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- GOOD: Texans keep AFC South race alive with international win
- BAD: Everything about the NFC East race
- UGLY: Bo Nix’s play despite Denver’s record
- GOOD: Bears look fully back in Caleb Williams’s return
- BAD: Ravens can’t do enough around Snoop Huntley to win
- UGLY: The Colts’ offense in its epic quest to beat the Titans
- GOOD: Kenneth Walker III and Chiefs continue rolling
- BAD: Is this the end of Mike McDaniel’s tenure with the Chargers?
- UGLY: The Rams are suddenly in real trouble
After Sunday night, we’ll be a third of the way through the NFL season.
As usual, little is determined so far. Only two teams are winless in the NFL, both in the AFC, and one finally got a win Sunday. Only three teams are 5–0, with the Chiefs joining the Vikings and 49ers after a 22–6 win over the winless Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium.
Everyone else has come to the middle, including the 2–4 Rams who went from overwhelming preseason Super Bowl favorites to dropping a quasi must-win against the 2–4 Cardinals at SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, Los Angeles is now three games behind the 49ers in the NFC West and one game behind the Seahawks, who have lost two straight for the first time since Weeks 15 and 16 of the 2024 season.
Elsewhere, the Bills and Raiders played an entertaining AFC game, with the Raiders fighting all the way but falling 33–30 in another Buffalo shootout victory.
But we start in London, where the Texans and Jaguars battled to the final snap, with a last-second field goal going against the Jaguars this time around.
GOOD: Texans keep AFC South race alive with international win
Two weeks ago, the Texans appeared buried. They were 0–4, and a defense once thought great had allowed a pair of 30-point performances by the offense to turn into losses.
On Sunday, however, everything changed. After beating the winless Titans in Nashville last week, Houston earned a second consecutive divisional win on a 49-yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn as time expired, beating the Jaguars 34–31 in London.
While the defense remains a significant concern, quarterback C.J. Stroud looks to have found himself again after a couple of rough seasons, including five interceptions in the 2025 postseason. So far in ’26, he’s thrown for 300 yards three times while totaling nine touchdowns against one interception. With Nico Collins healthy and the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr., Stroud is in position to keep rolling, especially with the Giants, Chargers, Browns and Colts coming up in the next month.
At 2–4, Houston still has plenty of work ahead. Last year, the Texans became the only team under the expanded playoff format to start 0–3 and make the playoffs. If the Texans can do it again from 0–4 this season, they would join the 1992 Chargers as the only teams to ever pull off that trick. It won’t be easy in a deep AFC, including the 4–2 Jaguars, who still hold a two-game lead in the South.
Regardless, Houston had to beat Jacksonville in London if it had any designs on making a run at the division crown. The Texans achieved that objective. Now they head home to face the Giants before their bye week, then make a hard charge down the stretch.
All looked lost for Houston. Now, after a massive win over the Jaguars across the pond, the Texans are back in the race.
BAD: Everything about the NFC East race
For years, the NFC South has been a punchline. That probably won’t change any time soon, considering nobody in that division entered the weekend with a winning record. That said, don’t sleep on the NFC East’s ineptitude.
With Jalen Hurts on injured reserve with a blood clot in his calf, along with myriad other injuries, the Eagles are 2–3 and circling the drain. The Giants lead the division at 3-1-1 but are led by Jameis Winston, with Jaxson Dart out for the year with a knee injury sustained in Week 2. In Washington, the Commanders are 1-3-1 and don’t understand the concept of time. Then, there are the Cowboys, who are 2–3 and coming off a loss to the previously winless Buccaneers.
With the trade deadline a few weeks away, the complexion of the division could change. Maybe New York will make enough noise to build around Winston and finish with a winning record. Perhaps Jerry Jones will be his aggressive self and shore up the league’s 31st-ranked defense to pair with first-round rookies Malachi Lawrence and Caleb Downs.
But the NFC East could be one of the league’s uglier races as the months unfold, something that hasn’t often been said about that group.
UGLY: Bo Nix’s play despite Denver’s record
The Broncos are 4–2 after playing the Chiefs, 49ers, Rams, Jaguars and Seahawks. Any team would take that record with glee.
However, all is not well for Denver. The offense was supposed to improve after giving up three draft picks for star receiver Jaylen Waddle, but the unit has actually gotten worse. Nobody is more responsible than quarterback Bo Nix, who has thrown for 1,049 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions on 5.6 yards per attempt.
The result is an offense that entering Sunday ranks 31st in yards per game, only better than the winless Titans, and 26th in points. In Waddle, Denver has gotten almost nothing. Outside of a 138-yard performance in Week 2 against Jacksonville, Waddle has 14 catches for 90 yards. Cortland Sutton is also missing in the attack, with 13 catches on 29 targets for 123 yards.
While Denver is firmly in the AFC playoff race, it may not stay there if Nix can’t get going. The Broncos draw the listless Cardinals in Week 7, then face a rematch with the Chiefs, who beat them 31–10 in the season opener at Arrowhead Stadium. Another loss to Kansas City would likely make Denver a wild-card contender.
Plenty of the season remains, but the Broncos have to be concerned. Davis Webb and Sean Payton have both called plays that have gone nowhere. Sutton and Waddle have done nothing. If Nix can’t elevate his play, nothing else matters.
GOOD: Bears look fully back in Caleb Williams’s return
Last week, the Bears appeared to run out of magic with their backup quarterback carousel. After beating the Eagles with Case Keenum and then trouncing the Jets with Tyson Bagent, the Packers crushed Bagent and the Bears 31–7.
This weekend, Caleb Williams returned for the first time in a month after sustaining a hamstring pull and looked terrific, throwing for 305 yards and a touchdown on 30-of-36 passing. While the Falcons made a late push with two fourth-quarter touchdowns and subsequent two-point conversions, the Bears controlled the game throughout.
At 4–2, Chicago has to feel great about where it is. Half of its games were played with a reserve quarterback, and another took place in a rain-and-wind storm against the Vikings. When Williams has been on the field and the weather has been good, the Bears have averaged 44 points per game, winning both going away.
With the Patriots up next on Thursday night followed up by a road game against the Seahawks, Chicago and Williams will be tested. But the Bears have gone through plenty of adversity so far, and the results have been positive.
BAD: Ravens can’t do enough around Snoop Huntley to win
Nobody is expecting a Picasso with Lamar Jackson standing on the sideline. That said, the Ravens’ defense stopped the Browns time and again, but fell short because the offense couldn’t produce anything.
In a 13–10 loss to the Browns in Cleveland, the Ravens scored 10 points on their first two drives, making it look like a blowout was coming. Instead, Huntley and the offense went ice cold the rest of the game, totaling 121 yards on the final nine drives, all of which ended with a punt, save for an interception and a Tyler Loop missed field goal.
With Jackson potentially returning for Baltimore’s next game and the Ravens sitting 4–2, nothing has been lost so far. The Ravens still have the best odds to win the AFC North and could go on a run as they have so often in the past. Just in the past three seasons, Baltimore has ripped off winning streaks of five, five and six games.
Still, losing when allowing 13 points in a divisional game, especially after scoring 10 first-quarter points, is a brutal outcome for a team desperately trying to rebrand itself under new coach Jesse Minter. One of the big problems under former coach John Harbaugh was losing games despite double-digit leads. It’s now happened twice in six weeks under Minter, including a Week 2 home defeat to the Saints.
The Ravens remain in good shape, but Sunday’s defeat was all too familiar and all too avoidable to stomach.
UGLY: The Colts’ offense in its epic quest to beat the Titans
Not all losses are created equal in the NFL. What the Colts did at home against the Titans may not count as multiple defeats in the standings, but it will feel like it inside that building.
Despite leading 13–0 at halftime, the Colts couldn’t put away a winless Titans team and didn’t reach 100 yards until there was less than 4:30 remaining in regulation.
It was a disaster of an afternoon for the Colts, who are 2–4 and reeling, with the Jaguars still two games ahead in the AFC South, and the Texans now on a two-game winning streak. Daniel Jones struggled all game, throwing two interceptions and being sacked six times. This season, Jones has four touchdown passes and six picks, failing to justify his two-year, $88 million deal.
With the Vikings coming off a bye and then facing a road game next with the Jaguars, Indianapolis could face a long, meaningless end to its season. If so, you have to wonder whether owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon will make changes with coach Shane Steichen in his fourth year, and general manager Chris Ballard in his 10th.
The Colts had a chance to grab a win and assert themselves in the division race. Instead, they suffered a loss that could be a pivot point for them in 2026.
GOOD: Kenneth Walker III and Chiefs continue rolling
Last year, the Chiefs finished 6–11. Patrick Mahomes had two torn knee ligaments. Kansas City recorded a single explosive run from its backs.
What a difference a year makes. Mahomes is healthy and has thrown for 1,309 yards, averaging 261.8 per game. Entering Sunday night, the latter figure ranks seventh in the league. Then there’s Walker, who continues to rush at a historic pace. Through five games, the free-agent pickup has rushed for 665 yards on 6.2 yards per carry, easily leading the league among qualified rushers. He’s also had seven explosive carries of 20-plus yards, giving the Chiefs the home run hitter they’ve never had in the Mahomes era.
All told, Kansas City is 5–0. It leads the AFC West by two games in the loss column over the Broncos, a team it beat 31–10 in Week 1. The defense is also rolling, with four sacks and six points allowed to the Chargers in a lopsided win. Surrendering 16.6 points per game, only the fellow unbeaten Vikings are better.
The next two weeks will provide tough road challenges, with the Chiefs going to Seattle and then Denver. Yet if Walker and Mahomes keep up their play and the defense keeps improving, Kansas City will be a tough out in any situation.
BAD: Is this the end of Mike McDaniel’s tenure with the Chargers?
The Chargers got their first bit of good news on Sunday. After losing 22–6 to the Chiefs in Kansas City, they're on their bye. In related news, the bye is favored by a touchdown next weekend.
Los Angeles hasn’t just been bad; it's been embarrassing offensively. The Chargers scored six points on two field goals in Arrowhead, with Justin Herbert getting sacked four times. The offense also committed two turnovers and, outside of a 57-yard reception for Quentin Johnston, averaged 3.3 yards per play.
While it’s unlikely the Chargers would fire coach Jim Harbaugh before the season’s end, someone might need to take the fall. If so, McDaniel is the prime candidate. His unit has been disjointed and ineffective, averaging 15 points per game and scoring 20-plus points only once. Herbert has looked lost, throwing five touchdowns against a league-worst eight interceptions.
Coming out of the bye, Los Angeles will play the Rams, Texans and Ravens. The Chargers could be 0–9 before hosting the Jets and Patriots.
Don’t be surprised if Monday brings news from Los Angeles.
UGLY: The Rams are suddenly in real trouble
Over the first five weeks, the Rams could point to a litany of factors to explain their 2–3 start. Myles Garrett’s knee injury. A trip to Australia. Having to take on the Bills and 49ers, two of the league’s top teams. It was all there.
On Sunday, though, the excuses came to a screeching halt in an 18–16 loss to the Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. Arizona came in riding a four-game losing streak and broke that skid without scoring a touchdown, getting enough points from six Chad Ryland field goals while holding Los Angeles to 92 rushing yards and just three scoring drives.
Matthew Stafford threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, but was knocked around with three sacks and seven quarterback hits. The lack of weapons beyond Davante Adams and Puka Nacua is also becoming a clear issue, with no one else reaching even 35 receiving yards.
Defensively, there’s no acceptable reason to let the Cardinals get a game-winning drive in the final minute, jumpstarted by a 21-yard pass capped by an unnecessary roughness call that put Arizona in range for a winning kick.
At 2–4, the Rams aren’t buried. They face the Raiders, Chargers, Commanders, and Cardinals over the next month before their bye week. Los Angeles could get right and get rolling. But after six games, the only reason to believe that’s happening is past results, because the present shows no indicators.