Sunday Rundown: Key takeaways from Week 6's biggest games
Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.
Sunday night spotlight
Chiefs looking scary
Early-season records can be deceiving. Anyone focused solely on the standings page may wonder whether or not the Chiefs are the same team that we've seen make five of the last six Super Bowls. They've had their share of disappointments over the first six weeks of the season, it's true. Last week's loss to the Jaguars falls into that category. But a big Sunday night win over the Lions was a reminder (as if we needed one) that this team can turn it on at any moment. With the offense trending up since Xavier Worthy's Week 4 return, and Rashee Rice set to make his season debut next week, now may be that time. Kansas City and Buffalo are a clear step above the competition in the AFC. We're only a few weeks away from the two sides going head-to-head in what could be a preview of yet another playoff showdown.
Late-afternoon games
Baker is cooking
The Bucs are in the midst of an obscene run of receiver injuries. Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan all missed Sunday's game against the 49ers, and star rookie Emeka Egbuka exited the contest with a hamstring issue. Baker Mayfield made sure the offense continued to roll anyway. The veteran quarterback added another signature moment to his incredible season late in the third quarter, evading a sure sack and scrambling around for a wild first down on third-and-14. Two plays later, he looked off the deep safety before delivering a seed to seventh-round rookie Tez Johnson for a 45-yard touchdown. That put the Bucs up 27-19, and they wouldn't look back en route to their fifth win of the season. Mayfield finding a way no matter who's rotating in around him gives him the strongest MVP case of anyone through six weeks.
Warner a crushing loss
The 49ers somehow managed to overcome a rash of injuries to get off to an impressive 4-1 start. It was easy to get excited about what things might look like when the offense finally got a chance to get healthy, but a pair of devastating losses on defense suddenly threaten to limit their ceiling. Nick Bosa is already out for the year with a torn ACL suffered in Week 3, and the same is reportedly now expected for Fred Warner after he left Sunday's loss with a dislocated and broken ankle. Robert Saleh's return has immediately elevated this defense, but there's only so much coaching can do to compensate for losing two of the best players on the planet. This team just can't catch a break.
Flacco gives Bengals life
The Bengals have no chance of saving their season without Joe Burrow - that should be abundantly clear after four straight losses. I tend to think the front office understands this, too. So while the trade for Joe Flacco likely wasn't made with a playoff run in mind, the goal was probably to at least make the offense watchable. It may well prove to be a success in that regard. Flacco gave the passing game a bit of a spark in the second half of Sunday's loss to the Packers, completing 21 of 30 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Not bad for a 40-year-old quarterback who's only had one week of practice with his new teammates. It's unlikely to lead to many wins, but Bengals fans (and fantasy managers) will be happy to see Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at least have an opportunity to produce.
Packers not good enough
I had been resisting the temptation to drop the Packers in our weekly NFL Power Rankings. Losing to the Browns and settling for a tie against the Cowboys were less than ideal results, but the Super Bowl ceiling was clearly there. That still hasn't changed, but I was expecting a much more convincing effort coming off a bye against a bad Bengals team. The 27-18 win doesn't quite fit that description. Chase and Higgins exposed a weakness for the Packers at corner, and we're still waiting to see whether one of Green Bay's receivers can emerge as a true go-to target. Addressing the former may require an aggressive move at the deadline. Perhaps a season-best 86-yard effort from first-round rookie Matthew Golden can be a step toward solving the latter.
Early kickoffs
Seahawks swarming
We touched on the Sam Darnold storyline both last Sunday and in a separate piece on late QB breakouts this week. His performance in Seattle's win over Jacksonville was just the latest step in his journey toward top-10 quarterback status. That development becomes even more exciting when you consider what the Seahawks are capable of doing on the other side of the ball. The potential of that unit was on full display this week, as Mike Macdonald's defense got to Trevor Lawrence for seven sacks. That's one more than he'd taken across the first six games of the season. Get the secondary healthy - Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, and Julian Love were all inactive against the Jaguars - and this unit has a path to top-five production. The Seahawks should be a fun addition to a fascinating group of NFC contenders.
Pickens payday incoming
Another week, another big game for George Pickens. The Cowboys receiver is taking full advantage of his opportunity as the clear No. 1 in the absence of CeeDee Lamb, and his wallet should be the beneficiary in March. Pickens wouldn't have been traded to Dallas if the Steelers had any interest in paying him. Perhaps that was a justifiable stance at the time, but there will be no shortage of teams with interest in doing so now. The big day in Carolina (nine catches, 168 yards, 1 TD) puts Pickens up to 525 yards (3rd) and six TDs (T-1st) on the year. If this pace continues, he should be looking at a multi-year deal worth upward of $30 million per year. It may be tough for the Cowboys to justify that kind of commitment with Lamb already on the books at $34 million, but losing what he's brought to this offense won't be so easy, either.
Steelers need a WR
The Steelers should be feeling pretty good about how they've started this season. The defense is trending up after a slow start, and Aaron Rodgers has been a steady presence under center on the opposite side. Considering the state of the other teams in the AFC North, a 4-1 record makes Pittsburgh a comfortable front-runner atop the typically competitive division. But the offense still needs more if this is going to be the year the Steelers get their first playoff win since 2016. DK Metcalf was the only Steelers wideout with more than one catch in Sunday's win over the Browns. Kenneth Gainwell had six, while Darnell Washington and Jonnu Smith each recorded three. The Steelers should be the first team in line for receiver help ahead of the trade deadline. Raiders veteran Jakobi Meyers provides the kind of inside-out versatility that could go a long way toward elevating this passing game.
No more room for error
The Ravens falling to the Rams on Sunday isn't much of a surprise - this was always going to be a tough matchup without Lamar Jackson. History isn't working in their favor from here, as there have only been four teams in league history to make the playoffs after starting 1-5. Might there still be some hope, though? Next week's bye should do wonders for this team's efforts to get healthy. Jackson, most notably, is expected to return for the Bears game that follows. Crucially, Baltimore's four most difficult games are already in the rearview mirror. The defense will have to be better to take full advantage of the softer schedule, but perhaps a season-best 241-yard performance against the Rams can be the start of a turnaround in that department. There's enough talent here that we probably shouldn't be ruling anything out just yet.
Dowdle gets his revenge
Rico Dowdle was admittedly eager to get his shot at his former team, suggesting the Cowboys had "better buckle up" for this week's game. The bulletin-board material did nothing to help Dallas slow down its former running back. Dowdle took another major step in seizing his opportunity in the Carolina offense, taking his 30 carries for 183 yards while adding another 56 yards and one touchdown on four catches out of the backfield. The outstanding performance set a new franchise record for single-game scrimmage yards. Chuba Hubbard will likely be back soon, but it may be tough for him to regain his workhorse role. Dowdle has been the key to back-to-back Panthers wins, accounting for 473 total yards over the last two weeks.
What are the Broncos?
The Broncos are now 4-2 with a win over the defending Super Bowl champs on their resume. Normally, that'd be enough to make a team a legitimate contender. I want to see more before claiming to have any sort of confidence about that. Last week's comeback win doesn't seem nearly as impressive after what the Eagles did Thursday night against the Giants. This clearly isn't the same Philly team we saw run through the competition in the playoffs. And top dogs shouldn't need to be sweating out a game against the Jets despite racking up nine sacks and allowing minus-10 passing yards. This offense has to find another gear if the Broncos are going to maximize a second straight year of elite defensive play. That means cleaning up the penalties and pushing the ball downfield. Bo Nix currently is tied for 30th among all QBs with 6.7 air yards per attempt, a notable step back from the already-mediocre 7.3 he posted as a rookie.
Some things never change
The Jets landing Aaron Glenn as their head coach felt like it had the potential to be a culture-changer. We're still waiting for any signs of progress on that front. While much of the focus this week will be on Justin Fields' disaster performance in London (9-for-17, 45 yards, nine sacks), what else did we expect from a limited passer with exactly one starting-caliber receiver against the Broncos' defense? Fields isn't going to be the quarterback of this team next year. The more concerning part, for me, is that this operation as a whole seems like the same old Jets. The offense standing around with no sense of urgency as the clock ticked down at the end of the first half was a particularly terrible look for this new staff. The Jets are probably just one of those teams that has to show us something before we entertain the idea that things are going to be different.
Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.