Lamar Jackson outshone rookie Jayden Daniels as the Baltimore Ravens won a fourth straight, Drake Maye impressed but was defeated on his NFL debut for the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles edge out the Cleveland Browns. Here’s what happened in Week Six in the NFL…
Washington Commanders 23-30 Baltimore Ravens
Derrick Henry ran for two touchdowns as the Baltimore Ravens beat the Washington Commanders 30-23 for a fourth consecutive victory.
Lamar Jackson threw for 323 yards and a touchdown to outshine rookie Jayden Daniels in a showdown between two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks this season.
Jackson found Mark Andrews for the tight end’s first touchdown of the season and completed nine passes to Zay Flowers for 132 yards – all in the first half. Henry had 132 yards and bagged his NFL-leading eighth and ninth TDs as the Ravens (4-2) mixed and matched the pass and run to near perfection.
Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin on two TD passes, but did not get nearly enough help from the backfield in a matchup of the two top rushing offenses in the league. With Brian Robinson Jr out because of a knee injury, Washington (4-2) got just 52 yards on the ground.
The Commanders’ defense struggled to contain Jackson and Henry, allowing Baltimore to rack up 484 yards, as their winning streak ended at four with a loss at the hands of an opponent that is starting to look like the legitimate Super Bowl contender it was expected to be before the season.
Houston Texans 41-21 New England Patriots
CJ Stroud threw three touchdown passes as the Houston Texans spoiled the first start of New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye, breezing to a 41-21 win.
Joe Mixon rushed for 102 yards and caught a TD pass from Stroud, Stefon Diggs had six catches for 77 yards and a score for the AFC South-leading Texans (5-1), while Tank Dell had seven receptions for 57 yards and a TD.
Dameon Pierce ripped off a 54-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and finished with 76 yards on eight carries. Will Anderson Jr recorded three sacks for Houston, which has now won three straight.
The Patriots (1-5) got a boost from Maye, the No 3 overall pick in the NFL draft. Taking over for veteran Jacoby Brissett, he finished 20 of 33 for 243 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 38 yards but was intercepted twice and sacked four times, one resulting in a lost fumble.
Cleveland Browns 16-20 Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 45-yard toss to DeVonta Smith in the fourth quarter, as the Philadelphia Eagles held off the Cleveland Browns.
Hurts also threw a 22-yard TD to AJ Brown, who returned along with Smith after both wide receivers missed time with injuries.
Coming off a bye, the Eagles (3-2) had to tough one out against the Browns (1-5) in front of an at-times hostile crowd. Before Smith’s TD, Eagles fans were chanting for coach Nick Sirianni to get fired.
Trailing 20-13, the Browns moved into Eagles territory late in the game, only to settle for a Dustin Hopkins 31-yard field goal. Deshaun Watson was pushed out of bounds at the two-yard line on a scramble, and he threw incomplete on third down.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 51-27 New Orleans Saints
Baker Mayfield overcame three turnovers to throw for 325 yards and four touchdowns as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put up 51 on the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints (2-4) have now lost four straight after starting the season with a pair of lopsided victories. Their latest defeat came in rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler’s first NFL start.
Trailing by three after a wild, high-scoring first half in which Tampa Bay (4-2) lost an early 17-0 lead, the Bucs pulled ahead for good on Chris Godwin’s second touchdown of the game – a 55-yarder on a short catch and long run during which three Saints missed tackle attempts.
Safety Zyon McCollum’s diving interception of Rattler’s underthrown pass initiated a fourth-quarter drive that ended with a Mayfield eight-yard scoring pass to tight end Cade Otton on third-and-goal as Tampa Bay continued to pull away.
Arizona Cardinals 13-34 Green Bay Packers
Romeo Doubs returned from a one-game suspension and caught two of Jordan Love’s four touchdown passes in the Green Bay Packers’ comfortable victory over a mistake-prone Arizona Cardinals outfit.
Doubs scored his first two touchdowns of the season – a 10-yard score to open the second quarter and a 20-yard reception in the third.
Love also threw touchdown passes of five yards to Jayden Reed and 44 yards to Christian Watson while going 22 of 32 – completing throws to nine different players – for 258 yards, with one interception. His four touchdown passes matched a career high.
The Packers (4-2) capitalised on the Arizona’s uncharacteristic lack of discipline. The Cardinals (2-4) had been averaging a league-low 3.8 penalties per game, but they were penalised 13 times for 100 yards on Sunday. They also committed three turnovers.
Indianapolis Colts 20-17 Tennessee Titans
Joe Flacco threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Indianapolis Colts to a win over the Tennessee Titans.
The 39-year-old veteran quarterback is now 1-1 through two starts for the Colts (3-3), who got a much-needed split of back-to-back road games inside the AFC South as second-year QB Anthony Richardson was out again with an injured right hip.
Richardson, the fourth overall pick out in the 2023 NFL Draft, has yet to play against Will Levis who was the 33rd selection overall that same year by Tennessee.
The Titans (1-4) now have lost three-straight to their division rivals. They will have to wait until November to try and win their first home game this season for first-year head coach Brian Callahan.
Watch the Buffalo Bills take on the New York Jets in Monday Night Football live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.15am in the early hours of Tuesday morning; Also stream with NOW.
