Not a great weekend. Mostly ugly, low-scoring, and filled with far too many injuries. Every season, there is a week – maybe two – where teams just all score much less than usual and in some cases result in an upset. There is usually at least one week where a large number of favored teams lose. Week 7 was filled with upsets, games that were “under”, and far too many disappointments.
There were only two quarterbacks that scored more than twice. There were six quarterbacks with 300 passing yards. Patrick Mahomes was no surprise. The others were Derek Carr, Jared Goff, Gardner Minshew, Geno Smith, and Desmond Ridder. Were any of them started in your leagues?
Only Kyren Williams and Raheem Mostert ran for more than 100 yards. Of the nine 100-yard receivers, only four also scored a touchdown. Only five tight ends scored, and only six managed more than 50 yards.
There were 14 games played so far. Of 28 teams, only three scored more than 24 points. Half of the teams failed to score more than 17 points. The low scoring week usually happens between Week 7 and Week 13. Not great that we’ve already used up the low-scoring week.
Baltimore 24, Tennessee London 16
The London game was a sleepy, sloppy affair until both teams woke up midway through the third quarter. The Ravens scored 24 points, but it wasn’t the standard way to get there. Lamar Jackson passed for 223 yards and one touchdown, plus ran for 62 yards. Zay Flowers (6-50, TD) caught the only Ravens’ touchdown, and Mark Andrews (4-69) led the team in receiving yards. The debut of Keaton Mitchell just meant he got to wear a uniform during a game because Gus Edwards (16-41) and Justice Hill (8-35) handled the rushing volume. The game was won because Justin Tucker kicked six field goals. The 4-2 Ravens host the Lions for Week 7.
The Titans struggled to move the ball. Derrick Henry (12-97, TD) also caught two passes for 16 yards, but his 63-yard run made up most of his yardage. Ryan Tannehill left injured and Malik Willis took over, but they combined for just 150 yards and one interception. Tyjae Spears caught a 48-yard pass for the top yardage, and DeAndre Hopkins only managed one catch for 20 yards. The loss drops the Titans to 2-4 and they head onto their bye concerned with their passing situation.
Washington 24, Atlanta 16
The Commanders took the lead in the second quarter and never relinquished it. But the offense wasn’t very productive and Sam Howell threw for only 151 yards – and three touchdowns. Terry McLaurin (6-81) and Curtis Samuel (4-42, TD) were the top receivers. Brian Robinson was held to only 31 yards on ten carries but caught a touchdown on his two catches for 24 yards. Antonio Gibson ran for only 15 yards but scored on his one-yard catch. The Commanders took advantage of the three interceptions by the Falcons, the final one killed their drive to tie the game. The 3-3 Commanders play at the Giants for Week 7.
The Falcons had success on offense, but not enough and still a performance that spawned more questions. Desmond Ridder passed for 307 yards and two touchdowns but ended with three interceptions. Drake London (9-125) was the top receiver and Kyle Pitts (4-43, TD) finally scored, but so did Jonnu Smith (4-36, TD). Bijan Robinson gained 37 yards on 15 runs but Tyler Allgeier also handled 15 carries and gained 51 yards, including several goal line rushes. The question persists from past weeks – why do they throw to their No. 2 tight end and rely on their No. 2 running back so much? The 3-3 Falcons head to Tampa Bay this week.
Minnesota19, Chicago 13
The result was not shocking, but the total lack of offense for either team paints a depressing picture with Justin Jefferson on IR and Justin Fields injured. Kirk Cousins had a standard game if you can ignore then 140 yards he would have thrown to Jefferson. Cousins only threw for 181 yards and one score against the worst-ranked defense against quarterbacks. T.J. Hockenson (6-50) was the top receiver while K.J. Osborn (4-48) and Jordan Addison (3-28, TD) hardly compensated for the missing Jefferson. Alexander Mattison (18-44) holds onto the primary rusher duty while Cam Akers only handled one carry and one catch. It was a minimum of offense but won the game against a Chicago squad that was even worse. The 2-4 Vikings host the suddenly mortal 49ers on Monday night.
The Bears lost Justin Fields to a hand injury and the rookie Tyson Bagent took over but they combined for just 141 passing yards and two interceptions. D.J. Moore (5-51) and Darnell Mooney (2-48) made up the bulk of receiving yards. D’Onta Foreman (15-64) started slowly but ended up on a hotter note. Darrynton Evans (9-32) was brought up from the practice squad for the game. The defense played far better than expected, though that was partially because the Vikes missed Justin Jefferson. But all the gains made by the offense for the last few games were no longer apparent. The 1-15 Bears host the Raiders for Week 7.
Seattle 13, Cincinnati 17
This matchup proved surprisingly defensive. Gino Smith passed for 323 yards and two interceptions. Tyler Lockett (6-94) and DK Metcalf (4-69) were the top receivers but none could score. Kenneth Walker (19-62, TD) opened the scoring but then went quiet and Zach Charbonnet (2-5) didn’t add much. The Seahawks could only manage two field goals after that first-quarter touchdown run. The Seahawks’ passing effort netted plenty of yards but no scores and used ten different receivers in the process. The 3-2 Seahawks host the Cardinals on Sunday.
The Bengals didn’t do much more than the Seahawks, but had fewer turnovers. Joe Burrow was back to only 185 passing yards with two touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase (6-80) and Tyler Boyd (7-38, TD) led the receivers while Tee Higgins (2-20) was active but not that busy. Joe Mixon (12-38) had all but one of the carries for the anemic rushing effort but added three catches for 24 yards. It was a slow game that the 3-3 Bengals squeaked out and now they head onto their bye week,
San Francisco 17, Cleveland 19
Pardon me, what did you say? WHAT?!?!
Go figure.
A game that was already going to be a week off for the 49ers was set up to be a laugher when the Browns had to start P.J. Walker at quarterback. That’s not exactly what happened. The Browns defense is elite and was at home, so the game was never going to be an offensive explosion by the 49ers, but Brock Purdy was limited to only 12-of-27 for 125 yards and one score and an interception. Brandon Aiyuk (4-76) was the top receiver but no one else caught more than three passes or gained more than 26 yards. Deebo Samuel left with a shoulder injury and Christian McCaffrey gained a total of just 52 yards and scored before leaving with an oblique injury. Jordan Mason ran for 27 yards and a score on five carries and becomes the waiver wire darling if McCaffrey seems likely to miss any time. The most befuddling part of the game was the 49ers defense not being able to handle the Browns rushing attack. And Jake Moody decided to miss his first field goal on the 43-yarder that could have won the game. The 5-1 49ers no longer own the only unbeaten record in the NFL and play in Minnesota on Monday night.
The Browns defense was stout, but the offense was shockingly good while relying on P.J. Walker at quarterback. He passed for 192 yards and two interceptions with Amari Cooper (4-108) as the only Brown with more than 24 receiving yards and most of that came on a 58-yard completion. The bigger surprise was Jerome Ford (17-84) and Kareem Hunt (12-47, TD) were so effective rushing. This was a classic trap game, made more possible by the 49ers losing their best offensive player. But the Browns defense answered the call and the Browns’ backfield made a difference. The 3-2 Browns head to Indianapolis for Week 7.
New Orleans 13, Houston 20
These are not the Texans we used to know. For one, they have a defense which no longer is a unit that mostly watches opponents spew fantasy points like a firehose. C.J. Stroud has already make his mark as a rookie and has to be in the conversation for Rookie of the Year. He passed for 199 yards and two scores, with Nico Collins (4-80) and Dalton Schultz (4-61, TD) as the top receivers. Dameon Pierce (13-34) hasn’t been nearly as productive this year and worse yet, Devin Singletary (12-58) was more effective. He also caught the lone completion to a running back. The win lifts the Texans to 3-3 and they enter their bye.
Derek Carr threw for 353 yards and one touchdown to Rashid Shaheen (2-85, TD) and Chris Olave (7-96) led the receivers. Taysom Hill surprised with seven catches for 49 yards. Alvin Kamara (10-68) was plenty busy in the backfield and added seven catches for 36 yards. The Saints could not find the endzone despite winning the yardage game. The Saints reached the Houston 24-yard line with 21 seconds left to play but threw an interception to lose the game. That drops the Saints to 3-3 and they host the Jaguars on Thursday night.
Indianapolis 20, Jacksonville 37
The Jaguars offense stepped up for their second win over the Colts this year, but mostly thanks to the turnover struggles of Gardner Minshew. He passed for 329 yards and one score but tossed three interceptions and lost a fumble. Michael Pittman (9-109) was the primary receiver and Josh Downs (5-21, TD ) caught the lone touchdown. Minshew used 11 different receivers and the passing game was both more productive and used more players than it had under the rookie Anthony Richardson. Jonathan Taylor (8-19) never gained more than five yards on any run while Zach Moss (7-21) shared the workload. Taylor (5-46) and Moss (6-38) were also busy as receivers but the backfield split is an even 50:50 so far. The loss drops the Colts to 3-3 and they host the Browns next Sunday.
Thanks to the turnovers, the Jaguars enjoyed short fields. Trevor Lawrence threw for 181 yards and two scores. Christian Kirk (3-49, TD) led the meager passing attack and Evan Engram (7-41) had the most receptions. Calvin Ridley (4-30) still dreams of repeating Week 1. Travis Etienne ran for 55 yards and two touchdowns on 18 rushes and added three catches for 28 yards. It was a solid win like the 31-21 win in Week 1 between these two teams. The 4-2 Jaguars play in New Orleans on Thursday night.
New England 17, Las Vegas 21
On the plus, Mac Jones played the entire game and threw for 200 yards and just one interception. Kendrick Bourne (10-89) was the only receiver with more than 28 yards and no other wideout had more than one catch. Rhamondre Stevenson (10-46, TD) scored a late fourth-quarter touchdown to draw to within two points while Ezekiel Elliott ran for 34 yards and a score on his seven carries. The Patriots were in this game the entire time, but then finished by giving up a sack in the endzone for a Raiders’ safety. The Pats fall to 1-5 and host a motivated Bills team this week.
Jimmy Garoppolo left with a back injury and Brian Hoyer had to finish the game. They combined for 262 yards and one score to Jakobi Meyers (5-61, TD) while rookie tight end Michael Mayer had a break out game with five receptions for 75 yards but Davante Adams was the “marked receiver” and only managed two catches for 29 yards. Josh Jacobs ran for 77 yards on 25 carries but only caught two passes for 16 yards. This was an even game, but the homefield Raiders ran and passed just a bit better. They rise to 2-3 and host the Steelers on Sunday.
Arizona 9, Los Angeles Rams 26
This matchup saw the Cardinals lead 9-3 in the second quarter and then they never scored again, failing to notch any touchdowns. Joshua Dobbs passed for 235 yards and an interception while second-year tight end Trey McBride led the receivers with four catches for 62 yards. Rookie Michael Wilson (3-62) and Marquise Brown (4-34) were minor contributors. With James Conner gone, Emari Demercado (2-11) wasn’t the primary rusher, since Keaontay Ingram (10-40) and Damien Williams (8-36) took bigger chunks of the workload. The loss drops the Cardinals to 105 and then play in Seattle on Sunday.
The Rams defense shut down the Cards wile Matt Stafford threw for just 226 yards and one score to Cooper Kupp (7-148, TD). Tutu Atwell (1-30) and Puka Nacua (4-26) both had minimal stats since they were not needed. Kyren Williams ran for 158 yards on 20 carries and scored once, but left with an ankle injury in the middle of the fourth quarter. Williams and Kupp dominated the play calling. The 3-3 Rams cruised to the win and host the Steelers for Week 7.
Philadelphia 14, New York Jets 20
Another low scoring “go figure.” The Eagles led 14-3 in the second quarter and never scored again. Jalen Hurts threw for 280 yards and one score but had three interceptions. He added 47 yards and a score on eight runs as the leading rusher. The Jets were missing three defensive backs, and A.J. Brown caught seven passes for 131 yards but DeVonta Smith only managed five receptions for 44 yards. Dallas Goedert (5-42) was only marginally productive despite facing the weaker part of the Jets’ defense. D’Andre Swift ran for only 18 yards on ten carries but scored on his eight receptions for 40 yards. The Jets defense was as good as expected and opportunistic. The loss drops the Eagles to 5-1 and they face the visiting Dolphins for Week 7.
The Jets didn’t do much offensively other than not make mistakes. Zach Wilson passed for 186 yards and no scores. Garrett Wilson (8-90) and Breece Hall (5-54) were the only receivers with more than 24 yards. Hall added just 39 yards on 12 rushes but scored once. It was a trap game but made possible thanks to the defense that played over their heads to compensate for missing players. The Jets rise to 3-3 and go onto their bye with a .500 record that has to be considered a partial success.
Detroit 20, Tampa Bay 6
Here’s another game with a scarcity of fantasy points. Jared Goff passed for 353 yards and two scores but Amon-Ra St. Brown (12-124, TD) was the only receiver with more than four catches. Jameson Williams (2-53, TD) finally showed up in the box score and Josh Reynolds gained 50 yards on his three receptions. Sam LaPorta was thrown 11 targets but only caught four for 36 yards, and that included a couple of uncharacteristic drops. The downside to this matchup was losing David Montgomery to a rib injury. The Buccaneers sport a great run defense and the Lions only managed 40 rushing yards. Fortunately, the Lions defense was able to hold the Bucs to just two field goal attempts. The 5-1 Lions join the other leaders in the NFC and play in Baltimore on Sunday.
The Buccaneers offense never found the endzone and looked much like what was expected when the season started. Of course, that has as much to do with the defensive play of the Lions as anything the Bucs did. Baker Mayfield threw for just 206 yards and one interception. Chris Godwin (6-77) and Mike Evans (4-49) led the receivers but couldn’t get on track. The Bucs backfield struggled with Rachaad White gaining just 26 yards on seven rushes and Ke’Shawn Vaughn was surprisingly mixed in for six runs to gain just nine yards. The 3-2 Buccaneers remain at home to host the Falcons and to hopefully rediscover their missing offense.
New York Giants 9, Buffalo 14
What a perfect ending to the day. The Bills were the most heavily favored team this week and needed a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to lock up the win. Even then, it came down to the last play. The Giants never scored an offensive touchdown but Tyrod Taylor was solid throwing for 200 yards and no turnovers. Darius Slayton (4-69) and Wan’Dale Robinson (8-62) led the receivers and Darren Waller ended with five catches for 43 yards, almost entire late in the fourth quarter. Saquon Barkley was active and only gained 23 yards on 16 carries in the first half. He ended with 93 yards on 24 runs thanks to a few long gains late in the game. The Giants poor clock management left them at the goal line at half time as time expired, and they were in the exact same spot at the end of the second half. They fall to 1-5 and host the Commanders this week.
To say the Bills, at home, were disappointing is an understatement. Like so many other teams, they were listless and seemed more ready to mail in the win. Josh Allen only passed for 169 yards and two scores and Stefon Diggs (10-100) was the only receiver with more than 21 yards. James Cook ran for 71 yards on 14 carries but had no receptions. Latavius Murray also ran a dozen times to gain 45 yards but Allen only rushed twice for 11 yards. They squeaked by with a win mostly due to errors the Giants made. The 4-2 Bills heads to New England to face the Patriots for Week 7.
GAME-O-THE-WEEK: Carolina 21, Miami 42
This is the Game-o-the-week not because it was close, because it was not. But on a day with so many teams playing flat and scoring few points, this was the one game that went down as expected, and the glorious Dolphins still care enough to keep on scoring. They are the NFL’s gift to fantasy football this season.
Bryce Young passed for 217 yards and one touchdown that heavily favored Adam Thielen (11-115, TD) while no other receivers gained more than 26 yards. With Miles Sanders out, Chuba Hubbard ran for 99 yards and a touchdown on 19 rushes while Raheem Blackshear (5-18) helped out. The Panthers also added a 61-yard interception return for a score in the fourth quarter. They fall to 0-6 and head onto their bye still dreaming about that first win.
The Dolphins were one of the rare top teams that poured on the points against a lesser opponent. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns. Tyreek Hill caught six passes for 163 yards and one score, and left the field temporarily for cramps. Jaylen Waddle (7-51, TD) was the only other receiver with more than 20 yards. The Fins didn’t seem to miss Devon Achane since Raheem Mostert ran for 115 yards and two scores on 15 carries. The Dolphins fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter but never allowed the Panthers offense to score another point. The 5-1 Dolphins head to Philly for one of the most anticipated matchups of Week 5.
