NFL Week 6 Disappointments

Parity has become a main theme in the NFL over the last few years, and the unpredictable nature of the sport was on full display this weekend. There are no more unbeaten teams, which brings the cream of the crop just a little bit closer to the rest of the pack. We’ll take a look at who stumbled in Week 6.

To be clear, it seems like the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is more emotionally pained than physically hurt, but Hurts did not have a good showing against the New York Jets on Sunday. New York had their two starting cornerbacks out due to concussions, and Hurts still threw three interceptions, the last of which set the Jets up in excellent field position to take the lead.

San Francisco 49ers elite weapons Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffery were both forced from their game against the Cleveland Browns with injuries. This made life a lot more challenging for Brock Purdy, who suffered his first career loss in a game that he started and finished. We’ll see how the potential absence of either or both players affects the young passer moving forward.

Tennessee has not been known as a passing team for the last several years, but their ability to move the ball through the air might be severely compromised moving forward. Starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill suffered an ankle injury on Sunday, and reserve Malik Willis looked timid in the pocket. The Titans’ offense might be even more one-dimensional than it usually is.

Little by little, it seems like Ridder is getting better at getting the ball into his best players’ hands. However, all that good work can be undone with turnovers committed at the worst times. Against the Washington Commanders, Ridder threw a pick in the red zone, and another to end the game when Bijan Robinson was matched up with a cornerback on the outside.

The Detroit Lions have proven to be a solid team in 2023, but it would have been nice for Tampa Bay to be a little more competitive at home against them coming off of a bye. It didn’t seem like the Bucs had an effective game plan to deal with Detroit’s physicality or wide receiver talent. It was a humbling defeat for Tampa Bay, who may not be as good as fans initially thought.

Seattle and Cincinnati played a back and forth affair that felt like a playoff game at certain points. Surprisingly, the Seahawks have fared well playing in the early time slot in recent years, and hung in well for most of the contest. They just couldn’t keep the Bengals’ pass rush off of quarterback Geno Smith late in the game.

From a mental perspective, it can be easy for a team to let their guard down when an opponent is missing their starting quarterback. It seemed like the Bills thought they could lay their helmets on the field and win against the New York Giants on Sunday. Buffalo had to squeak their way past the beaten-up Giants, but only put up 14 points in the process.

Many expected the Indianapolis Colts’ running game to ignite once Taylor returned to the lineup, but it was stymied against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6. Taylor only mustered 19 yards rushing on eight carries, which is not going to get it done. Maybe he’s still shaking off the rust, but the Colts were hoping for much better production out of their franchise back.