Week 6 in the NFL saw a wild division win in overtime for the Titans on Sunday, a Colts comeback victory after a 21-point deficit, the Giants entering the win column on a final-minute defensive stop of a 2-point conversion and the Steelers staying undefeated by handling the Browns in a 31-point rout. Meanwhile, the Patriots fell below .500 and the Falcons dropped 40 points on Minnesota for their first win of the season.
In the afternoon slate, Miami shut out the Jets, while Tom Brady and the Buccaneers bested Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
And on Monday, the Chiefs pushed around the Bills and Andy Dalton's first start since Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending injury did not turn out so well for him or the Cowboys in a home loss to the Cardinals.
All that and more in Week 6's biggest takeaways from NFL Nation.
Jump to a matchup:
BAL-PHI | CLE-PIT | HOU-TEN
ATL-MIN | CHI-CAR | DEN-NE
CIN-IND | DET-JAX | WSH-NYG | NYJ-MIA
GB-TB | LAR-SF | KC-BUF | ARI-DAL
Arizona Cardinals 38, Dallas Cowboys 10
Standout performer for ARI-DAL: Kyler Murray finished with 188 passing yards and 2 TDs; 74 rushing yards and 1 TD
Murray's homecoming was a blazing success. He returned to AT&T Stadium, where he won three consecutive high school state championships and a Big 12 title, to extend his record to 7-0 in the building. While Murray showed glimpses of what has made him one of the best quarterbacks to come out of Texas with an 80-yard pass to Christian Kirk and a 60-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins, Murray needed to complete only nine passes Monday to lead Arizona to a blowout victory. -- Josh Weinfuss
Next game: vs. Seahawks (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday)
This Cowboys' loss was more of the same, except Dak Prescott was not there to cover up all of the mess. In three of their four home games, the Cowboys have trailed by 17 or more points, including 21-3 Monday to the Cardinals. Why? Running back Ezekiel Elliott's fumbles on consecutive possessions were turned into touchdowns, and the defense could not rattle Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. Cowboys counterpart Andy Dalton did not have much of a chance in his first start taking over for Prescott, but he did not help matters, either. The Cowboys (2-4) are in first place in the NFC East -- if that means anything -- but this is their worst mark after six games since 2015, when they finished 4-12. -- Todd Archer
Next game: at Washington (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
Kansas City Chiefs 26, Buffalo Bills 17
Standout performer for KC-BUF: Clyde Edwards-Helaire finished with 161 rushing yards on 26 carries
The Chiefs don't have to lean on their passing game so heavily. They can rely on their running game and get rewarded for it, as they did Monday against the Bills. Patrick Mahomes had been under too much pressure when he dropped to throw, but the Chiefs worked around that by pushing the Bills around up front. This was a lesson for the Chiefs to remember when they find themselves relying heavily on their passing game when it isn't always necessary. -- Adam Teicher
Next game: at Broncos (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday)
After consecutive games against two of the best teams in the AFC, the Bills haven't exactly silenced doubters regarding their legitimacy following that 4-0 start. On paper, Buffalo's defense is too talented to be this much of a liability, but if losses against the Titans and Chiefs are any indication, the Bills are easily beatable if they can't get their offense going. They are yet to play a complete game of complementary football, and until they can do so consistently, the Bills look like a team good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to make any noise once they're there. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques
Next game: at Jets (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
San Francisco 49ers 24, Los Angeles Rams 16
Standout performer for LAR-SF: Jimmy Garoppolo, 268 passing yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT
The 49ers aren't going away just yet. After a blowout loss last weekend against the Dolphins, the Niners vowed that they wouldn't let their season snowball out of control. An impressive showing Sunday night against the 4-1 Rams validated that work. "When you get embarrassed like that, you can find out a lot about your team," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "I was very impressed with the character of our team." With the most difficult schedule in the league coming up, it was imperative for the Niners to get back to the things that they have done well over the past year-plus. And while they still have a big mountain to climb to get back in the NFC West race, they don't intend to give up the crown without a fight. -- Nick Wagoner
Next game: at Patriots (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday)
The Rams made a sweep of the NFC East appear easy. But on Sunday, the 49ers served a cold reminder about the difficulty of the NFC West in the Rams' first division game of the season. The Rams fall to 4-2 but remain in second place in the division behind the Seahawks. The Rams have two games and a bye week to address issues exposed by the 49ers before they resume division play in Week 10 against Seattle. -- Lindsey Thiry
Next game: vs. Bears (8:15 p.m. ET, Monday)
Baltimore Ravens 30, Philadelphia Eagles 28
Standout performer for BAL-PHI: Lamar Jackson, 186 passing yards, 108 rushing yards rushing, 2 total TDs
The Ravens are 5-1 for the first time since their 2012 Super Bowl season, but they have plenty to fix during their bye week. Baltimore's sloppiness on offense (a season-worst 12 penalties) and struggles to stop big plays on defense (28 points allowed in the second half) nearly cost the Ravens against a one-win Eagles team. "Games can't be that close if we want to be great," Baltimore safety DeShon Elliott said. The Ravens know they have to play more disciplined when they face the undefeated Steelers after the bye. -- Jamison Hensley
Next game: vs. Steelers (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 1)
The Eagles need to give quarterback Jalen Hurts a bigger role. Philadelphia generated 109 yards on six plays out of two-quarterback looks (18.0 average) as compared to 255 yards on the other 58 snaps (4.4 average). The idea Carson Wentz should be benched in favor of Hurts should be put on ice for now. The Eagles are committed to Wentz financially, and he nearly rallied the team back from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter. What Wentz needs are some playmakers who will loosen defenses up and make life easier while he operates behind an unrecognizable offensive line with a makeshift supporting cast. Hurts, at the very least, offers that. -- Tim McManus
Next game: vs. Giants (8:20 p.m. ET, Thursday)
Pittsburgh Steelers 38, Cleveland Browns 7
Standout performer for CLE-PIT: Bud Dupree, 2 sacks, 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
A week after struggling to get a stop on third down, the Steelers allowed the Browns to convert one of 12 attempts. The Steelers wasted little time emphasizing third-down defense, as safety Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted quarterback Baker Mayfield on third-and-3 during the Browns' first drive and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown. "It sent a message to them that third down wasn't going to be easy sledding today," Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said afterward. And it wasn't. No part of the game was easy for the Browns, as the Steelers' defense dominated with four sacks and two interceptions. -- Brooke Pryor
Next game: at Titans (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
Mayfield had a nightmare performance. He took several shots to his injured ribs and failed to generate anything against the blitz or on third down. Ailing, he was eventually replaced late in the third quarter by Case Keenum. There's no QB controversy in Cleveland, but for the Browns to finally end the league's longest playoff drought, they need Mayfield to get healthy and play better. A lot better. -- Jake Trotter
Next game: at Bengals (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
Tennessee Titans 42, Houston Texans 36
Standout performer for HOU-TEN: Derrick Henry, 212 rushing yards, 2 TDs
The explosive plays finally surfaced in the running game. Derrick Henry's 94-yard touchdown run was the primary example, but he also broke off a 34-yard run, and Jeremy McNichols had a 20-yard run. Before this week, the longest run for the Titans was 16 yards. Now that the rushing attack is rolling, the Titans will be a tough team to stop. Tennessee rolled up 601 yards of total offense -- its most in franchise history -- and scored 30 or more points for the fourth consecutive week. -- Turron Davenport
Next game: vs. Steelers (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
The Texans fell to 1-5, but for the second consecutive week, quarterback Deshaun Watson had an impressive performance. He now has six games with at least four passing touchdowns since his rookie year in 2017. Only Patrick Mahomes (9) and Russell Wilson (8) have more such games during that span. There are a lot of reasons for concerns about this team going forward, but Watson showed once again why his teammates feel they're rarely out of a game if he's under center. -- Sarah Barshop
Next game: vs. Packers (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
Atlanta Falcons 40, Minnesota Vikings 23
Standout performer for ATL-MIN: Julio Jones, 137 receiving yards, 2 TDs
The firing of coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff initiated an organizational overhaul focused on the long-term future. But Sunday's victory -- albeit over the 1-5 Vikings -- suggested the Falcons might still be competitive in 2020. We knew the Falcons' offense could score, especially after the return of wide receiver Julio Jones. But the Falcons' defense was strong in the debut of interim coach Raheem Morris, and its three first-half interceptions of Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins set the tone for the entire game. -- Kevin Seifert
Next game: vs. Lions (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
The Vikings are the NFL's biggest version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. A week ago, they took undefeated Seattle down to the wire in a one-point loss. Then they turn around and allow a terrible Atlanta team to build a 23-point lead and get its first win of the season. "It's just strange," coach Mike Zimmer said of how poorly his team played. The Vikings' season is all but lost, and they'll have to focus on where they go from here after a 1-5 start that brings into question more than a handful of moves they made in the offseason (extensions for Zimmer, GM Rick Spielman, Cousins and running back Dalvin Cook) and whether those are coming back to haunt them. -- Courtney Cronin
Next game: at Packers (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Nov. 1)
Chicago Bears 23, Carolina Panthers 16
Standout performer for CHI-CAR: Roquan Smith, 12 tackles
The Bears need to be taken seriously. Without question, Chicago has flaws -- plenty of them -- and the overall offense is not good enough. But what cannot be disputed is the club's record after six games. The Bears are 5-1 for the first time since former head coach Lovie Smith's final season in 2012. Entering this year, there were 102 teams that started 5-1 since the NFL went to 12 playoff teams in 1990 and 85 went on to make the playoffs (83.3%), according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The NFL expanded the playoff field to 14 teams for 2020. Add it all up and the Bears are in prime position to challenge for their second playoff bid in three years under coach Matt Nagy. -- Jeff Dickerson
Next game: at Rams (8:15 p.m. ET, Oct. 26)
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was sacked four times and had to scramble a season-high eight times for 48 yards against the league's No. 1 red zone defense. Perhaps that pressure is why, with a chance to pull even in the closing minutes, Bridgewater missed a wide-open DJ Moore at the Chicago 20-yard line with nobody between him and the goal line. Carolina (2-2) needs to fix its pass protection to remain a factor in the NFC playoff race. -- David Newton
Next game: at Saints (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
Denver Broncos 18, New England Patriots 12
Standout performer for DEN-NE: Brandon McManus, 6-for-6 FGs
After a 17-day layoff, the Broncos forced three turnovers, got four sacks and saw a 100-yard rushing day from Phillip Lindsay in their win over the Patriots. It was their first three-turnover game of the season on defense and Lindsay's first 100-yard effort after he missed three games because of a toe injury. Coach Vic Fangio has taken more chances in the pass rush with Von Miller and Jurrell Casey out for the season, including more five- and six-man pressures, and it paid dividends in wins over the Jets and Patriots. -- Jeff Legwold
Next game: vs. Chiefs (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday)
The Patriots hardly practiced over the past two weeks, and it showed in Sunday's loss to the visiting Broncos. This was U-G-L-Y, one of their worst home offensive performances of Bill Belichick's 21-year coaching tenure. Maybe injuries and having five players placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list caught up to them. But after watching how the Titans handled a similar situation last week and still trounced the Bills, it wasn't a stretch to expect more from New England. One thing that stood out: the Broncos devoting extra resources to take away the running game and forcing Cam Newton and the Patriots to win through the air. -- Mike Reiss
Next game: vs. 49ers (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday)
Indianapolis Colts 31, Cincinnati Bengals 27
Standout performer for CIN-IND: Philip Rivers, 371 passing yards, 3 TDs
The Colts head into their bye with a 4-2 record by beating teams with a combined record of 12-22-1 and coming from 21 points down to trip the Bengals in Week 6. But the schedule will get tougher for the Colts, who play six of their final 10 games against teams with winning records, including four teams that went into Sunday undefeated. -- Mike Wells
Next game: at Lions (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 1)
Under coach Zac Taylor, the Bengals are 1-11-1 in one-score games, which is easily the worst record in the NFL during that span. The lone win was a Week 4 victory against the Jaguars earlier this season, in which a late Jacksonville field goal cut Cincinnati's winning margin to 33-25. Sunday's loss to the Colts was perhaps the most troubling of the one-score lapses. The Bengals led 21-0 early in the second quarter and were on the verge of picking up Taylor's first win in Cincinnati against a team with a winning record. If Cincinnati wants to get out of this rebuilding phase, it must find ways to win close games. "Everybody could have done one more thing to help us get this win," Taylor said. "That's all of us. That's the coaches and the players. Everyone has gotta be accountable to that." -- Ben Baby
Next game: vs. Browns (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
Detroit Lions 34, Jacksonville Jaguars 16
Standout performer for DET-JAX: D'Andre Swift, 116 receiving yards, 2 TDs
The Lions badly needed a win in Jacksonville and to find something with their defense. By bringing more pressure than they had in any of the first four games, they made Gardner Minshew uncomfortable with four quarterback hits and enough chaos to force him into mistakes. It's just one game against one of the worst rosters in the NFL, but it's something Detroit can build on after holding Jacksonville to 2.4 yards per carry and Minshew to 56.8% completions. -- Michael Rothstein
Next game: at Falcons (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
The Jaguars are bad -- bad enough they are legitimately in contention for the first overall draft pick next spring. Sunday's loss to the Lions was their fifth in a row, and they have given up 30 or more points in each of those defeats. They're also the first team in NFL history to lose three consecutive games to winless teams (excluding season openers). -- Mike DiRocco
Next game: at Chargers (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday)
New York Giants 20, Washington Football Team 19
Standout performer for WSH-NYG: Tae Crowder, 43-yard fumble return for game-winning TD, 10 tackles
Joe Judge got his first head-coaching win, and the Giants can now say they are one win behind the NFC East leader heading into Monday night, no matter how gargantuan their struggles have been. This win was desperately needed. Several Giants players said last week it was time to produce. Enough talking about making progress. The win also allows Judge some validation to his program. It would have been difficult to continue asking so much of his players without a victory. Now, they finally have one. -- Jordan Raanan
Next game: at Eagles (8:20 p.m. ET, Thursday)
Washington needs to do more than show resolve in games. It has to quit allowing big plays on defense. It has to limit turnovers on offense, which now have cost them two games. Quarterback Kyle Allen showed a lot of good and bad against the Giants, but Washington has now lost five consecutive games. At 1-5, Washington needs to start winning. It was in position to do so, but costly mistakes haunt this franchise, and that'll be the story until the team stops making them. -- John Keim
Next game: vs. Cowboys (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
Miami Dolphins 24, New York Jets 0
Standout performer for NYJ-MIA: Emmanuel Ogbah, two sacks (including a 28-yarder), six pressures
The Dolphins' rebuild under coach Brian Flores is finally bearing some early fruit. Miami's turnaround is flourishing, while Adam Gase -- the coach the Dolphins fired and the Jets immediately hired -- is watching his team crumble and his job security loosen more every week. The Dolphins (3-3) won back-to-back games by double digits for the first time since 2015, and even without playing their best football, they beat down their wounded division rival. That's what good teams do, and for the first time in the Flores era, it's time to start asking: Are the Dolphins ... good? -- Cameron Wolfe
Next game: vs. Rams (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Nov. 1)
After another sorry performance, the kind that gets coaches fired, the Jets stand alone as the NFL's only winless team. They got help from the Giants and Falcons, both of whom picked up victories. This means the Jets control their own destiny for the No. 1 pick in the draft -- the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes. Current New York quarterback Sam Darnold, who has missed two games with a sprained shoulder, will get the second half of the season to right himself and perhaps enhance his trade value. -- Rich Cimini
Next game: vs. Bills (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38, Green Bay Packers 10
Standout performer for GB-TB: Ronald Jones II, 113 rushing yards, 2 TDs
It took six games, but the Bucs put forth their best outing of the season against arguably one of the best teams in the league. Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes, running back Ronald Jones II rushed for two more and tight end Rob Gronkowski finally found the end zone. The defense also did its job, intercepting Aaron Rodgers twice -- including a pick-six from Jamel Dean -- and getting five sacks to give the Bucs their first signature win in 2020. "As a team, I don't think we had any penalties, I don't think we had any sacks [given up], and if we don't have any turnovers, we're gonna be hard to beat," coach Bruce Arians said. "We kind of set a new standard for ourselves in that regard against a quality opponent." -- Jenna Laine
Next game: at Raiders (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday)
All the momentum the Packers had before their bye week and on the way to a 4-0 start disappeared -- and it started in the days before Sunday's loss at Tampa Bay. It began in practice. Both Rodgers and coach Matt LaFleur said the week of preparation was not what it had been the first month. "You practice like crap, you go out and play like crap," said LaFleur, who took his share of the blame too, saying the Packers got outcoached. The Pack haven't lost much under LaFleur (five times in 23 games, including the postseason), but four of the five have been by at least 15 points. Rodgers said he thinks the team "needed kind of a kick in the ass a little bit, as a little bit of a wake-up to stop feeling ourselves so much and get back to the things that got us to this position." -- Rob Demovsky
Next game: at Texans (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)