By Ethan Kerr / The Jambar
The sixth week of the National Football League season saw close games, last-second plays and records set despite losses. In a 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 18, the New York Giants saw quarterback JJ McCarthy make NFL history with the most passing yards with 243 in 11 minutes of play.
The Denver Broncos defeated the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 15 in overtime 17-14. Linebacker Alex Singleton led the Broncos defense with 13 tackles. The Broncos had five sacks and two interceptions, which created a challenge for Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had 12 catches for 134 receiving yards. This marked Smith-Njigba’s fifth game with over 100 receiving yards this season. Smith-Njigba also leads all players in receiving yards this season with 717. He leads over Saints wide receiver Chris Olave, who has the second most receiving yards on the season with 137 yards.
Three days later, the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars traveled to London on Oct. 18, where the Texans made a last-second field goal from kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn to win 34-31.
Texans quarterback CJ Stroud led the team in passing yards on the week with 312, and wide receiver Jaylin Noel led the team in receiving yards with 107 yards and one touchdown.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers down by 16 points in the fourth quarter, the team came back and won against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-19 in overtime.
The offense for the Steelers was led by its two wide receivers, DK Metcalf and Geremie Bernard, who had 11 catches each, in addition to a touchdown from Bernard.
Defensively, Steelers cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Jalen Ramsey led the charge with Dean deflecting six passes and Ramsey making four tackles for loss.
The Cleveland Browns defeated the Baltimore Ravens 13-10 on a last-second field goal from Browns kicker Andre Szmyt. On the ground, Browns running back Jaleel McLaughlin, former tailback for Youngstown State University in 2022, led the way in rushing yards for the Browns with 41.
The Carolina Panthers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 25-14. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young led the team in passing yards with 281 yards, while wide receiver Jalen Coker led the way in receiving yards with 97.
Without scoring a touchdown, the Arizona Cardinals won against the Los Angeles Rams 18-16. Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland made all six attempts on field goals — his longest one from 43 yards. Despite no touchdowns, Cardinals running back Bam Knight led the team in rushing yards with 80.
The Buffalo Bills played a back-and-fourth game against the Las Vegas Raiders that ended in a 33-30 win for the Bills. Quarterback Josh Allen led the offense in passing with 255 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite the loss, Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins led all players across the league in passing yards with 313. Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker led the game in receiving yards with 97 and two touchdowns to keep the Raiders in the game.
In a 10-point difference, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 23-13. Packers quarterback Jordan Love led the team as he threw for 276 yards and a touchdown. Packers receiver Matthew Golden made six catches for 104 yards and one touchdown.
The Packers intercepted Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott twice, coming from Packers safety Evan Williams and cornerback Brandon Cisse.
The San Francisco 49ers continued their undefeated season as they won against the Washington Commanders 23-17 on Oct. 19.
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy led the team in passing yards with 264. 49ers running back Christian McCaffery had possession of the ball on 25 plays with 16 rushes and nine catches.
The seventh week of the season will kick off as the New England Patriots travel to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears. Fans can watch the games, set for 8:15 p.m. Oct. 22, live on Prime Video.
