Week 6 of NFL football started out on Thursday with Tampa Bay at Philadelphia. While not his best game to date, Jalen Hurts continued to show his versatility as a dual-threat quarterback. Hurts went 12 of 26 on 115 yards and threw one touchdown pass while also taking most of the rushing opportunities into his own hands, carrying the ball 10 times for 44 yards and two touchdowns. Hurts was also assisted on the ground by Miles Sanders this week, who had his own nine carries for 56 yards. Quez Watkins helped what he could in the passing game with three receptions for 44 yards and Zach Ertz contributed a touchdown on four catches for 29 yards. After the game Ertz was spotted going into the locker room looking very emotional. It was later revealed to the public that that would be his last time suiting up for the Eagles as he had been traded to the Arizona Cardinals. With the ensuing press conference, Ertz would thank the city, fans and his teammates in a final goodbye to the team that drafted him. The Eagles fought hard but without more help on the ground, Tom Brady was allowed ample time to do what he does best which is win games. Brady was 34 of 42 throwing for 297 yards, scored two touchdown passes but let an interception get away from him. Leonard Fournette had 22 carries for 81 yards and two touchdowns on the ground while also tacking on another 46 yards on six receptions. Antonio Brown had nine receptions for 93 yards and O.J. Howard had 49 yards on his six catches, both receivers finding the end zone for a score each. The Buccaneers won this game in regulation with a final score of 28-22.
The action continued in London, England early on Sunday morning when the Dolphins met with the Jaguars for an international bout. Tua Tagovailoa was back from injury to put up 33 of 47 completions for 329 yards, scoring twice but allowing an interception. The ground game was not effective at all for Miami and the Dolphins split 77 yards between four players with Tagovailoa taking three for 22 yards himself. The passing game was more productive with Mike Gesicki leading receiving yards with 115 yards on eight catches and Jalen Waddle leading receptions with 10 snags for 70 yards and scoring twice. For the Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence once again took another small step in his professional career and provided 33 of 47 passes for 329 yards with one touchdown. Marvin Jones Jr. led in receptions and total yards with seven receptions for an even 100 yards and scored once while Jamal Agnew also contributed 78 yards on five catches. James Robinson led the ground yardage with 17 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown and also helped spread the defense out by catching a trio of passes for 28 yards. Jacksonville’s multi faceted offense would prove to separate themselves from their opponents and the Jaguars head back across the pond with their first win of the season and Lawrence’s first professional win in a final 23-20.
Sunday afternoon’s slate of games began with a rivalry game between Green Bay and Chicago in the Windy City. Justin Fields was 16 of 27 for 174 yards, scored and threw one interception each and carried the ball 43 yards on six rushes. Khalil Herbert put in another honest day’s work and rushed 19 times for 97 yards and a score. Darnell Mooney also scored on five receptions for 45 yards. Although the Bears started out strong, the Packers would turn on the jets and not look back late in the second quarter. Aaron Rodgers finished his day with 195 yards on 17 of 23 passing attempts scoring twice through the air and again on the ground on his seven carries for 19 yards. Aaron Jones led offensive personnel with 13 carries for 76 yards and catching four passes for 34 yards and a touchdown. While not the huge numbers we are used to seeing from him, Davante Adams was also useful, recording 89 yards on four catches. Allen Lazard was also able to get in on the fun and scored once on three passes for 27 yards. In the end, Rodgers would let the Bears’ fans know that he still owns them, continuing a record of 22-5 against Chicago in his career and taking this one 24-14.
Houston faced off against Indianapolis in an AFC South matchup and rookie Davis Mills took a slight step backwards in his young career. Davis completed 29 of his 43 passes for 243 yards and threw two interceptions. Mills was helped on the ground by Mark Ingram II who had 18 carries for 73 yards. Brandin Cooks led receivers with nine catches for 89 yards but outside of a field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn, the scoring was a complete drought for the Texans. Indianapolis was much more successful on offense and Carson Wentz showed doubters a few things to make them perhaps rethink his future. Wentz went 11 of 20 throwing 223 yards and two touchdowns passes. T.Y. Hilton averaged 20 yards per catch on four receptions with Parris Campbell and Mo Allie-Cox combining for 79 yards and two touchdowns on a pair of stand alone catches. Jonathan Taylor had a very good day carrying the ball 14 times for 145 yards and scored twice. The Colts absolutely dominated in this game and won 31-3.
The afternoon also brought us the Rams visiting the Giants in New York. There is no easy way of saying this but the G-Men looked absolutely terrible in front of the home crowd. Daniel Jones threw 29 of 51 on 242 yards, scored no touchdowns through the air but gave up three interceptions for 32 yards. Devontae Booker had 12 carries for 41 yards and caught four passes for an additional 28 yards. Sterling Shepard led in receptions and caught 10 passes for 76 yards. It would be Elijhaa Penny scoring late in the game that would give New York their only touchdown and besides the field goal at the beginning of the game, never led. Matthew Stafford took care of business on the day and continued to pile on points throughout the game. Stafford went 22 of 28 on 251 yards in the air, completed four touchdown passes but did give up one interception. Cooper Kupp also had himself a day with nine receptions for 130 yards and scored twice. While the Rams running game was sluggish at times, the receiving team was able to get open and pick up the slack. Robert Woods and Darrell Henderson Jr. also each scored on their respective pairs of catches. Although the Giants would eventually succeed in a two-point conversion on their only score, the damage had been done and Los Angeles took this game 38-11.
Kansas City looked to bounce back after a tough loss in Buffalo last week. Taylor Heinicke took the start for Washington as Ryan Fitzpatrick was still rehabbing from a hip injury suffered earlier in the season. Heinicke went 24 of 39 for 182 yards, and threw one touchdown pass and one interception. JD McKissic had eight carries for 45 yards on the ground while contributing another 65 yards on eight catches. Antonio Gibson took 10 carries for 44 yards and Ricky Seals-Jones scored on 58 yards in four catches. The Chiefs started slow but eventually got to looking a bit more like the KC we are used to seeing. Patrick Mahomes was 32/47 throwing for 397 yards, scored twice and was intercepted twice. Darrel Williams accounted for two of those scores and recorded 62 total yards on 21 carries. Travis Kelce hauled in eight receptions for 99 yards while the scoring passes were split between Tyreek Hill and Demarcus Robinson. Once they got their legs under them, there was little stopping the Chiefs and their defense showing marked improvement since recent weeks gave them what they needed to beat Washington at home 31-13.
Both the Viking and the Panthers came into this season with high hopes for their running backs and defenses but have fallen short of expectations due mostly to injuries that stacked up early. Sam Darnold tried to overcome the still recovering Christian McCaffrey but again lost a little headway this week. Darnold finished the game with 17 of 41 passes completed for 207 yards, threw a touchdown pass and an interception while moved the ball 48 yards on four carries. Chubba Hubbard filled in as primary back and carried 16 balls for 61 yards and punched one run in for a score. D.J. Moore had five catches for 73 yards and Robby Anderson scored once with his three receptions for 11 yards. The story was slightly different for Minnesota. The Vikings welcomed back their star running back to his starting position after missing most of the early season to an ankle injury. Cook went right back to work, as though he never left, and took 29 carries for 140 yards and a touchdown. Kirk Cousins also had a very good day in the air, scoring three times on 33 of 48 passes for 373 yards. Cousin’s favorite targets were an obvious choice. Justin Jefferson caught eight passes for 80 yards but most of the action came through the tight end Adam Theilen who had 11 receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown. Also scoring on catches were K.J. Osbourne and Chris Herndon who combined for seven catches for 80 yards. The game was back and forth for a while but Minnesota started pulling away early in the fourth quarter. After the Vikings missed a pair of field goals, the Panthers were once again to pull up close and take the game into overtime. The extra playtime did nothing for Carolina unfortunately as Minnesota won the coin toss and drove the ball down the field and ended this one 34-28.
The Chargers traveled to Baltimore for a matchup that was as surprising in the stat line as it was the final score. Going into the game, the two team’s quarterbacks were leading contenders for MVP. Lamar Jackson looked to build on a record setting season but did not quite put up the numbers we may be accustomed to. Jackson threw 19 of 27 passes for 195 yards, a touchdown, an interception and 51 yards on eight carries. What teams find most frustrating with Baltimore, however, is that if you stop one aspect of their offense, another problem appears much like the legendary Hydra. Mark Andrews was able to score on five receptions for 68 yards but the passing game was mostly shut down by the Chargers’ defense. What’s a dirty bird to do? What dirty birds do best, they go to the ground attack. Uncharacteristically, Jackson would be edged out of being the leading rusher by Devonta Freeman who had nine carries for 53 yards and a touchdown. Latavius Murray had nine carries of his own for 44 yards and a score and Le’Veon Bell also found the end zone with eight touches for 18 yards. Justin Herbert seemed more than frustrated with a Ravens’ defense who continues to mend from early season injuries and welcomed back several players back this week. Herbert finished with 22 of 39 passes for 195 yards, scored a touchdown pass but also threw an interception. Herbert also led in rushing yards with two carries for 12 yards but that part of the game was shut down early for Los Angeles early on. Keenan Allen caught five passes for 50 yards and Austin Ekeler had four receptions for 48 yards. Jared Cook also had four catches for 25 yards and scored but that would be all for the Bolts. With the missed point after try, Baltimore cruised in this unexpected beatdown 34-6.
Arizona matched up with Cleveland later in the afternoon at First Energy Stadium. Baker Mayfield went 19 of 27 passing for 234 yards, scored two touchdowns but threw one interception for a 23-yard return. Kareem Hunt led the Browns’ rushing with 14 carries for 66 yards and Odell Beckham Jr. caught five tosses for 79 yards. Donovan Peoples-Jones scored twice on four receptions for 101 yards. Arizona showed exactly why they are undefeated by not only frustrating Cleveland with their defense but also keeping the Browns on their heels with a multifaceted passing game. Kyler Murray recorded 20 of 30 passes for 229 yards and threw four touchdowns on the day. James Conner rushed 16 times for 71 yards but the Cardinals enjoyed most of their success through the air. AJ Green and Christian Kirk each caught five passes for touchdowns and totaled 79 and 75 yards, respectively, but it was DeAndre Hopkins who efficiently scored twice on three receptions for 55 yards. The Cardinals would win this one and remain undefeated with a final score of 37-14.
Las Vegas traveled to Mile High Stadium to battle Denver in an AFC West matchup. Teddy Bridgewater had mixed results, throwing 35 of 49 for 334 yards, scoring three touchdowns but also giving up three interceptions for a total of 41 return yards. Carries were split between Javonte Williams who had 11 carries for 53 yards and Melvin Gordon who had 10 carries for 50 yards. The passing game was also led by committee with Noah Fant getting a narrow majority of looks and catching nine passes for 97 yards. Also scoring was Courtland Sutton with eight receptions for 94 yards and Tim Patrick who caught three passes for 42 yards. The Raiders overcame a lot of internal strife with the resignation of their head coach John Gruden to actually put together a pretty good showing. Derek Carr went 18 of 27 throwing for 341 yards and two touchdown passes. Josh Jacobs scored on his 16 carries for 53 yards and Kenyan Drake carried four rushes for 34 yards and a touchdown while also scoring on a pair of catches for 39 yards. Henry Ruggs led receivers with three catches for 97 yards and a touchdown and Bryan Edwards got in on the action with a pair of receptions for 67 yards. While the Broncos did a fairly good job at staying in the game, too many mistakes on offense would give this game to the Raiders 34-24.
Dallas took on New England in Foxborough in the last of our Sunday afternoon games. Mac Jones went 15 of 21 on 229 yards, threw two touchdowns but also an interception to Trevon Diggs. Damien Harris had 18 carries for 101 yards and broke the plane once for a score. Rhamondre Stevenson also scored on one of his five carries for 23 yards and also contributed 39 yards on three catches. Hunter Henry caught a pair for 25 yards and a touchdown and Kendrick Bourne took a 75-yard pass all the way to the house for a huge touchdown to keep the Patriots in the game. Dak Prescott stayed hot and delivered 36 of 51 passes for 445 yards, scored three times but was intercepted once by Kyle Dugger. Ezekiel Elliott continued to build on his comeback season registering 17 carries for 41 yards and catching seven passes for 50 yards. Tony Pollard was also useful, presenting 10 carries for 41 yards and three receptions for 22 yards. The passing game was dominated by CeeDee Lamb who caught nine passes for 149 yards and scored twice, including the game winner in overtime. Blake Jarwin also got into the action and caught a short scoring pass. The game came down to a flip of the coin and with starting possession in extra minutes, the Cowboys would march down the field and score and end this one 35-29.
Sunday night’s primetime spectacle was between a battered Seattle and an arguably aging Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger went 29 of 40 throwing for 209 yards and a score. Najee Harris was the backbone of the offense yet again, carrying 24 balls 81 yards and catching six passes for 46 yards and the score. Diontae Johnson also contributed with a 25-yard carry and nine catches for 71 yards while Eric Ebron punched in a touchdown on the ground. Geno Smith did lose a costly fumble at the end of the game but registered a respectable 23 of 32 passes for 209 yards and scored once in the air. Will Dissly caught the lone passing score but it was DK Metcalf who led in receptions with six for 58 yards. The ground game was a little more manageable for the Seahawks with Alex Collins gaining 101 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. It was a battle of defenses but in overtime Pittsburgh was finally able to give Chris Boswell the opportunity to kick one between the uprights and win it for the Steelers 23-20.
Then, Monday Night brought us an unexpected gem and was possibly our game of the week. Ryan Tannehill threw 18 of 29 for 216 yards and one interception but did manage a score on the ground on a pair of goal line rushes. Derrick Henry was in god-mode again and carried 20 times for 143 yards and scored three times. The passing game had hauls of 91 yards on seven catches by A.J. Brown and 59 yards on three receptions by Julio Jones. One of the most frustrating things to me about Buffalo is the way they split carries with their running backs. Devin Singletary had five carries for 27 yards and another five receptions for 16 yards. Meanwhile, Zach Moss was also busy trying to get his reps in with eight carries for 24 yards and two catches for 15 yards. I understand the logistics of doing it this way from a franchise point of view, but I feel if you give either of these guys the other’s reps you would have way more production from either. The Bills were generous with the passing game and even though he didn’t score, Emmanuel Sanders led that attack with five receptions for 91 yards. Stefon Diggs caught nine passes for 89 yards and a touchdown, Cole Beasley had seven receptions for 89 yards with a score and Tommy Sweeney had a short catch for a touchdown as well. The game was as action packed as it was close and looked to be heading to yet another overtime game. Unfortunately for the Bills, however, made some bad decisions and bungled late-game heroic attempts left Buffalo wanting and gave the Titans a very big win to put on their resume throughout the remainder of this season. Final score: Bills 31 Titans 34.
That is all I have for you this week. I will be back again next week and hopefully all the other 10 weeks left in this season. I just want to take a second to thank everyone who has been supporting this endeavor. Feel free to hit me up on Twitter @JimmyUnwrapped with any comments or suggestions. Also, check out our YouTube page which is filled with sports content with new videos dropping nearly every day discussing all things sports related. Again, thank you for your support and I will see you again next week.
Jimmy Jones is a Contributor for Unwrapped Sports Network. Follow him on on Twitter @JimmyUnwrapped.