NFL stock reports: Chiefs, Browns, Chargers slide in messy AFC
New England Patriots (6-0)
Another easy victory for the New England Patriots awaited them in Week 6 as they faced off against the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football. After taking on rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, who was without many of his playmakers including Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shephard, and Evan Engram, the Patriots remained undefeated and the leaders for the number one seed in the AFC.
It’s hard to gauge the Patriots without any kind of competition since Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The defense gave up their first passing touchdown this week, but that stat is heavily padded by the quarterbacks they’ve faced up to this point. Since facing Roethlisberger, the only experienced quarterbacks they have faced are Josh Allen and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
New England has sustained injuries as well on the offensive side of the ball which will be something to watch for when they play a team like the Baltimore Ravens in a couple of weeks. They are set to play the Jets and Browns in the upcoming weeks before they finally see a tough stretch of Baltimore, the Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys to start their tough part of the schedule.
Houston Texans (4-2)
Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans look to be the team on fire following the past two games scoring a combined 84 points. While the Chiefs were able to limit playmakers like DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller from making big-time plays, it wasn’t enough to come away with the victory. Watson was able to find Hopkins on numerous third-down conversions throughout the game, including one late that sealed the victory.
Watson ended the day throwing for 30 of 42 for 280 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions while scrambling for another 42 yards on 10 attempts. The offensive line for a second consecutive week did not allow a single sack, which is a major improvement for this unit that gave up the most sacks just a season ago.
Even with the secondary being without their top two cornerbacks in the second half, they were still able to limit what Mahomes and company could do allowing just 7 points in the second half. Indianapolis Colts are on a bye week and will host the Texans in Week 7 which will be a fight for the top spot in the AFC East. Both teams are coming off wins against the Chiefs.
New York Jets (1-4)
After being out four weeks, quarterback Sam Darnold returned from his mono and showed good timing in doing so. The New York Jets have been a disaster in his absence, but Darnold picked up where he left off last season after showing some promise. In his first week back, the former USC quarterback led the team to victory over the Dallas Cowboys 24-22.
Darnold had ups and downs throughout the game, but he handed the Cowboys their third straight loss of the season. Dallas put together a drive late in the fourth attempting to tie the game but were unable to achieve a two-point conversion. Darnold finished the day throwing 23 of 32 for 338 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception on his first game back in 2019.
The offensive line is still an issue in New York but it seemed to not phase the second-year quarterback. Darnold eluded pressure multiple times showing patience inside the pocket which was a major improvement from his 2018 season. It’s a deep hole to climb out of losing their first four games of the season while sharing a division with the Patriots. The Jets will have to find a way to top their other AFC East opponent the Buffalo Bills if they want a shot at the Wild Card. If Darnold takes a step forward again in season two, this could be a team fighting for that sixth seed in the final weeks of the season.