Week six saw statement wins and a few surprises. Here are my winners and losers:
Winners:
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Running back Le’Veon Bell rushed for 179 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s 51-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Antonio Brown as well as late defensive stops helped the Steelers hold off the Kansas City Chiefs 19-13.
- Minnesota Vikings: Defense led the way for the Vikings as they defeated the Green Bay Packers 23-10, can the Vikes take advantage of the NFC North?
- Philadelphia Eagles: Quarterback Carson Wentz threw 222 yards and three touchdowns. The defense caught three interceptions as the Eagles defeated the Carolina Panthers 28-23. Eagles are now 5-1.
- Miami Dolphins: Trailing 17-0 at halftime, the Dolphins scored 20 unanswered points as they rallied to upset the Atlanta Falcons 20-17.
- Arizona Cardinals: Looks like a change of scenery was just what the doctor ordered for running back Adrian Peterson as he rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns in his debut with Arizona. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had 138 receiving yards and a touchdown catch. Quarterback Carson Palmer threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns as the Cardinals defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-33.
- Los Angeles Rams: The Rams scored two touchdowns via special teams as wide receiver Pharoh Cooper started the game off with 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. They also blocked a punt that wide receiver Malcom Brown returned for a touchdown. The defense had five sacks and a key interception by cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman helped the Rams seal their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-17.
- New York Giants: Quarterback Eli Manning threw for touchdown. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins had a pick six as the Giants defeated the Denver Broncos 23-10 to get their first win of the season.
Winners:
- Kansas City Chiefs: They were held to just 28 rushing yards and the defense gave up too many big plays in their loss to Pittsburgh, knocking them off the ranks of the unbeaten.
- Green Bay Packers: They lost quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone, which could be season-ending in their loss to Minnesota. We’ll see how far the Packers can go without him.
- Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons weren’t able to hold onto a lead against Miami leading to a rare home loss.
- New York Jets: Yes, there was a bad call that took away a touchdown but also two interceptions by quarterback Josh McCown cost the Jets in their loss to the New England Patriots 24-17.
- Baltimore Ravens: Despite two special teams touchdowns, a 96-yard kick-off return by wide receiver Bobby Rainey and a 77-yard punt return by wide receiver Michael Campanaro, the offense was their undoing in their loss to the Chicago Bears 27-24 in overtime.
- Oakland Raiders: A missed extra point by kicker Gorgio Tavecchio came back to bite the Raiders as Los Angeles Chargers’ Nick Novak nailed a 32-yard field goal as time expired as the Chargers defeated the Raiders 17-16.
- Jacksonville Jaguars: They gave up two special teams touchdowns and an ill-timed interception by quarterback Blake Bortles cost the Jags in their loss to the L.A. Rams.
Storylines Going Into Week Seven:
Kansas City meets Oakland. Tampa battles Buffalo. New Orleans goes to Green Bay. Arizona faces the Los Angeles Rams. The New York Jets play Miami.
Minnesota hosts Baltimore. Fresh off a bye, Seattle goes cross-country to play the Giants. Cincy plays Pittsburgh. Denver meets the Los Angeles Chargers. Atlanta faces New England in Super Bowl LI rematch. Washington travels to Philadelphia.