NFL Sunday Preview, Week 6: Ravens-Giants, Chiefs-Bills highlight a Sunday full of incredible storylines across the league

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Alastair Grant/AP/Shutterstock (13452024ab) New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) celebrates a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London Giants Packers Football, London, United Kingdom – 09 Oct 2022

NFL Sunday Preview, Week 6: Ravens-Giants, Chiefs-Bills highlight a Sunday full of incredible storylines across the league

San Francisco 49ers (3-2) @ Atlanta Falcons (2-3)

Time/TV: 12:00pm CT/FOX

The San Francisco 49ers have looked unstoppable over the past two weeks, blowing out the Rams and Panthers in consecutive games by a combined score of 61-24. The transition back into the starting role for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has been seamless following Trey Lance’s injury, but San Francisco is more banged up heading to Atlanta this weekend than they have been all season. Their entire defensive front missed practice Thursday, headlined by Nick Bosa’s absence – and they lost cornerback Emmanuel Moseley to a torn ACL last Sunday at Carolina. The Atlanta Falcons have shown plenty of fight so far this season, including their trip to Tampa Bay over the weekend in which they nearly erased a 21-0 deficit for a comeback win. Arthur Smith’s team left the game extremely frustrated after a roughing the passer call took away any chance they had of getting the football back late, an emotion they’ll look to channel into Sunday’s game with the 49ers. A win would move the Falcons back to .500 on the season, keeping them at most one game back of the Buccaneers in the NFC South while San Francisco tries to tighten their hold on the NFC West with a victory. Every Atlanta game this season has been determined by six points or less, possibly foreshadowing another barn burner Sunday afternoon. 

New England Patriots (2-3) at Cleveland Browns (2-3) 

Time/TV: 12:00pm CT/CBS

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots head to Cleveland for a battle with the Browns Sunday and enter the matchup with plenty of familiarity from different angles. The Browns are quarterbacked by former Patriot Jacoby Brissett, with whom Belichick is plenty familiar from his years as Tom Brady’s backup. Belichick also coached the Browns to 36 wins from 1991 to 1995 and has gone 8-1 against Cleveland since taking over as the Patriots head coach. Cleveland is coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Chargers in which kicker Cade York missed a game-winner in the final seconds, despite 134 yards rushing and two touchdowns from star running back Nick Chubb. New England’s defense will undoubtedly focus its energy on slowing down the Browns’ workhorse, and it’s difficult to doubt their ability after holding the previously highest-scoring offense in the NFL to zero points last week. The big question mark facing the Patriots is at quarterback, where it is expected that rookie third-stringer Bailey Zappe will start for the second consecutive game after taking over for Brian Hoyer at Lambeau Field two weeks ago. The Browns are certainly hoping to jump out to an early lead, forcing Zappe to throw the ball effectively all afternoon to beat them. 

New York Jets (3-2) at Green Bay Packers (3-2)

Time/TV: 12:00pm CT/FOX

The New York Jets have shocked the world with their winning record through five weeks, heading on the road to Lambeau Field on the heels of a two-game winning streak with consecutive victories over the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers. Green Bay is licking its wounds after a frustrating loss in London last weekend to New York’s other team and will be hungry to put the upstart Jets back in their place. A big part of the Jets’ improvement this season has been their play late in games, outscoring their opponents 58-20 so far in the fourth quarter. Replicating that will be especially challenging at Lambeau Field, where the Packers have won 15 straight dating back to 2020. As the season pushes into its middle third, the weather is beginning to look less forgiving in Green Bay as well – Sunday’s game is currently projected to be played in the high 40s with 15-20 mile per hour winds. Aaron Jones has averaged more than 6.5 yards each time Rodgers has put the football in his hands this season, and he’ll likely be a big part of the game plan against the Jets’ middling rush defense. 

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3) at Indianapolis Colts (2-2-1)

Time/TV: 12:00pm CT/CBS

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts renew their divisional rivalry for the second time already this season Sunday as Jacksonville looks for a repeat of their 24-0 Week 2 win. The loss was Indy’s seventh consecutive on the road in Jacksonville, but they’ve been much more confident when they welcome the Jaguars to Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts have won four in a row over the Jags at home and seem to be catching Jacksonville at a much better time Sunday afternoon following consecutive losses to Philadelphia and Houston. The Colts’ offense has yet to score more than two touchdowns in a game and is fresh off an ugly win in Denver that saw them go without a TD entirely for the second time this season. Key for the Colts is the status of star running back Jonathan Taylor, who is currently questionable to play Sunday. If he can’t go, it’ll likely be a committee of Nyheim Hines (also questionable with a concussion) or Deon Jackson getting most of the carries for a run game that ranks 27th in the NFL. Trevor Lawrence’s ability to avoid turnovers will likely determine the fate of the Jaguars’ offense, as it’s no coincidence that their two-game losing streak coincides with a stretch that’s seen Lawrence turn it over an insane seven times. 

Minnesota Vikings (4-1) at Miami Dolphins (3-2)

Time/TV: 12:00pm CT/FOX

The Miami Dolphins got off to an excellent start this season, going 3-0 with huge wins over the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens. They’ve stumbled since, in large part due to the inability of either of their top two quarterbacks to avoid the concussion protocol. Tua Tagovailoa has exited games twice for concussions already this season, and he’s not expected back until Week 7 against Pittsburgh while Teddy Bridgewater was pulled from last week’s loss to the Jets after displaying gross motor instability. Rookie seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson struggled when he took over last Sunday, turning the ball over twice while passing for just 166 yards in the blowout. Miami hopes that a week of practice with the starting offense puts him in a better position to succeed this week, but the Minnesota Vikings come to town riding a three-game win streak. The Vikings have scored 28 or more points in all three of those wins, capitalizing on ridiculous numbers by lead wide receiver Justin Jefferson (109 yards receiving on average per game). It is only Minnesota’s second true road game of the season, and Miami’s heat and humidity are a far cry from Minneapolis (which received its first dusting of snow for the winter Friday morning). 

Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) at New Orleans Saints (2-3)

Time/TV: 12:00pm CT/CBS

The Cincinnati Bengals’ offense is built on talent folks in New Orleans are very familiar with, and there will undoubtedly be a few LSU jerseys in the crowd as Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase play their first NFL games back in the state of Louisiana. Both the Bengals and Saints feel they have plenty to prove, sitting at 2-3, but the New Orleans Saints have major health concerns heading into Sunday afternoon’s matchup. It is unknown which of their wide receivers will play nor who will start at quarterback – and with secondary injuries to Marcus Maye and Marshon Lattimore under close watch, it’s difficult to know what to expect from them in this game. Cincinnati is fresh off a heartbreaking loss on the road at Baltimore and is struggling to recapture the magic that led them to an AFC Championship last season. They’ll certainly be looking to get Chase more involved than he has been this season, especially with Lattimore questionable – but much of their offensive success hinges on how well they protect franchise quarterback Joe Burrow. 

Baltimore Ravens (3-2) at New York Giants (4-1)

Time/TV: 12:00pm CT/CBS

The New York Giants seem to have made believers out of significantly more fans following their upset win over the Packers in London, and they’ll look to build on that momentum in Sunday’s home tilt with the Baltimore Ravens. It is a revenge game of sorts for Giants’ defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who has practiced against Lamar Jackson’s skillset more than any other coordinator in the NFL. What the Giants may lack in talent, they seem to make up for in grit, as was on display in their comeback from down 17-3 last Sunday morning in London. It doesn’t hurt that running back Saquon Barkley has returned to MVP-caliber form, providing a huge challenge for a Baltimore defense that looked good last week. The Ravens haven’t lost a game on the road yet this season and already played at Metlife Stadium back in Week 1 when they blew out the Jets. They’ve seen drastically improved play in their secondary over the last two weeks against potent pass attacks but may need to focus more on the man in the backfield if they hope to escape New Jersey with a second win in the Garden State this season. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-4)

Time/TV: 12:00pm CT/FOX

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers will head to Pittsburgh for their matchup with the Steelers Sunday afternoon, a team suddenly 1-4 after an ugly loss to the Bills last weekend. Kenny Pickett will make his first NFL start at home but does so for a Steelers team in grave danger of handing coach Mike Tomlin his first losing season in 16 seasons at the helm. Pickett will need to deliver the ball downfield effectively against a Bucs’ defense that is much more stout against the run than they are against the pass, hoping to build on a seemingly solid relationship built with rookie wide receiver George Pickens. Tampa Bay hasn’t shown many flashes of the dominant offense they’ve had in recent years, something they’ll be eager to change against a Pittsburgh defense that allowed 31 first-half points to the Bills a week ago. Tom Brady is plenty familiar with Pittsburgh, a team he’s battled fifteen times over the years with New England, going 12-3 in those matchups.

Arizona Cardinals (2-3) at Seattle Seahawks (2-3)

Time/TV: 3:05pm CT/FOX

The NFC West is a wide-open division, with three of its members sitting at 2-3 behind the 3-2 San Francisco 49ers through five weeks. For the Arizona Cardinals or Seattle Seahawks to keep pace, a win Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field is a necessity. The Cardinals are seemingly happy to head on the road again, where they’re 2-0 compared to 0-3 in their home stadium this year. If the Seattle Seahawks’ most recent games are any indication, Arizona will need to be ready for a shootout if they want to keep pace. The Seahawks are averaging 34.3 points per game over their last three, benefitting from an incredible career renaissance by quarterback Geno Smith so far. The issue in Seattle has been defense, where they rank 31st in the NFL, allowing more than 30 points per contest. They’ve been the worst defense in the league against the run, allowing 170 yards rushing per game – if Arizona’s committee of rushers can approach that number Sunday afternoon, they’ll likely find a way to get to 3-3 on the year. 

Carolina Panthers (1-4) at Los Angeles Rams (2-3)

Time/TV: 3:05pm CT/FOX

The Carolina Panthers hope that starting fresh in several areas will help them as they head across the country to SoFi Stadium for Sunday afternoon’s bout with the Rams. Carolina fired head coach Matt Rhule Monday, putting assistant Steve Wilks in charge on an interim basis starting with Sunday’s game. They’ll also likely be without starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, turning instead to former XFL star P.J. Walker Sunday in LA. Losers of back-to-back games by double digits, Carolina will need the changes to give them a huge boost if they hope to compete with the defending Super Bowl Champion Rams. Los Angeles, of course, has a number of their own issues, having lost their last two contests while scoring a total of 19 points. The biggest problem in LA has been an inability to protect quarterback Matthew Stafford, partially because of their failures when they’ve tried to run the ball. If they can solve that issue against a Panthers’ run defense that ranks 27th, they’ll likely have their way and improve to 3-3 on the year. 

Buffalo Bills (4-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)

Time/TV: 3:25pm CT/CBS

The Buffalo Bills’ game in Kansas City against the Chiefs is widely considered the game of the year, and fans can hardly be blamed for wishing this one was a standalone prime-time matchup. The two met in a memorable game on January 23 in last year’s AFC Divisional Playoff, when Kansas City defeated Buffalo 42-36 in an overtime thriller. That game saw the lead change four times after the fourth quarter began, showcasing unbelievable play from both quarterbacks. Josh Allen and the Bills have had this game circled all offseason and have a rest advantage as well, following Kansas City’s 30-29 win on Monday Night Football over the Raiders. The winner of this game likely has the inside path to home-field advantage through the AFC Playoffs, something Buffalo covets given their home stadium’s intense January weather. Buffalo did win last year’s regular season matchup, handing the Chiefs a 38-20 blowout loss behind four total Josh Allen touchdowns.

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