National Football League

Jared Goff, Jordan Love sizzle; Cowboys QB Dak Prescott frigid in red zone

Updated Oct. 14, 2024 11:47 a.m. ET

As we edge toward the midpoint of the regular season, the NFC North has emerged as the top division in the NFL. All four teams sit at least two games over .500, and every team has at least a plus-41 net point differential — better than any other team in any other division.

Looking closer, the NFC North has benefited from good quarterback play.

Lions QB Jared Goff leads NFC North quarterbacks with a 105.3 passer rating, followed by the Minnesota Vikings' Sam Darnold at 103.4. Packers QB Jordan Love is second in the NFL in touchdown passes (12), and rookie Caleb Williams has led the Chicago Bears to the team's first three-game winning streak since 2020.

So, it's no surprise that a couple players from the NFC North headline this week's Heat Index.

Let's check out who's hot and who's cold from Week 6.

WHO'S HOT

Cole Kmet, TE, Bears

One of the favorite targets for Williams in a decisive 35-16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars was his tight end, who led the Bears with five catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns. According to Next Gen Stats, Kmet's 83.2% reception percentage since the start of the 2023 season tops all qualified tight ends.

Even more impressive, Kmet served as the emergency long snapper for Chicago because starter Scott Daly left the game with a back injury. Kmet snapped on all five made extra points by kicker Cairo Santos.

Jared Goff, QB, Lions

The Cal product went 18-for-25 for 315 yards and three scores on Sunday, posting a 153.8 passer rating as the Lions manhandled the Dallas Cowboys. Goff finished a perfect 18-for-18 in a win over the Seattle Seahawks before Detroit's bye week. So, in his past two games, Goff is 36-of-43 for 607 yards, with five touchdowns and no interceptions for a 157.5 passer rating.

Led by Goff, Detroit's offense scored a touchdown or field goal on the first nine drives against the Cowboys, earning a measure of revenge after the team's controversial loss at Dallas last season. Goff gave head coach Dan Campbell the game ball afterward in the locker room.

Sean Tucker, RB, Bucs

Tucker finished with a league-high 136 rushing yards in Week 6, including a touchdown as Tampa Bay throttled the Saints to improve to 4-2 on the season. Tucker, undrafted out of Syracuse last year, also had a 36-yard catch and run for a score.

From FOX Sports colleague Greg Auman, Tucker finished with 192 yards of offense while playing in just 38% of the offensive snaps for Tampa Bay. He had 17 touches out of 28 snaps, averaging better than 11 yards per touch.

Jordan Love, QB, Packers

In his third game back since suffering a knee injury at the start of the season, Love is rounding into form. He finished 22-of-32 with 258 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception. Love completed passes to nine different pass-catchers.

Two of those touchdown passes were to receiver Romeo Doubs, who returned to the field after being suspended for Green Bay's win over the Los Angeles Rams last week for conduct detrimental to the team. Doubs reportedly skipped two practices because of his unhappiness with his role.

Trey Hendrickson, DE, Bengals

Entering Week 6, the Bengals had been allowing 29 points a game. But in a 17-7 victory over the New York Giants, Cincinnati's defense finally played up to its potential, and Hendrickson was one of the leaders of that renewed effort. He finished with two sacks, five quarterback pressures and two combined tackles as the Bengals held the Giants to 309 total yards.

Cincinnati improved to 2-4 with the win and is only a game back of the Indianapolis Colts (3-3) for the final wild card spot in the AFC.

WHO'S COLD

Dak Prescott, QB Cowboys

Prescott has five turnovers in the past two games, and three of those have occurred in the red zone. The Cowboys have a thin margin of error and need their $60 million-a-year quarterback to take care of the football to have a better chance at finishing games.

The Cowboys are now 0-3 at home, losing by an average of 22 points per game. The Lions thumped Dallas by 38 points Sunday on owner Jerry Jones' 82nd birthday.

Breaking down what went wrong for Cowboys

DK Metcalf, WR, Seahawks

Metcalf was targeted a game-high 11 times but finished with just three receptions for 48 yards in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday. He also appeared to have a heated conversation with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb over the headset during the game.

The Seahawks need their No. 1 receiver to play to his potential in big games, and so far, that has not happened this season. The Ole Miss product has also lost two fumbles this season that led to touchdowns for opponents. The Seahawks have turned the ball over 10 times this season and are on a three-game losing streak.

Doug Pederson, head coach, Jaguars

It’s not just that Jacksonville sits at 1-5 on the year, it’s how the Jaguars have lost under the direction of Pederson. Jacksonville has not been competitive, losing by an average of 13.6 points per game.

Sunday’s 19-point loss to the Bears in London provided another low point for Pederson, who continues to struggle to get quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the offense to consistently move the football and score points.

The Jaguars will stay in London to prepare for the Patriots in Week 7, in what seems like a must-win for Pederson to keep his job. Before the season, owner Shad Khan called the 2024 Jaguars the best ever assembled by the franchise.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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