2023-24 NFL (Week 6)

Games I saw (some of):

Ravens 24-16 Titans 

(London games suck) A match of who wanted it less. Both teams were sloppy, neither team looked particularly good at anything and ultimately I got nothing out of watching this. I hate the London games--have I mentioned that before? 

Niners 17-19 Browns

Fun game! For all the love QB Purdy has been getting lately, in this game he looked kinda crappy. Turns out if you put a top flight pass rush in his face, take away Deebo and McCaffrey and make Kittle disappears, then Purdy is actually kinda....Mac Jones-y (OMG, did I just say that?). I'm not dissing Purdy, I'm just saying he has a lot of weapons at his disposal and when they're not there, he comes way back to the pack. Still a nice QB, but he's really one of the best game-managers I've ever seen, not sure he actually elevates a team or anything. As for the Browns, I hope Deshaun Watson was taking notes because with a defense like this, he's got to see he'll be in every game. Good W for the Browns, the Niners had their shot to steal it but the FG sailed wide--hey, man, that happens.

Eagles 14-20 Jets

The Eagles looked listless and distracted all through this game and still had multiple opportunities to win--indeed, they very much gave this one away. Good for the Jets for sticking around and playing to the whistle, sometimes that's all it takes to win. The Eagles and Niners are no longer undefeated, but I'd still say they're the two best teams in the league.

Giants 9-14 Bills

Man, the Bills bent over backwards to not play offense in this game. Josh Allen seemed determined to not throw down the field and though the running game was pretty good, it wasn't as good as NYG's, and it didn't lead to shots down the field. As for the Giants, are they allergic to the end zone? Is there some kind of magical force field at the goal line that only allows them FG's? WTF? The Giants more or less dominated this game, had the ball at the 1-yard line at the end of both halves, and still just could not get the TD they needed. This was a weird game but the Bills managed to pull it out, while the Giants managed to blow it. So....I guess the Bills are good and the Giants are bad....?

The rest of the slate: 

Broncos 8-19 Chiefs

Yeah, I was watching baseball--and I got no regrets!

Commanders 24-16 Falcons

QB Howell is a puzzle: he has moments where he looks good, like legit good; but then he has other moments where he looks like a Commander QB. The Falcons should be better than this, they need a QB desperately.

Vikings 19-13 Bears

I dunno....the Vikings....wanted it more?

Seahawks 13-17 Bengals

Tough game but the Seahawks made too many mistakes to get a W on the road. The Bengals did enough to win but still don't look particularly dangerous. 

Panthers 21-42 Dolphins

Took the Dolphins a while to get going but once they did, it was an avalanche the Panthers could not hang with. The Panthers are well on their way the #1 pick, which they will....trade? 

Colts 20-37 Jags

The Colts are better than they ought to be...which isn't saying much. The Jags look ready to make a leap (or maybe they're just good at taking out bad teams). 

Saints 13-20 Texans

The Texans have a QB and a defense, they are for-real. The Saints have moments of competence but not enough to put them in the driver's seat of their horrible horrible division. 

Pats 17-21 Raiders

The Pats suck as bad as they have in decades, never occurred to me that Belichick would still be there in the bottoming-out phase. The Raiders are pretty good....at beating bad teams.

Cards 9-26 Rams

The Cards have little to play for. The Rams are kinda sneaky good.

Lions 20-6 Bucs

The Lions are really starting to look like a for-real NFC top tier squad. The Bucs look like they only show up on the road.

Cowboys 20-17 Chargers

I was in and out of this game, felt like the Chargers were generally the better team but when the Cowboys needed it, they got it, while when the Chargers needed it, they didn't get it. Evenly matched, I suppose, but the Chargers are as incapable of closing out games as anyone I've ever seen. And the Cowboys are good not great, they'll make the playoffs but they'll need luck to get very far.