NFL Week 6 overreactions, reality checks: 49ers overusing Christian McCaffrey? Lions best team in NFC?

The NFL not has an unbeaten team, because the 1972 Miami Dolphins can pop the corks once more because the lone unbeaten team in NFL historical past. Both the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles suffered their first lack of the season with deficient performances in Week 6. 

While the 49ers and Eagles have a loss on their document, the Detroit Lions are cruising to a 5-1 get started (tied for the best document in the NFL) and the Miami Dolphins overcame a 14-0 deficit to blow previous the Carolina Panthers and advance to 5-1. 

Parity in the league is simply as robust on the most sensible with 5 groups sitting at 5-1. There is not any transparent front-runner to visit the Super Bowl, making a thrilling remainder of the season forward. With the Week 6 Sunday afternoon video games finished, there are many overreactions to move round. Which in truth are overreactions and which can be reality? 

Overreaction or reality: Reality

McCaffrey’s harm showcases how a lot the 49ers have applied him this 12 months. His 110 carries are 2d in the NFL and his 134 touches lead the league. That’s 22.3 touches a sport thru six video games. The 49ers are sensible to make use of their best offensive participant to his talent set, however how a lot is an excessive amount of? 

McCaffrey left in the second one part with an indirect and rib harm, most effective to go back sooner than exiting the sport for excellent. The 49ers should be cautious with their celebrity working again and in all probability scale back the volume of touches he is getting. 

That would contain depending on Brock Purdy extra, which its unclear how he will carry out after his 12 of 27 sport Sunday (55.3 passer score). The 49ers have to restrict McCaffrey regardless — in the event that they wish to make a run on the Super Bowl. 

Lions are the best team in the NFC 

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

Detroit is definitely taking a look just like the team to overcome in the NFC after the Lions took care of commercial in opposition to Tampa Bay. Detroit’s protection held its opponent to twenty issues or fewer for the fourth time this season, whilst scoring 20-plus issues for the fifteenth immediately sport (a franchise document). 

Jared Goff threw for 353 yards in opposition to a excellent Buccaneers secondary and did not throw an interception, wearing an offense that survived the lack of David Montgomery. Jameson Williams provides a deep-ball counter to Amon-Ra St. Brown’s route-running, making the passing sport much more bad. 

The protection held Tampa Bay to two of 12 on 3rd down and four.6 yards in step with play at the afternoon. The Lions are simply pulling off entire wins, regardless of the opponent. They are the freshest team in the NFC, however their check would be the Eagles and 49ers in January (they do not play them in the common season).

Make no mistake. The Lions are excellent. 

Overreaction or reality: Reality

Ridder threw 3 deficient interceptions that extremely contributed to the Falcons falling to the Commanders, completing 28 of 47 for 307 yards and touchdowns for a 66.5 score. Ridder continues to throw passes into lanes that are not to be had as he must have extra interceptions than the six he already has.

The two interceptions Ridder threw overdue in the fourth quarter have been brutal, particularly the only in the crimson zone with Atlanta down 24-16. The Falcons outgained the Commanders 402 yards to 193 and collected 25 first downs to Washington’s 13 — however misplaced on account of Ridder’s 3 miscues. 

Ridder is meant to be a sport supervisor, but struggles when the run sport is taken away. Perhaps the Falcons must give Taylor Heinicke a shot, as they’re nonetheless in the NFC South race at 3-3. They may well be punting 2023 through retaining Ridder in. 

The Bengals are about to move on a run

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

Here come the Bengals, winners of 2 immediately video games with a franchise quarterback that appears 100% recovered from his calf harm from the summer season. Burrow wasn’t best in Sunday’s win (24 of 35, 185 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 88.4 score), however he used to be transferring round rather well in the pocket and had command of the offense early. 

Of route the Bengals went dormant overdue — and Orlando Brown’s harm had so much to do with that — as their protection stepped up and held a excellent Seattle offense to 13 issues and 1 of five in the crimson zone. 

Cincinnati is taking a look like itself once more, however San Francisco and Buffalo are up subsequent after the bye. The Bengals wish to end up they may be able to get up in opposition to the ones groups, the beginning of a brutal stretch that comes with Houston, Baltimore and Jacksonville in 5 in their subsequent six video games. 

Jets protection can beat any quarterback in NFL 

Overreaction or reality: Reality

What the Jets did to Jalen Hurts is simply the norm for this workforce. Hurts completed 28 of 45 for 280 yards with a landing and 3 interceptions (52.5 score), suffering all day in opposition to a Jets protection that used to be in a position to position constant force in the backfield as soon as Lane Johnson left the sport with an ankle harm. 

The Jets have carried out this to different quarterbacks this 12 months. Josh Allen threw 3 interceptions in week 1 in opposition to the Jets whilst Patrick Mahomes threw a couple of interceptions in Week 4 — all at MetLife Stadium. Hurts, Mahomes, and Allen have blended for 3 touchdowns and 8 interceptions in opposition to the Jets protection this 12 months — and they’re 3 of the 5 best quarterbacks in the league. 

Allen, Mahomes, and Hurts have finished 65% in their passes in opposition to the Jets protection — and 70% in opposition to everybody else. They moderate 6.2 yards in step with try in opposition to the Jets and seven.7 in opposition to everybody else, in conjunction with 26 touchdowns to simply 9 interceptions. 

The Jets protection simply shuts down nice quarterbacks. Plain and easy. 

Raiders are a playoff team 

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

The Raiders after all scored 20 issues in a sport (they scored 21) and received their 2d consecutive sport to advance to 3-3. Las Vegas is definitely an enigma, because the Raiders have scored simply 16.6 issues in step with sport and allowed 21.8. Yet they’re at .500 and feature the Bears, Giants and Jets in 3 in their subsequent 4 video games. 

Las Vegas is in playoff place, however the Raiders wish to generate extra issues on offense if they’re to be taken critically. Jimmy Garoppolo’s harm could also be an important blow to an offense that may’t get Josh Jacobs going thru six video games. They are beating dangerous groups and taking good care of trade, however the offense needs to be higher.