By Bucky Brooks
FOX Sports NFL Analyst
It is hard to win games in the NFL.
Despite the so-called "easy" wins that appear on every team’s schedule, coaches will tell you that it's hard to convert those projected wins into actual W's in the results column. That's why I believe it is important to acknowledge the teams that are stacking up wins during the first half of the season.
Although the season is akin to a marathon, the teams off to fast starts are well-positioned to secure a playoff berth with a high seed in a 14-team tournament. That said, it takes a level of maturity to reel off multiple wins in an ultra-competitive league in which most games are decided by eight points or fewer.
After reviewing the games from Week 6, I have a better feel for which teams and players are emerging as frontrunners. I also have a sense of which teams and players need to step up their games to retain their hold on playoff berths and individual honors.
Here are my thoughts and observations on what took place this weekend.
FIVE THINGS THAT LOOKED GOOD
1. The Ravens stick to their guns and keep winning
Credit John Harbaugh and Greg Roman for sticking to their plans amid criticism of the Ravens’ run-heavy offense. Despite a few playoff failures that led critics to call for a more traditional passing game, the Ravens have continued to pummel opponents behind an innovative run-heavy scheme that features a number of elements routinely found in the college game.
On Sunday, the Ravens pounded Brandon Staley’s Chargers into submission with six different runners toting the rock. The Ravens’ shell game featured quarterbacks scooting between the tackles on designed runs and read-option plays, receivers flying around the corner on jet sweeps, and running backs blowing past defenders on speed-option pitches.
The combination of deception, misdirection and power kept the Chargers’ defense on its heels. Baltimore held onto the ball for 38-plus minutes while running 15 more offensive plays than Los Angeles, which means that Justin Herbert was sidelined for much of the game. Harbaugh’s "keep away" strategy helped the Ravens chalk up another win utilizing an unorthodox style that has made them perennial contenders in the AFC.
2. Dak Prescott is the real deal
Back in March, the naysayers hated to see the Cowboys induct Prescott into the $40-million club with a four-year, $160 million contract that included $126 million in guarantees. But after six games, the Cowboys’ QB1 might be underpaid based on his performance and production.
I know it is crazy to suggest a quarterback depositing $40 million annually is a bargain, but Prescott is playing like an MVP with gold jacket potential. Yes, it's a little early to have a Hall of Fame discussion for the sixth-year pro, but Prescott is putting up historic numbers while leading a team that looks like a Super Bowl contender in the NFC.
Prescott posted his fifth 400-yard game in his past 10-and-a-half starts while showing all of the skills you would expect from a five-star QB. From his pinpoint ball placement to his superb timing and anticipation, No. 4 dazzled against the Patriots. The football world watched Prescott carve up a defense directed by a mastermind with a reputation for confusing quarterbacks young and old.
It is time to included Prescott in any discussion regarding the top quarterbacks in the game.
3. Stop sleepin’ on the Cardinals
Astute NFL observers refrain from making bold proclamations about contenders until the midpoint of the season, but I am starting to fall in love with how Arizona plays between the lines. The Cardinals are rounding into form as an elite squad.
From their explosive offense fueled by Kyler Murray’s electric talents as a playmaker with A-plus arm talent and running skills to DeAndre Hopkins' sensational ball skills to the defense’s stifling ways sparked by J.J. Watt and Chandler Jones on the frontline, the Cardinals are a complete unit with the capacity to light up scoreboards or choke opponents out in submission holds.
The combination of elite playmaking on both sides of the ball separates them from other teams.
Kyler Murray connected with DeAndre Hopkins for two touchdowns as the Cardinals beat the Browns 37-14.
4. The Carson Wentz experiment is working
The Colts are a sub .500 squad now, but the Carson Wentz experiment could result in a playoff berth and a division title. Although it is a little premature to uncork the champagne bottles in Indianapolis, it's easy to envision this team rattling off a series of wins with Wentz finding his groove as the Colts’ QB1.
The sixth-year veteran has not put up crazy numbers but he has avoided the big mistake and has managed the team like a five-star field general. Wentz has a 7-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and is on the cusp of posting a 100.0 passer rating (99.4) for the first time since 2018. He is beginning to play with the confidence and decisiveness that made him a hot prospect at North Dakota State.
Part of Wentz’s success could be attributed to Frank Reich utilizing him as a game manager instead of a playmaker. Wentz is averaging 34.6 pass attempts this season, which is in line with his MVP-like campaign in 2017 (33.8).
Against the Texans, Wentz put the ball up just 20 times as Jonathan Taylor and the running game controlled the action. Wentz tossed a couple of touchdowns to Parris Campbell and Mo Alie-Cox on play-action passes that complemented the Colts’ base runs. Although the quarterback’s performance was far from perfect, the Colts should be encouraged by his progress through six games.
5. The Raiders rally behind Rich Bisaccia
The Raiders’ season was at a crossroads following a tumultuous week that started with Jon Gruden stepping down as head coach amid controversy. The team could have fallen apart with players significantly impacted by the damage created by the email scandal. The Raiders, however, played a solid overall game, beating Denver 34-24 in Rich Bisaccia’s debut as the team’s new leader.
The deep ball reappeared on offense with Derek Carr taking a few shots to Henry Ruggs down the field to stretch the defense. The Raiders actually generated several explosive plays in the passing game with six different players registering receptions of at least 25 yards. Although the running game did not get untracked, the Raiders were able to utilize the threat of the run to make life easier for Carr in the passing game.
The defense surrendered a lot of yardage but made the Broncos "dink-and-dunk" the ball down the field. The umbrella coverage tested Teddy Bridgewater’s patience, and the veteran eventually cracked with a three-interception outing. The miscues were just enough to enable the Raiders to win the turnover battle with a plus-four margin that guaranteed a victory.
The ultra-clean performance in Bisaccia’s first game suggests that the interim head coach pushed the right buttons throughout the week and on game day.
FIVE THINGS THAT LOOKED BAD
1. The clock has struck midnight on Sam Darnold
Despite the optimism that Panthers officials might have for Darnold to revive his career, it appears his turnover woes and inconsistent play has followed him to Charlotte. In a 34-28 loss to Minnesota on Sunday, the fourth-year pro completed just 17 of 41 passes for 207 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a fumble.
The turnovers push his season total to eight, including seven in the past three games, and continues the trend that has plagued him since his days at USC. With Darnold’s accuracy issues compounding his ball security woes, the Panthers should wonder if he'll ever become a consistent playmaker as a QB1.
While the Panthers' fourth-quarter comeback will remove some of the stench from the poor performance, it might be time to rewrite the Cinderella story.
2. What is up with Patrick Mahomes?
The former MVP remains the NFL’s QB1, but Mahomes has tossed 12 picks in his past 12 games, including the playoffs, with a number of questionable decisions and showboat plays resulting in turnovers.
While Andy Reid does not want to limit his star quarterback’s creativity, he must find a way to get No. 15 back to playing clean football games without stifling his aggressiveness. Perhaps Mahomes will scale it back on his own after seeing the error of his ways, but something needs to happen before the Chiefs give away too many games and cost themselves a solid seed in the playoffs.
3. The Giants can’t get right
For a team led by a strict disciplinarian, the Giants make too many mistakes to beat good teams. From their turnover woes to their mental miscues that result in big plays, the G-Men need to clean up their habits.
Without their top playmakers, the Giants' miscues were magnified due to the costly nature of each mistake. The team is not good enough to overcome significant adversity and the "DBOs" (Don’t Beat Ourselves) mistakes are creating impossible situations for the short-handed squad.
Joe Judge has instituted a series of punitive tasks for mistakes on the practice field, but the team has not applied the lessons on game day. It takes a lot of work to change a losing culture, and the grumpy taskmaster has not been able to get it done in New York.
4. The underachieving ‘Fins
I know preseason rankings don't matter once the real games start, but the Dolphins are one of the biggest disappointments of the season. Brian Flores’ squad was expected to build on a 10-win season that had many observers pointing to Miami as a dark horse contender in the AFC.
Those predictions are certainly out of the window after a 1-5 start that has fueled speculation about what is going on in South Beach. Studying the roster, the Dolphins have enough firepower to compete with the heavyweights in the league but the team is not playing to its potential.
While some observers have pinned the blame on Tua Tagovailoa, it is hard to put all the blame on the second-year QB's shoulders when you look at Miami's struggles on both sides of the ball. The Dolphins cannot run the ball consistently and the lack of balance puts the team in too many long-yardage situations.
Defensively, the suspect pass rush and coverage have resulted in opponents moving the ball up and down the field with little resistance. With a loss to the previously winless Jaguars highlighting the team’s flaws, it is time for Flores to dig a little deeper to see if he can fix the problems in the middle of a season.
5. Talent matters in Detroit
Dan Campbell can only do so much with a roster that lacks all-star-caliber talent. He can enlighten, inspire and encourage the Lions to play every game like it is their personal Super Bowl, but the sweat equity will only go so far in a league in which talent is frequently the deciding factor.
The Lions have competed like madmen for most of the season with only one or two blue-chip players dotting a roster that is outmatched in every contest. The talent disparity showed up again in Detroit's 34-11 loss to the Bengals. The defense was unable to stay close to Joe Mixon and Ja’Marr Chase as the Bengals’ offense rolled up nearly 400 yards of offense on 68 offensive plays.
Offensively, the Lions could not move the ball against a play-hard Cincinnati unit that features a number of explosive athletes with non-stop motors. The talent gap between the two teams shows how far the Lions still must go to become a competitive squad in the NFL.
MY TOP 10 TEAMS
1. Buccaneers: Tom Brady and Co. cruised to a victory over the Eagles despite leaving their A-game at home. The offense is nearly impossible to defend with Mike Evans, Antonio Brown, Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette taking turns carrying the load.
2. Cardinals: Arizona's win over the Browns without Kliff Kingsbury on the sidelines speaks volumes about the team’s emergence as a title contender. Led by Kyler Murray’s spectacular play and a sticky-fingered defense that’s mastered the art of taking the ball away, the Cardinals could be a hard out for opponents down the stretch.
3. Bills: The Bills could make a move up the charts with an impressive win against a scrappy Titans’ squad Monday night.
4. Ravens: Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ band of outcasts and misfits at running back make life miserable for opponents unable to slow down a punishing ground game. The Ravens’ shell game makes them a nightmare to defend with No. 8 executing magic tricks with the ball in the backfield.
5. Rams: With a 38-11 win over the Giants, Sean McVay got his troops back on track with a classic performance that showcased the Rams’ balanced offensive attack. With the defense taking the ball away like a band of pickpockets, the Rams looked like a title contender this weekend.
6. Packers: There is nothing flashy about how the Packers have been stacking up wins this season, yet they are 5-1 with a team that is capable of winning a shootout or a nip-and-tuck affair. Considering Aaron Rodgers has not hit his stride, the Packers are positioned to make a run at the No. 1 spot by season’s end.
Joe Davis and Greg Olsen react to Green Bay's 24-14 victory over the Bears, highlighted by Aaron Rodgers' performance.
7. Cowboys: The Cowboys’ opportunistic defense has not received enough credit for the team’s winning ways. Dan Quinn has his unit playing great football with an emphasis on taking the ball away.
8. Chargers: The Chargers suffered a hiccup on the road, but the Bolts remain a viable contender in the AFC.
9. Browns: Injuries have robbed the NFL’s most talented roster of its top weapons, and Baker Mayfield is not quite good enough to make up for the deficiencies.
10. Raiders: Hats off to the Silver and Black for getting the win in Rich Bisaccia’s debut. The grit and guts displayed by Derek Carr and Co. suggest the Raiders are resilient enough to challenge for a division title.
WEEK 6 GAME BALLS
MVP: Trevon Diggs, Cowboys
With each jaw-dropping interception, the Cowboys' cornerback is making a case to be considered the No. 1 player in the game. Diggs almost clinched the game against the Patriots with a pick-six that showcased his instincts, awareness and hands on an excellent break-and-drive on a slant route. The spectacular interception was Diggs’ sixth of the season. He just may make a run at a rare double (Defensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player) for a defensive playmaker.
Offensive Player of the Week: Dak Prescott, Cowboys
It is rare for a quarterback to carve up a Bill Belichick defense like a high school seven-on-seven passing competition, but that is exactly how Prescott sliced and diced the Patriots’ defense. Prescott completed 36 of 51 passes for 445 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Most importantly, he delivered in the clutch and is giving his team the confidence that it could make a run at the Super Bowl.
Defensive Player of the Week: T.J. Watt, Steelers
In the Steelers’ 23-20 win over the Seahawks, the All-Pro edge defender had seven tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble that led to Chris Boswell’s game-winning field goal. Considering that Watt has posted 20 forced fumbles since 2017, it is time for him to parlay his weekly honors into the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Unsung Hero of the Week: Matthew Wright, Jaguars
Wright might have put his name in the Jaguars’ Ring of Honor with his game-winning kick that snapped the team’s 20-game losing streak. The unheralded kicker nailed a pair of 50-plus yard kicks, including the 53-yarder to seal the deal as the clock expired. With a three-for-three performance, the Jaguars’ unsung hero came through for a team that desperately needed a win.
Rookie of the Week: Najee Harris, Steelers
Harris is quietly taking over as the Steelers’ top offensive weapon. The rookie tallied 127 scrimmage yards on 30 touches while anchoring an offense that is slowly being built around his unique talents. As a big-bodied hybrid playmaker with the capacity to grind out the hard yards between the tackles while also running routes like a wide receiver, Harris is helping the Steelers climb out of an early season hole.
Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports and regularly appears on "Speak For Yourself." He also breaks down the game for NFL Network and is a cohost of the "Moving the Sticks" podcast.
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