After a week 5 that saw the first London Game of the season and plenty of action, week 6 brings more of the same. So, how did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, and Baltimore Ravens, among others, fare this week?
High Scoring Tampa Bay
Another week, another deep dive into a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game. Last week, the Atlanta Falcons defeated the 4-1 team with Kirk Cousin’s 500+ passing yards. They hoped to return to the winner’s circle this week as they faced the New Orleans Saints. The Saints started the season well but have recently lost that form. Could they recover it this week?
The Buccaneers had the first possession of the game and would be able to score the first touchdown. Starting from their 26-yard line, the Bucs offense, led by Quarterback Baker Mayfield, moved the ball down the field to reach the Saints’ four-yard line. From here, Mayfield found Chris Godwin for the TD pass.
They extended their lead immediately after this, taking advantage of a Saints fumble. Once the ball was loose, Antonie Winfred Jr. scooped it up and returned it to the endzone to double the Buccs’ lead.
This would become even larger on their next drive. Tampa Bay reached the Saints’ eight-yard line, where the drive would stall. This set a 26-yard field goal attempt from Chase McLaughlin, which was successful.
The Saints would then be able to get something on the board. Starting from their 20-yard line, the offense led by rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler (who was taking over due to an injury to QB Derrick Carr) would be able to bring the ball down to the Buccs’ 24-yard line. From here, Saints kicker Blake Grupe made the 42-yard kick.
Embed from Getty ImagesThings would soon get better for New Orleans. Tampa Bay had a poor drive and punted the ball away. However, on the return, the Saints found the endzone, scoring a touchdown. On the next Tampa Bay drive, Mayfield’s pass was intercepted in his territory. This gave the Saints a good chance to level the score. However, the best they could manage was a 29-yard field goal.
The Saints would get another chance immediately after, as Mayfield would throw another interception in his territory. This time, New Orleans was able to find the endzone. A 10-yard touchdown pass from Rattler to Bub Means gave them a slim lead.
The lead did not last long. Shaking off his previous two mistakes, Mayfield recovered some of his prior form. He moved the offense down to the Saints’ 36-yard line and, from here, found Sean Tucker for the TD pass.
In response to this, New Orleans could find the endzone again. This time, running back Alvin Kamara scored a four-yard rushing touchdown.
Late in the half, Mayfield threw his third interception of the game, but luckily for the Buccaneers, it led to nothing.
This meant that the Saints had a 27-24 lead at halftime. In a half with 51 points scored, what could the second half bring?
It was not much to begin with. Out of the first six drives of the half, only one did not end in a punt. This drive was an important one, and it ended with a 55-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield to Godwin, giving Tampa Bay the lead again.
A couple of drives later, New Orleans would make a mistake, which could cost them the game. Rattler’s pass was intercepted on the Buccs’ 42-yard line. In the subsequent drive, Mayfield and company could drive down the field to reach the Saints’ eight-yard line. From here, he found Otton for the TD pass to extend the lead. Tampa Bay did attempt a two-point conversion, but it failed.
However, the Buccs would add to their lead on their next drive. A one-yard rushing TD from Bucky Irving put the game out of reach for New Orleans. The game would well and truly be over for them when Rattler threw another interception, and the following drive ended in another touchdown from Tampa Bay. Here, a five-yard rushing TD from Tucker sealed a 51-27 victory.
Embed from Getty ImagesTampa Bay was dominant in this game and could capitalize on the rookie quarterback’s mistake. All the Saints’ points came in the second quarter, and by the second half, it was like they had run out of steam. The only bright spot was the Saints’ defense, which intercepted Mayfield three times. The victory puts the Buccs on 4-2 for the season, while New Orleans falls to 2-4.
Next week, Tampa Bay faces the Baltimore Ravens (so that game will probably also be given a deep dive), while New Orleans faces the Denver Broncos.
And, on the subject of the Baltimore Ravens.
Lamar Jackson vs Jayden Daniels
On paper, this was the game of the week. The in-form Washington Commanders against the in-form Baltimore Ravens. These two high-power offences come into the game as both have won their previous game and are in contention to win their division. A win here would help, but who would get it?
The Ravens had the opening possession of the game but could not have the ball for long. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson could move the offense down to the Commanders’ 20-yard line. Here, here, the pass would be intercepted.
The resulting drive led the Commanders down to the Ravens’ 24-yard line, but no further. This set up a 42-yard field goal from Commanders kicker Austin Selbert, which was successful.
Baltimore was able to match this on their next drive. The offense would make it down to the Commanders’ 27-yard line, where the drive stalled. This set up a 45-yard field goal kick from Justin Tucker, which was successful.
A couple of drives later, the Ravens could take the lead. Starting from their seven-yard line, Baltimore could drive the ball to the Commanders’ three-yard line. From here, Dereck Henry scored the rushing TD.
In reply, Washington was able to find the endzone. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels would move the offense down to the Ravens’ seven-yard line. From here, he found Terry McLaurin for the touchdown pass to tie things again up.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe tie did not last long, as on the next drive, Jackson found Mark Andrews for a 13-yard TD pass. In response, the Commanders would attempt a field goal on the stroke of halftime. However, Selbert’s kick was blocked.
This meant that the Ravens had a 17-10 lead over the Commanders at halftime.
The Commanders would open the second half how they wanted to finish the first one. Their drive stalled at the Ravens’ 37-yard line, setting up a 55-yard field goal attempt from Selbert that was successful.
But the Ravens immediately struck back, also by scoring a field goal. A 32-yard kick from Tucker returned the lead to seven points.
This was extended soon after. Starting from their six-yard line, the Ravens’ offense went down to the Commanders’ seven-yard line. From here, Henry scored his second touchdown of the game.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, in reply to this, the Commanders again restored Baltimore’s one-possession lead. A six-yard TD pass from Daniels to McLaughlin on an important fourth-down attempt made it a seven-point game in the fourth quarter.
But the Commanders were never able to overcome this gap. Baltimore scored another field goal late in the fourth quarter, which Washington could only match in what became their final drive of the game.
Ultimately, the Baltimore Ravens recorded a 30-23 victory over the Washington Commanders.
The victory improves the Ravens’ record to 4-2, while the Commanders fall to the same record. Next week, Baltimore faces the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Washington plays the Carolina Panthers.
Whatever happened to the Dallas Cowboys?
The Detroit Lions have had a strong start to the season. They are one of the stronger teams in the very strong NFC North this year, and in this current form should be able to make the playoffs and have a good run in the playoffs. In contrast, the Dallas Cowboys have struggled in form like most of the NFC East this year. They come into this game with a 3-2 record but have not won at home this season. Could they get the win they need?
The Cowboys had the opening possession of the game and would be able to score the opening points. Starting from their 30-yard line, the Cowboys offense, led by quarterback Dak Prescott, was able to make its way down to the Lions’ 16-yard line. But they could not get any further, setting up a 34-yard field goal attempt from Brandon Aubrey, which was successful.
In reply, the Lions would also be able to put points on the board. The Jared Goff-led offense quickly made its way down to the Cowboys’ 16-yard line. From there, David Montgomery found the endzone for the rushing touchdown.
Prescott moved the offense down to the Lions’ seven-yard line on the next drive. Here, a mistake happened, as his pass was intercepted in the endzone. This mistake would be costly, as on the subsequent drive, Detroit was able to score a field goal on the Cowboys’ 22-yard line.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis increased their lead, which was only larger on their next drive. Goff found Sam LaPorta for a 52-yard touchdown pass to cap off a quick three-play sprint down the field for the Lions.
The Lions’ scoring continued on their next drive. This time, Goff and company found themselves at the Cowboys’ 30-yard line, where the drive would stall. This set up kicker Jake Bates with a 48-yard attempt, which he was successful with.
Another touchdown for Detroit followed this field goal. On this occasion, Montgomery found the endzone from one yard out to score his second of the game.
This was a poor half from the Cowboys, but they got something from the half’s final drive. This was a field goal scored from 47 yards out.
As the teams returned to the locker room, the Lions had a resounding 27-6 lead over the Cowboys.
The Lions started the second half in the best possible way, with another long touchdown pass. This time, a 37-yard throw from Goff to Jameson Williams found the endzone only to widen what an already large (and slightly embarrassing) lead the Lions had.
Dallas did cut into this lead on their next drive. However, while a 50-yard field goal is impressive, it had little effect on the result or the Cowboys’ confidence. To further insult the injury, the Lions matched this on their next drive, so any possible gain that the Cowboys could have had was removed.
Embed from Getty ImagesThings then went from bad to worse for Dallas. On their next drive, they fumbled the ball, which the Lions then scooped up. From here, Goff brought the offense down to the Cowboys’ 10-yard line and then found Williams for the TD pass. However, there was a penalty against the Lions for pass interference on the play, meaning that the score was removed from the board. This did not stop them from scoring, as Bates made a 33-yard field goal a few plays later.
Dallas threw another interception on their next drive, and on this occasion, the Lions scored a touchdown from it. Goff found Amon-Ra St Brown for the four-yard touchdown.
One more interception for the Cowboys and a fumble on their final drive of the game meant that as the clock went to all zeros, the Detroit Lions had recorded a 47-9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
The one word to describe the Dallas Cowboys’ performance in this game is “Terrible”. They are not the strong team they think they are. Everything went wrong, and they fell to 3-3 for the season. This was another convincing win for the Lions that shows why they are contenders for the NFC this season. This victory improves their record to 4-1. However, it was not all great for them, as they lost Aidan Hutchenson to a fractured tibia. He should fully recover but will likely be out at best for a couple of weeks.
Embed from Getty ImagesNext week, the Lions face the undefeated Minnesota Vikings, while the Cowboys are on a well-needed bye week.
What happened in the Other Games?
Thursday night’s game this week was between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks had just come off a shock defeat to the New York Giants and would want to get a big win against their rivals. This did not happen; the 49ers returned to their old form and led throughout. Brock Purdy threw three touchdowns in San Francisco’s 36-24 win.
Week 6 saw the second London Game of the season. This time, the Jacksonville Jaguars faced the Chicago Bears. The Jags came into this game with only one win and left it with one. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw for four TD in a 35-16 rout.
The Green Bay Packers faced the Arizona Cardinals this week in another game that quickly became one-sided. Green Bay dominated the Cardinals to record a 34-13 win, with Romeo Doubs (who came back from suspension) scoring two touchdowns.
Another struggling team this season is the Tennessee Titans. They faced the Indianapolis Colts, who now have Joe Flacco as their quarterback. For most of the game, the Titans were winning. That was until the fourth quarter when the Colts broke free to record a 20-17 win.
Former North Carolina Tar Heel Drake Maye made his first NFL start as the New England Patriots hosted the Houston Texans. Unfortunately for the number three pick it did not end well. While he had a decent game, throwing for 243 yards and three touchdowns, they could not keep up with the high-scoring Texans offense, who recorded a 41-21 win.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Philadelphia Eagles faced the Cleveland Browns. On paper, the Eagles are a strong enough team to easily dismantle the Browns. This was not the case, and the game was close throughout. A late 45-yard TD from DeVonta Smith was enough to seal a 20-16 win for the Eagles.
In a battle of AFC West teams, the Los Angeles Chargers faced the Denver Broncos. The Chargers had a 23-0 lead going into the fourth quarter. A late comeback from the Broncos did occur, but it was not enough. The Chargers held on for a 23-16 win.
The Pittsburgh Steelers visited Las Vegas to host the Raiders. In this game, Steelers running back Najee Harris recorded more than 100 yards, as the Steelers run game dominated the Raiders’ defence. In the end, Pittsburgh came out as 32-13 winners.
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter his 500+ yard performance last week, Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons wanted a similar performance against the Carolina Panthers this week. While we did not get this, the Falcons were still the stronger team, recording a 38-20 win.
The New York Jets returned to the United States after their woeful performance in London to face the Buffalo Bills. It was not enough despite Aaron Rodgers throwing a Hail Mary just before halftime. A late field goal from Tyler Bass gave Buffalo a 23-20 win and control of the AFC East.
Finally, how did the New York Giants ruin my weekend? Firstly, they played on Sunday Night Football, which is never a good sign. They faced the struggling Cincinnati Bengals in a low-scoring and uneventful game. Yet, the Giants still found ways to disappoint. After weeks of good performances, Daniel Jones threw one interception off a poor pass, and the offense struggled. The Bengals would win the game 17-7.
So, that was week six of the 2024 season. Next week, the Detroit Lions face the Minnesota Vikings in what could be a season-defining game for both. We have a rematch of the Super Bowl and another London Game, with the Jags facing the New England Patriots.