NFL Week 6 might go down as a turning point for a number of teams. Kansas City suffered its first loss of the season. The Philadelphia Eagles beat a top NFC opponent on the road. The New Orleans Saints won their third game in a row. Check out a recap of all of Week 6’s NFL action!
2017 NFL Week 6 Recap
Philadelphia Eagles +3 at Carolina Panthers -3
I had a feeling Philadelphia might come up huge versus the Carolina Panthers in Week 6’s Thursday night game. Philadelphia QB Carson Wentz was again brilliant. He threw for 222 yards. He threw 3 TD passes without an interception.
Carolina QB Cam Newton finally had a bad game. He was due for a letdown game after playing out of his mind in Week 4 and Week 5. Newton threw 3 INTs. The third one came when Cam and the Panthers were driving for the go ahead TD.
Result: Eagles 28, Carolina 23
Chicago Bears +7 at Baltimore Ravens -7
The Chicago Bears have become a solid NFL franchise. I know this because the old Chicago Bears never could have beaten a team like the Baltimore Ravens on the road as a touchdown dog. The Bears rushed for 231 yards from 54 carries. Coach John Fox really has the team moving in the right direction.
The Ravens? I’m no fan of Baltimore. Once again, the Ravens played like they painting a house. It doesn’t feel like there’s any fire in a single Baltimore player. I’m not sure the coaches or front office has any fire, either.
Result: Bears 27, Ravens 24
Green Bay Packers -3.5 at Minnesota Vikings +3.5
I didn’t mention in my introduction that the biggest turning point for any team so far this season happened in NFL Week 6. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone. Rodgers is likely out for the season.
The Vikings used RB Jerrick McKinnon to once again punish an NFC North rival. This time, McKinnon rushed for 69 yards and a TD. He also caught 5 passes for 30 yards. One of McKinnon’s catches went for a TD.
Result: Vikings 23, Packers 10
Miami Dolphins +11 at Atlanta Falcons -11
I can’t think of an NFL handicapper that called this. The Miami Dolphins beat the Atlanta Falcons straight up in Atlanta. The Dolphins, who even after this game only average 12.2 points per game, outscored the Atlanta Falcons in the Falcons’ own building. Atlanta had no excuse in the game as the Falcons entered this matchup off their bye.
Hiring Steve Sarkisian to run Atlanta’s offense so far hasn’t yielded any fruit. Maybe, hiring Sark to run the offense wasn’t a good idea. I thought Atlanta might pound the Dolphins D with Devonta Freeman. They didn’t. Devonta only got 9 carries.
Result: Dolphins 20, Falcons 17
Detroit Lions +4 at New Orleans Saints -4
The Saints’ defense manhandled Detroit’s offense in this game. Don’t let the 38 points fool you. At halftime, the score was New Orleans 31, Detroit 10. New Orleans recovered a fumble in the end zone for a score. Rookie CB Marshon Lattimore picked off Matt Stafford and returned it 27 yards for the pick 6. The Saints intercepted Stafford 3 times, recovered 2 of 3 Detroit fumbles, and sacked Stafford 5 times.
When was the last time New Orleans scored over 50 points with Drew Brees only passing for 186? The answer is there has never been a time. This is a first.
Result: Saints 52, Lions 38
Cleveland Browns +10 at Houston Texans -10
I thought the Browns might keep this one close. I was wrong. Houston’s defense intercepted Kevin Hogan 3 times. They sacked Hogan 4 times. The Texans’ D produced results without JJ Watt. Houston sure looked like the class of the AFC South in Week 6.
Result: Texans 33, Browns 17
New England Patriots -9.5 at New York Jets +9.5
I’m not sure what happened. At one point, the Jets were up 14 to 0. New England ended up tying the game. Then, the Patriots pulled away from the Jets. Yes, there are many who question the overturned call on Austin Seferian-Jenkins TD catch. Maybe, they’re right. Still, when you get a 14 to 0 lead, you must find a way to keep it. So, I don’t feel too bad for the Jets.
Result: Patriots 24, Jets 17
San Francisco 49’ers +10 at Washington Redskins -10
I thought for sure this was the game where the 49’ers would get off the schneide. The Niners had a big shot to beat Washington. They didn’t. Instead, it was the same old story. Missed opportunities, bad play-calling, etc. SF has been competitive in every game this season. The problem is that they have yet to close the deal on a game.
Result: Redskins 26, 49’ers 24
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -2.5 at Arizona Cardinals +2.5
The Cardinals knocked Tampa starting QB Jameis Winston out of the game. Once that happened, it was all over the but shouting, right? Not so fast. Ryan Fitzpatrick (remember him?), rallied the Buccaneers in the 4th quarter. The Cards almost squandered the win by allowing Fitz to go crazy bonkers on their secondary. One thing to note is that Arizona RB Adrian Peterson was fantastic in this game. AP rushed for 134 yards from 26 carries. He scored 2 rushing TDs.
Result: Cardinals 38, Buccaneers 33
L.A. Rams +2.5 at Jacksonville Jaguars -2.5
Sean McVay is already proving to be one of the top coaches in the NFL. McVay’s offensive system can light up the scoreboard with deep passes on the edge or down the middle. But, he knew going into this game that Jacksonville was ranked first against the pass and 31st against the rush. What McVay did is hand the ball off to his running backs. His defense played solid on the other end. Look what happened? A 10-point road win over a solid opponent.
Result: Rams 27, Jaguars 17
Pittsburgh Steelers +4 at Kansas City Chiefs -4
The Chiefs must figure out their defense. KC allowed Le’Veon Bell to rush for 179 yards and a TD. Antonio Brown caught 8 passes for 155 yards and a TD. The Chiefs had to know that QB Alex Smith wasn’t going to bail them out in every game, right? I’m not sure if the loss is a turning point for KC. It sure was ugly, though.
Result: Steelers 19, Chiefs 13
Los Angeles Chargers +3 at Oakland Raiders -3
The Raiders continued their slide by losing by a point to the visiting L.A. Chargers. The good news for the Raiders in the loss is that QB Derek Carr played. The bad news is that he threw 2 interceptions. Suddenly, the Raiders are tied with the Chargers in the bottom of the AFC West Division.
Result: Chargers 17, Raiders 16
New York Giants +11.5 at Denver Broncos -11.5
How did the Giants beat the Denver Broncos on the moneyline as a +13.5 dog right before kickoff? Easy. The New York Giants changed their entire philosophy on offense. The G-Men had been a pass first team. Denver, going into this game off a bye, prepared for the Giants offense as if the G-Men were going to pass the ball first.
NYG didn’t pass the ball first. The Giants rushed the ball right down Denver’s throats. Once the Broncos switched things up, it was too late. New York rushed for 148 yards from 32 carries versus the best rushing defense in the NFL. Denver’s offense didn’t do anything special. The Giants got their first win of the season.
Result: Giants 23, Broncos 10
Indianapolis Colts +7 at Tennessee Titans -7
The Tennessee Titans turned it on in the second half of their 36 to 22 win over the Indianapolis Colts. The first half was all about figuring out what strategy to use on offense. The strategy turned out to be handing the ball off to RB Derrick Henry. Henry rushed 19 times for 131 yards and a TD.
The Colts? Like San Francisco, they’re a hard trying team. Also like SF, they find it hard to win football games. The Colts were up 19 to 9 in this one. What a bummer that they ended up losing it.
Result: Titans 36, Colts 22