points (141). But the last time the Detroit Lions took the field, Dan Campbell’s squad was blanked at Foxborough.
Quarterback Jared Goff has had a solid season and the club has averaged 411.8 yard per game on offense. But Campbell’s club has given up at least 127 points in each of their five contests and has given up 18 offensive TDs in those outings.
Lovie Smith’s club was the last to win a game this season and that happened the last time they played as they went to Jacksonville and held the Jaguars to a pair of field goals. The Houston offense has had its issues but one bright spot has been rookie running back Dameon Pierce, who has totaled 86 carries for 412 yards and three scores.
Veteran Jerry Hughes has four of the team’s 11 sacks. But second-year quarterback Davis Mills has been shaky.
The Washington Commanders made its first appearance in the Windy City since 2016. And this was an ugly contest in many ways. But Ron Rivera’s club – limited to 214 yards of total offense – got a bit break on a muffed punt by the Bears midway through the final quarter. It led to a Brian Robinson one-yard TD run.
Quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a fractured finger in the victory, had surgery on Monday (via ESPN’s John Keim) and will be out four to six weeks.
Matt Eberflus’ team looked to end a brief skid as they hosted the Commanders in prime time. The Chicago Bears won a lot of the battles but ultimately only scored seven points.
Chicago outgained Washington, 392-214, in total yards but also committed two costly turnovers, including a muffed punt in the fourth quarter by Velus Jones Jr. that set up the Commanders’ go-ahead score. Justin Fields was sacked five times and the Bears wasted 238 yards rushing.
The Cardinals headed to the Pacific Northwest and it wound up being a rough afternoon for the Arizona offensive unit, which gained 315 total yards but didn’t score a touchdown.
And while quarterback Kyler Murray ran for 100 yards on 10 attempts and threw for 222 yards as well, he was also sacked six times, lost one of his two fumbles and served up one interception. The team did acquire wide receiver Robbie Anderson from Carolina on Monday.
The New Orleans Saints’ defense had been a bit of a disappointment this year and those issues continued against the Cincinnati Bengals at the Superdome late in the game. Dennis Allen’s club ran for 228 yards by the game’s end and built a 10-point second-quarter lead.
New Orleans managed only a pair of field goals in the second half. Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow would throw for 300 yards and rallied his team as the Saints allowed 28-plus points for the third straight game.
Doug Pederson’s team got off to a good start at Indianapolis as the Jaguars looked to sweep the rival Colts. The club owned a 14-3 lead in the second quarter and the Jacksonville offense was rolling for most of the afternoon. It finished with 377 total yards, 234 on the ground.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence hit on 20-of-23 passes, threw for one touchdown and ran for two others. But the Jaguars’ defense had no answers for Colts’ quarterback Matt Ryan.
Losers of four straight games, the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But the Pittsburgh defense was stellar, keeping Tampa Bay’s offense out of the end zone for most of the afternoon.
Rookie Kenny Pickett threw a TD pass to Najee Harris in the first quarter but would be knocked out of the game. Mitch Trubisky led the club to what would prove to be the deciding touchdown as he and Chase Claypool came up big when it counted most.
Make it three consecutive losses for Kevin Stefanski’s team as Joe Woods’ defensive unit continued to have its issues. But the Cleveland Browns offense had its own problems against the visiting Patriots.
Jacoby Brissett fumbled twice and lost one of those miscues and also threw a pair of interceptions. The one-time Patriots’ quarterback was also sacked four times. Meanwhile, the Browns gave up 309 yards passing to New England rookie Bailey Zappe.
A season ago, the team won its first three games, went through some ups and downs and wound up reaching the playoffs with a 10-7 mark.
This year, the Raiders dropped their first three contests, came up with a win over the Broncos but then squandered a 17-0 second-quarter lead in what proved to be a 30-29 Monday night at Kansas City. Hence Josh McDaniels’ club has disappointed, especially on defense despite some key offseason additions.
Once again, the Broncos’ defense deserved a better fate. On Monday night at Los Angeles, Denver limited the Chargers to 297 total yards and gave up only one touchdown. The club limited the Bolts’ ground attack to just 73 yards. Nathaniel Hackett’s club owned 10-0 first-quarter lead but could not protect it.
Russell Wilson was sacked four times and hit on just 15-of-28 passes. The Broncos were just 4-of-14 on third-down conversion attempts.
The team would be starting a third different quarterback in as many games as rookie Skylar Thompson got the nod against the visiting Minnesota Vikings. But midway through the second quarter, he was knocked out of the game with a thumb injury so enter Teddy Bridgewater.
He would overcome five sacks to throw for 329 yards and two scores. But he also came up with two costly interception. And the Miami Dolphins dropped their third straight game after a 3-0 start.
The Indianapolis Colts were facing an AFC South rival for the fourth time in six games and were looking to avoid being swept by the Jaguars. The visiting Jaguars owned a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter, but Matt Ryan and company would battle back.
He wound up throwing for 389 yards and three touchdowns. Down by one point with less than three minutes to play, he connected with rookie wide receiver Alec Pierce for a 32-yards score with 17 seconds to play.
Bill Belichick’s club headed to Cleveland looking to build off last week’s shutout of the Detroit Lions. Rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe had another solid outing. He did commit the Patriots’ lone turnover of the game via a lost fumble.
But he also threw for 309 yards and a pair of TDs. New England’s defense limited the Browns to just 70 yards rushing. Meanwhile, the Patriots forced four turnovers – picking off Jacoby Brissett twice and sacking him four times.
The Seattle Seahawks hosted the rival Arizona Cardinals and stifled Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. Quarterback Geno Smith overcame five sacks but enjoyed another performance (20-of-31 for 197 yards) despite not throwing a touchdown pass.
Seattle’s pass rush had a big day, sacking Kyler Murray six times. Pete Carroll’s defensive unit also harassed the Cardinals’ quarterback into a pair of turnovers. And Jason Myers connected on all four of his field goal attempts.
Arthur Smith’s team has played well after a 0-2 start but it would face a stiff challenge in the visiting San Francisco 49ers. And Atlanta’s running game came up big against a battered but formidable San Fran defense, Caleb Huntley (59), Tyler Allgeier (51) and quarterback Marcus Mariota (50) combined for all but eight of the team’s 168 rushing yards.
Mariota ran for one score, connected on 13-of-14 passes for 129 yards and threw a pair of touchdown passes.
The Baltimore Ravens made their second appearance at MetLife Stadium this season as they took on the improved Giants. The Baltimore running game was in high gear via Kenyan Drake (119 yards, 1 touchdown) and Lamar Jackson (77 yards) came up big.
John Harbaugh’s club rolled up 406 total yards. Jackson did throw a TD pass to Mark Andrews. But he lost a fumble and threw a fourth-quarter interception that set up the Giants’ game-winning touchdown.
The reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams looked to get back to the .500 mark and hosted the struggling Carolina Panthers. But Sean McVay’s team would trail at intermission, 10-7, as quarterback Matthew Stafford served up a pick-six.
The Rams defense set the tone for this contest as they did not allow an offensive touchdown and have up just 203 total yards. All told, Stafford wound up throwing for 253 yards and a score to Allen Robinson.
The Chargers hosted the Broncos looking for a third straight win. Justin Herbert and the offense struggled for much of the evening. But the Bolts also managed to keep Russell Wilson under wraps, sacking him four times.
Brandon Staley’s team did not own the lead in the game until a hurting Dustin Hopkins connected on his fourth field goal of the evening with 2:38 remaining in overtime. That was set up by a muffed punt return attempt by the Broncos.
Mason Crosby had a field goal blocked and the Green Bay Packers gave up a touchdown on a blocked punt.
A disappointing defensive unit was gouged for 179 yards on the ground. Veteran Aaron Rodgers was sacked four times and lost a fumble. For the first time, head coach Matt LaFleur has lost consecutive regular-season games with the team.
The San Francisco 49ers defense entered the game allowing the fewest total yards in the league. And Kyle Shanahan’s club and the Buffalo Bills had given up a league-low 61 points. But injuries along the defensive front made for a rough afternoon at Atlanta as the Falcons ran for 168 yards.
Meanwhile, the Niners managed to run for only 50 yards. Jimmy Garoppolo threw for two scores as well as pair of interceptions – two of the 49er’s three turnovers.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers headed north to Pittsburgh to take on the reeling Steelers. Veteran quarterback Tom Brady was just 10-of-21 for 110 yards in the first half and the Bucs were limited to three field goals.
Down 20-12, he would eventually get his team in the end zone via a seven-yard pass to running back Leonard Fournette with 4:38 to play. But the club failed to convert on a game-tying two-point conversion try and wound up not seeing the ball again.
The defending AFC champions are in the midst of a rollercoaster season and a visit to New Orleans epitomized the early stages of 2022. The Cincinnati Bengals defense had no answers for the Saints’ ground attack, giving up 228 yards rushing.
The Bengals trailed 17-7 in the second quarter but limited New Orleans to three field goals the rest of the day. Down 26-24 late in the game, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase connected for some 60-yard touchdown magic.
With a victory at Lambeau Field, Robert Saleh’s club would equal its victory total of 2021. And the New York Jets got plenty of contributions from their defense and special teams in frustrating the Packers.
There was a blocked field goal as well as a blocked punt, the latter returned 20 yards for a touchdown by Will Parks as the Jets opened up a 17-3 third-quarter lead. Quinnen Williams had two sacks and rookie Breece Hall ran for 166 yards and a touchdown.
After dropping their first two games, the Titans rebounded with three consecutive victories (including road wins at Indianapolis and at Washington) and started to look like the team that has won the AFC South each of the past two seasons.
Running back Derrick Henry has run for 408 yards and five scores. And after giving up a combined 62 points in their losses to the Giants and Bills, Mike Vrabel’s club has allowed just 56 points in their last three games.
The club had already equaled their win total of the previous season and now hosted the dangerous Baltimore Ravens. Brian Daboll’s club would trail by 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Safety Julian Love wound up picking off Lamar Jackson with under three minutes to play, which would pave the way for a one-yard TD run by Saquon Barkley with 1:46 remaining which proved to be the game-winning score. It was the first interception by the Giants’ defense in 2022.
Mike McCarthy’s club had not only won its last four games, but the Dallas Cowboys took an eight-game winning streak vs. NFC East rivals into this Sunday night clash with the first-place Eagles. Dallas was down 20-0 late in the fourth quarter but the Cowboys would rally to make things interesting.
Early in the fourth quarter, McCarthy’s team trailed by only three points. But quarterback Cooper Rush would finish the night with one TD pass and three interceptions.
After splitting their first two games, Kevin O’Connell’s club has suddenly put together a four-game winning streak. And their latest victory came on Sunday at Miami as the Purple Gang played turnover-free football while taking advantage of three Miami miscues – two of those in the fourth quarter.
Justin Jefferson finished with 107 receiving yards, the fourth time in six games he’s reached the century mark. The Vikings finished the game with six sacks.
Andy Reid’s team would host the Buffalo Bills for the fourth time in three seasons in a rematch of last season’s playoff classic. The Chiefs would own a 20-17 lead with under 10 minutes to play but gave up a 76-yard TD drive and trailed 24-20 with 1:04 remaining.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 338 yards and two scores but was also sacked three times. And his second interception of the day with less than a minute to play prevented a Chiefs’ comeback.
The Bills were back in Kansas City as these teams clashed for the fifth time since 2020. Buffalo’s offense would roll up 443 total yards on 72 plays and quarterback Josh Allen had another big afternoon.
He did lose a fumble but also threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. His 14-yard TD strike to Dawson Knox with 1:04 to play gave Buffalo the lead and Taron Johnson picked off Patrick Mahomes with under a minute remaining.
The league’s lone undefeated team hosted the rival Dallas Cowboys looking to avenge last season’s sweep at the hands of their longtime divisional adversary. The Eagles would play turnover-free football as quarterback Jalen Hurts overcame four sacks by throwing for 155 yards and two scores.
The Birds would build a 20-0 second-quarter lead and held off a Dallas’ rally. C. J. Gardner-Johnson had two of the team’s three interceptions of Cooper Rush.