Week 6 Takeaways for the 2024 NFL Season
Just when you think you’ve seen everything in the NFL, new occurrences come right at you. Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh left the game before it started and returned a bit later, apparently (and thankfully) no worse for wear despite a heart issue. Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow ran for a 47-yard TD. That’s in addition to all the usual chaos we’ve come to expect. No wonder coaches are having heart problems; this is too much excitement! Yet we love it anyway. Let’s try to make sense of what happened this week in my week 6 takeaways for the 2024 NFL season!
TNF: Injured 49ers Hang on to Tie Seahawks Atop NFC West
This week’s TNF contest was a critical one. Both teams were coming off pitiful losses, with Seattle losing to NYG and the 49ers suffering a kickerless loss to the Cardinals. Any divisional matchup is important, but these two teams badly needed a win. The problem for SF was their injuries. DBs Charvarious Ward and Talanoa Hufanga were already out, and RB Christian McCaffrey remains an unknown. During the game, WR Deebo Samuel (3/102/1) and TE George Kittle (5/58/2) both left briefly but returned. RB Jordan Mason (9/73) hurt his shoulder before halftime, came back for one 3rd-quarter snap, and then left for good.
The replacements for these players did a darn good job though. On Seattle’s opening drive, rookie S Malik Musapha picked off a pass at the SF two, killing the march. He also later added a vicious TFL on RB Kenneth Walker (14/32/1; 8/37 receiving) before he too left with an injury. Fellow rookie DB Renardo Green intercepted a Geno Smith (30/52, 312 yards, TD, 2 INTs) pass in the 4th quarter when the Seahawks were trying to mount a comeback. Backup RBs Patrick Taylor (28 scrimmage yards) and Isaac Guerendo (10/99) picked up the slack for Mason, and the latter practically put the game away with a late 76-yard scamper.
Though San Francisco won 36-24, the game was not that close in the first half, yet it was much tighter than the score in the second half. Each team made mistakes and big plays that shifted the contest. Early in the second quarter, S Julian Love (who otherwise had a great game) tried to jump a Brock Purdy (18/28, 255 yards, 3 TDs) pass for an INT, but that left nobody on the back end to tackle Samuel, who caught it and ran 76 yards for a TD. On the very next play, KR Laviska Shenault lost a fumble on the kickoff, giving SF an easy 3 points. However, Shenault redeemed himself with a 97-yard KR TD later on.
The Niners defense dominated early, with only a last-second FG preventing the game from being a shutout at halftime. Then things went wrong for San Francisco. Their recent tendency to settle for FGs in the red zone reared its head, and new K Matthew Wright made 3 of them. Seattle scored 14 unanswered points despite getting nothing from their running game as SF went into a lull. On one 49er punt, HC Kyle Shanahan challenged that PR Dee Williams muffed the fair catch. He was right but lost the challenge anyway because the officials somehow didn’t see it during the review.
For the first time this year against a divisional opponent, San Francisco did now blow a double-digit second-half lead. Purdy and the offense were mostly excellent, while Seattle’s attack struggled. Their only big play, a 52-yard TD bomb to DK Metcalf (3/48), was called back due to an illegal shift. Defensively, the Seahawks can’t stop anyone, and they have now lost 3 straight after a 3-0 start. They’re looking like an average team that feasted on an easy first few games. SF needed this win more because they were 0-2 divisional play, and they got it. Now tied atop the NFC West standings, they need to get healthy with a brutal schedule ahead.
Teams Starting New QBs This Week All Lost
Three teams changed their starting QBs this week. One (Saints) did so due to injury, while the other two (Patriots/Raiders) made moves because of performance considerations. None of them were the Cleveland Browns. First up, rookie Spencer Rattler got the nod for New Orleans in place of an injured Derek Carr. He was put in a bad spot, with his defense and a teammate’s fumble trapping him in a 17-0 hole right away against the Buccaneers. However, a PR TD by Rashid Shaheed sparked a furious comeback, and the Saints rattled off 20 unanswered points. Rattler threw his first TD pass and honestly looked pretty good.
Unfortunately, after putting up 27 points in the first half, the wheels basically fell off. NO didn’t score a single point in the third or fourth quarters, and Rattler tossed a pair of INTs. It didn’t help that the defense gave Tampa 51 total points. Asking a 5th-round rookie making his NFL debut to keep up with that is a recipe for failure. He finished 22/40 with 243 yards, along with 27 rushing yards. The ground game also did him no favors. I expect Rattler to be judged more based on the first half due to the circumstances of the second. If so, HC Dennis Allen will likely confirm his decision to start Rattler over Jake Haener.
Another rookie making his starting debut was New England’s Drake Maye. I frowned upon this move because he has little chance to succeed with his current supporting cast. While he certainly led a more explosive offense than that of Jacoby Brissett, he was far more reckless as well. He went 20/33 for 243 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, and a fumble. He took 4 sacks, including 3 from Houston’s Will Anderson (coincidentally last years 3rd overall pick) in a 41-21 blowout. Maye had some highlights, like his perfect toss to WR Kayshon Boutte for a 40-yard TD. The Patriots will take this first start and hope to build on it over the rest of the season.
Las Vegas switched from Gardner Minshew to 2nd-year pro Aidan O’Connell in hope of more upside. What they got against the Steelers was basically the same if not worse. He went 27/40 for 227 yards, a TD, and an INT, but the stats honestly sugarcoat a very below-average performance. Outside of a quality first-quarter drive, this was the same stagnant offense we’ve seen all year. A 32-13 blowout loss isn’t what I’d call an “improvement”. I get that LV made the switch because Minshew is a known quality, whereas O’Connell supposedly possesses upside. If this is his upside though, I’m switching back to Minshew.
Returning WRs Have Massive Impacts on Their Teams
For those who question that importance of possessing top WR, this week served as notice. Several wideouts returned to action this week and absolutely altered their teams’ fortunes. Two Packers rejoined the team: Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson. The former came off a team-imposed suspension and scored 2 TDs. Watson returned from injury and made 3 timely grabs for 68 yards and an INT. Both players helped QB Jordan Love (22/32, 258 yards, 4 TDs, INT) and the offense dominate Arizona 34-13. You could see just how much more explosive Green Bay was with their deep threats back in action.
Philadelphia arguably got an even bigger boost from AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, both of whom went into the bye having missed games with injuries. Smith (3/64/1) caught a 45-yard TD to break a 13-13 tie against Cleveland, and it turned out to be the winning score. Brown (6/116/1) was the bigger deal. His absence has stifled QB Jalen Hurts and the passing attack, and even though things weren’t perfect in this game, he opened the offense up. His 40-yard catch after the 2-minute warning to ice the game was emblematic of his impact. The Eagles simply can’t win much without Brown, demonstrating his immense value.
I’m cheating slightly with Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. He didn’t actually miss any games, but he is “returning” from practice absences, and his back injury almost had him placed on IR! The surprise active didn’t rack up a lot of volume but made timely plays that were crucial to his team. His TD, where he outleaped a defender to haul in a jump ball, put the Colts ahead of Tennessee 20-17, and they’d go on to win by that score. While Indy has other deep threats, Pittman is their crucial possession receiver, so his mere presence in the lineup helped QB Joe Flacco. Too bad Anthony Richardson can’t take advantage of him.
Lions Earn Statement Win Over Cowboys but Lose Hutchinson
Even a dominating road win can sometimes occur without many smiles. The Lions decimated the Cowboys 47-9 (that’s a Scorigami result for those who care!), but this was the definition of a Pyrrhic victory. Let’s address the elephant in the room first: DE Aidan Hutchinson broke his leg and will not return this season. That’s a huge blow to the Lions’ defense, especially considering that he exits as the current NFL sack leader. Fittingly, he broke his leg ON a sack. I’m not sure that the Lions have the defensive talent to go all the way anymore, but for one game, the rest of the team looked awesome.
I wanted to get that out of the way because everything else went amazingly for Detroit. The Lions’ offense toyed with the injured Dallas defense. QB Jared Goff (18/25, 315 yards, 3 TDs) finished with a 153.8 passer rating, his second consecutive game over 150. One of his TDs came on a trick play, where the ball changed hands a few times before he fired a strike to TE Sam LaPorta (1/52/1). Four Lions had 50+ receiving yards, and not one of them was named Amon-Ra St. Brown (4/37/1). Newly extended RB David Montgomery (12/80/2) had a great game, as did fellow RB Jahmyr Gibbs (91 scrimmage yards).
Defensively, the Lions were equally dominant. Dallas led 3-0 and then never led again. S Brian Branch returned from injury and picked Dak Prescott (17/33, 178 yards) twice. The Cowboys ran for 3.1 yards per carry and never reached the end zone. Owner Jerry Jones did not have a fun 82nd birthday. The Lions even had a bit of fun on offense. Referencing last year’s game, where they lost to Dallas on a bad ineligible lineman call, they tried THREE passes to eligible linemen. One went to LT Taylor Decker, and another was thrown to Dan Skipper; these were the two players involved in the botched call, so that was epic trolling.
The third one was hilariously ironic. RT Penei Sewell caught a pitch from St. Brown before rumbling and diuving for the end zone. The play didn’t count because of an ineligible lineman downfield call. I kid you not. In fact, none of those 3 passes worked out for Detroit, but that wasn’t the point. When you win 47-9, you can provide some fan service. The Lions are legit contenders, assuming the defense holds up without Hutchinson. Where does Dallas go from here though? Getting defenders back from injury will help some, but this team looks like their window has closed. They’re not competitive with the heavyweights, and they know it.
MNF: Jets Fall to Bills in Penalty-Plagued Game After Saleh Fired
Less than a week after firing HC Robert Saleh, the Jets marched into MetLife Stadium with interim coach Jeff Ulbrich to face the Bills with first place in the AFC East on the line. We saw a lot of promising features from the offense, but we got the same result. New play caller Todd Downing, in for the demoted Nathaniel Hackett, had New York in a rhythm early on, although the offensive line may ruin his plans. Their first two drives yielded 10 points. Unfortunately, the defense regressed without Saleh, allowing Buffalo to run wild on the ground even though RB James Cook was out with an injury.
Rookie Ray Davis was a beast. We identified him back at the combine, and this was his first real chance to shine. While Ty Johnson (4/34) technically started, Davis ended up being the workhorse. He ran 20 times for 97 yards and caught 3 passes for 55 yards, including a deep ball that went for 42 yards. His emergence allowed the Bills to respond with 3 first-half TD drives, but K Tyler Bass only connected on two of the PATs. The wind was swirling in New York, making kicking a brutal challenge. One side of the field was particularly bad, and Bass would miss another field goal, while Jets K Greg Zuerlein would miss two.
Just before half, now trailing 20-10, QB Aaron Rodgers heaved a Hail Mary. One ref called it incomplete, while another signaled TD. WR Allen Lazard (6/114/1) caught the ball and had it ripped out while he was lying on his back, so it was indeed Rodgers’ 4th career Hail Mary completion. New York tied the game at 20 after Buffalo got called for an incorrect roughing penalty. However, a Jets holding penalty sabotaged their chance at a TD. Penalties were very much the theme of this game. Buffalo had 11 for 94 yards, while New York had 11 for 110 yards. No game has had more penalty yards this season, and that only included accepted penalties!
The Jets had the real backbreaking fouls. I counted at least 3 PI calls that extended Buffalo drives, and DT Javon Kinlaw committed three penalties on a single drive at one point. These infractions showed an undisciplined team, and they undermined Rodgers’ best game as a Jet. He went 23/35 for 294 yards, 2 TDs, and an INT. WR Garrett Wilson (8/107/1) and RB Breece Hall (18/113; 5/56 receiving) were both highly involved, with the latter being a welcome change. Rodgers’ INT lost the Jets the game, as WR Mike Williams fell on the route and helped CB Taron Johnson catch the ball. Williams has been a complete dud signing.
Bills QB Josh Allen (19/25, 215 yards, 2 TDs; 9/18/1 rushing) salted away a 23-20 win right after that. As good as the Jets’ offense looked at times, they still only put up 20 points, and 7 came on a fluky Hail Mary. This team still cannot get out of its’ own way, and it cost them. Buffalo (4-2) now has a two-game divisional lead, whereas the Jets could’ve tied them with a victory. The Bills also snapped a 2-game losing streak all while dealing a massive blow to a division rival. New York is meanwhile left looking for answers, but Saleh is no longer around to blame. The Jets must look inward to try and salvage this season.