
NFL WEEKEND PREVIEW: WEEK 6
The NFL is ridiculously wide open after five weeks of action in 2024. Two teams are still unbeaten, with the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings both boasting 5-0 records, but, beyond them, it’s hard to say that there are any truly dominant sides.
Six teams that missed the postseason last year have at least three wins this season, and the NFC is particularly wild, with all four divisions being led by a team that missed the playoffs in 2023. All four sides in the NFC North have a winning record, the first time this has happened to a division in the season’s opening five weeks since the 2012 NFC West. More games through Week 5 of this season have been decided by seven or fewer points and six or fewer points than any previous season in NFL history. It’s wild, I tell you!
Can the sides in action in Week 6 continue the rollercoaster ride that is the 2024 season? Or will some semblance of normality finally start to kick in?
***
If you want wild, then the NFC West is always a good place to start, and it’s one such clash that kicks off this week’s action as Thursday Night Football sees a clash between two bitter rivals coming off Week 5 losses.
The San Francisco 49ers (2-3) dropped their last match 24-23 to the Arizona Cardinals, while the New York Giants beat the Seattle Seahawks to leave them with an identical record to Thursday’s opponent. The Seahawks own a 29-21 advantage in this series, although the 49ers have won the last four meetings. Brock Purdy racked up 368 passing yards and two touchdowns the last time these two sides met, a 28-16 49ers win in 2023, and sits fourth in the NFL with 1,374 passing yards this season.
Jordan Mason has filled in admirably for the injured Christian McCaffrey, ranking second in the NFL with 536 rushing yards and 602 yards from scrimmage, while tight end George Kittle has five receiving touchdowns in his last four games against the Seahawks — and has found the endzone in each of his last three games overall. Deebo Samuel, meanwhile, averages 6.7 receptions, 124.2 yards from scrimmage, and a touchdown in six career games against Seattle. Pass rusher Nick Bosa has proven himself a prime-time performer too, with 23 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks in 21 nationally-televised games.
On the other side of the ball, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith currently leads the NFL with 143 pass completions and 1,466 passing yards. He is running slightly cold in the touchdown department with just five — against four interceptions — his season, but running back Kenneth Walker is coming off a career day against the Giants, with seven receptions and 76 yards from scrimmage, and has found the endzone in four of his last five home games. Wideout D.K. Metcalf has racked up at least five catches and 50 receiving yards in four of his five home games against the 49ers and has scored seven touchdowns in six Thursday games. Tyler Lockett, Metcalf’s wily wide receiver colleague, has a productive resumé against the 49ers, with at least six receptions and 60 receiving yards in four of his last five against them.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the site for the second London game of the 2024 season, with the 1-4 Jacksonville Jaguars facing the ‘home’ team Chicago Bears who, like both San Fran and Seattle, currently own a 3-2 record. Both these sides won last week, with the Jaguars claiming their first victory of the season against the Colts. The Jaguars are 6-5 in London and went 2-0 in the capital last season. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, coming off a career game with 28 completions, 371 passing yards, and a 119.5 rating, is 3-1 in London games. He has not thrown an interception in three of those four games.
Travis Etienne leads all players with 418 yards from scrimmage in International Series games, an average of 139.3 per game. Etienne also has over 50 yards from scrimmage in seven consecutive games, while fellow running back Tank Bigsby has rushed for at least 90 yards in back-to-back outings, including a career-high 101 last week. Rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr has five or more receptions in three straight games and at least 85 yards and a touchdown in his last two. Thomas leads all rookie wide receivers — including the more-vaunted Marvin Harrison Jr and Malik Nabers — with 397 receiving yards in 2024. Pass rusher Josh Hines-Allen, meanwhile, had 3.0 sacks and a forced fumble in his two London games last season.
The Bears own a 2-1 record in International Series games and return to Spurs after playing in the first International Series game there against the Oakland Raiders back in 2019. First-overall pick Caleb Williams is the fourth rookie quarterback since 1950 to win each of his first three home games with zero interceptions in any of those contests. He is in line to be the second rookie quarterback taken first overall to start an international game… after Trevor Lawrence. Running back D’Andre Swift struggled in his first three games for the Bears, but now has 120+ yards from scrimmage in back-to-back games. The former Lion and Eagle will be looking for his third game in a row against the Jaguars with 100+ yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown and, while Roschon Johnson may nominally be Swift’s backup, has quietly added three rushing scores in his last two games.
Wide receiver D.J. Moore has at least five catches in four of his first five games this season, and had seven grabs for 73 yards as a Panther in his only previous game at Spurs, also back in 2019. Veteran Keenan Allen has at least five catches and 80+ receiving yards in three of his last four games against the Jaguars, all coming when he was a Charger, while rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze has five or more receptions in two of his last three games.
The New York Jets became the first side to fire their head coach in 2024 when they relieved Robert Saleh of his duties on Tuesday, mere days after his side slipped to 2-3 with a loss to the Vikings in London. Jeff Ulbrich is in temporary command and his first assignment is nothing less than an AFC East clash on Monday Night Football with the 3-2 Buffalo Bills, who have lost their last two games. Bills quarterback Josh Allen is 4-1 in his last five games in primetime and dropped 275 passing yards with three touchdowns on the Jets when these two sides last met. Running back James Cook, brother of Dalvin who was a member of the Jets in 2023, had 102 yards from scrimmage in his last meeting with Gang Green and is one of five running backs with 400+ yards from scrimmage and five scores this season.
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, meanwhile, has two or more touchdown passes in three of his last four games and has eight scores and zero interceptions in his last five starts in MetLife Stadium. Breece Hall leads the Jets with 345 yards from scrimmage this season and averaged 110 per game along with a receiving touchdown in two games against the Bills in 2023. Garrett Wilson is second in the NFL with 33 catches this season and has at least five in two home games against the Bills in his NFL career. Jets linebacker Quincy Williams — brother of Jets defensive tackle Quinnen — had at least 10 tackles and a tackle for loss in both games against the Bills in 2023.
M+T Bank Stadium is the site for a clash between two electrifying playmaking quarterbacks, with the 3-2 Baltimore Ravens welcoming the 4-1 Washington Commanders. Commanders’ rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is one of three rookie quarterbacks since 1950 to win four of his first five games and is the first player ever with 1,000 passing yards and 250 rushing yards in his first five career games. He is one of only two rookie quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era to have multiple games with 80+ rushing yards. Running back Brian Robinson, meanwhile, has five rushing touchdowns this season, already a career-high and part of the 13 rushing touchdowns the Commanders have scored. This figure equals the total of the 1975 Miami Dolphins for the most by a team in their first five games since 1970, and not since the 1954 49ers have a team scored three rushing touchdowns in four of their first five games of a season. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin has 23 catches for 303 yards and two touchdowns in 2024, and boasted 10 catches for 118 yards the last time these two sides met.
The Ravens are equally productive when it comes to running the ball as they lead the NFL with 1,056 rushing yards, the fifth time since 1980 with at least 1,000 yards after five games. The Ravens have rushed for 100 yards as a team in 38 straight games, the longest active streak and the third-longest streak of all time. Lamar Jackson was a walking highlight reel in Week 5 with 348 passing yards and four touchdowns to go with 55 yards on the ground, and now has six games in his career with 50+ rushing yards and four passing scores, more than any other player in NFL history. Running back Derrick Henry leads the NFL with 572 rushing yards and is tied for the lead with six rushing scores. Henry has 170+ yards from scrimmage in two of his last three games and averages 112 yards from scrimmage in two games against the Commanders. Linebacker Roquan Smith has at least 11 tackles in three of his last four games and racked up 12 and a sack in his last game against the Commanders back in 2022.
The 2-3 Arizona Cardinals travel to Wisconsin to take on the 3-2 Green Bay Packers. The Packers lead this series 45-24-4, although the Cardinals have won two of the last three encounters. Kyler Murray had a passing and a rushing touchdown in Week 5, his 19th-career game with one of each type of score. James Conner has 100+ yards from scrimmage in four of his last five road games and scored twice in the last meeting between these two sides. Packers quarterback Jordan Love has at least two touchdown passes in his last seven games and is tied with Joe Flacco for the longest active streak in the NFL. Wide receiver Jayden Reed has 414 receiving yards and 110 rushing yards after five games, making him the first player since 1985 to have 400+ receiving and 100+ rushing yards in the first five games of a season. Dontayvion Wicks has scored five receiving touchdowns in his last three games at Lambeau Field, while tight end Tucker Kraft has found the end zone three times in his last two games. Safety Xavier McKinney has an interception in every game this season and is one of four players since 1990 with a pick in six straight games going back to 2023.
The 4-1 Houston Texans travel to Foxboro’ for a clash with the reeling 1-4 New England Patriots, who have lost their last four since beating Cincinnati on opening weekend. The Patriots have a 9-3 lead in this series, although the Texans have taken two of the last three encounters. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had 331 passing yards in Week 5, his sixth game with 325+ passing yards since entering the league in 2023, and Stefon Diggs could be in for a heavier workload with stud wide receiver Nico Collins week-to-week with a hamstring injury. Diggs has six receiving touchdowns in his last four games at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots look set to hand a first start to quarterback Drake Maye in a bid to kickstart their spluttering offense which averages 250.8 yards and 12.4 points per game in 2024. Maye will likely lean on running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who has 90+ yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in each home game this season.
It’s another NFC South contest for the 2-3 New Orleans Saints, who welcome the 3-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Superdome this week. The Buccaneers have won three of the last four meetings between these two sides, while QB Baker Mayfield has at least two touchdown passes in his last two games against the Saints and an 11-2 touchdown to interception ratio this season. Mike Evans needs one more touchdown grab for 100 in his career, making him the 11th player in NFL history to hit the century mark in receiving scores. He just needs to remember not to give the ball away when he finally reaches the landmark! Chris Godwin has eight or more catches and 110+ receiving yards in his last two games against the Saints. The Saints, with Derek Carr likely to miss time with an oblique injury, will lean on running back Alvin Kamara to prop up their offense. Kamara averages 104 yards from scrimmage in six home games against the Buccaneers and is tied for second in the NFL with 602 yards from scrimmage in 2024. Linebacker Demario Davis, one of the Saints defensive leaders, has a history of stepping up whenever the Buccaneers are the opponents, with five or more tackles in 13 of his 14 career games against them.
The 1-4 Cleveland Browns take their anaemic offense to play the 2-2 Philadelphia Eagles in the City of Brotherly Love. The Brown own the series lead between the two sides, but the Eagles have won five of the last six meetings, and Cleveland fans would love quarterback Deshaun Watson to conjure up the form he showed on his last trip to Philadelphia, where he racked up 339 passing and 49 rushing yards along with two passing and two rushing scores as a member of the Texans in 2018. Cleveland defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz held the same role with the Eagles from 2016-2020 and was part of the staff that won the Super Bowl following the 2017 season. The Browns unit may not be quite as volatile as it was last season but could Schwartz’s history play a part this weekend? Eagles QB Jalen Hurts scored his 43rd career rushing touchdown in Week 4, tied with the great Steve Young for third-most by a quarterback in NFL history. The Eagles should have A.J. Brown available for the first time since Week 1, and will hope the wideout can replicate the form that has seen him put up at least 85 receiving yards in his last two games against the Browns.
The 2-3 Indianapolis Colts travel to the Music City for a clash with the 1-3 Tennessee Titans looking for their third straight win over the hosts. Joe Flacco looks like getting the start again for the Colts, and he’ll want to continue a streak of five games with 300 passing yards and seven games with at least two touchdown passes. Wide receiver Alec Pierce racked up 134 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 5, the third 100-yard game of his career, one of which came against the Titans in 2023. The Titans are 8-0 coming off a bye in the last eight seasons and will look to Will Levis to take care of the ball against the Colts. Levis has six interceptions this season, but hasn’t thrown a pick in three of his four career games against AFC South opponents. DeAndre Hopkins has at least five catches and 75 receiving yards in his last four games against the Colts.
The 2-2 Los Angeles Chargers are back off their bye and will look to end the 3-2 Denver Broncos’ three-game winning streak. The Broncos have had the better of this rivalry over the years with a 72-55-1 record and three straight wins, but Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has at least two touchdown passes in his three career games at Mile High. J.K. Dobbins is third in the NFL this season with 85.5 rushing yards per game and has 50+ yards from scrimmage in each of his last four games. Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix, meanwhile, is the first rookie in franchise history to win three straight games and is coming off a game in which he completed 70.4% of his passes and tossed two touchdowns. Cortland Sutton has 17 grabs for 224 yards this season and has a receiving score in five of his last seven AFC West games.
In one of the great historical rivalries in the NFL, the 3-2 Pittsburgh Steelers travel west to take on the 2-3 Las Vegas Raiders. The Steelers have a 14-12 regular season advantage against the Raiders (the postseason series is tied at 3-3), but come into this game having lost their last two after starting the season 3-0. Justin Fields is the only quarterback in the league with a 90+ rating in all five games and has a single interception this season. Running back Najee Harris — a good surname for a Steelers running back in this fixture — has 70 yards from scrimmage in his last eight games, the longest active streak in the league. T.J. Watt has 4.5 sacks this season and at least one in two of his last three games against the Raiders. At the time of writing, it is still unclear who will be the starting quarterback for the Raiders, but whoever it is will need to do a lot better with the side averaging just 19.2 points per game this season. Aidan O’Connell replaced Gardner Minshew under center at the end of last week’s game and may get the nod from HC Antonio Pierce. Jakobi Meyers, the Raiders’ de facto WR1 with Davante Adams sidelined, has at least seven receptions and 85 yards in his last two games against the Steelers. On the defensive side of the ball, Vegas linebacker Robert Spillane is the only player in the league with double-digit tackles in every game in 2024.
The Atlanta Falcons take their 3-2 record to Charlotte to face a 1-4 Carolina Panthers side in an all-NFC South clash. The home side has taken the last four meetings between these two, although the Falcons own a decisive 36-22 advantage overall. Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousin, fresh off a 509-yard, four-touchdown outing in Week 5, has 300+ passing yards in three of his last four games against the Panthers and has two or more touchdown passes in three straight meetings. Drake London had a career-high 12 receptions a week ago and became the first Falcons player with 12 receptions in a game since Julio Jones in 2019. Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton had two touchdown passes and a 132.2 rating against the Falcons when he was with the Saints in 2022, while running back Chuba Hubbard leads the Panthers with 393 rushing yards and has 50+ yards from scrimmage in 14 of his last 45 games at home.
The 3-1 Detroit Lions travel to Texas to take on the 3-2 Dallas Cowboys, looking to end a run of five straight losses in this series. Jared Goff became the first player in NFL history to complete every pass in a game (with a minimum of 15 attempts) in Week 5, when he went 18/18 for 292 yards and two touchdowns. Goff had 271 passing yards in his last meeting with the Cowboys. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs has 70+ yards from scrimmage in his last five games and a touchdown in his last two, while David Montgomery has 19 rushing touchdowns in 21 games as a Lion. Aidan Hutchinson also has 1.5 sacks in his last two games against the Cowboys and will relish the challenge against the remade Dallas O-line. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, meanwhile, has two or more touchdown passes in seven of his last eight home games and at least 250 passing yards in his last 12 games in Jerrah World. Running back Ezekiel Elliott averages 115.5 yards per scrimmage in four career games against the Lions and found the end zone in every game — but is a very different prospect at this point in his career. CeeDee Lamb has at least four catches in his last 38 games for the Cowboys, trailing only Michael Thomas for the longest such streak in NFL history. Thomas saw his streak end at 43 games. Lamb had 227 receiving yards in the last meeting between these two teams but has frequently looked to be out of sync with Prescott. With the Cowboys’ D also in disarray, this may be a good time for Detroit to break the streak.
Sunday Night Football sees the 1-4 Cincinnati Bengals travel to New Jersey to take on the feisty 3-2 New York Giants. The Bengals own a 6-5 advantage in this series, but the home side has carried the day in 10 of the last 11 encounters. Joe Burrow is 9-1 in his last ten games against NFC opponents, with 24 touchdown passes (and only five interceptions) and a 109.6 rating. Ja’Marr Chase had 10 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns in Week 5 against the Ravens, his sixth career game with 100+ yards and two scores. Pass rusher Trey Hendrickson has 3.0 sacks this season and has registered a sack in his last three primetime games. He will be hunting down Giants QB Daniel Jones, who has completed 64% of his pass attempts in 2024 and at least 20 passes in 12 of his last 13 primetime games. Running back Tyrone Tracy saw the first extended playing time of his career a week ago and responded with 129 rushing yards. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has 6.0 sacks this season with three coming in the Giants Week 5 win over the Seahawks.