NFL Week 6 Sunday winners and losers: Jordan Love shines, Drake Maye debuts originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The NFL season is well underway, as the contenders are starting to separate themselves from the pretenders.
On one side of the coin, the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers kept things rolling and extended their winning streaks in Week 6. On the other, the New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints extended their losing skids.
Here are all the winners and losers from the early afternoon action on Sunday:
WINNER: DMV football fans
The Ravens and Washington Commanders put on a show in Week 6.
The Ravens held on for a 30-23 victory in what was a compelling battle between star quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels. Jackson had 323 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception, while Daniels totaled 269 passing yards and two scores.
Even though Washington ended up losing, it was another encouraging sign about the future of the team. They are 4-2, as are the Ravens, and the division appears to be wide open. Both teams should walk away from this game feeling good about their direction.
LOSER: Patriots struggles continue
Patriots rookie Drake Maye was inserted into the starting lineup, but it didn’t make much of a difference against the Texans.
C.J. Stroud and Co. rolled to a 41-21 win at Gillette Stadium, with the Patriots’ turnovers, penalties and poor defense plaguing any momentum they tried to get. Maye finished 20 of 33 for 243 yards with three touchdowns, one interception and a fumble lost. He was sacked four times, facing constant pressure from the duo of Will Anderson Jr. (three sacks) and Danielle Hunter (one sack), but put together a solid game in his first start considering the circumstances.
New England’s defense didn’t help Maye at all in this one, allowing 368 yards to Houston’s offense. Stroud had three touchdowns as the Texans improved to 5-1 with their third straight win, while the Patriots fell to 1-5 with their fifth straight loss.
WINNER: Jordan Love is all the way back
The Green Bay Packers’ quarterback has found his rhythm again.
After missing two games with a knee injury, he returned with mixed results in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings and win against the Los Angeles Rams. On Sunday, he fully returned to form — 22 of 32, 258 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
Love, as he often does, spread the ball around in the Packers’ 34-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Nine different receivers caught a pass, led by Christian Watson with three receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown in his return from injury. The Packers are now 4-2 with a massive game ahead next week against the Texans at Lambeau Field.
LOSER: Browns can’t pull off the upset
The Philadelphia Eagles got a much-needed home victory over the Cleveland Browns, but it wasn’t easy.
Philly took a 10-3 lead and appeared headed for a 13-3 halftime cushion before their late field goal attempt was blocked by Myles Garrett and returned for a touchdown to tie it going into halftime. After the break, the game was again tied at 13 before the Eagles pulled ahead 20-13 and held on to win 20-16.
Deshaun Watson and the Browns had plenty of chances in the fourth quarter, but came up short in the red zone on their final drive. The Eagles didn’t give them a chance in the end, with a 3:54 drive to ice the game. Cleveland is now 1-5 on the season, while Philly moved to 3-2 after its bye last week.
WINNER: Bucs win one for Tampa
With the team away from home all week due to Hurricane Milton, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers provided at least a few hours of encouragement for Florida residents.
Baker Mayfield and Co. dismantled the New Orleans Saints 51-27 after scoring 27 unanswered points in the second half. The Bucs QB had four touchdowns and three interceptions, while Sean Tucker (136 yards) and Bucky Irving (81 yards) both powered the team on the ground.
The Saints started rookie Spencer Rattler, who seemed up for the challenge in the first two quarters. The offense fell apart in the second half, though, as the rookie finished the game 18 of 35 for 210 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
LOSER: Titans hand over another lead
The Tennessee Titans are now 1-4, and three of their losses came after blowing a lead.
Sunday was especially disappointing against the Indianapolis Colts, where the Titans were outscored 10-0 in the fourth quarter to lose 20-17. Will Levis struggled throughout most of the game, totaling just 95 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception.
On the other side, Joe Flacco and the Colts are 3-3 after another solid start from the veteran. He had 189 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in relief of Anthony Richardson, who seems to be nearing a return from injury. Indy is firmly in the mix in the AFC through six weeks — a welcome sight after starting 0-2.
