NFL Analysis
10/13/24
9 min read
Biggest Winners, Losers From 2024 NFL Week 6
There were a lot of blowouts in Week 6, and it wasn’t the best week of NFL action. However, there were several players that stood out and performed well above expectations.
And there were some other teams and coaches that laid an egg. Here are the biggest winners and losers coming out of Sunday afternoon:
Week 6 Winners, Losers
Honorable Mention:
Winner: Jared Goff, QB, Lions
Loser: Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys
Winner: Joe Mixon, RB, Texans
Loser: Deshaun Watson, QB, Browns
⬆️Winner: Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears
Jayden Daniels has received most of the national praise among rookie quarterbacks this year, and it has been well deserved. He’s been fantastic and has made Washington a legit contender in the NFC.
However, Caleb Williams had the type of performance in Week 6 that reminded everyone why he was the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
After lighting up the Panthers last week, Williams was even better against the Jaguars in Week 6. He threw a career-high four touchdowns and was in complete control throughout the game. Williams only had one bad throw, putting too much air on a pass that should have been an easy touchdown to DJ Moore.
Instead, it was intercepted by Andre Cisco, and it was clearly a throw that Williams would want back.
Williams more than made up for it, throwing three more touchdowns and shredding the Jaguars' secondary. He has improved every week and has now posted three straight performances with at least 106 passer rating.
He could still stand to get rid of the ball quicker, but he’s doing everything you would want from a franchise quarterback. The Bears must be thrilled with his development, as he’s instantly made Chicago a viable contender in the NFC North.
⬆️Winner: A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Welcome back, A.J. Brown.
The Eagles have not been the same on offense with Brown on the sideline. He’s missed most of the season with a hamstring injury, and his first game back came against the Browns, and he didn’t disappoint.
Brown caught a 22-yard touchdown on a beautiful fade in the first half, giving the Eagles a 10-3 lead. But that wouldn’t be the biggest play that Brown would make on Sunday.
With the Eagles trying to kill the clock with a four-point lead, Jalen Hurts took a shot down the field to Brown on second and 6. An incompletion would give the Browns a legitimate chance to steal the game. Of course, Brown converted despite a defender hanging all over him.
ABSOLUTELY INSANE A.J. BROWN 🥵@1kalwaysopen_ | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/3OQeT4xAgJ
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 13, 2024
Brown finished the game with 116 yards and a touchdown, and his explosive playmaking ability helped the Eagles avoid a disastrous loss. Philadelphia still has a ways to go as an offense, but Brown makes the unit work and gives it an answer to so many problems.
Brown is back, and he is one of the league's most dynamic players. We’ll see how much better this offense looks in the upcoming weeks, but Sunday was a heckuva outing for Brown.
⬆️Winner: Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have been one of the NFL’s best teams during the past several seasons.
Still, one area where they have struggled is finishing games. Just this year, we saw them blow a double-digit lead to the Raiders in the fourth quarter of a game they should have never lost. However, it feels like the Ravens have found their closer in the last few weeks: Derrick Henry.
Lamar Jackson is the team's MVP, but the Ravens have asked him to do too much and bail them out of every bad situation. Now, Jackson has a running back that can take *some* pressure off of him and help close out games. We saw that happen last week when Henry ripped off a huge run in overtime against the Bengals, and he did it again in Week 6.
With the Ravens up seven (30-23), they just needed to gain a few first downs to get the win. And, of course, that meant plenty of carries for Henry. He came through again with a 27-yard run to flip the field position, which helped burn all of Washington’s timeouts. Then, on second and 6, Henry ran for five yards to set up the game-winning run by Jackson on third and short.
Henry finished the game with 132 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Ravens improve to 4-2 after an 0-2 start. He has racked up 611 yards and seven touchdowns in his last four games, and the Ravens have scored at least 28 points in all of those games.
We’ll see how his body holds up for the remainder of the season, but Henry has given Baltimore a physical presence on offense, and his big-play ability has allowed them to close out these games and get right back into the AFC North division hunt.
⬇️Loser: Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans
We know that Will Levis suffered some sort of shoulder injury in Week 4 against the Dolphins, so it’s fair to assume he probably isn’t 100 percent healthy. However, he practiced all week and got the start, so it is fair to judge his play. And it was far from good.
Levis had just 95 passing yards on 27 passing attempts, and 16 of those yards came on the final play of the game as the Titans were attempting several laterals. The offense scored just 17 points against one of the league’s worst defenses, and the passing game could never get in rhythm. But this isn’t a new issue.
The Titans have not scored more than 17 points in their last five games, which Levis has started and finished. It’s just not a good offense, and he has not shown the ability to move the chains consistently. He can hit the big play every once in a while, but you can not build a good offense with that approach.
It probably makes sense for the Titans to continue to give Levis chances, but it’s clear he isn’t their long-term solution. With a 1-4 record, the Titans are one of the worst teams in the league, and it appears that they will be in the quarterback market in 2025.
⬇️Loser: The Dallas Cowboys
Everyone knew this would be a tough game for the Dallas Cowboys. They were without (at least) six defensive starters, including two All-Pros (Micah Parsons and Daron Bland). Dallas was a 3.5-point home underdog against the Lions, and there weren’t many people picking them this week.
Yet again, they got off to an incredibly slow start, giving up 27 points in the first half. The Lions scored on every possession (outside of a kneel down), and Dallas was fortunate that they had to settle for two field goals.
The defense was incredibly short-handed, but the offense did Dallas no favors. The Cowboys scored just six points on six drives, including another red-zone interception by Dak Prescott. There was also a failed fourth-down conversion on their side of the field, and the Lions scored a touchdown just a few plays later.
Things would only get worse for Dallas in the second half, allowing nine straight scores on defense. Prescott threw another interception to Brian Branch, and the offense couldn’t get out of neutral.
The Cowboys have now lost four straight games at home (including their postseason loss to the Packers), and they have been non-competitive in the first half of those games. Dallas was one of the best home teams in 2022 and 2023, but that advantage is completely gone.
The Cowboys are 3-3 and have a brutal schedule coming up. With their struggles at home, it’s fair to wonder what their record will be when we get to Thanksgiving. This was another ugly loss, and it’s hard to trust this team in any big game moving forward.
⬇️Loser: Antonio Pierce, HC, Las Vegas Raiders
Antonio Pierce becoming the interim head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders last year was one of the NFL's coolest storylines last year. The Raiders played hard for Pierce, and they had some really impressive wins, including beating the Chiefs in Kansas City. But things couldn’t be any more different this season.
The Raiders were blown out again by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have one of the league’s worst offenses. The Raiders had four turnovers on offense (one blocked punt, two fumbles, one interception) and a bunch of key penalties that took points off the board. They look like one of the league’s most undisciplined teams, and the switch to Aidan O’Connell didn’t make the offense look any better.
Pierce is just throwing things against the wall, and nothing is working at this point. The effort level in the second half was disgusting, and Pierce missed several big decisions, including not challenging a clear touchdown from Ameer Abdullah.
The Raiders are now 2-4 after six games and at the bottom of the AFC West. They don’t have a long-term answer at quarterback, and their star receiver is demanding a trade. The Raiders have no identity, and it appears they don’t have an answer at head coach.
Pierce has looked lost all season, and his team has regressed every week. Hiring a substitute teacher rarely works, and the Raiders should be on the lookout for a new head coach in 2025.
However, with Mark Davis still paying two other coaches (Jon Gruden and Josh McDaniels), it feels unlikely that it will happen this offseason.
