4th & Monday: A unique attempt at a game-winning TD, more middle fingers ... and one unbeaten remains
Some things change. And some things seem to always stay the same.
The path to AFC supremacy still runs through New England ... again. The Patriots toppled the Chiefs in an absolute thriller on Sunday night, dealing Kansas City its first loss of the season.
That leaves the Los Angeles Rams as the league's last remaining unbeaten team. The Rams stayed unblemished despite failing to score at least 33 points for the first time this season.
Hours before the Patriots won, the Miami Dolphins assured that they would keep pace atop the AFC East by prevailing in a wild overtime game against the Bears. With a win in Cleveland, the Los Angeles Chargers now are just a game behind the Chiefs in the AFC West. And the Steelers beat the Bengals (again) to tighten up the race in the AFC North.
Check out the biggest 32 things we learned in Week 6 before we break down all the moments that you need to see from Sunday:
TOP SHOTS: Best pics from Week 6 | Cheerleaders | Celebrations | Fans
Quick hits: Must-see NFL moments
- Buccaneers nearly pull off a miracle: Down 34-29 with seven seconds and 21 yards to go, Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers almost pulled off a unique game-winning play. Almost.
- Patriots fans flip off, throw beer at Hill: Tyreek Hill had a big night for the Chiefs, but he also got an up-close demonstration of several Patriots fans' vitriol after one touchdown.
- Fans mock McGregor's throw: UFC star/loudmouth Conor McGregor was in Dallas for Sunday's Cowboys-Jaguars game. Before the game, McGregor was on the field and threw a football. It wasn't a good effort, and folks on Twitter had jokes.
- Shazier makes inspiring return to field: Ten months ago, Steelers defender Ryan Shazier suffered a spinal injury in a game against the Bengals in Cincinnati. On Sunday, he walked into Paul Brown Stadium under his own power.
- Look! Mighty Ducks cleats! Two weeks after the 26th anniversary of The Mighty Ducks hitting theaters, Vikings WR Adam Thielen paid tribute to the film with some snazzy cleats.
- Cousins pumps up his team: Vikings QB Kirk Cousins gave a fiery pregame speech that might make you want to run through walls for him.
- Peterman hands game to Texans: In the game for the injured Josh Allen, fans had to be left wondering why Nathan Peterman is still an NFL backup quarterback. With the score tied 13-13 and a minute and a half left to play, Peterman threw a game-winning pick six to the Texans' Johnathan Joseph. Later, he added another back-breaking interception (to Kareem Jackson). Peterman has now thrown interceptions on 11.5 percent of his NFL pass attempts. That is an incredible accomplishment.
- Prescott pays tribute to McGregor: The Cowboys had a good time playing the Jaguars. En route to a 40-7 demolition of a team many thought could reach the Super Bowl, quarterback Dak Prescott did a little "billionaire strut" following a touchdown to honor Conor McGregor, who was in attendance.
- Bell gives his backup a shoutout: Le'Veon Bell still is holding out, but that doesn’t mean he’s rooting against the man replacing him at running back. As James Conner was rushing for 111 yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Bengals, Bell gave the second-year running back a Twitter shoutout.
- Burfict is back, and so are cheap shots: Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict was suspended for the first four games this season for a failed PED test. In his return, Burfict was at the center of a play in which Steelers WR Antonio Brown was injured and evaluated for a concussion.
Key story lines from Week 6
- 'We're better than them': Nevermind that the Steelers won, 28-21, and that the Bengals have only beaten their division once over the past five years, Dre Kirkpatrick still thinks that Cincinnati has the better team.
- Not a good look: Bills WR Kelvin Benjamin reportedly declined to run routes for rookie QB Josh Allen during the early portion of the warm-up when some players come out to get extra work. Benjamin was in full cover-up mode after another brutal Bills loss.
- Are the Colts the NFL's worst team? After a humbling loss to the Jets, the Colts fell to 1-5 and a strong case could be made that are the worst team in the league.
- Barkley emerges as star: The lowly Giants might be in that "worst team in the NFL" conversation along with the Colts (and, Raiders and Cardinals and 49ers), but Saquon Barkley gives fans a reason to watch the Giants.
- Cooper leaves game after hit to head: The Raiders' trip to London couldn't have been worse. In the midst of being on the wrong end of a rout against the Seahawks, receiver Amari Cooper had to leave the game after taking a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit. Somehow, the play wasn't a penalty.
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Week 6 rundown
Patriots 43, Chiefs 40: The path to AFC supremacy still runs through Foxborough.
Rams 23, Broncos 20: Todd Gurley's career-high 208 yards rushing and two touchdowns made sure the Rams remained unbeaten.
Cowboys 40, Jaguars 7: The Cowboys appeared to get their mojo back in a thorough dismantling of the Jaguars.
Ravens 21, Titans 0: Marcus Mariota was sacked 11 times as the Titans took ineptitude to new lows against the Ravens.
Jets 42, Colts 34: After a dreadful performance against the Jets, one has to wonder if the Colts are the worst team in the NFL.
Steelers 28, Bengals 21: The Steelers have won 10 of 11 against the Bengals. Still, at least one Bengals player thinks Cincinnati is the better team.
Chargers 38, Browns 14: A shaky performance by the Browns and their No. 1 overall draft choice meant a convincing win for the Chargers.
Texans 20, Bills 13: It might be time for Nathan Peterman and Kelvin Benjamin to hitch a ride out of Buffalo.
Dolphins 31, Bears 28 (OT): Kenyan Drake and the Dolphins avoided disaster in overtime.
Vikings 27, Cardinals 17: After getting run over in Minnesota, the Cardinals only have four days to regroup before Thursday night's game in Denver.
Falcons 34, Buccaneers 29: The Bucs nearly capped a frantic second-half comeback by pulling off a miracle finish in Atlanta.
Seahawks 27, Raiders 3: The NFL fans of London were treated to a dud, as the woeful Raiders continue on their uninspiring first season under coach Jon Gruden.
Redskins 23, Panthers 17: The Redskins held on for the win thanks in large part to a scattershot afternoon by Cam Newton.
Eagles 34, Giants 13 (Thursday): The Eagles dump trucked the lowly Giants, whose season is spiraling out of control. If there's a silver lining for New York, it's that Saquon Barkley looks like a transcendent talent.
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Eyes on the (fantasy) prize
Looking ahead to this week's potential waiver-wire pickups ...
Veteran Dolphins running back Frank Gore might be in line for more carries. He had 15 for 101 yards and an 18-yard catch vs. the Bears. And backfield mate Kenyan Drake lost a crucial fumble on the goal line in overtime.
Dolphins wideout Albert Wilson had a pair of long scores among his six catches for 155 yards. Tyrell Williams of the Chargers also scored twice on three receptions for 118 yards. Both are low-volume receivers with big-play ability.
The Jets receiving corps turned upside down with Jermaine Kearse (nine catches, 94 yards) and Terrelle Pryor (5-57, TD) supplanting Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson.
And if Bears wideout Taylor Gabriel (2 TD catches in Week 4) was somehow still available because of last week’s bye, he had another five catches for 110 yards vs. Miami.
MORE: Week 6 heroes and zeros, plus Broad Shoulders Award
Coming this week
Monday: Week 6 concludes with the Green Bay Packers hosting the San Francisco 49ers at legendary Lambeau Field (8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN). Both teams are coming off brutal Week 5 losses.
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports' NFL experts update their power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 6. Don't agree with our rankings? Speak up! Submit your own rankings to tell us where our experts got it wrong with our NFL Fan Power Rankings.
Thursday: The Arizona Cardinals host the Denver Broncos (8:20 p.m. ET on FOX, NFL Network and Prime Video) to kick off Week 7. This will be Cardinals rookie QB Josh Rosen's first nationally televised showcase. Before Thursday's game, make sure to visit Paste BN Sports to check out our expert picks for every Week 7 game.
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