NFL 2023 Week 6 Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come to an end. The week that was week 6 brought us a couple of reunion games with former Alabama quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Bryce Young battling it out, a reunion game in the Colts and Jaguars. Some other notable games included a defensive battle in Cleveland, a scoring extravaganza in Cincinnati and an NFC North battle in the Windy City. All those games and more in this week's recap post.

NFL Week 6 Freaky Stat

The Lions 5-1 record is their best start since 2011, and their sixth 5-1 start since the NFL merger in 1970. The Jets win against the Eagles is their first win against Philadelphia ever (their first meeting was in 1973 which was a 24-23 Eagles win). 

NFL Week 6 Recap

Denver 8, Kansas City 19: TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce (and I guess Taylor Swift) got the job done in Arrowhead. Russell Wilson was not great in this one as he hit 13 of 22 passes for 95 yards with a touchdown pass to Cortland Sutton in the 4th quarter. Wilson was feeling the pressure of the Chiefs defense all game as he was pressured multiple times, sacked four times and was intercepted two times. The scoring play came on a 11-yard play that originally ruled incomplete but a challenge overturned it to a touchdown and then the two-point conversion was successful. Javonte Williams ran the ball ten times for 52 yards. Russell Wilson rushed for 31 yards on four carries. The Broncos offense got 197 total yards at the end of the game. Patrick Mahomes was good enough as he hit 30 of 40 passes for 306 yards with a touchdown pass to Kadarius Toney in the 2nd quarter. Mahomes did toss an interception in the game. Isiah Pacheco got some decent running yards as he rushed for 62 yards rushing including a 15-yard run that was the longest for him. Patrick Mahomes finished with the same rushing numbers as Russell Wilson with 31. The big star of the game was Travis Kelce who was hampered with an ankle injury during last week's win against the Vikings. He finished with nine catches for 124 yards. Safe to say perhaps a certain person who was in a suite during the game, made him feel better. Just maybe. For the Broncos, they drop to 1-5 on the 2023 season. For the Chiefs, they continue with their title defense season with a 5-1 record. 

Next week:
Denver: vs Green Bay 

Kansas City: vs LA Chargers 

TW: 1-0; CV: 1-0

Baltimore 24, Tennessee 16: TW: Ravens; CV: Titans

The Ravens take care of business in London. Lamar Jackson was effective in this game as he hit 21 of 30 passes for 223 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception while getting 62 rushing yards. The lone Baltimore touchdown came to Zay Flowers on a short pass in the redzone that went for 10 yards that gave the Ravens a 15-3 lead. Gus Edwards hit 41 yards on 16 carries. Ravens kicker Justin Tucker was used a lot as he hit 6 for 6 field goals but did miss one extra point. While the Ravens got the win they went 1 for 6 in redzone efficiency and 0 for 2 in goal to go situations. Baltimore's offense got 360 total yards. Tennessee was somewhat of a mess in this game. Ryan Tannehill started but gave the Titans a 8 for 16 passing game with 76 yards with an interception. Malik Willis would get some play time as he hit 4 of 5 passes for 74 yards. Tennessee did score a lone touchdown by no other than Derrick Henry who ran into the endzone on a 15-yard play. Henry finished the game with 97 yards on 12 carries, including a 63-yard run. It was a shortage of offensive yardage for the Titans again as they put up 233 total yards, including 129 rushing yards. For the Ravens, they continue their season with a 4-2 record. For the Titans, the loss of Ryan Tannehill due to an ankle injury is the least of their worries as they drop to 2-4 in 2023. 

Next week:
Baltimore: vs Detroit

Tennessee: Bye

TW: 2-0; CV: 1-1

Carolina 21, Miami 42: TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins

Tua gets the last laugh against his former Crimson Tide teammate Bryce Young. Young hit 23 of 38 passes for 217 yards with a touchdown pass to Adam Thielen in the 1st quarter on a 8-yard pass to the right. Chuba Hubbard had a good game running the ball with 88 yards rushing with a touchdown. Both touchdowns by the Panthers happened in the 1st quarter. Carolina's offense got to 296 total yards. Tua Tagovailoa hit 21 of 31 passes for 262 yards with three touchdown passes. The players that had caught those passes were Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Raheem Mostert. Miami's offense got a good showing from their rushing attack as Raheem Mostert ran over the Panthers offense for 115 yards with two touchdowns. Salvon Ahmed rushed for 23 yards with a touchdown. Tyreek Hill finished the game with 163 receiving yards on six catches, with a 47-yard play. Miami's offense didn't miss a beat once again as they totaled 424 total yards in the game. For the Panthers, they will look to week 8 to get win #1 as they drop to 0-6. For the Dolphins, they get some cushion in the AFC East division race with a 5-1 record. 

Next week: 
Carolina: Bye
Miami: @ Philadelphia (Sunday night)

TW: 3-0; CV: 2-1

Indianapolis 20, Jacksonville 37: TW: Colts; CV: Jaguars

Gardner Minshew's return to Jacksonville was not a friendly reunion. The former Jaguars quarterback hit 33 of 55 passes for 329 yards with a touchdown pass to Josh Downs late in the 4th quarter. The quarterback also tossed three interceptions to Jaguars in the game. Zach Moss hit 21 yards rushing with a touchdown also in the 4th quarter. Along with the three turnovers, the Colts also lost a fumble on their first drive in the 2nd quarter, totaling their turnovers to four. Trevor Lawrence was alright in the game as he hit 20 of 30 passes for 181 yards with two touchdown passes to Christian Kirk and Brenton Strange. Most of the damage for the Jaguars came on their running game as he rushed for 55 yards with two touchdowns. It was a quiet day for the offense as they got 233 total yards but the turnovers by the Colts were just freebies for points. Brandon McManus hit three field goals in the game. For the Colts, they drop to 3-3 in a heated battle in the AFC South. For the Jaguars, they get to 4-2 with a game lead in the AFC South. 

Next week:
Indianapolis: vs Cleveland
Jacksonville: @ New Orleans (Thursday night)

TW: 3-1; CV: 3-1

Minnesota 19, Chicago 13: TW: Bears; CV: Vikings

No Justin Jefferson, no problem. Kirk Cousins hit 21 of 31 passes for 181 yards with a touchdown pass to Jordan Addison. It would be the only offensive touchdown for the Vikings. Alexander Mattison rushed for 44 yards on 18 carries. Minnesota's offense would get 220 total yards of offense. The defense got a fumble-six on a Tyson Bagent play that was recovered by Jordan Hicks for 42 yards for the score. Justin Fields started the game for the Bears and hit 6 of 10 passes for 58 yards with an interception. He would leave the game with a right hand injury. Tyson Bagent came in and didn't help the cause as he hit 10 of 14 passes for 83 yards but did score the only touchdown for the Bears on a 1-yard dive for six. He did also toss an interception in the game. D'Onta Foreman rushed for 65 yards with 15 carries. DJ Moore who had 230 receiving yards last week only got 51 receiving yards in this game. Chicago's offense wounded up with 275 total yards, 162 of them for rushing yards. For the Vikings, they avoid hanging out in the NFC North basement and improve to 2-4. For the Bears, their winning streak of one ends as they drop to 1-5. 

Next week:
Minnesota: vs San Francisco (Monday night)

Chicago: vs Las Vegas

TW: 3-2; CV: 4-1

New Orleans 13, Houston 20: TW: Texans; CV: Texans

Defense prevents the Saints from getting a win in Houston. Derek Carr hit 32 of 50 passes for 353 yards with a touchdown pass to Rashid Shaheed in the 1st quarter. He would also toss an interception in the game. Alvin Kamara rushed for 68 yards on 19 carries. Chris Olave had a solid game with 96 receiving yards with seven catches. New Orleans would have the yardage in this game just not the points as they had 430 total yards. CJ Stroud continues his solid rookie campaign with 13 of 27 passes for 199 yards with two touchdown passes with an interception. Robert Woods and Dalton Schultz were the recipients of those passes from Stroud. The first touchdown came to Dalton Schultz on a redzone trip for a 1-yard play. The Robert Woods touchdown came on a 6-yard short pass up the middle. Devin Singletary rushed for 58 yards on 12 carries. Houston's offense would get the dub but only put up 297 total yards of offense. For the Saints, they drop to 3-3 after putting the hurt against the Patriots last week. For the Texans, they improve to 3-3 and keep pace with the Colts and Jaguars in the AFC South. 

Next week: 
New Orleans: vs Jacksonville (Thursday night)
Houston: Bye

TW: 4-2; CV: 5-1

Seattle 13, Cincinnati 17: TW: Bengals; CV: Seahawks

Back to back redzone stops keep the Bengals in the win column against the Seahawks. Geno Smith did his best but it was lacking somewhat. He hit 27 of 41 passes for 323 yards with two interceptions while rushing for 20 yards. Kenneth Walker III scored the only touchdown for the Seahawks on a 1-yard run up the middle that got the scoring going for the Seahawks up 7-0. Some good games for Tyler Lockett who had 94 yards receiving and DK Metcalf with 69 receiving yards. Jason Myers hit two field goals for the Seahawks, the longest from 55 yards. The Seahawks hit 381 total yards of offense. On the two last offensive drives for the Seahawks they would see the Bengals sack Geno Smith two times while incomplete many passes, both drives end on Goal-to-Go situations. Joe Burrow did well enough in this game as he hit 24 of 35 passes for 185 yards and two touchdown passes to Tyler Boyd and Andrei Iosivas for his first touchdown in his career. Burrow did get hit with an interception. Cincy's offense wouldn't get much for their running game as Joe Mixon got 38 yards rushing on 12 carries. The Bengals offense would turn in one of the lower outputs thus far this season with 214 total yards. A win's a win I guess. For the Seahawks, they drop to 3-2 after their first game back from a bye. For the Bengals, they move up to .500 football as they get to 3-3 in 2023. 

Next week:
Seattle: vs Arizona
Cincinnati: Bye

TW: 5-2; CV: 5-2

San Francisco 17, Cleveland 19: TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers

Might be the best win in Browns history since their playoff win in January 2021. Brock Purdy hit 12 of 27 passes for 125 yards with a touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey on a shuttle pass in the 1st quarter. He did also toss an interception in the game. Christian McCaffrey rushed for 43 yards on 11 carries. Jordan Mason rushed for 27 yards with a touchdown run. McCaffrey would leave the game with an injury. San Francisco would be without Deebo Samuel in the game and might have some health issues with Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey. San Francisco's offense, normally unstoppable only got 215 total yards in the game. Cleveland was without both DeShaun Watson as well as Dorian Thompkins-Robinson (who was benched) in favor for PJ Walker. Walker, a former XFL and Panthers quarterback, hit 18 for 34 passes for 192 yards with two interceptions. The Browns running game would get the scoring going for the Browns. The lone Browns touchdown was on a Kareem Hunt score for 16 yards. Jerome Ford had 84 yards rushing in the game. Amari Cooper caught four passes for 108 yards including a 58-yard play. Both teams played some ugly football as both teams went 6 for 25 on 3rd down conversions and had combined 25 penalties that totaled to 224 yards. It was a rough game for Jake Moody who hit 1 of 3 on field goals as he missed the ultimate game-winner on a 41-yard attempt. When he missed it, it was pandemonium on the Browns bench and in the stands as the Browns fans were celebrating like they won the Super Bowl. For the 49ers, their undefeated season ends as they drop to 5-1. For the Browns, they get one of their best wins since returning to the league in 1999 as they improve to 3-2. 

Next week:
San Francisco: @ Minnesota (Monday night)
Cleveland: @ Indianapolis

TW: 5-3; CV: 5-3

Washington 24, Atlanta 16: TW: Falcons; CV: Falcons

The Football gods giveth three touchdown passes, the Football gods taketh three interceptions. Sam Howell hit 14 of 23 passes for 151 yards with three touchdown passes. Curtis Samuel, Brian Robinson Jr., and Antonio Gibson were the players that caught those passes from Howell. Brian Robinson rushed for 31 yards in the game. Chris Rodriguez Jr had 23 yards rushing on four carries. Washington got 193 total yards from their offense but the Atlanta turnovers helped them in getting the points. Desmond Ridder would not have a great game as he hit 28 of 47 passes for 307 yards with two touchdowns but also tossed three interceptions in the game. Jonnu Smith and Kyle Pitts were the players that caught those touchdown passes from Ridder. Tyler Allgeier rushed for 51 yards. Bijan Robinson rushed for 37 yards. The Falcons offense out yarded the Commanders with 402 total yards of their own. The turnovers hurt the Falcons as they did most of their scoring in the 1st half. For the Commanders, they get back to .500 football with a 3-3 record but it was an ugly win. For the Falcons, they drop to 3-3 with the rough loss despite the turnovers. 

Next week:
Washington: @ NY Giants
Atlanta: @ Tampa Bay

TW: 5-4; CV: 5-4

New England 17, Las Vegas 21: TW: Raiders; CV: Raiders

Good news, the Patriots scored two touchdowns. The bad news, they still lost. Mac Jones hit 24 of 33 passes for 200 yards even with an interception that lead to a Raiders field goal. New England's running game would do the scoring in this game. Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 46 yards with a touchdown in the 4th quarter. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a touchdown on 34 yards in the game. The Elliott touchdown was the Patriots first since the 1st quarter against the Jets in Week 3. It broke a 12 quarter touchdown-less streak and ended 58 unanswered point streak as well. New England's offense showed some signs of offensive output as they got 259 total yards. Some of the plays that the Patriots that could've gone right for the Patriots was a drop by Devante Parker, a holding call that could've a 73-yard touchdown play and a painful but satisfying 9-minute drive that came to a touchdown. Jimmy Garoppolo started for this game and hit 14 of 22 passes for 162 yards with a touchdown pass to former Patriot Jakobi Meyers but also tossed an interception. Garoppolo would leave the game and head to a local hospital with a back injury. Former Patriot Brian Hoyer hit 6 of 10 passes for 102 yards in a backup role. Josh Jacobs did some good things with his legs as he rushed for 77 yards on 25 carries. Davante Adams was held to two catches for 29 yards. Las Vegas would get a safety from a Maxx Crosby and Bilal Nichols sack on Mac Jones that was the last play for the Patriots. Las Vegas got 348 total yards of offense in this game. For the Patriots, they drop to 1-5 despite some signs of offensive life. For the Raiders, they get to 3-3 after going on a 1-3 skid to start the season. 

Next week:
New England: vs Buffalo
Las Vegas: @ Chicago

TW: 6-4; CV: 6-4

Arizona 9, LA Rams 26: TW: Rams; CV: Rams

Cooper Kupp and company torched the Cardinals. Joshua Dobbs completed 21 of 41 passes for 235 yards with an interception as well as rushed for 47 yards. Keaontay Ingram rushed for 40 yards on 10 carries. The Cardinals points came from three Matt Prater field goals with a 55-yard field goal being his longest in the game. Arizona would get 345 total yards and visited the redzone three times but wouldn't be able to convert the trips to touchdowns. Matthew Stafford hit 15 of 24 passes for 226 yards with a touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp. Kyren Williams rushed for 158 yards with a touchdown run that was originally ruled as a fumble but was reversed as a touchdown for Williams. Cooper Kupp caught seven passes for 148 yards with a 49-yard play that was the longest for him. Puka Nacua caught four passes for 26 yards. Los Angeles's offense got 382 total yards in the game. For the Cardinals, they drop to 1-5 on the season. For the Rams, they get to 3-3 in an up and down season. 

Next week: 
Arizona: @ Seattle
LA Rams: vs Pittsburgh

TW: 7-4; CV: 7-4

Detroit 20, Tampa Bay 6: TW: Buccaneers; CV: Lions

The Lions offense took care of business in Tampa as they silenced the Buccaneers. Jared Goff hit 30 of 44 passes for 353 yards with two touchdown passes for Amonra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Detroit's running game didn't get much but as a collective group they got 40 total yards. Craig Reynolds rushed for 15 yards. David Montgomery got 14 rushing yards. Amonra St. Brown finished the game with 12 catches for 124 yards with the aforementioned touchdown. Detroit got 380 yards of offensive ball. Baker Mayfield didn't get a lot going in this game as he hit 19 of 37 passes for 206 yards with an interception on the Bucs 2nd possession in the game. Rashad White rushed for 26 yards on seven carries. They did get some good kicks from kicker Chase McLaughlin who got two field goals. Tampa would get 251 total yards of offensive play. The Buccaneers offense couldn't get a lot going as only one drive in the 1st half went for a field goal, all the rest went for a punt or an interception. For the Lions, they go to 5-1 for the first time since 2011 and get a good cushion in the NFC North. For the Buccaneers, they drop to 3-2 after coming off a bye. 

Next week: 
Detroit: @ Baltimore
Tampa Bay: vs Atlanta

TW: 7-5; CV: 8-4

Philadelphia 14, NY Jets 20: TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles

The ghosts of the 1972 Dolphins can rest for another season as the last unbeaten falls. Jalen Hurts was seeing some sort of ghosts in this game as he threw 28 of 45 passes for 280 yards with a touchdown pass to D'Andre Swift. The Eagles quarterback tossed three passes to players wearing green jerseys. Hurts also rushed for 47 yards with a touchdown run. The Eagles offense got 348 total yards in this game but the interceptions as well as a Swift fumble costed the Eagles in this game. AJ Brown caught seven passes for 131 yards. Zach Wilson didn't do a lot in this game but he didn't toss an interception. He hit 19 of 33 passes for 186 yards. The only touchdown for the offense came on a Breece Hall run up the middle for eight yards that put the Jets in the lead for good. Hall finished the game with 39 yards rushing. Xavier Gipson had 18 rushing yards on one carry. New York's offense didn't do much but did get 244 total yards with 155 of them from the air. The Jets defense did the work in this one forcing four turnovers. For the Eagles, they can finally relax and not worry about an undefeated season as they drop to 5-1. For the Jets, they improve to 3-3 with some hope in the 2023 season. 

Next week:
Philadelphia: vs Miami (Sunday night)
NY Jets: Bye

TW: 7-6; CV: 8-5

NY Giants 9, Buffalo 14: TW: Bills; CV: Bills

What was a blowout by Vegas's turned into a defensive battle. Tyrod Taylor hit 24 of 36 passes for 200 yards. Taylor also rushed for 24 yards but didn't throw a touchdown but didn't toss an interception either. The Giants had an opportunity to get their first touchdown at the end of the game. Taylor threw a pass to Darren Waller that turned into a pass interference penalty that resulted in a 1st and goal on the Bills 1-yard line. On the ensuing play Taylor hit a pass to Waller again and would be ruled incomplete. Daniel Jones would miss this game due to injury but Saquon Barkley was available. Barkley rushed for 93 yards on 24 carries. The Giants finished with 317 total yards of offense. Josh Allen and company got off to a slow start offensively but did get to 14 points at the end of the game. Allen had 19 of 30 passes completed for 169 yard with two touchdown passes with an interception. Quintin Morris and Deonte Harty were the players that caught the passes and scored. James Cook rushed for 71 yards on 14 carries for the Bills. Along with the interception, the Bills also fumbled on their 2nd drive in the 1st quarter. Stefon Diggs had 100 yards receiving with 10 catches. The two touchdown drives by the Bills would come on long sustained drives that had a time of possession of 9:58 and 6:47 respectively. The game ended with some controversy with the 1st and goal play as Darren Waller was grabbed by the jersey that went uncalled. Despite the fact that the Giants also got a pass interference call on the previous play. For the Giants, the loss drops them to 1-5 with not much hope of getting back to playing in the playoffs. For the Bills, they get to 4-2 but will need to get their offense back on track. 

Next week:
NY Giants: vs Washington
Buffalo: @ New England

TW: 8-6; CV: 9-5

Dallas 20, LA Chargers 17: TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers

Dak Prescott and company hold off the Chargers. Prescott hit 21 of 30 passes for 272 yards with a touchdown pass to Brandon Cooks late in the 4th quarter. He would also score a touchdown from the ground on a 18-yard run to the right and eventually up the middle. Tony Pollard got 30 rushing yards on the game. CeeDee Lamb had a productive game with 117 receiving yards with seven catches. Dallas got forth 342 total yards of offense in the game. Justin Herbert hit 22 of 37 passes for 227 yards with two touchdowns. Keenan Allen and Gerald Everett were the players that caught those passes. There was an interception thrown that would finish with the game. Austin Ekeler got 27 yards rushing with 14 carries. Justin Herbert had 20 rushing yards with six carries. There was some issues with discipline on the offensive line as they had multiple holding calls on them. Holding calls tend to be drive killers. The Chargers got 272 total yards of offense. For the Cowboys, they move ahead with a 4-2 record with a game behind the Eagles in the NFC East standings. For the Chargers, they drop to 2-3 in the 2023 season. 

Next week:
Dallas: vs LA Rams

LA Chargers: @ Kansas City

TW: 8-7; CV: 9-6

Records

Cardinal Viking:

2023: 
Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 13-3
Week 5: 6-8

Week 6: 9-6

Total: 56-37

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2

My record: 

2023:
Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 14-2

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 8-7

Total: 60-33

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2

See you all on Wednesday/Thursday for the Week # Picks post! Enjoy your week!

-Tom