Never underestimate the mediocrity of the NFL.
Just when you thought the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles would post a 6-0 record on Sunday, both laid eggs against undermanned teams.
The 49ers rolled into Cleveland and took an early 7-0 lead before getting stuck in neutral and falling to backup quarterback PJ Walker. Meanwhile, the Eagles turned the ball over four times in a crushing loss to Zach Wilson and the Jets at MetLife Stadium.
The undefeated counter is now at zero.
Elsewhere, the Bills avoided disaster against the Giants, the Bengals got back to .500, the Lions dismantled the Bucs and the Bears’ rebuilding path is about to enter uncertain territory with quarterback Justin Fields injured in the loss Vikings suffered a hand injury against the Bears.
Here’s where each team stands after Week 6 action on Sunday.
San Francisco 49ers (5-1): A fluke loss on a rainy day in Cleveland is just a flesh wound for the NFL’s best team. Now the injuries to Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel? This is a little more serious.Kansas City Chiefs (5-1): The Chiefs’ lack of reliable receiving options not named Travis Kelce will hurt them at some point. But the Broncos weren’t the team to exploit that weakness.Miami Dolphins (5-1): “Automaton” Chase Claypool was inactive Sunday and the Dolphins won by 21. If you need a clearer indication of the gap between the leaderboard and the Bears, I can’t provide it.Detroit Lions (5-1): It’s time to talk to your friends and family about how the Detroit Lions are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.Philadelphia Eagles (5-1): Jalen Hurts hasn’t been great all season, and that ultimately cost the Eagles on Sunday against the Jets. Hurts now has more interceptions this season than he did in all of 2022. Something is wrong in Philly.Buffalo Bills (4-2): At halftime Sunday, Josh Allen unplugged the controller and plugged it back in, allowing the Bills to avoid an embarrassing loss to the Giants.Baltimore Ravens (4-2): The Ravens’ decision to travel to London early paid off. Good organizations always seem to make things easy for themselves. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2): Trevor Lawrence left the game with a knee injury but said he was fine. Assuming that’s true, the Jags are finally looking like the contender they were touted as in the offseason.Dallas Cowboys (3-2): How many more Cowboys losses will there be before the Lincoln Riley rumors start?Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2): Hopefully the Steelers used their bye week to help Matt Canada find the playsheet with the good calls on it. Cleveland Browns (3-2): The Browns defense has given up the fewest yards of any team in five games in over 50 years. All they need is for Deshaun Watson not to lose games upon his return.Los Angeles Chargers (2-2): Monday night features a special edition of my favorite primetime game: How will the Chargers let Justin Herbert down this time?New York Jets (3-3): The Jets have “embarrassed” every quarterback they’ve ever played, to quote Robert Saleh. This is actually not far from the truth. The Jets’ defense is solid and Aaron Rodgers is somehow already throwing passes and walking without crutches. There’s New York voodoo in the air. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2): Baker Mayfield’s career revival was put on hold Sunday as the Lions dominated the Bucs in Tampa. But hey, the Creamsicle uniforms were a nice touch. Cincinnati Bengals (3-3): The NFL let the Bengals off the mat. Here comes Joe Burrow. Seattle Seahawks (3-2): The Seahawks beat the Bengals 381 to 214 on Sunday, but went just 5 for 12 on third down and just 1 for 5 in the red zone. Shot. Los Angeles Rams (3-3): Trailing by three points at halftime, the Rams completed a nine-run, 62-yard sequence that set up Cooper Kupp’s first touchdown of the season. Sean McVay is pushing all the right buttons with a young, untested group. New Orleans Saints (3-3): I see that Derek Carr missed another throw behind the sticks on fourth down. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Indianapolis Colts (3-3): The Colts have potential, but Sunday showed us how far they still have to go. Washington Commanders (3-3): After a miserable performance against the Bears, the Commanders did their job with an ugly road win in Atlanta. Ron Rivera is doing everything he can to keep the train on the tracks and keep his job.Houston Texans (3-3): I’m buying all DeMeco Ryans-CJ Stroud shares. This is through the roof. Atlanta Falcons (3-3): Desmond Ridder is the definition of a JAG. One day he could be a JAG-Plus. He was a JAG minus on Sunday. It’s hard to win with those in the middle. Las Vegas Raiders (3-3): With Jimmy Garoppolo’s status for Week 7 up in the air, we could be looking at Tyson Bagent vs. Brian Hoyer/Aidan O’Connell at Soldier Field. I think it could be worse. I’m not sure how though.Green Bay Packers (2-2): The Packers are used to having a quarterback who can overcome any team problems and lead to victory. Those days are long gone. Minnesota Vikings (2-4): The Vikings beat the Bears, and that gives them zero points in these rankings. From what I saw for three hours on Sunday, Minnesota is a bad football team that does very little right. Tennessee Titans (2-4): Malik Willis? Will Levi’s? It does not matter. This season is over for the Titans. New York Giants (1-5): The Giants could end up in the best position to sign Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. If only they hadn’t just signed Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract.Chicago Bears (1-5): After Justin Fields’ injury, only the Good Shepherd (Tyson Bagent) could stand between the Bears and a completely lost season. Arizona Cardinals (1-5): The Cardinals are well-coached, but the talent gap is difficult to close from week to week. New England Patriots (1-5): I think it’s time for Mac Jones and the Patriots to agree to meet other people. Denver Broncos (1-5): Fire sale in Denver from 3….2…..1…. Carolina Panthers (0-6): People can point to trading DJ Moore as Scott Fitterer’s big mistake. But I think hiring Frank Reich was the bigger mistake.
