National Football League

Cowboys' defense is abysmal, and what else we're learning in Week 6

Updated Oct. 13, 2024 7:51 p.m. ET

FOX Sports NFL Staff

FOX Sports' NFL experts provide the biggest takeaways from every Sunday game in Week 6 and what they mean for each team going forward.

Lions: The Lions put up 40 points for the second consecutive week and more than 450 yards for the second time this season, and they scored points on each of their first nine drives. Not only that, they did it with an incredibly diverse offensive performance. Seven different players caught passes and two running backs combined for 143 yards on the ground before the reserves were called in for the fourth quarter. It's a reminder of how good offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is, and why he's likely going to be the hottest assistant on the head coaching market for a third consecutive offeseason. He used a flea flicker, he had an offensive lineman running a pass route, he used power and flash. His Lions offense can beat teams in so many ways. Yes, they beat up a depleted Dallas defense and were helped by four turnovers from their own defense. But they also racked up all those yards while their best receiver — Amon-Ra St. Brown — caught just four passes for 37 yards.

Cowboys: The Dallas defense has been mostly mediocre so far this season under new coordinator Mike Zimmer, but they are going to be in deep trouble if they don't come out of their bye week with a few more healthy bodies. Because on Sunday, without LBs Micah Parsons and Eric Kendricks, DEs DeMarcus Lawrence and Marshawn Kneeland, and CB DaRon Bland, they weren't even a speed bump for the Detroit Lions. Their coverage was bad. Their tackling was terrible. And Lions OC Ben Johnson just toyed with them, running flea flickers, passes to offensive linemen … it was embarrassing. Zimmer was working shorthanded, but he also had absolutely no answers. The Cowboys gave up five touchdowns and four field goals on their first nine drives. That's embarrassing. Some of it was due to short fields thanks to offensive turnovers, but five of those drives — including the first three — were 58 yards or longer. — Ralph Vacchiano

Jaguars: It may be time to have a discussion about Trevor Lawrence. One of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league was outdueled by a rookie on Sunday in London. After a delay in their flight due to the weather in Florida, the Jaguars were inevitably jetlagged, but this can't be all their offense is capable of. They even had tight end Evan Engram back from injury, and he caught all 10 of his targets for over 100 yards. The Jags offense just has no real rhythm or dimension to it, and it was especially hard to get the running game going given that the Bears jumped out to a 21-3 lead by the third quarter. Lawrence was tied for the most completions over 20 yards coming into the game, even, but there weren't enough chunk plays against this stingy Chicago defense. With that tool missing from their toolbox, everything looked difficult. There's not a whole lot going right for the 1-5 Jaguars right now. They'll be in London this whole week trying to get right and face what looks like a must-win against the Patriots next Sunday.

Bears: It may have been another week against a struggling opponent, but the Bears are now 4-2 on the season and have seen more improvement from quarterback Caleb Williams, who went 23 of 29 with four touchdown passes. His 79.3% completion percentage was the best ever for an NFL rookie with four TDs and 25-plus passes in a game.

In the bigger picture, we saw veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen involved in the offense for the first time. Allen was the last of the Bears' offensive weapons that had yet to have a breakout game. First it was tight end Cole Kmet, who continues to be a safety blanket for Williams, catching 90% of the targets thrown his way this season. Then it was rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze. Running back D'Andre Swift broke out against the Rams. Last week, it was DJ Moore. As Williams improves, so does the Bears' overall offense. Imagine that. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron now seems to have a good handle on what to do with his personnel as his young signal-caller gains more and more confidence. There will undoubtedly be more bumps in the road, but for now, Williams is on track to break the Bears' rookie passing touchdown record of 11 by Halloween even as Chicago goes into its bye. — Carmen Vitali

Cardinals: Not that there was much doubt, but it's clear how much Marvin Harrison Jr. means to this offense in his rookie season. Harrison suffered a concussion early in the game and was ruled out. Arizona sputtered the rest of the way. Quarterback Kyler Murray did his best but was only able to muster one passing touchdown without his favorite target. Tight end Trey McBride was the team's leading receiver, finishing just shy of the 100-yard receiving mark for the first time this season. But it's hard to overstate how much Harrison opens this offense up.

Arizona's defense looks about as we had expected, which is to say average bordering on concerning. Not only did the Cardinals allow Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love to throw for four touchdowns for just the second time in his career, but they also gave up 179 rushing yards. There's a lot of work to be done at 2-4, but the good news is the NFC West is still wide open?

Packers: Well, safety Xavier McKinney's streak of consecutive games with an interception came to an end after he had tied the NFL record last week with six dating back to last season. That being said, the Packers still have a league-leading 17 takeaways, nabbing three more against the Cardinals at home. And thank goodness, because the ball-hawking ability of Green Bay's defense is the only thing that is making this unit successful. The Packers again failed to get a sack and got only one quarterback hit on Kyler Murray. But stopping drives in their tracks and winning the turnover margin on the season are resulting in complementary football.

That, and quarterback Jordan Love getting back to full speed. Love connected with nine different receivers as he posted his best game of the season, completing 22 of 32 pass attempts for 258 yards and four touchdowns. He did have an interception, but his receiver fell down on the route, so it wasn't Love's fault. He's finally starting to look comfortable after spraining his MCL in Week 1, and that's good news for the Packers as they try to come out of what looks like the toughest division in football this season. — Carmen Vitali

Packers QB Jordan Love: 'I felt great' after win over Cardinals

Ravens: It's almost hard to believe the Ravens were once 0-2. They're really steamrolling opposing defenses with their powerful run game, but what makes them a real championship contender is that once again Lamar Jackson looks like an MVP. The Ravens rushed for "only" 176 yards against a tough Commanders defense, but Jackson lit up their secondary for 323 yards on 20 of 26 passing. He's now thrown for 671 yards and five touchdowns in the past two weeks and has thrown just two interceptions all season. He may not be the favorite yet, but he is absolutely a contender for his second straight NFL MVP award and the third in his career. More importantly to him, the Ravens are really looking like one of the best teams in the AFC, which is what everyone thought they'd be all along.

Commanders: The one knock on Jayden Daniels and the Commanders so far was that they really hadn't been tested yet this season. That changed on Sunday when they fought a tough Ravens team deep into the fourth quarter and Daniels had yet another outstanding performance. Playing without RB Brian Robinson, Daniels was unshaken, completing 24 of 35 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. His passes are so remarkably precise, and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury seems to ask him to do more every week. No, the Ravens' secondary isn't strong, but this was still a big step up in class of competition for the rookie quarterback. Every time the Ravens scored, Daniels led the Commanders back for an answer — including two scoring drives in the fourth quarter. The Commanders aren't in the Ravens' weight class yet, but the more Daniels plays like this, the more it looks like they will be very soon. — Ralph Vacchiano

Bucs: The real storyline in a wild roller-coaster win for the Bucs is how Tampa Bay found its ground game and pulled away with it. With Rachaad White sidelined with injury, the Bucs got a huge game from rookie Bucky Irving and second-year back Sean Tucker, who combined for 217 yards rushing and another 80 yards receiving. The team's 277 rushing yards is the second-most in team history, and it took pressure off Baker Mayfield after he threw three interceptions in the first half.

New offensive coordinator Liam Coen has had an impressive start to his Tampa tenure. The Bucs have scored at least 30 points in four of his six games, after totaling only four such games in all of last year and just two in Tom Brady's final season in 2022. If they can find a more consistent run game and the offensive balance they'll have with that, the Bucs will be a tough offense to contain the rest of the way.

Saints: Though QB Spencer Rattler threw for 243 yards and a TD in his NFL debut, Sunday's loss to the Bucs starts with Derek Carr being among five players out due to injury. But the most concerning thing for the Saints is how well teams are running the ball against their defensive front. It started with the Eagles rushing for 172 yards in the Saints' first loss of the season, and then the Chiefs went for 139 in their win against the Saints. But Sunday was real trouble — the Bucs rushed for 277 yards, most in the second half, and the ground success allowed them to pull away after the Saints led 27-24 at the half. A depleted defense now has a short week before a familiar foe arrives — Sean Payton comes in Thursday with the Broncos, and they'll want to run the ball to take pressure off their own rookie quarterback in Bo Nix. After four straight Saints losses, one more and the wagons could be circling for Dennis Allen. — Greg Auman

Browns: A blocked field goal by Myles Garrett returned 50 yards for a score by Rodney McLeod late in the first half served as a spark for Cleveland. Deshaun Watson, who has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league statistically, played much better in the second half, going 11-for-12 for 122 yards. However, Watson and the Browns still couldn't get into the end zone and have now lost four straight and five of their past six. The Browns were expected to compete for a playoff spot, but at 1-5, Cleveland must seriously consider going with backup Jameis Winston over a struggling Watson next week against the Cincinnati Bengals. Otherwise, head coach Kevin Stefanski could risk losing the locker room.

Eagles: Head coach Nick Sirianni, who shaved his head during the bye week, earned a reprieve as the Eagles held on to defeat the Browns. Sirianni, who appeared to have words with some Philly fans at the end of the game, knows his team still has a lot of work to do. Philadelphia has not scored in the first quarter this season, the first time in franchise history the Eagles have failed to score in the opening quarter through the first five games of a season. While the Eagles struggled on offense early, quarterback Jalen Hurts eventually ignited the offense, throwing for 264 yards and two scores and gaining another 33 on the ground. While the win moved Philadelphia over the .500 mark at 3-2, Sirianni's seat is still warm. — Eric D. Williams

Texans: How about those running backs? Count me as someone who thought Stefon Diggs was going to step up for C.J. Stroud and Houston's offense in Nico Collins' absence. But the Texans found their offensive spark in Joe Mixon and … Dameon Pierce? Mixon finished with 13 carries for 102 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown. Pierce had eight carries for 76 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown. The Texans have let their past two opponents creep back into games in the fourth quarter, but this week, the running backs slammed the door shut. If they've found the missing ingredient in their offense — with Mixon as their closer — the Texans will be a real challenger to the Chiefs in the race for the No. 1 seed. Mixon's return could spell trouble for Houston's opponents in the fourth quarter.

Patriots: Here's hoping Drake Maye got the Zach Wilson out of his system. In the first quarter of the New England rookie's debut, Maye looked wholly unable to see the field beyond the line of scrimmage. He looked scared. And even when he had open receivers, he missed, including on his first interception. But then something really positive happened: Maye relaxed. It really changed during the 2-minute drill at the end of the first half. The rookie quarterback uncorked a 40-yard touchdown that reminded everyone why he was the third overall pick. Later in the game, Maye threw another touchdown, a 35-yarder, with the Texans bringing six rushers. He even converted fourth downs with both his legs and arm in the fourth quarter. Maye finished with three touchdowns and three turnovers. Against this Texans defense? With this putrid Patriots offense? That's one heck of a start from the Patriots QB. — Henry McKenna

Colts: You really can't count out the Colts with Joe Flacco at quarterback. He led two fourth-quarterback scoring drives (10 points) to lead Indianapolis to victory Sunday. And this comes a week after he guided a 24-point fourth quarter effort against the Jaguars last week, albeit in a loss. Indianapolis doesn't have a quarterback controversy — coach Shane Steichen has made it clear that Anthony Richardson is QB1 when he's healthy — but it's a reminder that the team is hoping that the long-term investment (Richardson's upside) will make the short-term sacrifices worth it. Those short-term sacrifices? Having a healthy Richardson and losing games that may have been winnable with Flacco under center. Down the stretch of the season, that could mean giving up a potential playoff spot in favor of Richardson's development.

Titans: Time is running out for Will Levis to prove that he should be the Titans' quarterback after this season. On Sunday, he failed to get Tennessee back in front after it gave up a third-quarter lead, throwing a pick and leading three other drives that ended in punts in the final period. He completed just 59.3% of his throws for 95 yards and a touchdown with that interception for the day. This comes after his first four games (three full ones) were defined by a propensity of turnovers. Overall, we've seen Levis being unable to meet the moment in a variety of ways. Six weeks into the season, Tennessee has played just one division game, which offers some hope for the former second-round pick moving forward. Still, though it's just mid-October, the Titans should be heavily examining the 2025 quarterback class at this point. — Ben Arthur

Steelers: It's time to give Russell Wilson a crack at QB1 if you're the Steelers, now that he's healthy. Yes, Justin Fields led a dominant victory Sunday, snapping Pittsburgh's two-game skid. He had two rushing touchdowns. But what we saw offensively against the Raiders is what we've seen all year for the Steelers — an over-reliance on the run and short passing game to produce just enough to help the defense secure wins. It's a challenge to stretch the field vertically with Fields. That's where Wilson can make a difference. He's had plenty of success with the deep ball throughout his career, an ability that could take Pittsburgh's offense to new heights. The Steelers have back-to-back home games upcoming against teams that struggle to score points (the Jets, Giants), so there's no better time than now for the Steelers to trot out Wilson. If he struggles, it's still early enough in the season to where going back to Fields wouldn't be too big of a deal in the AFC playoff race.

Raiders: The Raiders don't have an offense that can be saved. Yes, they need a new quarterback for 2025 — Aidan McConnell, who got the start in Sunday's loss, is no better of an option than Gardner Minshew — but their offensive issues go so much further than that. Las Vegas' running game is awful — two of the team's three giveaways against Pittsburgh came from running backs. The Raiders also have no wide receiver depth. It's never easy when you trot into a game without your top two receivers (no Davante Adams or Jakobi Meyers on Sunday), but McConnell had no one that he could depend on outside of star rookie tight end Brock Bowers. DJ Turner led all Vegas wide receivers with 37 yards. This offensive line isn't very good either. There isn't really an answer for the Raiders this season. They'll have to regroup on offense this offseason, when they could decide to part ways with Antonio Pierce and will have to bring in a new offensive staff anyway. — Ben Arthur

Chargers: The Bolts finally decided to let Justin Herbert cook. The Chargers entered Week 7 averaging just 136 passing yards a contest, No. 31 in the league. However, following the bye week, Herbert came out slinging, passing for a season-high 237 yards and a touchdown in leading Los Angeles to a road win. Herbert and the Chargers had to deal with head coach Jim Harbaugh missing time at the start of the game as team medical staff treated him for the effects of arrhythmia. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter served as the interim head coach for the Chargers until Harbaugh returned later in the first half. If Herbert can continue to make explosive plays in the passing game, it will create balance in a Los Angeles offense with one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL.

Broncos: Rookie quarterback Bo Nix and the Broncos looked overmatched against their AFC West rivals. The Oregon product finished 3 of 10 for 22 yards with no touchdowns and an interception as Denver trailed 20-0 in the first half. The Broncos averaged just three yards per play in that time frame. The Broncos eventually scored 16 points in the second half, making the game respectable. However, head coach Sean Payton must get more from Nix and Denver's passing game to score more consistently on offense. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Denver. Payton now returns home to face the New Orleans Saints in a short week on Thursday Night Football.

Falcons: It's not a revelation to say that a $45 million quarterback can do wonders for an offense, but consider this after the Falcons' win over the Panthers: With Kirk Cousins leading the way, they scored more than 30 points for a second week in a row, after doing so just one time in three full seasons from 2021-23. The hope in signing Cousins was that he could help the Falcons take better advantage of their offensive talent, and Sunday was a good example of that. Bijan Robinson rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns — his first game ever with multiple rushing touchdowns — and receiver Drake London continued a strong start with 74 yards and a touchdown. Atlanta is 4-2 and tied with the Bucs atop the NFC South — they have the head-to-head tiebreaker, though they'll have to go to Tampa in two weeks. Between now and then, a home game against a reeling Seattle team next week is the kind of game the Falcons need to win.

Panthers: You saw it coming in the offseason, but Carolina's defense is keeping them from being a competitive team, even more so than their offense. Atlanta scored on their final six possessions in Sunday's win, turning an early 10-7 deficit into an easy win. In the last three games, Carolina has given up 34, 36 and 38 points — they don't have the offense to win many high-scoring games, so they're doing well just to hang around for three quarters. Losing Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu in the offseason, losing Derrick Brown to a season-ending injury, there weren't high expectations for that side of the ball, but they're the worst scoring defense in the league, and there isn't a lot to be excited about down the road. — Greg Auman

The following writers contributed to this story: Ben Arthur (@benyarthur); Greg Auman (@gregauman); Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis); Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams); Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano); Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV)