We learned a whole lot from the sixth Sunday of regular season NFL action this year. Seemingly prepared to take a stranglehold on the NFC North, the Chicago Bears laid an egg at the worst possible time in South Beach.
Out west, the Los Angeles Rams continued to dominate. This time, it came against what has quickly become a bad Denver Broncos team. What does that loss mean for Case Keenum and Co.? Meanwhile, Dallas made quick work of the Jaguars in another late-afternoon game.
And in the “Sunday Night Football” tilt, the New England Patriots made a major statement in a thrilling 43-40 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. It was a battle for supremacy in the AFC. And Tom Brady came through big time. These are among the top takeaways from Sunday’s Week 6 NFL action.
Patriots with that annual statement win
It was not easy Sunday night against the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. While it looked like New England would win this game in a rout early on, Patrick Mahomes and Co, came back and made a game of it. In fact, Kansas City took a fourth quarter lead before Tom Brady did Tom Brady things. That included a go-ahead touchdown run late in the fourth quarter and a long connection with Rob Gronkowski that culminated in the game-winning field goal as time expired.
It’s the signature win we’ve come to expect from the Brady-led Patriots. In no way was it perfect. Rob Gronkowski continued to struggle prior to that late catch, and the passing game wasn’t going early on. And on defense, the Patriots allowed too many big plays in a 43-40 win. Even then, they took out the talk of the NFL on national television.
Cowboys shockingly dominate the Jaguars
Despite losing to the Chiefs last week, no one could have foreseen just how poorly Jacksonville would play Sunday in Dallas. From the minute this game kicked off, the Cowboys were in domination mode. They allowed less than 70 total yards in the first half, taking a 24-0 lead into intermission. Dak Prescott played the best football we’ve seen since his rookie season. Meanwhile, the Cowboys forced two second half turnovers to come away with a blowout 40-7 win.
Skeptics will wonder whether the Jaguars just didn’t show up in this game. Some will conclude that the blowout win was more about Jacksonville than the Cowboys. That’s fine. But for the first time this season, Jason Garrett’s squad looked like a playoff contender. Now, at 3-3, that’s exactly what the Cowboys are heading into Week 7.
Texans need to get Deshaun Watson some help
Houston might have come out on top against Buffalo on Sunday for its third consecutive win. In no way does that mean Bill O’Brien’s squad is out of the woods quite yet. Sure, winning three consecutive after an 0-3 start is good. But the beating that second-year quarterback Deshaun Watson continues to take is anything but good.
Dealing with a chest injury heading into the game, Watson didn’t look anywhere near 100 percent. He was then attended to on the sideline for an unrelated injury after seeing a plethora of pressure in his face. All said, Watson was sacked seven times and hit a total of 13 times in the 20-13 win. Opposing teams have now taken him to the turf 25 times in six games. Houston must fix this in short order if it wants him to remain healthy throughout the remainder of the season.
By Vincent Frank
