Week 6 NFL Rundown: Jets Hit the Panic Button, Lions Eye a Statement Win
by Dan Angell | by Tyler Doty
Week 6 NFL Highlights
If you had Week 6 as the first instance of an NFL coach getting fired, you were correct. The Jets opted to part ways with Robert Saleh, deciding to go with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich as the new coach. It’s a major panic move by a team that mortgaged the future to try to chase a Super Bowl title with Aaron Rodgers.
So far, it has not paid off. Nobody could have seen Rodgers’ freak injury coming last year, but this year, he has looked every bit of his 40 years. And the Jets are now 2-3 after two straight games where the offense was the problem. That does explain why you let the guy running the defense keep his job, but Rodgers has been far more of an issue than Saleh to this point.
But that’s life in the NFL, where you have to count quarterback money on your salary cap but not head coach money. And that’s why the coach will always pay with his job before the player does. Fire the coach, you’re out millions, but you can make that back easily. Cut the quarterback, you’re out millions and you’re stuck with him on the cap for a while.
Will more teams make a panic move? Week 6 could help provide more of that answer. Here's our rundown for your NFL predictions this week.
Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys
The Lions appear to be waking up after struggling to play with expectations. Detroit’s started 3-1, but it hadn’t really looked impressive until dismantling Seattle in Week 4. Of course, the Lions’ task has gotten much harder with the unexpected rise of the Minnesota Vikings. Most people would have assumed 3-1 after the first four games of the year would have Detroit in first place, but the Vikings still have yet to lose.
And that’s ramped up the pressure on Detroit as it heads into Texas. Oddly, the Cowboys might want to consider asking the NFL to relocate this game to Michigan, given how much better their performances have been away from home. Over the Cowboys’ past seven games, they’re 4-0 on the road and 0-3 in the Metroplex. New Orleans and Green Bay both embarrassed the Cowboys in Dallas, and Mike McCarthy’s crew hasn’t won a home game since beating the Lions by a point at the end of last season.
The Cowboys have to get the defense solved if they’re going to challenge Washington in the NFC East. Among NFC teams, only Carolina, Los Angeles and Arizona have allowed more points than Dallas to this point. Detroit should be ready to roll on offense.
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Denver Broncos
Bo Nix seems to be settling down. That doesn’t mean he’s lighting the world on fire or anything, but it does mean that he’s not trying to be the hero every time out. Denver has now won three consecutive games, and it’s done that by trusting the defense and letting Nix simply not lose the game.
And now the Broncos get the opponent they love to see come to Colorado. The Chargers have been essentially helpless when playing in Denver for the better part of a decade, going 1-10 in their past 11 visits to the Mile High City. Los Angeles’ only win in Denver came in 2018, which is partially why the Chargers haven’t swept the Broncos since 2010.
The Chargers have not been good on offense for a while now, scoring 12 points or less in their past four defeats. That includes their most recent visit to Denver, a 16-9 loss on New Year’s Eve. Things are not clicking for Justin Herbert right now, and the Chargers’ running game went absolutely nowhere against Kansas City. Denver’s defense looks to be in position to carry the day.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay has to get back on the horse here, because losing back-to-back games to Atlanta and New Orleans simply isn’t an option if the Bucs want to win the NFC South. After a hot start that included a win in Detroit and Washington’s only loss, Tampa Bay has cooled off, losing to both Denver and the Falcons.
The Bucs’ big issue is that their success is tied almost entirely to their pass defense. Tampa Bay has held two opponents under 200 passing yards and cruised to victory, while going 1-2 when a team cracks that number. The win came over Detroit, and that happened because the Lions blew that game by going 1-for-7 in the red zone.
New Orleans has really backslid with three straight defeats and a passing attack that isn’t getting things done. The Saints only average 196 passing yards per game, and that’s skewed by getting to play Carolina and Dallas to open the season. Derek Carr failed to top 200 yards against both Philadelphia and Kansas City, and it doesn’t seem like he’s ready to handle Tampa Bay’s blitzes.
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
And here’s the main reason the Jets hit the panic button: they’ve got Buffalo coming to MetLife Stadium in a battle for first place in the AFC East. New York cannot afford to lose this game if it wants any hope of winning the division. Miami and New England simply aren’t going to challenge Buffalo, so it’s either the Jets put up some resistance or watch the Bills waltz to the playoffs.
Buffalo is reeling a bit after losing back-to-back at Houston and Baltimore. The Bills didn’t play well at all against the Ravens, but they should have had the Texans beaten. They’ve also not forgotten having lost back-to-back games to the Jets in New Jersey, including when Aaron Rodgers got injured four plays into the season last year.
If the Bills survive this game, the schedule will be much more favorable later in the season. And with the Jets facing turmoil after a change of coaches, the Bills need to strike early and prevent Gang Green from getting comfortable.
