I’m back from a much-needed vacation. In my absence, I wasn’t able to recap Week 5 so I’ll go over that quickly before I get the train back on the tracks for this week. I wound up going 10-6 on both straight picks and against the spread and picked up a game on the over/under at 9-7. Christen went 8-7 (with a game missed) and we were both able to avoid losing the week to Ridley who was 8-8.
Enjoying my vacay was the priority and a couple of very long travel days made things especially difficult in my fantasy and pick ’em leagues for Week 6. Even if I did poorly I wanted to get something down on paper and walking away at 8-6 on straight picks, ATS, and over/under, with no effort, is a win in my book. I even managed to hit the trifecta on four games in Week 6, which is the most I’ve landed in one week, and it got me some ground back. However, I lost to both Christen and Ridley who went 10-4 on the week, so I will have some work to do to gain some ground back moving forward.
| Nick W | Nick L | Nick T | ATS W | ATS L | ATS P | O/U W | O/U L | O/U P | Christen W | Christen L | Christen T | Rids W | Rids L | Rids T |
| 8 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
| Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous | Previous |
| 50 | 29 | 1 | 40 | 38 | 2 | 31 | 47 | 2 | 40 | 38 | 1 | 40 | 39 | 1 |
| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| 58 | 35 | 1 | 48 | 44 | 2 | 39 | 53 | 2 | 50 | 42 | 1 | 50 | 43 | 1 |
Week 6 came to a dramatic and disappointing end as the Chargers managed to outlast the Broncos, 19-16 in overtime. This is a game I hit the trifecta on but I still would have rather watched a good game. It wasn’t as bad as some others I have seen this season but, my goodness, it was annoying.
In a game that was certainly scheduled as a showcase for the fantastic AFC West turned out to be a case study on how far from the summit both teams are. Neither team broke 300 yards of offense and both were marred by repeated penalties. Denver CB Damarri Mathis was flagged for pass interference over and over again, contributing to the Broncos’ 10 penalties for 151 yards. On the other side of that equation, it seemed like every offensive lineman for the Chargers found a way to commit a penalty that negated several of Austin Ekler’s runs. That made me particularly upset as he came up 17 yards short of winning my fantasy matchup.
This was ultimately a defensive game but things started well for the Broncos and Russell Wilson looked like…well…Russell Wilson for a change as he started the game 10/10 with over 100 yards and a TD in the first quarter, then the wheels fell off. From that point on Wilson went just 5/18 for 72 yards and that also put the kibosh on one of my fantasy teams.
Justin Herbert didn’t look good either against a stingy Broncos defense, throwing it 57 times for just 238 yards with no TDs and an interception. Their whole offensive strategy was underwhelming and even though they ran 83 plays, their yards per play was just 3.6 as they couldn’t establish much. They did just enough to get into field goal range repeatedly but it was a muffed punt by Denver in OT that gave Los Angeles a chance to hit the game-winning kick. If there’s a game ball to give out for this ugly mess, give it to Dustin Hopkins!
Sunday Night Football gave us a great NFC East rivalry game as the Eagles took on the Cowboys. Philly showed their skill on both sides of the ball and remained unbeaten with a 26-17 win thanks to a great offensive game plan that kept the Dallas defense out of sorts. The Cowboys put up a good fight after a turnover-riddled first half. Cooper Rush struggled but led a valiant comeback effort, and it’s going to be a very interesting rematch in Dallas when Dak Prescott is healthy and back under center for the Boys.
America’s Game of the Week lived up to the billing as the Bills beat the Chiefs 24-20 in Arrowhead. Josh Allen had his MVP moment with a ridiculous run and hurdle to set up what would be the game-winning TD pass to Dawson Knox. Kansas City wasn’t without its moments and JuJu Smith-Schuster looked the best we’ve seen in a Chiefs uniform. However, the revamped Buffalo defense and coordinator Leslie Frazier were able to scheme Mahomes into a pair of interceptions, including the one that sealed the game. The Bills take the top spot in the AFC and control the road to the #1 seed.
The afternoon saw the Rams pick up a 24-10 win over a bad Panthers team that appears to have entered tanking territory. Wide receiver Robbie Anderson essentially quit during the game after arguments with the coaching staff and he was subsequently traded to the Cardinals Monday morning, so we may actually see Christian McCaffrey on the trade block soon. Speaking of the Cards, they also stink and they dropped what should have been a winnable game against the division-rival Seahawks 19-9. Kenneth Walker III is now the full-time back in Seattle with Rashad Penny out and he found the end zone to help lead Seattle to victory.
Pittsburgh pulled off the upset of the week as they held off a late surge from Tom Brady and defended a 2-point conversion try to beat the Bucs 20-18. It is possible Tampa overlooked a Steelers team that had just gotten waxed by the Bills, but the Bucs have had offensive issues all season. Kenny Pickett had a TD pass but left the game with a concussion, so Mitch Trubisky returned to lead the game-winning drive where he connected with Chase Claypool for the TD.
The most surprising team is probably the Giants. They rallied once again this time from 10 points down in the 4th quarter to beat the Ravens 24-20. Blowing leads has become a theme for the Ravens as all three of their losses have gone down that way. After a hot start for Lamar Jackson, he’s cooled off in a big way and has been turning the ball over late in these games Baltimore has lost. The pick he threw at the end, which led to the go-ahead score for the Giants, came off a fumbled snap but looked very much like the one he threw at the end against the Bills as he tried to force something. He also fumbled when they got the ball back inside two minutes. That’s not a good look for a guy who is looking to get a big contract.
LSU alums Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase returned to New Orleans and put on a show in a fun back-and-forth game where Cincy won 30-26. The Saints played well and had controlled most of the game, but an errant punt following a Bengals’ FG put Cincy in great position right around the 2-minute warning. It only took one play from their own 40-yard line as Burrow connected with Chase for a 60-yard TD catch and run. It was the Bengals’ first lead of the game and New Orleans would turn the ball over on downs to end it. Still, the Saints played well without any of their top-3 WRs, they just couldn’t convert TDs enough.
The Vikings continued to play the opportunist role with great effectiveness as they beat the Dolphins 24-16. Miami was starting their 3rd string QB and buy Skylar Thompson left the game with an injury and Teddy Bridgewater returned to throw for 330+ yards and two TDs (another fantasy dagger as he wasn’t supposed to play) but it was too little too late. Tua is supposed to come back next week, but Miami is in shambles right now.
Indianapolis avenged their shutout loss to the Jaguars earlier in the season with a 34-27 win back home in Indy. Matt Ryan threw for nearly 400 yards and 3 TDs in the win as their running game couldn’t get going without Jonathan Taylor. Jacksonville didn’t lay down though as they held the lead into the 4th quarter and then retook the lead with 3 minutes left. Ryan and company found a way to hang tough and he found Alec Pierce on a 3rd & 13 for the 32-yard TD to win it with 17 ticks left on the clock.
I knew the Packers’ defense was overrated and I fully expected them to take a big step down this season, but they seemed to have missed the step altogether and gone tumbling down the stairs as they lost in Lambeau to the Jets 27-10. The game was tied 3-3 at the half and looked winnable, but New York did it on the ground and with special teams. Rookie Breece Hall ran for 116 and a TD and the ST blocked a Packers’ punt and returned it for the TD on consecutive series to put NY up 17-3. Zach Wilson barely did anything and Aaron Rodgers was pulled at the end of the embarrassing effort in front of their home crowd.
New England got back to .500 with a 38-15 road win over the Browns and Bailey Zappe has forced me to take the Patriots seriously again. I don’t know what’s happening with Mac Jones, but who cares. Cleveland isn’t a great litmus test but they did shut down the Browns in their strongest areas and their defense continues to be the biggest disappointment of the year.
Right when the 49ers look like they are about the hit their stride, they get a flat tire. It seems to happen every year with them and this time they fell to Atlanta 28-14. I don’t want to take anything away from the Falcons who have been very competitive all season long, but the Niners are supposed to win those kinds of games. Instead, they couldn’t run, they got run all over, and Jimmy G threw some crucial picks. San Fran had it tied at 14-14 after a bad start and looked like they were going to get it together but they never scored after that. Credit to Atlanta and Arthur Smith for doing a great job.
Since I was out last week, the Power Rankings will look very different. There’s a log jam of 3-3 teams vying for mediocrity so it’ll stay sloppy for a bit, but the Eagles stay on top and the Panthers lay claim to the title of “worst team in the league”.
| 1. Eagles 6-0 (=) |
| 2. Bills 5-1 (+2) |
| 3. Vikings 5-1 (+3) |
| 4. Giants 5-1 (+3) |
| 5. Chiefs 4-2 (-3) |
| 6. Cowboys 4-2 (+2) |
| 7. Chargers 4-2 (+10) |
| 8. Jets 4-2 (+14) |
| 9. Bengals 3-3 (+6) |
| 10. Titans 3-2 (+10) |
| 11. Colts 3-2-1 (+14) |
| 12. Falcons 3-3 (+2) |
| 13. Buccaneers 3-3 (-2) |
| 14. 49ers 3-3 (-2) |
| 15. Rams 3-3 (-2) |
| 16. Dolphins 3-3 (-13) |
| 17. Ravens 3-3 (-7) |
| 18. Patriots 3-3 (+10) |
| 19. Packers 3-3 (-14) |
| 20. Seahawks 3-3 (+1) |
| 21. Saints 2-4 (+6) |
| 22. Steelers 2-4 (+7) |
| 23. Browns 2-4 (-4) |
| 24. Jaguars 2-4 (-15) |
| 25. Broncos 2-4 (-9) |
| 26. Cardinals 2-4 (-8) |
| 27. Commanders 2-4 (+3) |
| 28. Bears 2-4 (-5) |
| 29. Raiders 1-4 (-3) |
| 30. Lions 1-4 (-6) |
| 31. Texans 1-3-1 (+1) |
| 32. Panthers 1-5 (-1) |
Thanks for reading! I still believe word of mouth is the best way to help, so if you enjoy what I’m doing, please tell somebody. And if you have a comment, I’d love to hear it! Liking, subscribing, and sharing go a long way too. And, as usual, be well, stay safe, and Go Bills!