NFL Game Recaps: Week 6, 2026

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Broncos 17, Seahawks 14
The Seahawks opened this game by driving into field goal range and settling for three points. Little did we know at the time that this would be the only time Seattle would score until midway through the fourth quarter.

The Broncos put together two touchdown drives in the opening half, thanks to some strong running from J.K. Dobbins and a couple of nifty plays from R.J. Harvey. Denver took a 14-3 lead into intermission, and the score didn't change until a quarter and a half later, when the Seahawks finally got into the end zone with a George Holani touchdown run. Seattle converted the two-point try to draw within 14-11.

As you can tell, this was not an offensive game that will be remembered for generations. Bo Nix struggled to complete passes and sustain drives, while the Seahawks had no chance with Sam Darnold seeing tons of pressure from Denver's fierce defensive front. Still, Seattle made it a game with 5:41 remaining.

Seattle was able to force a three-and-out, thanks in part to Nix taking a three-yard loss when he jogged out of bounds. The Seahawks took over with 3:24 remaining. Darnold delivered a deep pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba to move across midfield, but then heaved a pass right into the arms of a Denver defender for an interception.

Thanks to some incompetence by Denver's offense - two Dobbins runs went nowhere, and Nix threw the ball away on a pass that was nearly intercepted - Seattle got another chance. The Seahawks had enough time to move into field goal range, and they avoided mistakes this time, converting a field goal to send the game to overtime.

Seattle had momentum heading into the extra session. The Seahawks took the ball first, but after picking up a first down, Darnold telegraphed a throw that was intercepted. The Broncos took over at the Seattle 43-yard line. Three plays later, Wil Lutz drilled a 53-yard field goal to win this overtime thriller.

Texans 34, Jaguars 31
The Jaguars entered this game with the best home-field advantage in the NFL because their body clocks were set to London time, while Houston was flying in and would likely be exhausted. The Jaguars, however, were the team that showed some major lethargy in the first half, making several costly mistakes. They had a touchdown called back because of a penalty, and they had drives end at the Houston 36- and 5-yard lines. The Texans led at halftime, and then the Jaguars made things worse in the third quarter when they allowed a drive to continue because they had too many men on the field. The Texans capitalized with a touchdown.

Jacksonville's defense had no answer for C.J. Stroud throughout the morning, but the Jaguars were able to keep pace thanks to Trevor Lawrence connecting with Parker Washington and Travis Hunter. It was Hunter who finally had the only answer for Stroud at one point, intercepting him in the end zone to give the Jaguars a chance.

Lawrence drove into field goal range, but the possession stalled on a fourth-and-4 at the 42-yard line. Liam Coen, who already had a dismal coaching performance, could have gone for it to take the lead and milk more time off the clock, but he opted to attempt a 60-yard field goal with Cam Little. The kick connected, but Coen paid the price for his foolish decision because the Texans needed only a couple of first downs to move into field goal range themselves. They did just that, giving Ka'imi Fairbairn a 50-yard field goal attempt to win the game. Fairbairn connected to give Houston its second-consecutive victory.

Patriots 26, Jets 19
The Jets had a promising opening drive to begin this game, but a touchdown negated by offensive pass interference forced them to settle for a field goal. That was the only positive sequence for the Jets in the entire first half, as they bungled their way into intermission. Geno Smith turned the ball over, leading to a Patriots touchdown when Drake Maye heaved a bomb to Romeo Doubs, who was injured on the play. The Jets then had a sequence in which they ran on second-and-1, ran on third-and-1, and then tried a quarterback sneak on a long fourth-and-1, only to turn the ball over on downs. The Patriots kicked a field goal on the ensuing possession.

The Jets finally showed signs of life in the second half. Smith found Cooper for a touchdown, which stood this time, and then TreVeyon Henderson lost a fumble, setting up a Jets field goal that cut the deficit to 17-13. The Patriots, however, put together a touchdown drive in which they ran the ball down New York's throat. New England scored a touchdown but missed the extra point to go up 23-13.

It looked like the Patriots were going to score more points when Maye found Demario Douglas for a deep completion, but Douglas lost a fumble. The Jets took advantage of the turnover and kicked a field goal. However, they couldn't get off the field on a crucial drive late in the game, as Corey Kiner gained chunks of yardage on nearly every run. The Patriots kicked a field goal to seal the victory, although the Jets also connected on a very late field goal to cover the spread.

Steelers 26, Buccaneers 19
The Steelers won this game in overtime, but it was very ugly for a while. Aaron Rodgers threw an early interception on a tipped pass, setting up a Tampa Bay field goal. The Buccaneers then turned Pittsburgh over on downs when Germie Bernard was stopped shy of the line to gain after a reception. Jalon Daniels capitalized with a touchdown pass to Emeka Egbuka. The Steelers then missed a field goal, allowing the Buccaneers to kick a field goal following a short drive. Tampa Bay suddenly had a 13-0 lead and looked like it was in full control of this game.

A bit later, the Steelers put together a great drive with some terrific catches by Bernard, setting up a Rodgers touchdown pass to Darnell Washington. Daniels was intercepted on the ensuing possession on a play in which he faced heavy pressure. The Steelers took over and drove down the field, but stalled in the red zone because of a Washington penalty. Still, Pittsburgh kicked a field goal to move within 16-13.

Following a Buccaneers three-and-out, DK Metcalf drew a deep pass interference flag, but Rodgers was then sacked at the Tampa Bay 31-yard line. Chris Boswell was still able to hit the field goal in heavy winds, drilling a 58-yarder.

The Steelers took over after Daniels nearly threw a pick-six on a high pass. They had great field position but didn't run the ball enough on their field goal drive, giving the Buccaneers another chance. Daniels took advantage of it, delivering a deep pass to Ted Hurst to set up a Chase McLaughlin field goal that tied the game at 19.

The Steelers had the ball first in overtime and were able to score a touchdown on their initial possession. Rodgers converted a third-and-13 with a pass to Metcalf and then threw a touchdown to Bernard. The Buccaneers had a chance to tie the game on their ensuing possession. Pittsburgh forced Daniels into a fourth-and-10, but he converted with a heroic scramble. However, Jalen Ramsey came off the edge on the next fourth down and sacked Daniels to end the game.

Browns 13, Ravens 10
The Ravens were able to get some nice runs from Derrick Henry early in this game, despite the announcers saying that the Browns were stout against the rush. Baltimore scored ten points early on and looked like it would be in full control of this game. However, the Ravens inexplicably forgot that Henry existed in the second half. They barely used him following intermission, allowing the Browns to creep back into the game.

Cleveland put ten points on the board and looked like it would take the lead, but Andre Szmyt missed a 48-yard field goal, marking the first time he had been errant on a kick this year. However, the Ravens continued to do nothing with the ball, so the Browns had another chance. They made the most of it, with Deshaun Watson connecting with Jerry Jeudy on a big play to set up a field goal.

The kick was blocked, but the Ravens were flagged for being offside. Szmyt was then able to redeem himself with a 37-yard attempt, allowing the Browns to pull off the upset.

Bears 31, Falcons 23
By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Bears played their worst game possible against the Packers last week. They were certainly due to rebound, and they did so with this impressive victory.

The Bears welcomed starting quarterback Caleb Williams back from his hamstring injury, and Chicago jumped out to a huge lead before letting Atlanta back into the game in the fourth quarter. Improving to 4-2 keeps Chicago in striking distance of the idle Vikings. At 2-4, Atlanta is still alive in the weak NFC South.

Early in the first quarter, Williams led Chicago down the field before lofting in a touchdown pass to Colston Loveland. The next drive saw completions to Rome Odunze and Luther Burden set up a short rushing touchdown for D'Andre Swift. After Cairo Santos missed a 56-yard field goal, Atlanta got moving with a 39-yard completion to Drake London. A few plays later, Penix connected with Jahan Dotson for a 13-yard touchdown. At the end of the second quarter, Zachariah Branch muffed a punt, and Chicago recovered at the Falcons 10-yard line. That set up another touchdown run from Swift, and the Bears took a 21-7 lead into the locker room.

In the third quarter, the Falcons crossed midfield but threw an incomplete on fourth-and-short. Chicago was able to add to their lead with a drive that ended with a short rushing score from Roschon Johnson. Branch's rough day continued as he fumbled the kickoff to Chicago, and the Bears were set up at the Falcons' 31. The Bears turned that into a field goal to take a 31-7 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Atlanta produced points with a touchdown strike to Kyle Pitts and a two-point conversion to Branch. Jesse Bates forced a fumble from Roschon Johnson to give Atlanta the ball near midfield, and Penix promptly connected with Dotson for a 41-yard completion. A few plays later, Penix and Pitts connected for another touchdown, and a two-point conversion to Drake London made it 31-23 Chicago with 5:41 remaining. A Za'Darius Smith sack got the ball back to the Falcons with 3:34 left, but a Kyler Gordon strip-sack and recovery clinched the game for Chicago.

Titans 26, Colts 20
The Titans were winless heading into this game, and it looked like they would suffer another loss. They fell behind 13-0 at halftime, thanks in part to a Cam Ward interception thrown off his back foot into heavy traffic.

It appeared as though the Colts would extend their lead in the third quarter when they reached the red zone, but Daniel Jones was intercepted. That began the downfall for Indianapolis. The Titans were able to kick a couple of field goals, while Jones was nearly intercepted once again. Tennessee forced Indianapolis into a punt following this near-interception, then blocked it and returned it for a score to go up 20-13.

Now facing an embarrassing loss, Jones was able to overcome a sack on the ensuing possession. He moved the chains, and Jonathan Taylor eventually scored on a touchdown run to tie the game at 20 with 5:32 remaining.

The Titans took over and benefited from a pass interference flag. Cam Ward then converted a third-and-5 to move into field goal range. The kick was good, and Tennessee led 23-20.

The Colts had a couple of chances after that. Their first opportunity was thwarted by a big sack Jones took on third down and an ensuing turnover on downs. Tennessee then drilled another field goal to go up 26-20.

With one opportunity left, Jones moved past midfield with a 19-yard pass to Keenan Allen, but then proceeded to misfire on four consecutive passes to give the Titans the upset victory.

Panthers 25, Eagles 14
The Eagles entered this game shorthanded, with Philadelphia especially depleted on offense. However, it was the Eagles' special teams that betrayed them in this contest. Carolina led 3-0 when Philadelphia had a horrible punt that gave the Panthers great field position. Bryce Young capitalized with a touchdown pass to Tommy Tremble to put Carolina up 10-0.

Later in the second half, the Panthers and Eagles exchanged touchdowns. Following Tanner McKee's scoring pass to DeVonta Smith, the Panthers blocked a punt, putting themselves in position to score another touchdown.

Carolina won this game 25-14, scoring 14 of its 25 points off special teams. Young and Chuba Hubbard weren't bad, but they didn't have to do all that much with the Eagles giving this game away with fourth-down mistakes. Of course, it didn't hurt that Carolina's defense was able to smother an overmatched Tanner McKee.

Saints 34, Giants 27
The Giants led 10-0 in this game thanks to some throws from Jameis Winston to Isaiah Likely. It was 10-3 late in the first half when the entire script changed. The Giants fumbled a kickoff return, and then Tyler Shough scrambled 25 yards to get into the red zone. The Saints were eventually stuck at the 1-yard line with only one play remaining in the opening half. They could have kicked a field goal, and the announcers urged them to do so. Instead, they went for it and scored a touchdown. This certainly gave them momentum heading into the second half.

The Saints scored a touchdown on their opening possession of the second half, with Alvin Kamara getting into the end zone. On that play, Kamara eclipsed 5,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards for his career.

The Giants, who hadn't possessed the ball in quite some time, couldn't do anything on their next drive. Conversely, the Saints scored once again on a Shough rushing touchdown. The Giants' ensuing possession saw Winston throw an interception because of a miscommunication with Malik Nabers. The Saints kicked a field goal on the following drive to go up by three scores and effectively ice the game. The Giants were able to get the game close with J.J. McCarthy garbage drives against New Orleans' backups, but the Saints defense shut the door at the very end.

Cardinals 18, Rams 16
If I put forth as much effort into this recap as the Rams did into this game, this space would be completely blank. The Rams had one of the most lethargic performances I've ever seen from a good team in my 27 years of covering the NFL for this website. The offense looked like it was going through the motions, while none of the defensive players seemed interested in tackling. It was absolutely pathetic, and Sean McVay and his players should be ashamed of themselves.

Things actually started off somewhat well for the Rams. They didn't do anything on their first drive, opting to punt on fourth-and-1, but they intercepted Jacoby Brissett on his second pass. They capitalized with a field goal, as Blake Grupe drilled a 44-yarder to put Los Angeles up 3-0.

However, Grupe suffered an injury a bit later, forcing the Rams to go for it on fourth down in Arizona territory for the rest of the game. This included a two-point conversion attempt in the second quarter that nearly resulted in a defensive score when Matthew Stafford was strip-sacked.

Stafford resembled a drunkard in this game, failing to complete basic throws for most of the afternoon. However, he was hardly the only one at fault. He didn't get many opportunities because the Cardinals kept draining the clock by converting first downs, largely because the Rams didn't seem interested in tackling anyone.

Trailing 15-9, the Rams had just three minutes to avoid complete humiliation. Stafford finally showed signs of life, connecting with Puka Nacua for gains of 42 and 16 yards to move into the red zone. Stafford then completed a short pass to Kyren Williams before finding Colby Parkinson for a touchdown to tie the game at 15.

The question was what the Rams would do on the extra point given Grupe's injury. Punter Ethan Evans stepped in and converted the kick to put Los Angeles ahead by one. Things were finally looking up for the Rams, but the Cardinals still had 47 seconds remaining.

Jacoby Brissett didn't need all 47 seconds, however. He drilled a 21-yard pass to Jalen Brooks, and another 15 yards were tacked on because of an unnecessary roughness penalty, moving Arizona to the Los Angeles 29-yard line.

A few plays later, Chad Ryland drilled a 43-yard field goal at the buzzer to give the Cardinals the victory.

Bills 33, Raiders 30
By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell

EDITOR'S NOTE: Great job by Kirk Cousins and Tre Tucker to cover the spread at the end with a backdoor touchdown. I didn't bet the Raiders, but I appreciated the effort.

The Bills improved to 5-1 thanks to the brilliance of Josh Allen. Las Vegas fell to 3-3, but they played Buffalo tough, and the difference was settling for some field goals. This win keeps the Bills in first place in the AFC East with the Raiders falling further behind Kansas City.

The Bills struck first with a field goal drive early in the first quarter. Las Vegas answered with a drive keyed by a 26-yard pass to Tre Tucker. Ashton Jeanty scored from a yard out to put the Raiders up 7-3. Buffalo responded with a field goal, and then took the lead with a drive in the second quarter that ended with a short scoring screen pass to Khalil Shakir. The Raiders responded with a field goal to cut the Bills' lead to 13-10. In the final seconds of the first half, Las Vegas was aided by C.J. Gardner-Johnson getting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and being ejected for spitting on a Raiders player. That moved the Raiders into the red zone, and they tied the game at 13 on the final play of the half.

Early in the third quarter, the Bills drove the field with a fourth-down touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid called back by a holding penalty. Buffalo settled for a field goal to take a 16-13 lead. Dorian Williams intercepted Cousins to set up the Bills in Raiders territory. Allen made a tremendous touchdown pass with rushers crashing down on him, and he flipped the ball almost 20 yards into the end zone to a wide-open Keon Coleman for a touchdown to go up 23-13.

The Raiders responded with a field goal drive to make it 23-16 midway through the second half. After getting the ball back, Mike Washington ripped off a chunk run, and then Cousins connected with Brock Bowers for completions of 18 and 29 before lofting in a beautiful pass to Tucker for a game-tying touchdown. Buffalo promptly moved down the field with a 26-yard pass to James Cook, setting up a first-and-goal that Cook turned into a touchdown for a 30-23 lead with less than five minutes remaining. The Bills forced a punt and then tacked on a field goal to take a 10-point lead with just under two minutes remaining. Cousins laid out a perfect deep ball into the end zone, and Tucker made a diving 44-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 33-30. The Bills recovered the onside kick to clinch the road win.

Chiefs 22, Chargers 6
For a while, it looked like the Chargers would be able to compete with the Chiefs. This was a 9-3 game in the middle of the second quarter, and the Chargers had possession. However, that's when their downfall began.

Justin Herbert was intercepted on a deflection, but the pick was mercifully negated by a roughing-the-passer penalty. The drive continued, but then Ladd McConkey got hurt, and Herbert threw another horrible interception that stood this time.

The Chiefs took over, and a bit later, Kenneth Walker scored a touchdown when he broke out of a Dalvin Tomlinson tackle. Kansas City went up 16-3 heading into intermission.

The Chargers once again showed signs of life at the beginning of a half. Herbert connected with Quentin Johnston on a big play, with the receiver hauling in the pass before being tackled at the 1-yard line. However, the Chargers committed a holding penalty and had to settle for a field goal.

The Chiefs answered with a field goal of their own a bit later, but the Chargers couldn't do anything offensively after that. They ventured into Kansas City territory on three occasions, but stalled on a fourth-down stop and then lost a fumble by second-year receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith. The Chargers eventually got inside the Kansas City 10-yard line for a potential backdoor cover at +8, but Herbert stalled out at the 8-yard line, ending the game.

Packers 23, Cowboys 13
The Cowboys had the ball first in this game, but after picking up one first down, they stalled on fourth-and-4 and punted. The Packers, conversely, converted three third-and-longs on their opening drive to score a touchdown. This was emblematic of everything that happened in this game. The Packers kept possessions alive with inexplicable third-and-long conversions over and over again, while the Cowboys couldn't sustain any sort of offense.

Even when things looked promising for Dallas, mistakes got in the way. For example, Dak Prescott was intercepted in the red zone when he telegraphed a pass, and then he threw another interception a bit later because CeeDee Lamb fell down. The Cowboys also had some bad luck when a pick-six was negated because the defender had been touched down by contact. That happened right before Prescott's first interception, so Dallas didn't even score any points off the turnover.

The Cowboys didn't score a single point in the opening half, but finally got on the board in the third quarter. The Packers, however, answered when Jordan Love converted a fourth down to Tucker Kraft. Green Bay kicked a field goal on that drive and then added another field goal to put the game out of reach.

Trailing 23-7, the Cowboys just couldn't get anything going until the final minute, as neither Lamb nor George Pickens could get open for some reason.

49ers 23, Redskins 17
For one half, it looked like Dan Quinn was destined to be fired immediately after this game. The 49ers scored touchdowns on their first two drives, and they even opted to go for it on fourth-and-3 despite Kyle Shanahan's dubious history of kicking field goals in the red zone.

As if the deficit wasn't enough for the Redskins, disaster struck when Stefon Diggs got banged up and Terry McLaurin was carted off the field. The only thing that went right for the Redskins was Christian McCaffrey losing a fumble in the red zone. But when Washington reached the red zone, Jayden Daniels foolishly threw the ball away on fourth down. Quinn didn't even know what down it was because he signaled to kick a field goal after the fourth-down incompletion.

The 49ers established a 23-3 lead in the third quarter, and it looked like the Redskins were willing to just pack up and go home. Daniels looked completely lifeless, showing no emotion on the field and failing to run, almost as if he were scared of San Francisco's defense.

However, Washington made things interesting with two touchdown drives, trimming the margin to six points. The 49ers then went three-and-out, giving the Redskins a chance to take the lead.

Daniels was promptly sacked on fourth down, but an illegal contact penalty kept the drive alive. Washington eventually entered the red zone, but on the two most important plays of the game, the Redskins decided to run the ball with Jeremy McNichols and then throw to Treylon Burks in the end zone. McNichols went nowhere, and the pass to Burks predictably fell incomplete. Daniels would've had a better chance to score had he decided to scramble, but he looked like he was terrified of Fred Warner.

The 49ers were able to hold on for the victory, but they failed to cover the -7 spread because of a missed extra point and a surrendered backdoor cover.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

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