Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season is officially wrapped up. With the playoff picture starting to take shape, there’s no better time to react to some overreactions from around the league. Below is the scale we use at Blitz Sports Media for overreactions.
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Overreactions
The Cowboys are in danger of missing the playoffs
On Jerry Jones birthday the Cowboys (3-3) suffered another embarrassing loss at home 47-9 to the Detroit Lions (4-1). Defensively the notable injuries to Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence put them in a tough position on Sunday against one of the league’s top offenses. They put up zero resistance and the Lions got to the point where they were letting linemen get involved in the passing game. Offensively it was equally as bad, as they finished with 251 total yards and settled for 3 field goals on the day.
Now sitting at 3-3, many are wondering if the Cowboys are in danger of missing the playoffs. After their play to start the season, I agree the Cowboys are not a playoff team in 2024. They currently are the 19th best scoring offense in the NFL while being the 9th worst defense in total yards and 3rd worst scoring defense in football. The offense lacks a true weapon outside of Ceedee Lamb that has led to their slow start to the season. Even when healthy, this defense has struggled against the run, but the injuries have exposed their weakness even more. Things are not looking good in Dallas and changes should be coming soon.
Overreaction Meter: 1
The NFC North is the best division in the NFL
The Chicago Bears (4-2) routed the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) in London behind another Caleb Williams masterclass. Williams finished with 4 touchdowns and the defense now is the 5th best scoring defense in the NFL. The Green Bay Packers (4-2) also had a dominant victory over the Arizona Cardinals (2-4) on Sunday. Jordan Love also threw for 4 touchdowns and the defense held the Cards offense to 13 points. The Lions, as mentioned above, dominated the Cowboys. They now have two straight games over 40 points but lost star EDGE Aidan Hutchinson for the season in the win. The Minnesota Vikings (5-0) had a bye week and remained undefeated
Current Standings:
1 Minnesota Vikings 5-0
2 Detroit Lions 4-1
3 Chicago Bears 4-2
4 Green Bay Packers 4-2
As predicted, the NFC North has started the 2024 season as the best division in football. The Vikings are the biggest surprise at 5-0 while the Bears continue to exceed expectations to start Caleb Williams career. Something noteworthy to mention in this division race going forward is that the Bears have a 4th place schedule from finishing last in the division last year. Could a favorable schedule help sneak them in? I strongly believe that we will have four teams from this division in the postseason when the dust settles. Something to watch for is Detroit’s defense without Aidan Hutchinson.
Overreaction Meter: 1
Broncos are not ready to compete just yet
The Broncos (3-3) were riding high into a divisional matchup against the Chargers (3-2) in week 6. With a chance to improve to 4-2 and set themselves up in the AFC playoff picture, the Broncos were outscored 23-0 through 3 quarters. The Chargers were able to control the game behind their 37 minutes of possession time, 350 total yards, and went 11/18 on 3rd down. Nothing on offense was working for the Broncos early as Bo Nix continues to struggle in his rookie year. He now ranks 27th in QBR, 26th in average completion air yards, and 30th in completion above expected.
Despite having the 4th best scoring defense in the NFL, I can’t buy into the Broncos as a playoff team in 2024. Bo Nix still has some ways to go before he develops into an average NFL quarterback. Without true weapons on offense, expect him to perform similarly the rest of the season. I do want to talk about the Chargers who have been impressive. I think they might be a team who could sneak into the playoffs behind their scheme. They control the clock, play great defense, and have Justin Herbert when they need him. Chargers might be a sneaky pick to secure a wildcard spot this season.
Overreaction Meter: 1
Drake Maye had an impressive debut
The Houston Texans (5-1) routed the New England Patriots (1-5) 41-21 in Drake Maye’s debut. Maye finished his debut with 243 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions while adding 38 yards on the ground. Maye in his debut threw for more touchdowns in a game than Jacoby Brissett has on the season. Things got started when he hit Kayshon Boutte in stride for a 40-yard touchdown which was the first of his career. He is the first quarterback to lead his team in rushing and throw for at least 3 touchdown passes in his first career start since at least 1950.
I walked away from this game impressed by Maye. Coming out of the draft, we never questioned Drake Maye’s talent as that was on full display Sunday. Where he can take the next step is his accuracy and decision making where he had a few hiccups in his debut. With a brutal offensive line and a lack of playmakers expect him to try to play hero ball going forward which should make the Patriots games entertaining. Maye is extremely raw but one of the more talented players at the position that is someone we need to keep our eye on in 2024.
Overreaction Meter: 1
Another head coach will be fired this week
With the Robert Saleh firing, head coach’s seats will be getting hotter each week as the regular season goes on. Doug Pederson and the Jaguars dropped to 1-5 after their 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears. Trevor Lawrence and the offense struggled for the majority of Sunday’s contest again. Pederson may not get fired midseason but after the season his firing seems inevitable. Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys fell to 3-3 with another embarrassing home loss. Something will change here before or after the bye week. I have a hard time seeing McCarthy getting fired already but DC Mike Zimmer might be gone before week 8.
On the AFC side of things, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski can’t seem to get things going in Cleveland. During the game, there was a point where the Browns had not converted in 26 straight 3rd downs. Inept quarterback’s play and bad offensive line play are not excuses for that streak, that is on coaching. It is going to be interesting to see if Cleveland makes any notable changes in 2024. Bengals HC Zac Taylor’s seat is cooling down a bit after a win against the Giants to improve to 2-4. If the Bengals miss the playoffs Taylor will almost certainly be gone in Cincinnati.
Overreaction Meter: 2