We’re all guilty of paying attention to offenses more than defenses. But there’s no denying that defenses commanded the spotlight in Week 6 of the NFL season.
The Browns’ often-overlooked defense made a strong case for being the league’s best unit during the surprising win against the 49ers. But the Jets’ defense was just as impressive in their shocking win versus the Eagles. (I need more synonyms for surprising and shocking with all these upsets.)
And speaking of surprising, let’s not forget about the Raiders’ surging defense or the Lions’ D that’s quietly been among the most productive units through six games.
The Browns, Jets, Raiders and Lions have done plenty of losing over the years, but they were all winners in Week 6. Times have changed.
Here are our winners and losers from this past week.
Winners
Bengals and Jaguars
The Bengals and Jaguars have re-entered the chat for AFC contenders.
The Jaguars (4–2) have a three-game winning streak after defeating the Colts, Bills and Falcons. The Bengals (3–3) are also surging after back-to-back wins against the Seahawks and Cardinals. The AFC is no longer a three-team race between the Chiefs, Dolphins and Bills. (I’m still unsure about the Ravens, who defeated the Titans in London.)
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After the first quarter of the season, it seemed the AFC wasn’t as good as many expected with the Bengals starting 1–3 with a hobbled Joe Burrow. As for the Jaguars, the offense struggled early, especially in losses against the Texans and Chiefs.
Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence has developed a rhythm with Calvin Ridley, and running back Travis Etienne Jr. has been a touchdown machine as of late with four scores in the past two weeks. Lawrence sustained a knee injury vs. the Colts, but he reportedly avoided a major injury.
As for Cincinnati, Burrow hasn’t been limited by his calf strain during the team’s two-game winning streak. His numbers didn’t stand out against the Seahawks (24-of-35 for 185 yards, two TDs, 1 INT), but that was an impressive win against one of the better teams in the NFC. Now Burrow will get time to heal his calf during the bye week.
Jets’ and Browns’ defenses
After the Browns contained the 49ers’ star-studded offense, it was up for debate whether they had the best defense in the league. I said yes, but that was before the Jets’ defense held down Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.
I still slightly favor the Browns over the Jets because they have star edge rusher Myles Garrett and the best secondary in the league. (They haven’t allowed more than 200 passing yards in a game this season.)
But the Jets have plenty of talent and have embarrassed most of the quarterbacks they have faced this season, as Robert Saleh mentioned in his news conference after handing the Eagles their first loss of the season. It was also impressive how New York played without All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner, who was sidelined with a concussion.
I’ll stop debating here, and point out the Jets (3–3) and Browns (3–2) will likely have a chance in every game thanks to their dominant defenses. But they’re going to need their respective offenses to play better for a chance at making the postseason in a competitive AFC.
Lions
Detroit won in more ways than one in Week 6. Not only do the Lions sit atop the NFC North, they’re locked into a three-way tie for first in the NFC due to the losses by the 49ers and Eagles.
The Lions improved to 5–1 after handling business on the road against a tough Buccaneers defense. Detroit received contributions from its receiving tandem of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, as both found the end zone in Tampa. The Lions will need more from them moving forward, with running back David Montgomery possibly missing games due to an injury to his ribs.
The Lions are also surging on the defensive side, with a productive defensive front featuring second-year standout Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit held Tampa Bay to 251 total yards (205 passing, 46 rushing).
Raiders
Do I dare say it? The Raiders (3–3) have a productive defense, a sentence that hasn’t been typed out in a very long time.
For the second consecutive game, the Raiders’ defense closed out the victory in Las Vegas. Star edge rusher Maxx Crosby recorded a sack safety on Mac Jones to seal the Raiders’ 21–17 win against the Patriots (1–5). Many defenses have played well against the Patriots’ poor offense, but the Raiders have been playing well for a few weeks now. They didn’t allow the Chargers to score in the second half during their Week 4 loss. In Week 5, the Raiders forced Jordan Love into three interceptions to defeat the Packers.
On the offensive side, the Raiders again struggled to generate points, but the team at least cracked 20 points for the first time this season—thanks to Crosby’s safety late in the game.
Also, the Raiders received positive news on Jimmy Garoppolo’s back injury, with coach Josh McDaniels saying, “The prognosis was a lot better than it might otherwise have been.”
Losers
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Panthers
After an 0–6 start, the Panthers are finally making changes to possibly help No. 1 pick Bryce Young.
Carolina coach Frank Reich announced he’s handing off offensive play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who spent the prior three seasons working under Sean McVay with the Rams. Perhaps Brown can repair the Panthers’ inefficient running game and allow Young to push the ball downfield.
This change probably should have occurred before the season to allow Reich to focus on all three phases of the team during his first season with the Panthers. Reich struggled as an offensive play-caller during his five seasons as the head coach of the Colts. The Panthers are averaging 18.6 points per game and 294.6 yards per game.
49ers
The 49ers derailed many NFL survivor pools with their surprising loss to the Browns. But the bigger story from that game is the injuries to star players Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel.
San Francisco has enough depth to get back on track if McCaffrey (oblique) and Samuel (shoulder) are forced to miss games. It would also be an opportunity for quarterback Brock Purdy to quiet the narrative of him primarily having success because of the 49ers’ surplus of star players.
Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle face the Vikings and Bengals in the next two weeks.
Colts
A day after the Colts fell to the Jaguars, reports emerged of rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson considering season-ending shoulder surgery.
That would be a devastating blow for a team with plenty of promise after a surprising start to the season. But at least the Colts (3–3) know they chose the right quarterback with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft.
Richardson has high potential with his elite skill set, but he’ll need to prove he’s capable of protecting his body. Richardson sustained multiple injuries in his first four career games, including a concussion that forced him to miss a game. Perhaps the Colts can stay afloat with backup Gardner Minshew, but they’re coming off a rough outing against the Jaguars.
Bills
The Bills have a laundry list of problems on both sides of the ball.
Buffalo avoided what would have been an embarrassing home loss against the Tyrod Taylor–led Giants, but the offense has now gone stagnant for two consecutive games, including the loss to the Jaguars in Week 5.
The short-handed Bills defense did enough versus the Giants, but we still haven’t seen this defense—without All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano, defensive tackle DaQuan Jones and cornerback Tre’Davious White—against one of the better offenses in the NFL. They probably won’t be tested next week against the Patriots, giving the Bills more time to adjust without their injured players.
As for the offense, they don’t have injuries as an excuse for why they’re slumping again under offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.
