Week 6 of the NFL season is already here, so let’s take a look at some of the more interesting matchups of the weekend!
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 11: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the preseason game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 11, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
New England Patriots (+3) @ Las Vegas Raiders
Patriots raiders won in the morning dissipated games of the weekend if you want to watch bad football, and potentially the end of Bill Belichick’s time in New England. The Patriots are coming off their two worst losses in the Bill Belichick era, getting out scored 72-3 the last two weeks. Things have gone from bad to worse in New England, and everything Bill Belichick has been doing the last few seasons is coming into question. Their offense can’t score a single touchdown in Mac. Jones looks lost a quarterback, even with new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
The Patriots need to win this weekend to salvage any hope of having a competitive season. While the Raiders are coming off a Monday night football win against the Packers in which they didn’t look overly impressive, but still manage to find a way to win the game. Jimmy Garoppolo, Jakobi Meyers and Josh McDaniels head back to Foxboro with a chance to potentially end Bill Belichick’s career or at least put a nail in the coffin of the 2023 Patriots season.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 30: Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers (-7) @ Cleveland Browns
The 49ers are the best team in the NFL, and it hasn’t looked particularly close up to this point of the season. Many people believe Brock Purdy was just a game manager, but he’s proven. He’s the perfect quarterback to execute Kyle Shanahan’s scheme. The 49ers are still led by their defense, the best in the league, who have been terrorizing opposing quarterbacks all season, forcing turnovers and allowing the fewest points in the league.
Deshaun Watson and the Browns I’ve had an up-and-down 2023 so far. Watching a show on flashes of the Houston Texans-self but hasn’t been able to sustain it. It will be a massive test for Cleveland, a measuring stick game against the best team in the league.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 22: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates with Evan Engram #17 and Jawaan Taylor #75 after a touchdown during the 1st half of the game at MetLife Stadium on December 22, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
Indianapolis Colts (+4) @ Jacksonville Jaguars
An AFC South battle between the Colts and Jaguars wouldn’t have been one of my most anticipated games going into the season, but the Colts have been one of the surprise pesky teams in the NFL and the Jaguars have been up and down to start the season. The Jaguars are coming off a big win in London against the Buffalo Bills, and Colts QB Anthony Richardson is hurt this week and won’t play. However, Gardner Minshew is one of the better backups in the league, and the Jaguars have had their struggles with the Colts the last few seasons.
On paper, this should be a win for the Jaguars against a less talented Colts team. Trevor Lawrence needs to win these games to show that he and the Jaguars are a legit playoff contender and the dominant team in the AFC South.
CINCINNATI, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 12: Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals jogs off the field after beating the Minnesota Vikings 27-24 in overtime of the Cincinnati Bengals against the Minnesota Vikings at Paul Brown Stadium on September 12, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Seattle Seahawks (+2.5) @ Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals went into the season as Super Bowl hopefuls, but Joe Burrow and their offense have had a slow start to the season. They seemed to find some momentum last week, with Jamarr Chase and Burrow getting back on the same page. The Seahawks were one of the surprise teams in the league last season, but now with a year of film on Geno Smith in Pete Carroll’s offense, they haven’t been as explosive as they were last year.
Burrow has only 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions on the season and is looking to continue building on the momentum with Chase that started to regain its steam last weekend. This will be a tough matchup at home for the Bengals, as the Seahawks will look to play spoiler on the road and keep the Bengal’s tough season from getting back on track.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 18: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks to pass against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 18, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Philadelphia Eagles (-7) @ New York Jets
Another matchup on paper that doesn’t seem to be a great game, but I’m curious to see how Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense deals with the Jets defense and how Zach Wilson is going to deal with the Eagles defense. Hurts and the Eagles offense haven’t been quite the same explosive unit that they were last year, but they’ve started to show signs of getting back to that level, with AJ Brown and Hurts finding the end zone multiple times over the last few weeks.
The Eagles are still led by their defense and their staunch defensive line that is one of the best in the league. Zach Wilson will have his hands full with the Eagles defensive line, Wilson has been shaky and that might be an understatement since taking over for Aaron Rodgers, but he seemed to find something against the Chiefs and carried it into a win over the Broncos last weekend. I expect the Eagles to win this game, but I’m interested in seeing if Zach Wilson can continue to build on his better play as of late.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 10: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys prepares to take a snap during the second quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on September 10, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Dallas Cowboys (-2.5) @ Los Angeles Chargers
We head to Monday night football for our last matchup of the weekend between the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Dallas Cowboys are another team who went into the season as Super Bowl hopefuls and have looked the part at times in the season but have also struggled mightily at times, losing to the Arizona Cardinals as heavy favorites and getting blown out last weekend on Sunday night football by the San Francisco 49ers in a measuring stick game. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense were downright awful last week against the best defense in the league in the 49ers, and will look to get back on track against a much weaker defense in Los Angeles.
The Chargers were a playoff hopeful team heading into the season and have gotten off to an up and down start to the season. After losing their first two games of the season, Justin Herbert and the Chargers have started to look like the team most expected heading into the season, but the Cowboys will be a real test for them, especially a Cowboys team looking to bounce back after being embarrassed on national television last weekend.
