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| Monday, October 17, 2022 |
| Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! |
| So, I've finally figured out why the NFL has been so crazy this year and it's because every team is bad. OK, not every team. The Eagles are good, the Bills are good, the Chiefs are good and I'll even give you the Vikings, but that's it. I'd include the Giants, but they fall behind by double-digits in nearly every game they play and although they're 5-1 right now, falling behind by double-digits every week doesn't seem like a long-term strategy for winning. |
| The upside for every other NFL team is that 14 teams make the playoffs and I only listed four good teams, which means the other 10 spots ARE WIDE OPEN. The NFL has been so crazy this year that I'm not going to even rule out the Houston Texans from making it. |
| We saw some more craziness in Week 6 and we'll be covering it all, so let's get to the rundown (By the way, if you want to know what the five craziest moments of Week 6 were, we listed them all here). My vote for the craziest part of Week 6 was Tony Romo predicting the EXACT final score of the Bills-Chiefs game, which you can see by clicking here. |
| As always, here's your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the Pick Six newsletter. To get your friends to sign up, all you have to do is click here and then share this link with them. |
| 1. Today's show: Week 6 winners and losers, plus full recap |
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| It's Monday, which can only mean one thing: I stayed up until 3 a.m. last night recording a podcast with Will Brinson and Ryan Wilson that touched on everything you need to know about Week 6, and let me just say, it's probably for the best that you listen. We covered all 12 games from Sunday, which means we likely spent some time talking about your favorite team. |
| One thing we do every week is hand out our weekly winners and losers from Sunday's action. Here's a look at who made our list. |
| Ryan Wilson |
| Winner: Mitchell Trubisky. After getting benched following a Week 4 loss, most people probably thought that would be the last they heard of Trubisky this year, but no! In a game against Tom Brady, Trubisky came in for an injured Kenny Pickett and looked more like Tom Brady than Tom Brady. Loser: Aaron Rodgers. The Packers offense looks like it's in trouble and it starts with Rodgers, who doesn't appear to trust any of his receivers or his coaching staff or anyone in Green Bay. There's still plenty of time for the Packers to fix things and they're going to need that time because there's a lot to fix. |
| Will Brinson |
| Winner: Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase. Before Sunday, the last time these two played at the Superdome came when LSU won the national championship. Both guys went off in that game and in their return to New Orleans, both guys went off again. Burrow totaled four touchdowns (three pass, one rush) and Chase caught the game-winning TD on a 60-yard score that came with under two minutes left to play. Loser: Kliff Kingsbury. The Cardinals offense arguably hit rock bottom on Sunday. The team was going up against a Seahawks defense that was surrendering the most points in the NFL and they couldn't even get a single touchdown (Arizona's only TD came from the defense). The only good news for the Cards is that DeAndre Hopkins will be returning this week . |
| John Breech |
| Winner: The Big Apple. It doesn't seem possible, but the Jets and Giants are somehow both good this year. Both teams were big underdogs on Sunday and somehow, both teams won. The last time both teams were at least two games over .500 at least six weeks into the season was 2010. If they keep this up, we could see both teams make the playoffs in the same year for the first time since 2006. Loser: Lamar Jackson. It's not often you see Jackson suffer a total meltdown, but that's what happened on Sunday. The Ravens quarterback turned the ball over TWICE in the final three minutes of Baltimore's loss to the Giants. If you're Baltimore, those aren't mistakes you want to see from a quarterback who's likely going to be getting a $230 million contract from you at some point in the near future. |
| Not only did we list our winners and losers, but we also recapped every game from Sunday. To listen to today's episode, be sure to click here. You can also watch the entire episode on YouTube by clicking here. |
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| 2. Week 6 injuries: Steelers lose Kenny Pickett to concussion, Cameron Brate taken to hospital |
| Hopefully we won't need to have an injury roundup every week, but there were so many injuries around the NFL over the weekend that we definitely needed one for today. |
| Here's a look at the biggest injuries from Week 6: |
Kenny Pickett knocked out of game. The Steelers QB suffered a concussion early in the second half of Pittsburgh's win over the Buccaneers. Pickett was quickly ruled out of the game, which leaves his status for Week 7 up in the air. Pickett will need to clear concussion protocol if he's going to play against the Dolphins on Sunday. Dolphins QB update. Skyler Thompson was knocked out of the game on Sunday with a thumb injury and didn't return. The good news for the Dolphins is that Tua Tagovailoa has cleared concussion protocol and barring a setback, he should be able to play in Week 7 against the Steelers.
Buccaneers tight end taken to hospital. Cameron Brate was taken to the hospital after suffering a neck injury against the Steelers. Brate took a hit in the third quarter and it was pretty clear right away that the injury was serious. Fortunately, Brate was able to fly home with the team on Sunday night. Hollywood Brown in walking boot. The Cardinals will be getting back DeAndre Hopkins this week, which is a good thing, because they might be down a receiver in Week 7. Marquise Brown injured his foot against the Seahawks and even if the injury isn't serious, it seems unlikely that he'll be able to play this week since Arizona plays on Thursday against New Orleans.
Packers could lose Randall Cobb. The Packers' most experienced veteran receiver could miss some time after suffering a high-ankle sprain against the Jets. The x-rays on Cobb were negative, but he won't know how serious the injury is until he undergoes an MRI today in Green Bay, according to NFL.com. Rams might have lost another offensive lineman. The Rams offensive line is already battered and it could be dealing with another injury. Left tackle Joe Noteboom was knocked out of Sunday's game against Carolina with Sean McVay saying afterward that it "might be an Achilles." If that's the case, Noteboom could be out for the season, which would be a devastating loss for the Rams. Dolphins lose defensive starter for the season. Cornerback Nik Needham went down with an injury against the Vikings and that injury has been diagnosed as a torn Achilles, which means Needham won't be returning this season. Injury bug continues to bite the 49ers. San Francisco was already banged up heading into Week 6 and they added two more injuries with cornerback Charvarius Ward (groin) and offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey (calf) both going down against the Falcons. If either guy is out for an extended period of time, that would be a tough loss for a 49ers team that is already dealing with a multitude of injuries. Carson Wentz fractures finger in throwing hand. The Commanders quarterback broke one of the fingers in his throwing hand on Thursday and it's not clear if he's going to be play against the Packers this week. In the worst case scenario, Wentz could miss up to six weeks as the finger heals. If that happens, Washington could start either Taylor Heinicke or rookie Sam Howell. Dak Prescott is planning to play in Week 7. After missing five weeks due to a thumb injury, the Cowboys QB is planning to return this week against the Lions. Barring a setback, Prescott should be back on the field on Sunday for the first time since Week 1. |
| 3. Week 6 grades: Falcons get an 'A+' for thumping 49ers, Packers get an 'F' for ugly loss to Jets |
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| Every week I team up with six of my colleagues here at CBSSports.com to hand out grades, and this week, the Falcons got an 'A+' for destroying the 49ers. |
| Here's a look at the grades from two notable games that were played Sunday: |
| Falcons 28-14 over 49ers (Click here for full recap) |
| 49ers takeaway: The 49ers defense looked like it was playing together for the first time in this game and it arguably was since the unit was down several starters -- including Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead Jimmie Ward and Emmanuel Moseley. Of course, even if those guys had been on the field, that might not have helped because the 49ers had trouble figuring out how to stop the Falcons' rushing attack. The defense was bad and the offense wasn't much better. Not only did it struggle to move the ball, but Jeff Wilson also lost a fumble that the Falcons returned for a touchdown. The good news for the 49ers is that despite this hiccup, they'll still be in first place in the NFC West heading into Week 7. Grade: F Falcons takeaway: The Marcus Mariota career revival tour was on a full display this week as the Falcons quarterback almost singlehandedly took down the 49ers. Mariota only threw one incompletion in the entire game and that didn't come until the FOURTH quarter. Before that incompletion, Mariota was 13 of 13 for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Mariota beat the 49ers with his arm and his legs, rushing for 60 yards. With Mariota running the show, Falcons coach Arthur Smith has created a rushing attack that other teams can't figure out how to stop. The Falcons are a surprise team at 3-3 and if they keep playing the way they're playing, they might be a surprise playoff contender late in the season. Grade: A+ |
| Jets 27-10 over Packers (Click here for full recap) |
| Jets takeaway: If Quinnen Williams wasn't a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, he might be after this game. Not only did Williams tally two of the Jets' four sacks, but he also blocked a field goal. The Jets defensive lineman was basically a wrecking ball who destroyed everything the Packers were trying to do. The Jets defense bottled up the Packers and then let its special teams do the rest. The special teams alone outscored the Packers 13-10 with two field goals and a punt block return for a score by Will Parks. Offensively, the Jets did most of their damage on the ground with Breece Hall carrying the ball 20 times for 116 yards and a TD. The Jets look like they're for real, which is something we haven't been able to say about this team in more than a decade. Grade: APackers takeaway: The only thing worse than the Packers offensive performance on Sunday was their special teams play. Not only did this team surrender a blocked field goal, but the Packers also watched as the Jets returned a blocked punt for a touchdown. The Packers defense kept Green Bay in the game for the better part of three quarters, but not even that was enough to keep this game close The Packers look broken and there's no guarantee this team can be fixed. Grade: F |
| As for the other 24 grades we handed out on Sunday, you can check those out by clicking here. Also, if you want a full breakdown of the Bills' wild 24-20 win over the Chiefs, be sure to click here. |
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| 4. Eleven crazy facts from Week 6 |
| Every Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some amazingly wild facts about the games that were just played. |
| With that in mind, here are 11 crazy facts about Week 6: |
Belichick inching closer to the NFL's all-time wins record. With New England's win over the Browns, Bill Belichick now has 324 wins in his career (Including the playoffs), which is tied with George Halas for the second-most in NFL history. The Patriots coach is now just 23 wins away from tying Don Shula's all-time record of 347. The Browns got Zapped. Not only did Belichick make some history on Sunday, but so did his quarterback. According to NFL research, Bailey Zappe became the first rookie since 1957 to win his first two career starts AND record a passer rating of at least 100. That feat hadn't been accomplished since Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen pulled it off 65 years ago.Matthew Stafford nearing pick-six record. During the Rams' win over the Panthers, Stafford threw the 29th pick-six of his career, which is tied with Dan Marino for the second-most in NFL history. Brett Favre holds the all-time record with 32.
Packers choking big as big favorites. The loss to the Jets marked the second week in a row that Packers lost as a favorite of seven points or more. That marks just the second time that's happened to the Packers since 1970 (The only other instance came in 1998). Lamar Jackson finally loses to an NFC team. Since taking over as the Ravens' starter in 2018, Jackson had gone a perfect 12-0 against NFC teams, but that streak finally came to an end on Sunday with Baltimore's 24-20 loss to the Giants. Marcus Mariota joins Sweetness in exclusive club. With his nearly perfect performance against the Falcons, Marcus Mariota joined Walter Payton as the only other player in NFL history to finish a game with two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, at least 50 rushing yards and just one incompletion. Payton had a similar game in 1983 against the Saints (via NFL research). Jets are turning into road warriors. The Jets are 3-0 on the road for the first time since 2010, which also happens to be the last time they made the playoffs. The team's 12-year drought without making the postseason is currently the longest in the NFL. Matt Ryan is the real MVP. The Colts QB was the only active former MVP to win on Sunday. The other active MVPs are Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, and they all lost.
Matt Ryan Part II: Colts QB has wild first half. Ryan attempted 37 passes in the first half, which is tied for the fourth most by a QB in the first half since 1991. It's the most since Peyton Manning had 38 against the Titans in the first half of a game in 2013. Harrison Butker sets Chiefs' franchise record for longest field goal. In his first game back from an ankle injury, the Chiefs kicker drilled a 62-yard field goal, which is not only the longest field goal in franchise history, but marks just the 13th time in NFL history that a kicker has hit from 62 yards or more. Comeback kids. The Giants came back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, marking the third time this year they've overcome a double-digit deficit to win, which is tied for the most in a single-season in franchise history, according to NFL Research. The Giants have only accomplished that feat in three other seasons (2007, 2011 and 2016) and in each of those seasons, they ended up making the playoffs. |
| If you see any other fun facts, feel free to tweet them at me. |
| 5. Monday preview: Prepping you for Broncos at Chargers |
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| I know we're all tired of watching the Broncos in primetime, but guess what? We're getting them again tonight and they'll be facing the Chargers. As bad as the Broncos have been this year, they can move up to second place in the AFC West if they can figure out how to pull off an upset in Los Angeles. |
| My good buddy Jared Dubin wrote our deep-dive preview for this game here at CBSSports.com, and here's how he sees the game playing out: |
| Why the Broncos can win: The Broncos definitely aren't winning games this season because of their offense, which means if they're going to win, it's going to have to be because of their defense. The Broncos are surrendering just 16 points per game this season and if they can keep the Chargers somewhere around that number, that should give the offense a fighting chance to pull off what would be a huge upset. Why the Chargers can win: One reason the Chargers offense has been so successful over the past two weeks is because Justin Herbert has done a superb job of spreading the ball around. In Week 5, Herbert hit six different receivers in a win over Cleveland. In Week 4, Herbert hit eight different receivers in a win over Houston. When Herbert is spreading the ball around, the Chargers become almost impossible to stop. If Herbert continues to spread the wealth, it's going to be tough for the Broncos to slow the Chargers down. |
| You can get a full preview of the game from Dubin by clicking here. |
| If you're thinking about betting on the game, Tyler Sullivan put together a full gambling preview (odds via Caesars Sportsbook). You can check out Sullivan's full gambling preview by clicking here, but if you don't feel like clicking over, here's one prop from both of us for tonight's game. |
| ONE PROP TYLER LIKES: Russell Wilson OVER 13.5 rushing yards (-133): "Wilson has started to run the ball a bit more over the last few weeks. He's averaging 4.7 attempts per game over the last three weeks and has gone over 13.5 yards in all of those contests. Given that he may be limited passing the ball due to his shoulder injury, it's possible he leans even more on his legs to move the chains."ONE PROP I LIKE: Austin Ekeler OVER 36.5 receiving yards (-115): Not only is Ekeler averaging 42.8 receiving yards per game through five weeks this season, but he's also gone over this total in three of the Chargers' past four games. Also, the Broncos defense is pretty good and if they start to get pressure on Justin Herbert, he could start to look to make the quick dump off to Ekeler. The Broncos also don't really have anyone who can match up with Ekeler out of the backfield, which makes it feel like the running back could have a big game in the receiving department. |
| Finally, if you're wondering who we're picking, here's who we have tonight in a game where the Chargers are currently favored by 4.5 points: |
Dubin's pick: Chargers 21-16 over Broncos
Sullivan's pick: Chargers 27-21 over Broncos
My pick: Chargers 24-16 over Broncos |
| Over on our CBSSports.com picks page, the choice is unanimous with all eight of our experts picking the Chargers to both win and cover. |
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| 6. Rapid-fire roundup: Titans have tentative stadium deal done in Nashville |
| It's been a busy weekend in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. |
| Titans could soon be getting a new stadium. According to Axios.com, the Titans have reached a deal with the city of Nashville to build a new $2.2 billion stadium in the city. The deal still has to be formally approved by the Nashville Metro Council, but once that happens, the stadium would be built with state bonds ($500 million), a hotel tax, a sales tax from the stadium and $800 million from the Titans. The Titans are building a dome because they want the building to be able to host huge events including the Super Bowl and the Final Four. Texans part ways with Jack Easterby. After three years with the team, the Texans have decided to dump Easterby , who served as Houston's executive vice president of football operations. Easterby had the ear of owner Cal McNair, but lost a lot of his pull after Nick Caserio and Lovie Smith were hired. Robbie Anderson got sent to locker room. In one of the most bizarre scenes you'll ever see, Anderson got ejected from the game by his own coach. Anderson was being a distraction on the sideline in the second half so Steve Wilks simply told him to leave. You can check out more details on the story by clicking here. Bills star had to drive to Kansas City. Going into Week 6, Bills safety Jordan Poyer was dealing with a rib injury and although he was cleared to play, he wasn't cleared to fly. What this means is that Poyer had to hire a driver to help him make the 15-hour drive from Buffalo to Kansas City so that he could play in Sunday's game. That's commitment. Panthers open to trading Christian McCaffrey. The Panthers could end up having a fire sale this year and if that happens, McCaffrey could get dealt. Of course, the Panthers aren't just going to give him away. To land McCaffrey, another team is likely going to have to offer multiple first round picks, according to reports. Cam Akers might be done with Rams. Akers apparently isn't happy with the Rams and it's looking like he's never going to play for them again. Akers didn't play on Sunday and there seems to be a good a chance he gets traded or released by the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 1. |
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