What We Learned from NFL Week 6 Winners, Losers, Standouts

Week 6 of the NFL’s 2021 regular season included a still undefeated Cardinals and winless Lions, a trio of overtime victories and some close matchups filled with plenty of winners, a few losers, and a ton of truly extraordinary standouts that we go over game by game.

For any of you who won big this week, congrats on making the right picks.

For everyone else, there’s always next week…good luck!

NFL Week 6 Results

Week 6 Byes: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers

Winners:

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: they are now 5-1 and on top of the NFC South by two games over the Panthers.
• NFL GOAT Tom Brady: the old man is all-time number one in wins, passing yards, touchdown passes, plus seven Super Bowl wins, all the most in NFL history.
• Bucs 26th ranked rushing attack: Leonard Fournette carried the ball 22 times for 81 yards and two touchdowns while Ronald Jones averaged four yards per carry.
• Philly’s Zach Ertz: this thirty-year-old tight end can still ball, catching four balls for 29 yards and a touchdown just before getting traded to the undefeated Arizona Cardinals.

Losers:

• Philadelphia Eagles: with the loss they drop to 2-4 and three games behind the 5-1 Cowboys in the NFC East.
• Vita Vea victims: condolences to anyone in the way of this double team beating the monster.

Standouts:

• Philadelphia C Jason Kelce: Eagles have had four different offensive line combinations coming into this game, but Kelce made his 111th consecutive start.
• Bucs TE OJ Howard: congrats on making his 1st TD of the season.
• Tom Brady’s Pick: that was the first interception Brady has thrown in 229 attempts.

 Jacksonville Jaguars 23, Miami Dolphins 20

Winners:

• Jacksonville Jaguars: snapping the second-longest losing streak in NFL history (20), the Jags win their first game of the season and move to 1-5 under head coach Urban Meyers.
• Jax placekicker Matthew Wright: makes Jags’ first field goal of season by using a 5-foot draw on a 54-yarder to tie the game at 20-20, then kicks the game winning 53-yard field goal with one second remaining.
• Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence: in his first NFL win he completes 25-of-41 for 319 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers.
• Tua’s bruised ribs: QB Tua Tagovailoa survived some hard hits on his rehabbed ribs as he started for the first time since Week 2.

Losers:

• Miami Dolphins: lose their fifth game in a row and at 1-5 are in the AFC basement.
• Dolphins Penalties: Miami is the most penalized team in the NFL, with 7 flags for 55 yards in this one.
• Miami HC Brian Flores: at 1-5, his hot seat gets hotter.
• Annoying Tottenham fan: to that fellah who ran onto the field in London to delay the start of the game, “Boooo!”

Standouts:

• Quick slant vs quick out: thanks to a Miami timeout, Jags opt for the slant with 5 seconds remaining and pick up eight more yards for their kicker and still get a timeout with only a second left in the game.
• Jacksonville’s Urban Meyer: congrats on his first NFL win as an NFL head coach.
• Dolphins placekicker Jason Sanders: has converted 56 consecutive point-after attempts.

Green Bay Packers 24, Chicago Bears 14

Winners:

• Green Bay Packers: with that win, they are 5-1 and two games in front in the NFC North.
• Green Bay RB Aaron Jones: this dual-threat carried the ball 13 times for 76 yards and caught four passes for 34 yards and a touchdown.
• Packers’ receiver Davante Adams: proving to be one of the best in the league he posts 4 catches for 89 yards, averaging 22.2 yards per reception.
• Bears WR Allen Robinson: four receptions for 53 yards, averaging 13.2 yards per catch.

Losers:

• Chicago Bears: at 3-3 they fall to .500 on the season and two games out in the NFC North.
• Bears offensive line: allowed rookie quarterback Justin Fields to be sacked four times on the day.

Standouts:

• Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: now has five straight wins against the Bears and a 22-5 overall record against Chicago, so he was telling the truth when he told Bears fans, “I still own you.”
• Bears Khalil Herbert: rookie went from fourth-string running back to starter and scored his first NFL touchdown.

Cincinnati Bengals 34, Detroit Lions 11

Winners:

• Cincinnati Bengals: move to 4-2 (matching their win total from last season) and a game behind the Ravens in the AFC North.
• Burrow-to-Chase: proving to be as effective a duo as they were back at LSU, QB Joe Burrow to rookie receiver Ja’Marr Chase posted four receptions for 97 yards in this one.
• Bengals RB Joe Mixon: averaged 5.4 yards per carry for 18 rushes, 94 yards plus 5 catches for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Losers:

• Detroit Lions: with this loss become the only 0-6 team in the NFL, now stuck in the NFC North basement.
• Lions RB D’Andre Swift: averaged just 1.8 yards per carry, though he did get in the end zone once.

Standouts:

• Bengals QB Joe Burrow: he joins Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes as the only two NFL quarterbacks who have thrown for multiple passing touchdowns in every game this season.
• Bengals on fourth down: converted both fourth downs they faced.

Indianapolis Colts 31, Houston Texans 3

Winners:

• Indianapolis Colts: they win their second game of the season and at 2-4 are still in contention in the AFC South
• Colts QB Carson Wentz looks dangerous out there completing 11/20 for 223 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers.
• Indy RB Jonathan Taylor: big game for this talented back posting 14 carries for 145 yards and two visits to the endzone.
• Texans RB Phillip Lindsay: averaged 5.6 yards per carry for 7 runs totaling 39 yards.

Losers:

• Houston Texans: they lose their fifth game of the season, now 1-5 and still well out of the AFC South.
• Texans QB Davis Mills: rookie finally looked like a newbie throwing for two interceptions and zero touchdowns in this big loss.

Standouts:

• Colts WR Paris Campbell: caught a gorgeous 51-yard TD pass but was then ruled out for the rest of the game due to a foot injury.
• Indianapolis WR TY Hilton: returned after undergoing neck surgery at the start of the regular season, caught four passes for 80 yards including a 54 yard reception.

Los Angeles Rams 38, New York Giants 11

Winners:

• Los Angeles Rams: they are 5-1 but still a game behind the undefeated Cardinals in the NFC West.
• Rams QB Matthew Stafford: apparently he is getting used to HC Sean McVay’s tricky offense, recording four touchdown passes off of 22 completions for 251 yards and a pick.
• L.A. rushing attack: 131 total yards on the ground, with Darrell Henderson carrying the ball 21 times for 78 yards and a touchdown.
• Giants RB Elijhaa Penny: scored the only touchdown for New York, plus two other carries for 15 total yards.

Losers:

• New York Giants: this makes their fifth loss of the season, now 1-5 and in the NFC East bottom.
• Giants QB Daniel Jones: zero touchdown passes and three interceptions a week after seeming to suffer from a concussion.

Standouts:

• Rams at 5-1: best start since 2018 for Los Angeles.
• Cooper Kupp: he’s on fire with two touchdown receptions in the game, now with a league-leading seven TDs on the season.

Kansas City Chiefs 31, Washington Football Team 13

Winners:

• Kansas City Chiefs: they move to .500 but at 3-3 they are still well out of first in the AFC West.
• Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: posts two touchdowns, and right now leads the NFL with 18 total touchdown passes.
• Kelce & Hill: these two Chiefs are killer on offense, with tight end Travis Kelce catching 8 passes for 99 yards and receive Tyreek Hill posting 9 receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown.
• Washington defense: despite the huge loss, they had three sacks and two interceptions.

Losers:

• Washington Football Team: at 2-4 now and three games out of the NFC East.
• Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: he has thrown 14 interceptions in his last 15 starts.

Standouts:

• Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: joins Bengals QB Joe Burrow as the only two NFL quarterbacks who have thrown for multiple passing touchdowns in every game this season.
• Mahomes’ mom: after Patrick threw an interception today that bounced off Tyreek Hill’s hands. his mom didn’t think that it should count against her son.

Minnesota Vikings 34, Carolina Panthers 28

Winners:

• Minnesota Vikings: an overtime win gets them back to .500 at 3-3 and two games behind the Packers in the NFC North.
• MN QB Kirk Cousins: what a game (once again) as he completed 33/48 for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns with zero interceptions.
• Vikings offense: they total 571 yards in this one leading their team to their third win in four games.
• Panthers Keith Taylor: the rookie cornerback led the team with ten tackles on the day.

Losers:

• Carolina Panthers: tough loss brings them to 3-3 and two games behind the Bucs in the NFC South.
• Minnesota’s 3rd down efficiency: yikes, they only converted on 2 of twelve third downs in this one.

Standouts:

• Vikings Pass Rush: they sacked Panthers QB Sam Darnold four times on the day.
• Penalties: between the two teams there were a total of seventeen penalties in this game, the Vikings with 11 for 98 yards and the Panthers with 6 for 28 yards.

Baltimore Ravens 34, Los Angeles Chargers 6

Winners:

• Baltimore Ravens: they run over the Chargers and move to 5-1, now in full control of the AFC North.
• Ravens rushing attack: once again Baltimore was dominant on the ground, a group effort where they posted 187 total yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
• Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews: fast becoming a favorite target of Jackson, Andrews caught five balls for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Losers:

• Los Angeles Chargers: they take the embarrassing loss and snap a three game win streak but stay at the top of the AFC West with a 4-2 record.
• Chargers’ placekicker Tristan Vizcaino: this guy has missed FIVE extra points since Week 3.
• Ravens QB Lamar Jackson: tossed two interceptions in this one, now with five on the season.

Standouts:

• Ravens win streak: this makes five straight times that the Ravens have won.
• Time of possession: Ravens had the ball for just over 38 minutes, the Chargers for the other 22 minutes.

Arizona Cardinals 37, Cleveland Browns 14

Winners:

• Arizona Cardinals: with a huge win over the banged up Browns the Cards move to 6-0 and stay in full control of the NFC West.
• AZ wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins: somehow finds himself wide open in the end zone, 3 catches for 55 yards and two touchdowns with one endzone snow angel on the day.
• Cardinals pass rush: they took full advantage of Browns missing two of their starting tackles, posting five sacks with Jordan Hicks and Markus Golden with two sacks each.
• Cards DE J.J. Watt: in a moment of pure bliss tells the Cleveland crowd, “You can’t block me.”
• Browns’ Hail Mary Pass: they rarely work out, but Baker Mayfield hit Donovan Peoples-Jones in the endzone for a 57-yard bomb to end the first half, a true (but temporary) momentum grabber.

Losers:

• Cleveland Browns: now 3-3 and sinking in the AFC North after losing back to back games for the first time since head coach Kevin Stefanski took over.
• Baker Mayfield: three turnovers (two fumbles and a pick) plus he further injured his torn labrum when he was slammed to the ground, though he quickly returned to the game.
• Cleveland on 4th down: Browns now 5 of 12 going for it on 4th down this year with 4 sacks.

Standouts:

• Browns DE Myles Garrett: fastest player in NFL sack history to reach 50 career sacks behind Reggie White (40 games) and Derrick Thomas (54 games).
• Browns number one rushing attack: just 73 yards on the ground and now Nick Chubb (calf) AND Kareem Hunt (calf) are both injured, now Cleveland has a short week before their next game on Thursday Night Football.

Las Vegas Raiders 34, Denver Broncos 24

Winners:

• Las Vegas Raiders: they are now 4-2 and tied with the Chargers atop the AFC West.
• Vegas QB Derek Carr: stepped up when the team needed a leader and completed 18/27 for 341 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
• LV running back Kenyon Drake: he got his first touchdown pass as a Raider.
• Raiders offense: 426 total yards for the Vegas offense averaging 8.2 yards per play.
• Broncos tight end Noah Fant: leads the team in receiving by hauling in nine balls for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Losers:

• Denver Broncos: after starting the season out 3-0, the Broncos drop their third in a row to fall to 3-3 and tied with the Chiefs at the bottom of the AFC West.
• Raiders ‘resigned’ head coach Jon Gruden: the plot thickens as his offensive emails lose him his job and cast a dark shadow on the NFL.

Standouts:

• Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia leads the team to an emotional first win with him in charge.
• Denver QB Teddy Bridgewater throws three interceptions in the game, somewhat negating his three touchdown passes.

Dallas Cowboys 35, New England Patriots 29

Winners:

• Dallas Cowboys: win their fifth game in a row, this one in overtime, and at 5-1 now sit atop the NFC East three full games ahead of the Eagles and Washington.
• Cowboys QB Dak Prescott: apparently now fully rehabbed, he completed 36/51 passes for 445 yards and three touchdowns with an interception in his team’s fifth win.
• Dallas WR CeeDee Lamb: another gem for this guy – nine catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns plus Lamb ran the ball for two yards.
• Elliott-Pollard: the Cowboys dual-threat, two-headed rushing attack does it again combining for 110 yards rushing and 77 yards receiving in the win.
• Pats RB Damien Harris: rushed 18 times for 101 yards and a touchdown averaging 5.6 yards per carry in the loss.

Losers:

• New England Patriots: tough overtime loss to the Cowboys brings them to 2-4 and two games behind the Bills in the AFC East.
• Cowboys’ penalties: they got flagged 12 times for 115 backwards yards in this game.

Standouts:

• Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs: talent runs in the family as this Dallas cornerback snags he league-leading seventh interception of the season.
• Patriots’ rookie QB Mac Jones: posted -4 yards rushing on the day.

Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Seattle Seahawks 20

Winners:

• Pittsburgh Steelers: the earn the win in overtime and move to 3-3 now two games behind the Ravens in the AFC North.
• T.J. Watt: despite his wild punching penalty, he led the Steelers’ deadly pass rush with two sacks and the game-winning forced fumble that put them in field goal range.
• Steelers’ placekicker Chris Boswell: nailed a 52-yarder with just a minute and a half to go, then booted the game-winning field goal in overtime, the hot kicker 3/3 on field goals and 2/2 on points after for 11 points in the game.
• Seahawks RB Alex Collins: Seattle was without running backs Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny, both an IR, and Collins stepped in and carried the ball 20 times for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Losers:

• Seattle Seahawks: they are 2-4 now and share the bottom of the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers.
• Annoying drunken fan: to that second fool to run on an NFL field today, “Double booooo!”

Standouts:

• Seahawks backup QB Geno Smith: first start since his New York Giants played at Oakland in Week 13 of the 2017 season when Smith ended Eli Manning‘s 210 game starting streak, and now he stopped Russell Wilson’s streak of 149 games started.
• Steelers rookie punter Pressley Harvin: this jumbo slice of beef stands at 6 foot tall and weighs 255 pounds and can boot the ball a mile.
• Seahawks LB Darrell Taylor: in the scariest moment of the game, he was carted off with an apparent neck injury then brought to a trauma center via ambulance, no further updates yet available.