Some notable NFL teams broke out of slumps on Sunday, while some franchises many thought as contenders continued to spiral. There’s still plenty of season to fix issues, but here are the Week 6 winners and losers.
WINNERS
Pittsburgh Steelers: They needed a huge victory against an AFC North rival to dispel a slow start, and the Steelers delivered with a 28-21 triumph against the Bengals. Not only did Pittsburgh’s offense continue to click — especially with running back James Conner posting 129 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns and receiver Antonio Brown scoring the game-winner — but the defense also has started to stack positive performances. Cincy came in averaging 367.6 yards a game and 30.6 points (fourth in the league).
On Sunday, Pittsburgh prevented the big play and yielded just 275 yards.
At 3-2-1, Pittsburgh is within striking distance as it enters its bye week; and with Le’Veon Bell rumored to be thinking of signing his franchise tag tender for Week 8, the Steelers could be on the verge of a hot streak.
Los Angeles Chargers: Running back Melvin Gordon has proven he can be counted on as a do-it-all workhorse running back (with nine total touchdowns), and quarterback Philip Rivers continues to spread the ball accurately. The Chargers improved to 4-2 with a 38-14 pounding of the Browns, and are keeping pace behind the 5-1 Chiefs in the AFC West.
In fact, their only losses of the season came against Kansas City, and the lone undefeated squad in the league, the Rams. And, when defensive end Joey Bosa (foot) returns from injury, L.A. should be even better.
Baltimore Ravens: After generating just five sacks through the first five weeks of the year, the Ravens posted a franchise record 11 in a 21-0 blowout against the Titans.
In fact, they sacked Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota more times than he completed passes (10). Baltimore allowed Tennessee to convert just one of 10 third-down tries, and built its argument as one of the best defenses in the league.
On offense, the Ravens were solid and efficient, and after a letdown 12-9 loss last week against the Browns, shutting down a Titans team that entered Week 6 with some momentum was the bounce-back the Ravens needed.
Atlanta Falcons: They really needed this. With the Saints on their bye week and the Panthers losing to the Redskins, the Falcons were the lone NFC South team to win Sunday with their 34-29 victory over the division-rival Buccaneers.
Atlanta still yielded huge numbers to the Bucs offense, but won the turnover battle 2-0 and did a better job of clamping down when Tampa was in the red zone.
The defense is still a liability. But even in last place at 2-4, the Falcons might have laid a foundation to climb out of the cellar.
LOSERS
Ryan Tannehill: In a wild, back-and-forth, 31-28 victory against the Bears in overtime, Dolphins backup Brock Osweiler posted a career-high 380 passing yards in the team’s top offensive performance of the season.
The Dolphins posted season bests in total yards (541), passing yards (380), first downs (23) and rushing yards (161). That came against a Bears team that came into Week 6 ranked second in total defense (294.5 yards a game), scoring (16.2 points a game) and sacks (18).
The Bears didn’t sack Osweiler, who opted many times for quick passes, though he did have a particularly poor interception. Tannehill is dealing with a sore shoulder and should reclaim the starting job when healthy, but it’s not a good sign that the offense looked so crisp with him on the sideline.
Jacksonville Jaguars: A defensive dud last week against the Chiefs, though not expected, could at least be justified. Kansas City wields one of the most potent offenses in football. But in Sunday’s 40-7 blowout loss against the Cowboys, Jacksonville’s defense got shredded by a Dallas team that had looked lifeless on offense for most of the season.
The Jaguars looked lost, unprepared, had breakdowns in coverage, and took poor tackling angles. Dallas exploited the Jags in the running game, earning 206 rushing yards (with 86 from quarterback Dak Prescott) and gained several chain-moving third-down conversions thanks to slot receiver Cole Beasley finding gaps in the defense. Jacksonville is in a three-way tie in the AFC South at 3-3, so the sky isn’t falling.
But another dismal performance from quarterback Blake Bortles (15-26 for 149 yards, one TD, one interception) and the defensive woes might mean the team needs to reassess its strategies moving forward.
Broncos rushing defense: It's now a pattern. Denver — just one week after getting gashed by the New York Jets for 323 rushing yards — allowed the Rams, and especially running back Todd Gurley, to run all over the field. In a 23-20 Broncos loss,
Gurley ran for a career-high 208 yards, marking the second straight week Denver had allowed a back to gain 200 or more rushing yards. In the past two weeks, the Jets and Rams have combined for 593 rushing yards after L.A. gained 270.
At 2-4, the Broncos are plummeting down the AFC West standings and if the rushing D doesn’t improve, they’ll soon be out of the playoff picture.
Kansas City Chiefs: Plenty of positives can be gleaned from a thrilling, comeback performance that fell just short in a 43-40 loss against the Patriots. And while quarterback Patrick Mahomes, running back Kareem Hunt, and receiver Tyreek Hill shined, there were missed opportunities.
Primarily, the Chiefs left too many points on the board by settling for field goals and going just two of five on red zone attempts. Mahomes also misfired on a few passes that could’ve been potential touchdowns. Kansas City still has the best record in the AFC and boasts an elite offense.
But defensive issues, and dropping this game against the Pats — which could be a potential tiebreaker down the stretch — might cost the Chiefs seeding in the postseason.
