NFL Week 6 grades: Packers get 'B-' for tight win over Bengals; Baker Mayfield leads Buccaneers to 'A-'
Here are the Week 6 grades for every team that played
By
John Breech
•
15 min read
Welcome to the Week 6 grades!
It was definitely a painful day to be an NFL quarterback. There were four quarterbacks around the league who were sacked at least four times on Sunday.
- Justin Fields got beat up by the Broncos defense during a game where he was sacked nine times. It was the most sacks that Denver had recorded in a single game since 1996.
- Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence got sacked seven times by the Seahawks defense.
- Browns rookie Dillon Gabriel had no chance against a Steelers defense that sacked him six times.
- Titans rookie Cam Ward also had a painful day: He got sacked six times by the Raiders.
- Mac Jones has got sacked six times in San Francisco's loss to Tampa Bay
- Tyler Huntley didn't even start for the Ravens, but he still got sacked four times by the Rams.
Those six quarterbacks got sacked a combined 38 times, and not surprisingly, they went 0-6 on Sunday. With that in mind, let's get to the Week 6 grades, starting with Seattle's impressive win in Jacksonville.
Seattle 20-12 over Jacksonville
| A- |  |
| After getting torched in Week 5, the Seahawks defense bounced back with an impressive performance in Jacksonville. The Seahawks' pass rush went wild with seven sacks of Trevor Lawrence, including two that came from Demarcus Lawrence. The Seahawks defense was so good that the Jaguars didn't run a single play inside Seattle's 20-yard line. As for the offense, Sam Darnold has figured out the secret to success in Seattle: Throw the ball to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. JSN has looked like one of the best receivers in the NFL through the first six weeks and he showed the Jags why on a day where he finished with 162 yards. This was an impressive road win for a Seahawks team that has been nearly unbeatable on the road under Mike Macdonald (10-1). | |
| C |  |
| After an emotional win on Monday night, the Jags simply looked a little flat in this game. A big problem for the Jaguars is that they couldn't get their rushing attack going. Jacksonville went into the game averaging 137 yards per game on the ground, which was the third-highest total in the NFL, but they were limited to just 59 yards against Seattle. With the ground game bottled up, the Jags had to turn to the passing game and that didn't work either, with Trevor Lawrence facing constant pressure. The Jaguars are a good team, but they got outplayed in all three phases of the game here. | |
Green Bay 27-18 over Cincinnati
| C+ |  |
| Joe Flacco only had four days to learn the Bengals' offense, and during the first half, he played like a guy who only had four days to learn the offense. However, the Bengals should be encouraged by the fact that something seemed to click for Flacco during a second half in which he completed 70% of his passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Flacco spread the ball around: He completed at least one pass to eight different receivers, including Ja'Marr Chase, who had 10 receptions for 94 yards. Despite the loss, the Bengals will likely now have plenty of confidence going into their showdown with the Steelers on Thursday night. | |
| B- |  |
| This was a surprisingly close game going into the fourth quarter with Green Bay leading just 10-7, and that's when Jordan Love took over. The Packers piled up 17 points in the quarter thanks to 74 passing yards and a touchdown from Love. With the Packers unable to shake the feisty Bengals, Green Bay needed everything Love had to offer. The Packers offense also got a spark from Josh Jacobs, who scored two touchdowns. There are still some major question marks about Green Bay's once dominant defense -- a defense that couldn't stop Joe Flacco in the second half -- but those questions are much easier to ask when your team is winning like the Packers did on Sunday. | |
Tampa Bay 30-19 over San Francisco
| B- |  |
| Eventually, the injuries catch up to you, and the injuries finally caught up to the 49ers on Sunday. Mac Jones started this game even though he didn't throw a single pass in practice all week, and although he had a valiant effort with 347 passing yards, he also threw two interceptions that led to 10 points for the Bucs. Kendrick Bourne had another huge game with 142 receiving yards, and it will be interesting to see if he's still a big contributor once Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle are back on the field. The 49ers won't be happy with this loss, but Kyle Shanahan is probably happy with this team's 4-2 record considering all the injuries they've been dealt, and they got handed another one Sunday with a season-ending injury to star linebacker Fred Warner. Nothing is ever easy for the 49ers. | |
| A- |  |
| If the NFL decided to hand out the MVP award after Week 6, it would probably have to go to Baker Mayfield. The Bucs QB has been making big play after big play this year, and he's doing it with both his arm and his legs. On a third-quarter play in this game, he converted a third-and-14 with a 15-yard run, and then he turned around and threw a 45-yard TD pass to put Tampa Bay up 27-19 just two plays later. That sequence felt like it iced the game. Althohugh Mayfield was impressive, he got plenty of help from a defense that sacked Mac Jones six times. The Bucs won this game without Mike Evans or Chris Godwin, and once the team is fully healthy, they'll have to be considered a legitimate Super Bowl contenders, if they're not already. | |
Las Vegas 20-10 over Tennessee
| C- |  |
| The Titans were a total offensive disaster in the first half with five punts and two turnovers on their seven possessions, and that included a lost fumble by Cameron Ward that set up at 2-yard touchdown drive by the Raiders. For the most part, the Titans offense struggled to move the ball, and it was even painful to watch at times. This game might have turned into a blowout if not for a Tennessee defense that held the Raiders to fewer than 230 yards of offense. With the way the offense is playing, the Titans might not win another game this year. | |
| C+ |  |
| With the offense struggling, Maxx Crosby and the Raiders defense decided to just take over the game and win it for Las Vegas. The Raiders sacked Ward six times with Crosby tallying two of those. All the pressure on Ward led to two lost fumbles and an interception by the Titans rookie QB, and that was the difference in the game. Pete Carroll hasn't been happy with how his offense has been playing, and he likely won't be feeling much better after this performance, but this was a big win for a Raiders team that's been missing its top offensive weapon (Brock Bowers) for the past two games. | |
Indianapolis 31-27 over Arizona
| B |  |
| It might not be fair to say after just one game, but Jacoby Brissett appears to run the Cardinals offense better than Kyler Murray does. With Murray out, Brissett kept the Arizona in the game making big play after big play. Brissett did his best to put the ball in the hands of his playmakers, which is how Trey McBride and Zay Jones both ended up with over 70 yards receiving. The Cards totaled 400 yards, which is a number they haven't hit this season with Murray. Brissett certainly wasn't perfect, but he gave the Cardinals a chance to win against one of the best teams in the NFL. | |
| B |  |
| The Colts offense continues to be an unstoppable force and that starts with Jonathan Taylor. If Taylor gets going, the Colts are almost impossible to stop and he got going against Arizona with 123 yards on just 21 carries. When Taylor is running well, that opens things up for Daniel Jones and he took advantage of that with another solid showing that saw him complete 73.3% of his passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. The Colts defense certainly could have been better in this game, but Indy was still able win, because that's what good teams do and and the Colts are one of the best teams in the NFL. | |
L.A. Rams 17-3 over Baltimore
| B- |  |
| With the Rams going up against one of the worst defenses in the NFL, this was a game where the offense was supposed to shine, but instead, it was the defense that stole the show. The Rams racked up four sacks, they forced three turnovers and they even had a goal line stand in the second quarter. Also, the Ravens didn't score a single TD despite getting into the red zone three times. Byron Young was a force for the Rams with two of their four sacks. Even with the offense having an off day, the Rams still managed to win by two touchdowns, which tells you how good this team is. | |
| D |  |
| The Ravens finally got a good game from their defense, but that went to waste because the offense made too many mistakes. The Ravens turned the ball over three times and you simply can't do that against a team like the Rams. The Ravens also came up empty on three different fourth-down attempts, including a fourth-and-goal from the Rams' 1-yard line in the second quarter that could have changed that game if Baltimore had scored. Derrick Henry did run wild for the Ravens, but the passing game was nonexistent with Cooper Rush running the show (Rush was so bad that he eventually got benched for Tyler Huntley). If Lamar Jackson doesn't return soon, the Ravens' season is going to go down the drain. | |
L.A. Chargers 29-27 over Miami
| B |  |
| After playing sparingly through the first five weeks, Kimani Vidal was thrust into action on Sunday and he put on a show. Vidal ran through the Dolphins offense for 124 yards rushing and it was exactly what the Chargers needed. The Chargers' banged-up offensive line also deserves some credit for keeping Justin Herbert upright for most of the game. And of course, Herbert deserves a lot of credit for leading a game-winning drive in the final minute with the key play being a 42-yard pass to Ladd McConkey. This was a gutsy win by a Chargers team that simply refused to lose. | |
| B- |  |
| Every time the Dolphins look like they're going to take a small step forward, they end up taking three steps back, and this game was a perfect example of that. Tua Tagovailoa threw three interceptions and the Chargers got 10 points off those turnovers. Despite that, the Dolphins still had a chance to win after Tua threw a go-ahead TD pass to Darren Waller with just 46 seconds left, but then the defense couldn't hold the lead. When the offense is playing well, the defense seems to let this team down, and when the defense is playing well, the offense seems to let the team down. If Mike McDaniel can't fix that problem soon, he might not be around much longer. | |
New England 25-19 New Orleans
| B+ |  |
| If Drake Maye isn't on your list of the 10 best quarterbacks in the NFL, he should be now. In his game, Maye threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns while finishing with a nearly perfect passer rating of 140.1. Maye made Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas look like All-Pros. At 4-2, the Patriots are looking like they're going to be a serious playoff contender and Mike Vrabel is looking a strong early candidate for Coach of the Year. The future looks bright for New England as Maye continues to shine. | |
| B- |  |
| For the third time this season, the Saints lost a game by one score. Kellen Moore has this team playing hard and that starts with Spencer Rattler, who's been surprisingly good. The problem for the Saints is that bad teams make bad mistakes and that happened for New Orleans in the fourth quarter when Juwan Johnson fumbled a ball after getting to midfield. If there was a column for moral victories in the NFL, the Saints would probably be leading the league in them. | |
Pittsburgh 23-9 over Cleveland
| D |  |
| Dillon Gabriel's second start definitely wasn't as good as his first start. For some reason, the Browns asked their rookie quarterback to throw more than 40 passes, which is not how you win with a rookie under center. The Browns offensive line got bulled by a Steelers pass rush that sacked Gabriel six times. And Gabriel certainly didn't help himself with several errant throws where he left his receivers hanging out to dry. If Gabriel keeps playing like this, it might only be a matter of time before we see Shedeur Sanders under center. | |
| B+ |  |
| No active NFL head coach has been better at beating rookie quarterbacks than Mike Tomlin and he proved why on Sunday. The Steelers did their best to confuse Dillon Gabriel and it definitely worked on a day where a cornerback (Jalen Ramsey) tied for the team lead in sacks with two of Pittsburgh's six. Aaron Rodgers continues to look more and more comfortable every week and he clearly has a growing chemistry with DK Metcalf, who finished with at least 95 yards for the second straight week. The Steelers dominated a divisional opponent and after six weeks, they certainly look like the favorite in the AFC North. | |
Carolina 30-27 over Dallas
| B- |  |
| The Cowboys had a chance to make a statement in this game, but instead they got steamrolled by Rico Dowdle. The Cowboys went into Week 6 with the NFL's worst defense and if you watched this game, you saw why that is. They couldn't stop the run, they couldn't stop the pass and they let the Panthers score 10 points in the fourth quarter. The fact that Dowdle went off for 183 yards rushing was also a slap in the face considering the Cowboys let him go so they could go with Javonte Williams, who ran for just 29 yards. George Pickens was the only skill player who totaled more than 35 yards. The Cowboys can't trust their defense and they can't trust their rushing attack and when you can't trust those two things, it's hard to win the NFL. | |
| A- |  |
| Rico Dowdle promised that he was going to get revenge on his former team and that's exactly what he did. The Panthers running back gashed his way through the Cowboys defense for 239 total yards with 183 of those coming on the ground. Bryce Young seems to be at his best when he has some help from the Panthers ground game and with Dowdle doing his part, Young also did his part by throwing for three touchdowns. The Panthers have now won two in a row and if they continue to run the ball like this, they might be able to sneak into the NFC wild card race. | |
Denver 13-11 over N.Y. Jets in London
| C+ |  |
| We don't hand out an offensive grade and a defensive grade, but for the Broncos, we should probably do that for this game. The defense gets an "A+" for a dominant performance that saw the Broncos rack up nine sacks. Denver gave Nik Bonitto a $120 million contract at the beginning of the season and he's already looking like a bargain. The Broncos held the Jets to -10 passing yards, which was the lowest total the NFL has seen in 27 years. Patrick Surtain II absolutely shut down Garrett Wilson, who had just 13 yards receiving. Offensively, the Broncos struggled for the second straight week. If the offense can get things figured out, the Broncos could quickly turn into the favorite in the AFC West. Even with the offense struggling, the Broncos are definitely a Super Bowl contender with this defense. | |
| C- |  |
| The Jets defense played well enough to win. The Jets special teams played well enough to win, but the offense apparently didn't make the trip to England. The offense seems to be getting worse every week and it hit rock bottom in London in a game where New York had NEGATIVE passing yards (Justin Fields threw for 45 yards, but the team lost 55 yards on nine sacks for a total of -10 passing yards). If the Jets learned one thing from this game, it's that Fields simply isn't the answer at quarterback. The ugly offensive day overshadowed a defense that held the Broncos to just 71 yards in the second half. The Jets are 0-6 and going nowhere. | |
N.Y. Giants 34-17 over Philadelphia
| D |  |
| The Eagles look broken on both sides of the ball. This is a team that usually bullies people, but they got bullied by the Giants. With Jalen Carter out, the defense got gashed up front by a New York rushing attack that totaled over 170 yards. On offense, the Eagles seem to have no identity. It looked like they wanted to run the ball early and that worked with Saquon Barkley rushing for 56 yards on just eight carries, but then he only got four more carries the rest of the game. Jalen Hurts put up decent numbers, but when he misses, he misses bad. In the second half, not only did the throw a back-breaking pick six, but he also missed a wide-open DeVonta Smith for what would have been an 89-yard TD. This team has now been outscored 54-17 over their past five quarters and if they don't fix things soon, it's hard to see them winning a second straight division title, let alone a second straight Super Bowl. | |
| A+ |  |
| For the first time since 2023, the Giants won a divisional game and they did it by riding their rookies to victory. This team is suddenly fun to watch and that's all thanks to Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo. Dart is just as effective with his legs as he is with his arm and he showed that off against Philly with 195 yards passing, 58 yards rushing and two total touchdowns. As for Skattebo, the fourth-round pick is looking like the steal of the draft. Not only did he steamroll the Eagles defense for 5.2 yards per carry, but he also scored three touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, Brian Burns was a game-wrecker with two of New York's three sacks. If the Giants continue to play like this, there's no reason they can't be a playoff contender this year. | |
