Week 6 Takeaways for the 2025 NFL Season
Injuries are really taking their toll on the league. The NFC West got a lot more complex, with Rams WR Puka Nacua and 49ers LB Fred Warner hurting their ankles. Nacua may miss week 7, while Warner is done for the year. Baltimore’s lack of healthy bodies is dragging them to the depths of the AFC. Does Detroit have any CBs left? Fortunately, not every game was defined by who didn’t play. We saw some great performances, as well as plenty of duds. The idea of one elite team is fading with each passing week. Anybody (except the Jets) can truly beat anybody, so let’s get up to speed with my week 6 takeaways for the 2025 NFL season!
TNF: Eagles Potentially in Freefall After Blowout Loss to Lowly Giants
We’re starting to see shades of 2023 here for the Eagles. That season, after new OC came aboard, the team got off to a hot start before collapsing down the stretch. Losing for the first time this year to Denver last week didn’t have me TOO worried. Falling to the Giants is a different story. Let me start with a caveat: DT Jalen Carter missed the game with a heel injury, and we saw back in week 1 that this defense is completely different without him. Regardless, I’m not used to seeing the Eagles whipped in the trenches like they were in this contest. It’s as if everything flipped: NYG became the running power with a strong defense.
New York should feel good about their rookies. QB Jaxson Dart (17/25, 195 yards, TD; 13/58/1 rushing) had a bounce-back game, though he’s still more of a rushing threat than a passer. RB Cam Skattebo (19/98/3) really broke out, and I especially liked how he finished his drives. It’s one thing to run between the 20s, but he punched the ball in for 6 every chance he got. Defensively, the Giants were a bit of a mixed bag. They allowed the Eagles to put up their best passing numbers in weeks, but Brian Burns sacked QB Jalen Hurts twice, and CB Cor’Dale Flott earned an INT and a 68-yard return that killed any and all Philly momentum.
I called the Giants “lowly” in the header because they’re still a 2-4 team despite a 34-17 victory here. This game tells me more about the Eagles. Hurts (24/33, 283 yards, TD, INT; 7/13/1 rushing) threw the ball well aside from one toss, but he’s not running for chunks anymore. RB Saquon Barkley (12/58) seems to be an afterthought. WR AJ Brown (6/80) finally got involved, and TE Dallas Goedert (9/110/1) had a big day, but this offense just looks stale. Even RT Lane Johnson is calling out his team’s scheme. This is still a really talented team, but the alarm bells are going off. If I did my power rankings today, Philly would lose the #1 spot.
London: Broncos Keep Jets Winless in Battle of Inept Offenses
The NFL has a bad habit of giving the good people of London mediocre (or worse) football. I can understand believing that Denver would give a good show. As far as the Jets go…the league has no excuse. New York played exactly like their 0-5 record might suggest, at least on offense. The Jets’ defense actually had its finest performance of the year, but it was a wasted effort. Offensively, the Jets had -10 net passing yards for the whole game, as QB Justin Fields continues to be a dud. Their 6 first-quarter points came off of two field goals: one resulted from a fumble recovery, and the other stemmed from a big kick return.
Therein was the problem with this game: Denver, clearly the better team, kept allowing the Jets to stick around. QB Bo Nix (19/30, 174 yards, TD; 4/24 rushing) was alright but no more than that. His unit got stuck in the mud time after time. The Broncos ran the ball poorly (3 yards per carry), and WR1 Courtland Sutton caught just one pass. This game essentially played out in reverse relative to last week’s comeback against the Eagles. Denver scored 10 points in the 1st quarter but added just 3 more thereafter. The offense even spotted the Jets 2 points (and a brief lead) on a safety due to a holding penalty in the end zone.
Luckily for the Broncos, their defense dominated. CB Pat Surtain II provided ultra-sticky coverage, completely shutting down WR Garrett Wilson (3/13). Meanwhile, the front seven tallied NINE sacks. Big names such as Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper chipped in of course, but eight different Broncos earned at least half a sack. Denver also shut down the run, as Breece Hall took 22 carries for just 59 yards. The defense needed to be that good, as Denver put up only 13 points of their own in a 13-11 nail-biter. This defense is a championship-caliber unit, but the offense needs to start pulling its weight if the Broncos want to go anywhere.
Now let’s address the Jets. I bashed the Fields signing the day that it happened. It turns out that I may have been too kind. Fields (9/17, 45 yards; 7/31 rushing) is regressing as a passer, which I didn’t even think was possible. He’s also not running for big gains like he used to. Here’s a damning truth: I think New York would’ve won this game had backup Tyrod Taylor played instead of Fields. As is, they had every opportunity to steal an undeserved win. With Fields at the helm, the Jets’ defense could do nothing but watch the implosion. Now 0-6, New York may have a silver lining: they’re the frontrunners for the #1 overall draft pick.
Cardinals, Bengals Receive Improved QB Play but Lose Anyway
Cardinals’ QB Kyler Murray was a late scratch this week with a mid-foot sprain. That put Jacoby Brissett into the starting role against his former team, and he actually made Arizona a threat against the Colts. Piloting a banged-up offense, Brissett (27/44, 320 yards, 2 TDs, INT) looked much more poised as a passer. He had one rather regrettable throw but otherwise served as an upgrade over Murray. Brissett didn’t even have WR Marvin Harrison Jr for long, as he left the game with a concussion. The running game provided little help (3.7 yards per carry), nor did his sieve of a defense. And yet, the game was close.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (20/107/1) carried his team to a win. He consistently broke through tackles to pick up chunks of yardage, keeping the chains moving. His play enabled Indy to score 14 fourth-quarter points to earn a 31-27 win, but this game was not supposed to be competitive. It was thanks to Brissett, who put up a season-high point total in the loss. The defensive talent (specifically the lack thereof) and offensive injuries will keep Arizona at the bottom of the NFC West. A key decision will come at the end of the season: what to do with Murray? The fact that a journeyman backup looked better is quite telling.
One of the big pieces of news this week was that Cincinnati traded for Joe Flacco to replace the struggling Jake Browning. People forgot that even a healthy Joe Burrow struggled to keep this team afloat. Expecting Flacco to be a savior is wishful thinking, but he did provide much more stability. In an oddity, we had an AFC QB playing the same NFC opponent for the second time during one regular season. I’m not sure how rare an occurrence that is, but it seems uncommon. Flacco helped the Browns hand Green Bay their only loss a few weeks ago, and he did his very best to repeat that history with the Bengals.
He provided much more than he did in his first matchup against the Packers, but his defensive teammates did much less. Running a new offense after only a few days in town, Flacco predictably struggled to get much going in the first half. In fact, Cincy scored 0 points in the first two quarters. Flacco (29/45, 219 yards, 2 TDs) heated up in the third, but his teammates started dropping. TE Mike Gesicki and DE Trey Hendrickson left with injuries and did not return, while WR Andrei Iosivas literally dropped the ball, 3 times in fact. Regardless, Flacco finished off a 10-minute drive with a 4th-down TD pass to cut the lead to 10-7.
Without Hendrickson, the defense completely fell apart. Green Bay scored 17 points on their next 3 possessions, so even with Flacco leading the Bengals to 11 points in the 4th quarter, Cincy couldn’t get closer than 27-18. The flaws of the Bengals were laid bare. First, who thought it was a good idea to give RB Chase Brown just 9 carries and run the ball 16 times total while letting a newly arrived QB throw 45 times? More importantly, with this defense, I’m not sure a healthy Burrow would be enough. Flacco will give Cincinnati a chance, but it’s a slim one unless the defense greatly improves in the coming weeks.
SNF: Chiefs Return to .500 With Important Win Over Lions
Despite their 2-3 record, the Chiefs played the Lions in a battle that featured two heavyweights. As expected, the offenses showed out early, but there were some hiccups. Detroit was a bit reckless on 4th down, which cost them twice: once on an illegal formation and again on a rare Amon-Ra St Brown drop. For the Chiefs, K Harrison Butker continued his odd struggle with PATs, missing another this week. Both rushing attacks were average, while the two QBs excelled as one might anticipate. Jared Goff (23/29, 203 yards, 2 TDs) had a very solid game, but Patrick Mahomes (22/30, 257 yards, 3 TDs; 10/32/1 rushing) stole the show.
It helped that Detroit had 5 CBs out, and S Kerby Joseph hurt his knee during the game. He returned but clearly looked hampered. Without a pass rush beyond DE Aidan Hutchinson, that battered secondary was left to fend for itself. Mahomes made them pay. He played a turnover-free game and made some of the magic that he’s famous for. He’s running more than he ever has, but that’s a product of how defenses are playing him. WR Hollywood Brown (4/45) caught 2 TDs, and TE Travis Kelce (6/78) turned back the clock a bit. When Rashee Rice returns from suspension next week, this offense could become downright scary.
Even with KC’s 30-point outburst, I came away most impressed by the defense. That unit played a major role in the team’s 3 straight trips to the Super Bowl, but they struggled to open 2025. Against Detroit, they re-emerged. DT Chris Jones played with much more effort than last week, and CB Trent McDuffie did a great job on St Brown (9/45). When the Chiefs are winning, Mahomes and the offense get most of the attention, but the defense is usually doing its part. DC Steve Spagnuolo has a history of getting his guys into form as the season goes along, and it appears that’s what is happening here.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the controversies. Despite anything the NFL has said, you can’t tell me that the officials and the league don’t favor the Chiefs. KC was called for 0 penalties. Zero? In an NFL game? Kelce also made a “catch” that somehow went unreviewed. It was clearly incomplete. Finally, Lions S Brian Branch got suspended for smacking WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, even though the latter started it. It’s easy to see why the Chiefs consistently win. If so many things go against your opponents, you have a leg up before stepping onto the field. This may be the best reason to bet on KC to go on a run. The NFL simply wants it.
RBs’ Massive Games Power Panthers and Falcons to Upsets
Panthers RB Rico Dowdle, who felt spurned by his former team in free agency, went up against those Cowboys this week. He warned his ex-teammates to “buckle up”, and it felt a bit like bravado. He was not kidding one bit. Against Dallas, he showed why they should’ve re-signed him. Dowdle went completely berserk, taking 30 carries for 183 yards and leading the Panthers with 56 yards and a TD on 4 catches. In doing so, he set the Panthers’ scrimmage yards record and willed his team to a 30-27 stunner. His replacement, Javonte Williams, earned just 29 yards on 13 carries. I think Dowdle proved his point with his monster showing.
Elsewhere in the NFC South, Atlanta hosted the Bills as underdogs. I guess nobody told RB Bijan Robinson, who posted a career night. The elite back took 19 carries for 170 yards and a TD while adding 6 catches for 68 yards. Buffalo played in a way that was designed to stop Robinson, but that effort proved futile. When a lane was clogged, Robinson used his vision to find an opening. Faced with a one-on-one matchup against a defender, he turned on the jets to blast away. If everything else failed, he simply trucked would-be tacklers. Robinson played the biggest role in Atlanta’s 24-14 win over the suddenly struggling Bills.
These two NFC South backs showed us a couple of things. First, despite down years from the likes of Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley, RBs are still critical pieces. The talent pool runs deep, and Robinson is the engine of Atlanta’s attack. In Dowdle’s case, we learned to never doubt the power of a revenge game. Sometimes sheer fury brings out the best in people. At a macro scale, maybe the key here is to not write off the Panthers and Falcons. Both are now at or over .500, and they are playing their best ball of the season. Should these teams make an unlikely playoff push, they’ll certainly have their star backs to thank.