Welcome to another installment of my weekly NFL Column. My goal is to watch everything so that you don’t have to. I will present to you the best games to watch back; the craziest moments; the best individual performances and the season-long stat leaders and records. I will also be previewing the upcoming gameweek, too.
If that sounds like something you’re interested in, check in each week.
Not everybody in the UK has the ability to watch almost 20 hours of live NFL every week, but I’ll make sure you don’t miss anything you’d wish you didn’t. Without further delay…
This is what happened This Week in the NFL.
Game of the Week
If you can only watch one full game in its entirety, watch this one:
Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Jets
There are different types of games that I recommend in the GOTW segment of my column. You have the big shootouts where you can barely take your eyes off the action, and then you have the lower-scoring, intense battles, where – again – you can barely take your eyes off the action.
This game was the latter. It was a tightly contested matchup between two teams who came into the year with Super Bowl aspirations.
I highly recommend you watch this one, because it was pretty damn exciting.
Other games to watch back
Dallas Cowboys @ Los Angeles Chargers
Upset of the Week
Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Jets
I have to say, this was unexpected. One of the most dominant teams in the league, heading in 5-0 to take on a team that had their dreams seemingly crushed a month ago, the Eagles looked poised for another win. However, the Jets – while Rodgersless – still have a heck of a lot of belief in their building.
Admittedly, some of that faith may come from the fact that their quarterback is walking around without crutches and soft-tossing a football just 34 days after achilles surgery – anything is possible.
The Jets defense held a high-flying offense to just two scores, and they managed to record 3 interceptions of Jalen Hurts in an incredibly impressive display. The Philly signal-caller had only been picked off three times all season, previously, and the New York secondary managed to double that tally. A big upset, and one which comes before a huge test for the Eagles next week… Miami.
Undefeated Watch!
It’s over!! This week we saw both the 5-0 Eagles and the 5-0 Niners fall!
It was the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns who toppled the two undefeated teams, despite entering the weekend with records of 2-3 and 2-2 respectively.
Winless Watch! (AKA the race for Caleb)
Carolina Panthers
Winners and Losers
Winners
Kansas City Chiefs (5-1)
Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
Washington Commanders (3-3)
Minnesota Vikings (2-4)
Cincinnati Bengals (3-3)
Cleveland Browns (3-2)
Miami Dolphins (5-1)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2)
Houston Texans (3-3)
Las Vegas Raiders (3-3)
Los Angeles Rams (3-3)
New York Jets (3-3)
Detroit Lions (5-1)
Buffalo Bills (4-2)
Dallas Cowboys (4-2)
Losers
Denver Broncos (1-5)
Tennessee Titans (2-4)
Atlanta Falcons (3-3)
Chicago Bears (1-5)
Seattle Seahawks (3-2)
San Francisco 49ers (5-1)
Carolina Panthers (0-6)
Indianapolis Colts (3-3)
New Orleans Saints (3-3)
New England Patriots (1-5)
Arizona Cardinals (1-5)
Philadelphia Eagles (5-1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
New York Giants (1-5)
Los Angeles Chargers (2-3)
Teams on Bye
Green Bay Packers (2-3)
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)
Standout Individual Performers
Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins
17 carries for 115 rushing yards and 2 rushing TD’s, plus 3 receptions for 17 yards and a TD.
The Miami Dolphins’ backfield has been fascinating this year. The high-flying offense has been dominating week in week out and an unexpected two-pronged attack with the combo of Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane was tearing NFL defenses in half. Achane got hurt, but Mostert stepped up and delivered once again. He carried the ball 17 times, and turned those touches into 115 rushing yards and 2 TD’s. He also caught all 3 of his targets for 17 more yards and his third touchdown. Miami’s offense is cooking and Mostert is the star of the show.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
6 receptions on 10 targets for 163 receiving yards and a TD.
Okay, he’s a star of the show. Tyreek Hill is one of the brightest-shining stars in the league. And he added to his near-endless highlight reel this weekend with another touchdown and another flashy celebration. He caught 6 of his 10 targets for 163 yards in the win over a struggling Carolina defense, and gave someone a pretty cool video to post on social media.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
12 receptions on 15 targets for 124 receiving yards and a TD.
The Detroit Lions are having a fantastic year, and they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. This week they picked up a comfortable victory over the Buccaneers, partially due to the brilliant performance of a returning Amon-Ra St. Brown, who looked more than ready to go after missing Week 5. He was targeted 15 times, catching 12 of them for 124 receiving yards. He also found the end zone for the third time this season.
Adam Thielen, WR, Carolina Panthers
11 receptions on 13 targets for 115 receiving yards and a TD.
One of the most unsuspecting ballers of the 2023 season so far has been ex-Viking Adam Thielen. Since joining Carolina this offseason, he has found a new lease on life. In Week 1 he was hardly involved, but since Week 2, he has scored in four of the five games and has had over 75 yards in all but one game. This week he had 11 catches for 115 yards and a TD, as he continued his resurgence.
Jordan Hicks, LB, Minnesota Vikings
5 solo tackles, 5 assists, an interception and a 42-yard fumble recovery TD.
There were some big defensive performances this week, but none bigger than that of Jordan Hicks, who had an absolutely epic showing in Minnesota’s win over Chicago. The Vikings linebacker recorded 10 combined tackles while also making two big plays on turnovers. He had an interception, his first of the season, and then scored the game-winning touchdown on a 42-yard scoop-and-score!
Danielle Hunter, DE, Minnesota Vikings
6 solo tackles and 1 assist, including 2.0 Sacks.
Hicks wasn’t the only member of Minnesota’s front seven who balled out at Soldier Field on Sunday. Danielle Hunter also had himself a day, making 6 solo tackles and one assist, while recording 2.0 Sacks. Justin Fields has been struggling enough lately, so trying to make plays against an in-form Hunter was never going to be fun, with this week’s brace, he now has 8.0 Sackson on the season, tied for first in the NFL.
Haason Reddick, LB, Philadelphia Eagles
4 solo tackles and 1 assist, including 2.5 Sacks.
The Philadelphia Eagles lost this week, for the first time on the season, but that wasn’t the fault of their defense, who only gave up 20 points. Haason Reddick was their best player, recording 5 combined tackles, including 2.5 Sacks on Zach Wilson in the 14-20 loss. Playing well on defense but seeing your (usually high-flying) offense fail to put up any points is about as frustrating as it gets for a defensive player, especially when you ball out like Reddick did this week.
Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
9 receptions on 9 targets for 124 receiving yards.
The most talked about player in the NFL, right now, Travis Kelce once again stood out on the field, too. While the offense as a whole isn’t firing on all cylinders this year, their TE continues to ball out. His chemistry with Mahomes was on full display as they connected on all 9 of Kelce’s targets for 124 receiving yards. And after the Thursday Night Football game was in the books, he even had some spare time to head over to the East coast to watch his brother and even a bit of playoff baseball!
Kendall Fuller, CB, Washington Commanders
9 solo tackles and an Interception.
Cornerbacks are often considered to be disinterested in or perhaps not particularly fond of tackling, but this week Kendall Fuller had himself a game doing just that. He recorded an impressive 9 tackles, as well as an interception of Desmond Ridder, which he took 23 yards before being tackled himself. What a day for the young Washington corner.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
67.7% completion rate, 262 passing yards and 3 TD’s and a 126.0 QB Rating.
Tyreek Hill and Raheem Mostert got all the love earlier, but I do want to show a bit of appreciation to Tua again this week. While this wasn’t an insane performance by his standards, he controlled the game and made timely plays in a comfortable win at home. Tua completed 21 of 31 pass attempts (67.7%) for 262 passing yards and 3 TD’s, earning him a 126 Quarterback Rating.
Lavonte David, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9 solo tackles and 3 assists, including a Sack.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers take great pride in their front seven, which remains one of the toughest to face in the league, despite them fading out of contention this season in their post-Brady era. Veteran linebacker Lavonte David balled out this week, recording 9 solo tackles and 3 assists for good measure. He also recorded a sack, his second of the season.
Stat Leaders Through Week 6
Passing Yards – Tua Tagovailoa MIA, 1876
Passing TD’s – Kirk Cousins MIN and Tua Tagovailoa MIA, 14
Rushing Yards – Christian McCaffrey SF, 553
Rushing TD’s – Raheem Mostert MIA, 9
Receiving Yards – Tyreek Hill MIA, 814
Receiving TD’s – Tyreek Hill MIA, 6
Total TD’s – Raheem Mostert MIA, 11
Tackles (combined) – Zaire Franklin IND, 77
Sacks – Danielle Hunter MIN, T.J. Watt PIT, 8.0
Interceptions – 8 tied at 3.
Week 7 Preview – What to watch
Teams on Bye – Byepocalypse Edition!
Cincinnati Bengals (3-3)
Dallas Cowboys (4-2)
Tennessee Titans (2-4)
New York Jets (3-3)
Carolina Panthers (0-6)
Houston Texans (3-3)
Week 7 Best Games
Miami Dolphins @ Philadelphia Eagles, SNF – One of the best matchups we’ve seen so far this year!
Detroit Lions @ Baltimore Ravens, 6pm
Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs, 9:25pm
Tyler’s Bold Week 7 Prediction
The Dolphins will put up 40 points on the Eagles’ sturdy defense.
Week 7 Storylines
One of the best matchups you could possibly ask for… On Prime Time. Dolphins @ Eagles, SNF
Will Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville keep up their momentum? Jaguars @ Saints, TNF
Buffalo look to secure the win over the team that once ran the AFC East. Bills @ Patriots, 6pm
Will Daniel Jones’ return be enough to earn a home win against their division rivals? Commanders @ Giants, 6pm
Will Detroit’s amazing start to the year continue? Lions @ Ravens, 6pm
Two of the best defensive linemen of their generation facing off. Steelers @ Rams, 9:05pm
A battle between the two best offenses in the AFC West. Chargers @ Chiefs, 9:25pm
San Francisco look to bounce back after their first loss. Niners @ Vikings, MNF
