NFL WEEK 6: four key takeaways

By Alex Merson

Somehow we are already six weeks into the NFL season, and as always there is plenty to talk about, as fans and teams begin to understand what kind of season it is going to be for them.

Here are four key takeaways from this week action:

Rookie QBs have a day!

Rookies across the NFL have progressively got better as the weeks have gone by, and week six was a great week for many, especially the ones making their first start- here is a short rundown of each starting rookie QB:

Drake Maye

He came in to replace Brissett after a 1-4 start, but couldn’t help change the tide in terms of a win, losing 41-21. However, Maye looked good, threw three touchdowns, more than Brissett managed across five weeks, and threw for 243 yards. Two interceptions scarred his day though. 

Spencer Rattler

The former five-star recruit coming out of high school had a troubled college career and struggled to prove himself, however made his first NFL start after being taken in the fifth round of the draft. He had a great first half, helping the Saints take the lead before halftime, but was poor in the second half as Buccaneers as they lost 51-27. Rattler himself had a good game, 243 passing yards and a touchdown pass, but two interceptions showed some rookie troubles. 

Caleb Williams 

The first overall pick had the chance to excite the London crowd at Tottenham, and he did exactly that. Amassing four touchdowns, 226 yards throwing and 54 on the ground, they smashed the Jaguars. Williams has looked better and better each week, and the Bears will be able to push for a playoff spot if he keeps performing. 

Jayden Daniels 

The rookie of the year favourite couldn’t get the job done in terms of a win against the Ravens, however, it was yet another strong showing from the Heisman winner. Less impact on the ground, but 269 yards and two perfectly thrown touchdowns kept them in the game. It knocks them to 4-2, but I’m sure if you asked any Washington fan, they would have taken that any day of the week before the start of the season. 

Bo Nix

Probably the worst performance of the rookies, an interception on the first play of the game put the Broncos on the back foot straight away, and despite a late comeback attempt, they couldn’t quite get back in it. 216 passing yards and two late touchdowns, with 61 rushing yards is by no means a bad performance, and a 3-3 record after six games puts the rookie in good stead for the rest of the season. 

What is going on with the Jets?

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On Monday Night Football, the Bills and Jets fought out a close one that the Bills won, 23-20. It was a great game, with both teams trading touchdowns before the Bills intercepted Aaron Rodgers on a 3rd and long play late in the fourth quarter. They would go on to run out the clock as the Jets fell to 2-4. 

After much hype coming into the season with Aaron Rodgers fit and young stars all over both sides of the field, the Jets have failed to live up to the expectations. They have lost their last three games, and the two they won at the beginning of the season was against the Titans and the Patriots, who have both only managed one win this season. 

Breece Hall was someone who many people believed would be the best running back in the NFL this season, but it has been a slow start for him. Against the Bills, he managed a season-high 113 rushing yards, but before this week he hadn’t hit over 70. 

They have failed to score more than 24 points in a game this season too, which is a big worry. On the defensive side, they have looked good, the game against the Bills was the first time since week one they had allowed 20 or more points in a game, and the offense will be the main cause of concern. 

However, things could change very quickly with the Steelers and the Patriots next to face the Jets, two games they would hope to win. 

Is it time for the Browns to move away from Deshaun Watson?

Deshaun Watson was traded to the Browns in 2022 for three first-round picks, and the Browns immediately gave him a fully guaranteed five-year $230 million contract. Two years on from that contract and trade, the Browns looked to have made a huge error, as their former QB Baker Mayfield is 4-2 with the Buccaneers, whereas Watson and the Browns are 1-5.

The Browns have been awful this season, however, coach Kevin Stefanski is still keen on keeping Watson as their quarterback, despite many fans wanting to see Jameis Winston take the field under center. They are 0-26 on their last 26 3rd downs with Deshaun Watson, which shows just how bad it has been so far.

This past week, the Browns kept it close against the Eagles, losing by four points in a 20-16 game, however, the one touchdown they scored came from a blocked field goal return. Watson threw for just 168 yards and has failed to reach the 200-yard mark in all six games so far. 

The Browns have had a massive loss to start the season in star running back Nick Chubb, who is due back in the next few weeks, which will allow them to run the ball more effectively. Either way, they are averaging the lowest amount of offensive yards per game, so something needs to change fast in Cleveland.

Lions win easily at Dallas… but at what cost?

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The Detroit Lions have looked like the best team in the NFL over the past two weeks, putting up 47 points against the Cowboys, and 42 against the Seahawks. Jared Goff is on fire, throwing 600 yards, five touchdowns, no turnovers and just seven (!) incomplete passes. The ground game is immaculate with the duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, and the receiving core is also one of the best in the entire league.

However, against the Cowboys just while everything was looking great, defensive end Aiden Hutchinson went down with a gruesome leg injury, and it was clear from first viewing he would be out for the rest of the season at the very least. Hutchinson is one of the most key defensive players in the NFL, already having a league-leading 7.5 sacks this season. He is a true difference-maker and is going to be a huge miss for the Lions. 

The Lions still have a strong enough squad to keep up their hot form. They missed out on a Super Bowl appearance by the nearest of margins last season, and even with Hutchinson out they will be keen to make it this year, which they have every chance of doing if they continue to dismantle good teams like the Cowboys each week. 

ALEX MERSON

NFL ANALYST

Previously writing for Ninety-Nine Yards, Alex is a sports content creator and Football Journalism Student at the University of Derby. Follow him on Twitter at @AlexMerseJourno.

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