Proper Reaction Monday: Level-Headed Takeaways From NFL Sunday Week 6 Includes Massive Upset Losses By Eagles, 49ers
As I've explained in previous iterations of this column, people make wild assumptions based on limited information. Now that most NFL teams have played six games, though, we have some legitimate information with which to properly react. Still, we have to remember that even six games is just 35% of the overall season. With that backdrop, let's take a look at some of the proper reactions from this past NFL Sunday.
This Week's Proper Takes From NFL Sunday, Week 6
The Philadelphia Eagles loss was more concerning than the San Francisco 49ers defeat
This is a fact. The San Francisco 49ers steamrolled through their first five games and had a hiccup this past NFL Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. However, they lost Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel during the game. I've seen plenty of commentary from Browns fans that Cleveland was missing some of its best players, too, so that's not an excuse.
There's a difference between an excuse and an explanation. Part of the problem with losing McCaffrey and Samuel mid-game is that the two players were a major part of the gameplan. That goes out the window once they leave. Yes, the Browns played without some of their best players, but they also had all week to prepare for that. San Francisco didn't.
Brock Purdy showed that he's not infallible. Duh. We knew that. There's no such thing as a perfect NFL team and San Francisco showed that Sunday. Still, without a missed a field goal and a terrible personal foul penalty (that should never have been called), they would have won the game. They didn't, but they're still the most complete team in the NFL.
The Eagles, on the other hand, are a team that I've had concerns about all season. Unlike the 49ers, who pounded every other opponent, Philadelphia has shown weaknesses in each of their first five games. They nearly lost to the Patriots and Commanders, two teams that aren't very good.
Jalen Hurts (surprise, surprise) didn't magically become one of the league's top quarterbacks. He's a good player, no question. But, those anointing him as the second-best QB in the league, or -- in the case of ESPN -- as the third-best player in the entire NFL, set him up for failure.
Jalen Hurts has struggled during most NFL Sunday games this season, and that should concern fans to some degree. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia Eagles are a good football team and among the best in the NFC. But, if they played in the AFC, where would they rank? Better than the Chiefs? The Bills? The Bengals? The Dolphins? The concern isn't that Jalen Hurts had one bad game -- he hasn't played that well all season.
The good news for Philadelphia is that they play the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football this week. Perhaps they just looked past the Jets in preparation for that showdown. I doubt it, but we'll find out soon enough.
How have NFL teams not figured out European travel for NFL Sunday games yet?
There's a pretty clear theme with the NFL London games -- the team that gets across the ocean first wins the game. The Baltimore Ravens decided to travel early last week, while the Tennessee Titans didn't leave until Friday. The Titans looked completely discombobulated, while the Ravens looked ... well, just slightly better.
We saw a similar story last week when Jacksonville remained in the UK after beating Atlanta and they looked much better than Buffalo -- who traveled on Friday. This seems pretty cut-and-dried, yet teams still try to outthink themselves. Clearly, traveling overseas requires time to adjust. Hopefully, teams learn from what we saw.
A general view of the stadium during the anthems during the NFL Sunday match between the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
The International Series continues next month in Frankfurt, Germany. That's farther from the United States than London and an additional time zone east. The Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs meet in a massive AFC showdown in Frankfurt. The Dolphins have a major advantage playing a home game the week before. Kansas City has to travel to Denver, which is over 5,000 miles from Frankfurt.
That's going to make for a very unappealing travel schedule for the Chiefs -- though, like Miami, the NFL put their bye week right after that matchup -- but they should do their best to get to Germany as early as possible.
The Buffalo Bills are fine
The Buffalo Bills are this year's media hot take machine. First, Josh Allen played badly in Week 1 and he was a turnover machine that Buffalo can't win a Super Bowl with him. Then, they beat the Dolphins and suddenly they were the best team in the NFL. Now, after a narrow -- and controversial -- win over the New York Giants, we're back to concern for the Bills.
The truth is that it's hard to win games in the NFL. If we learned anything during this past NFL Sunday -- with the Eagles and 49ers both losing as touchdown (or more) favorites -- it should be that fact. Buffalo didn't look great, especially early, but I suspect that whole London travel thing royally messed them up. See what I did there?
They came out flat in the first half of each of their past two games. Does that raise concern? Perhaps a little. But their defense didn't allow a touchdown. They had won three-straight games by at least four touchdowns prior to their trip to UK. And, they still did win the game against the Giants. The Bills are fine. Sleep on them at your own peril.
The AFC North is the best division in football
OK, I admit I was too low on the Cleveland Browns coming into the season. I was partially right -- their offense isn't great and Deshaun Watson isn't the player he once was. But, their defense is game-changing.
The best team in the AFC probably isn't in the AFC North (I think it's Buffalo) and maybe not even the second or third best. But, top-to-bottom, no one in that division is bad. Every other division has, at minimum, one bad team. Hell, the AFC South has four bad teams. It makes you wonder about the NFL's playoff structure.
The AFC North showed again this past NFL Sunday that it is the league's best division. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
There's a possibility that the worst team in the AFC North is better than the best team in the AFC South. Yet, the South winner gets an automatic playoff berth AND a home playoff game. The NFC South looks even more grim.
The problem is that not only do the South teams just have to beat out one another to make the playoffs, but they also play each divisional team twice (six total games). That's great for them, but terrible for the AFC North teams that beat up on one another all season. I'm not ready to throw divisions in the trash (yet) but there needs to be more consideration about balanced scheduling and playoff seeding.
Quick Hits From Another NFL Sunday
The New England Patriots aren't going to fire Bill Belichick
This storyline is so tiresome. Might the Patriots and Belichick part ways this offseason? Yes. But he's won six Super Bowls and took the franchise to dynasty-level for 20 years. He's earned the right to finish the season. Even then, they're not going to "fire" him.
If the sides decide to part, it's going to either be framed as "mutually decided to part ways" or perhaps he might retire. Robert Kraft isn't firing him. Stop it.
Nathaniel Hackett had a better record through six games as Denver Broncos head coach than Sean Payton does
Technically, this updated on Thursday. But, I don't care. I'm going to include this blurb every week until it isn't true. I've made my case about Sean Payton before, so no need to rehash that.
Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos have just one win through six games. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
He's an OK NFL coach, but not a genius worthy of a first-round pick. It's really funny that he absolutely obliterated former head coach Nathaniel Hackett publicly and he actually has a worse record through four games. Hackett went 2-4 through six weeks last season. Payton is 1-5 and only has that one win because the Chicago Bears and Matt Eberflus are one of the only bigger disasters in the NFL.
In fact, Hackett's Broncos started last season 3-5. That means that even if Payton and Denver win the next two games (unlikely, since they have to play the Chiefs again), the best he can do is tie Hackett's eight-game start. BAHAHAHAHAHA!