Overreactions from NFL Week 6: Cowboys proved they aren't playoff team? Sam Darnold MVP?

The NFL continues to provide the drama, no matter the week. The Sunday afternoon slate in Week 6 didn't disappoint, even if the games weren't exactly the heavyweight title fights we are accustomed to watching. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers established their place as a championship contender after beating the San Francisco 49ers, while the Green Bay Packers handled the Cincinnati Bengals. 

The Carolina Panthers did improve to .500 after upsetting the Dallas Cowboys, while the Pittsburgh Steelers have full command of the AFC North after beating the Cleveland Browns -- and the Baltimore Ravens losing (again). The Indianapolis Colts did improve to 5-1 after a thrilling win over the Arizona Cardinals while the Seattle Seahawks went to 4-2 after beating the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Plenty of storylines developed after the afternoon games on the Sunday slate. Which of those storylines are overreactions and which are reality? Or are we overreacting too much to a result? 

Mac Jones proved he can start again in the NFL

Overreaction or reality: Reality

No matter what Jones did (or didn't do) in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers, he filled in admirably for Brock Purdy over the last few games. Jones was beaten up by the Buccaneers defense, throwing for 347 yards with two interceptions (75.5 rating) while battling an oblique injury and essentially throwing on one leg. 

The 49ers offense moved the ball with Jones in the four games he started, and Jones shined without George Kittle, Ricky Pearsall, and a fully healthy Jauan Jennings. The 49ers were beaten and banged up, and lost Fred Warner as part of their casualties. Jones was able to hold the fort anyway. 

Jones is getting the blame for Sunday's loss, but this isn't on him. He's good enough to start somewhere again. 

Buccaneers will be the No. 1 seed in the NFC

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

There's a lot -- an awful lot -- to like about the Buccaneers. There is one loss on their resume, and that was to the Super Bowl champion Eagles. They beat the Seahawks and 49ers in consecutive weeks and own the best record in the NFC at 5-1.

Can the Buccaneers get the No. 1 seed in the conference? This is a conversation they belong in, even with the loss to the Eagles. Even though Tampa Bay is in the NFC South, the schedule is brutal. The Buccaneers play the Lions next week, the Bills in Week 11, and the Rams the following week before the schedule gets easier. 

The trick for the Buccaneers? Beat the Lions in Detroit to really enhance this conversation, giving another head-to-head tiebreaker to Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have one of the best teams in the NFC and Baker Mayfield is playing at an MVP level. They are certainly a Super Bowl contender at this stage in the game. 

Cowboys proved they aren't a playoff team

Overreaction or reality: Reality

There isn't much to say about the Cowboys, who are the definition of mid through six games. Dallas plays in rollercoaster games each and every week, with a defense that can only stop teams named the New York Jets. Every other week, Dak Prescott has had to carry this team to wins -- and really is the only reason Dallas has two victories at this stage in the game. 

Cowboys squander chance to gain ground in suddenly wide-open NFC East thanks to walk-off loss to Panthers

Garrett Podell

Dallas has only beaten the teams that play in the Meadowlands and are 0-3-1 against everyone else. The Cowboys can't stop the run nor seem to have a clue on how to get a key stop defensively. No matter how well Prescott plays, the stats become empty thanks to the talent on defense (another reason why the Micah Parsons trade made zero sense). 

Dallas hosts Washington next week, followed by Denver on the road. There's a really good chance the Cowboys can be 2-5-1, which may bury their playoff chances. This was a game the Cowboys had to win -- and didn't. 

Rico Dowdle is the best running back in the NFL

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

What Dowdle has done in his two starts has been extremely impressive. A week after having 200+ rushing yards in a win over the Dolphins, Dowdle followed that up with 183 rushing yards and 239 scrimmage yards in a 30-27 victory over the Cowboys. 

In Dowdle's two starts, he has totaled 389 rushing yards and 84 receiving yards -- 473 total yards of offense. Dowdle is averaging 6.9 yards per carry and has carried Carolina's offense to a pair of wins. If Dowdle starts over Chuba Hubbard when Hubbard returns, it wouldn't be a surprise. 

Is Dowdle the best running back in football? He's third in the NFL in rushing yards and second among running backs in yards per carry (5.7), taking advantage of two poor rushing defenses in the Dolphins and Cowboys. Dowdle deserves credit for being dominant, but there certainly needs to be a bigger sample size.

The Panthers are a player because of Dowdle, and that's all that matters. 

Ravens can salvage year if Lamar Jackson returns next week 

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

The Ravens are 1-5 after scoring just three points against the Rams in another loss, but there is some reason to be encouraged. The defense only gave up 17 points and held the Rams to 4.7 yards per play. The Rams didn't have Puka Nacua for a good portion of the game, but this was a Ravens defense that allowed 37+ points in four games!

Sunday's performance was encouraging, and the Ravens could have some life if Jackson returns from his hamstring injury next week. Cooper Rush was benched for Tyler Huntley as Baltimore had nothing going offensively, a game Baltimore probably wins if Jackson was healthy.

Jackson coming back may not matter, as Baltimore is 1-5 and four games behind Pittsburgh in the loss column. They are also three out of the loss column for the final playoff spot in a deep AFC. There may be too much to overcome in Baltimore. 

Sam Darnold is an MVP candidate

Overreaction or reality: Reality

Not many quarterbacks have had success against the Jaguars defense this season. That wasn't the case for Darnold, who finished 16 of 27 for 295 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions -- a 121.7 passer rating. Darnold knows who to get the ball to, as Jaxsn Smith-Njigba has eight catches for 162 yards and a score (he's making a case to be the offensive player of the year).

Darnold has been excellent all season, completing 70.8% of his passes for 1,541 yards with 11 touchdowns to three interceptions for a 116.0 passer rating. He's third in the league in passing yards and second in passer rating heading into the late afternoon slate. 

To further Darnold's MVP case? On throws of 10+ air yards, Darnold has completed 65.7% of his passes for 1,0009 yards with seven touchdowns to one interception -- a 137.5 passer rating. He's the reason the Seahawks are winning games and a contender in the NFC, and Seattle doesn't lose on the road either (won nine straight). 

There isn't a clear MVP front runner right now? Why can't Darnold be in the conversation?

Dolphins saved Mike McDaniel's job -- even in a loss

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

McDaniel isn't the problem in Miami, as the Dolphins did take the lead over the Chargers with :46 left. The offense has been serviceable with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, and the running game is highly efficient no matter who's carrying the ball. 

The defense is failing McDaniel, which is why the Dolphins have been so bad all year. Once the Dolphins took the lead in the final minute, the defense allowed Ladd McConkey to get 42 yards on a short out, setting the Chargers up for a Cameron Dicker field goal in the final seconds for the win. 

The Dolphins have allowed 27+ points in all five of their losses. That issue runs deeper than McDaniel, but he'll take the fall for their inefficiency. Not a matter of if, but when McDaniel gets fired. 

Shedeur Sanders will get a chance to start for Browns this year

Overreaction or reality: Reality

Dillon Gabriel's second start with the Browns was not good. He finished 29 of 52 for 221 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, but take a look at the attempts and yards gained. Gabriel averaged 4.3 yards per attempt in the loss and is averaging just 4.8 yards per attempt on the season.

On throws of 10+ air yards on Sunday, Gabriel was 4 of 14 for 51 yards with a 41.3 rating. When Gabriel was pressured, he was 4 of 12 for 13 yards and a 42.4 rating -- 1.1 yards per attempt. Those numbers just aren't good enough for any quarterback in professional football. 

Gabriel has a long leash in Cleveland, a team that is rebuilding and looking forward to 2026. If this play does continue weekly, Sanders will get a chance to start. At this rate, Gabriel is hurting his chances at starting the remainder of the year. 

Justin Fields should be benched by the Jets

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

Sunday's performance by Fields was bad, really bad. Fields finished 9 of 17 for 45 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions, showing little pocket awareness while being sacked nine times. The Jets had -10 net passing yards in the loss to the Broncos, as Fields was 1-for-5 for -1 yards when facing pressure -- -0.2 yards per attempt! 

The Jets are 0-6 through six games, and the pressure is on Aaron Glenn to change something. Glenn's future as a head coach looks very bleak with his in-game decisions and the way his roster is handled, but should it be at Fields' expense? 

Fields hasn't been good for the Jets and may be the reason why the offense is so inconsistent week-to-week. Would the Jets be better off with Tyrod Taylor? Probably not with the way this team is run on both sides of the ball. 

Changes are needed, but that starts up top with Glenn and how he manages his team during the week and in the game. That shouldn't come at the expense of Fields.