32 things we learned from Week 6 of 2022 NFL season: Bills bag Chiefs; ‘Who Dey?’ trumps ‘Who Dat?’

The 32 issues we realized from Week 6 of the 2022 NFL season:

1. How pervasive is parity within the NFL this yr? Of the schedule’s first 92 video games, 56 have been determined by one rating – most ever at this stage of a season.

2. The Buffalo Payments’ 24-20 win over the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs is essentially the most consequential up to now of a still-young season. The Payments (5-1) have cut up their final 4 video games at Arrowhead Stadium, additionally profitable there within the common season final yr, however each defeats occurring within the playoffs. Nonetheless with a head-to-head tiebreaker now in hand in opposition to the Chiefs (4-2), probabilities improved considerably that the subsequent assembly between these groups will happen in Western New York a couple of months from now.

3. Payments QB Josh Allen, who handed for 329 yards and three TDs on Sunday – together with the sport winner to TE Dawson Knox with 64 seconds to go – additionally solidified his early standing within the MVP race on a day when Chiefs counterpart Patrick Mahomes threw a pair of picks, together with a comeback killer on Kansas Metropolis’s last possession.

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4. And Buffalo go rusher Von Miller (2 sacks) was the game changer he was paid to be after signing a six-year, $120 million deal within the offseason. Miller was a member of the soon-to-be Tremendous Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in January, when the Chiefs shredded the Payments’ top-ranked protection in a divisional playoff traditional – most notably on the finish of the sport and extra time. Sunday, it was Miller’s stress on Mahomes’ last, errant throw that helped safe the win.

5. Who Dey? > Who Dat?

6. Joe Burrow > Andy Dalton.

7. It was that type of Sunday because the Cincinnati Bengals and star QB Burrow (300 passing yards and three TDs, together with a game-winning 60-yarder) outlasted Dalton, their former QB1, and the New Orleans Saints 30-26.

8. It was additionally fairly the homecoming for Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, a Louisiana native, who snagged the decisive rating (plus one other one). Now teammates in Cincy, it was the duo’s first sport on the Superdome since main a now-legendary 2019 LSU group to its most up-to-date nationwide championship. Burrow and Chase additionally connected for 2 TDs in that 42-25 defeat of Clemson, and Burrow was clearly relishing the reminiscence by rocking Chase’s Bayou Bengals jersey Sunday morning. “I simply needed to pay tribute to the folks of Louisiana and all of the followers, enjoying within the stadium we gained the nationwide title sport in,” stated Burrow, who performed in entrance of fairly a couple of of his personal No. 9 LSU jerseys. He added: “It was nice to return again and really feel the tradition and vitality of the followers.”

9. Going into the season, the AFC projected as the superior conference. However remarkably, up to now, the Minnesota Vikings (5-1) are the only team in their conference outdoors of the NFC East that is at present above .500.

9a. Six NFC groups sit at 3-3, half of these within the NFC West. Six others have dropping information. If the playoffs started tomorrow – they do not – three NFC groups with out profitable marks would qualify.

10. Nonetheless it have to be famous the NFC stays house to the Philadelphia Eagles, nonetheless the league’s lone unbeaten squad following Sunday evening’s win over the Dallas Cowboys. Philly is not scheduled to play a group with a profitable file till its Nov. 20 journey to Indianapolis.

11. New England Patriots coach Invoice Belichick notched his 324th profession win, playoffs included, by beating the group that offered his first head-coaching alternative, the Cleveland Browns. Now tied with Corridor of Famer George Halas on the NFL’s all-time victory listing, Belichick is 24 shy of overtaking Don Shula for the general lead.

12. Rookie Bailey Zappe is turning into the AFC’s reply to Cooper Rush. Since he took the sphere in Week 4, changing QB2 Brian Hoyer, the Patriots have scored 88 factors – together with Sunday’s 38-15 blowout in Cleveland. Previous to Zappe’s ascendance, New England had managed simply 53 factors. Do not hurry again, Mac. 

13. Talking of rookie quarterbacks, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Kenny Pickett notched his first NFL win by serving to to orchestrate an upset of Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nonetheless, it was an expensive triumph for Pickett, who suffered a concussion within the third quarter.

14. Give Steelers vet Mitchell Trubisky credit score for a save – even when the NFL does not award them – after he accomplished 9 of 12 passes for 144 yards and a TD in reduction of Pickett. It was simply one of the best efficiency in a Steelers uniform for Trubisky, who was benched two weeks in the past.

15. For Brady, who was 12-Three in opposition to Pittsburgh as a member of the Patriots, it was a uncommon loss to the Steelers.

16. Perhaps we should always’ve guessed the New York Jets, who at the moment are 4-2 (and 4-2 all-time at Lambeau Area), would beat the staggering Inexperienced Bay Packers. But it surely was one thing to see the NYJ and their resurgent followers simply take over in Wisconsin.

16a. Regardless of his modest contributions to the offense, the Jets are 3-Zero since second-year QB Zach Wilson rejoined the lineup.

17. Inexperienced Bay misplaced consecutive regular-season games for the primary time since Matt LaFleur grew to become head coach in 2019. Together with playoffs, the Pack have now dropped 5 of their previous eight contests.

18. LaFleur will even have to listen to about this loss for a while, as he and Jets coach Robert Saleh have been groomsmen in each other’s weddings.

18a. Additionally, the NYJ’s offensive coordinator is Mike LaFleur – Matt’s youthful brother.

19. And the New York, New York revival theme continues. The Jets (4-2) and Giants (5-1) have now equaled or exceeded final yr’s win complete – each golf equipment have been 4-13 in 2021, which capped a league-worst five-year span when every group went 22-59. The G-Males upset the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. 

20. Giants rookie OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux notched his first profession sack, bagging Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson. Thibodeaux admitted the benchmark introduced him to tears following the win and stated Jackson promised to ship him his jersey to commemorate it.  

21. How about some love for the Vikes defense, which produced six sacks and three turnovers in Sunday’s 24-16 win over the Miami Dolphins. Whenever you received these sorts of huge performs, you possibly can dwell with surrendering 458 yards.

22. Rush’s clunker of a sport (Three INTs) for Dallas on Sunday evening, his first skilled loss as a starter, might be a blessing in disguise for the Cowboys. Former Dallas QB Troy Aikman had been among those suggesting Rush ought to stay the starter (forward of Dak Prescott and his practically recovered thumb) had the Cowboys’ profitable streak continued.

23. Memorable Sunday for Indianapolis Colts QB Matt Ryan, who appeared to formally arrive as his new group’s area normal. Ryan established a franchise file with 42 completions – and this is a company that has employed Johnny Unitas, Peyton Manning, Bert Jones, Andrew Luck, Jim Harbaugh and Philip Rivers, amongst others. Ryan’s last throw was a 32-yard TD go with 17 seconds left that beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-27. 

23a. Ryan, the NFL’s MVP in 2016, additionally displaced Corridor of Famer Dan Marino for seventh place all-time on the NFL’s passing yards listing. Now with 61,500 yards within the common season, Ryan wants 2,589 extra to overhaul Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger to maneuver into the highest 5.

24. The Jags, who’ve crushed the Colts eight in a row at house, have misplaced 5 in a row and 9 of 10 to them in Indianapolis.

25. The Jaguars and Colts grew to become the primary groups to finish a pair of divisional matchups in 2022.

26. The Atlanta Falcons shocked the San Francisco 49ers 28-14 and shocked the remainder of us by having a share of the NFC South lead in mid-October.

26a. Given the Dirty Birds looked so completely throwback glorious, maybe nobody ought to have been stunned.

27. Niners HC Kyle Shanahan coached in Atlanta for the primary time since he was the Falcons offensive coordinator in 2016 – once they reached the Tremendous Bowl, however Shanahan was roundly panned for his or her second-half collapse to the Patriots.

28. Falcons TE Kyle Pitts caught his second profession TD go Sunday, however his first in america. His solely different rating occurred final yr in London.

29. Washington Commanders QB Carson Wentz improved to 7-Zero on Thursday evening video games after an ugly 12-7 defeat of the almost equally inept Chicago Bears.

30. Sadly for Wentz, he fractured a finger on his passing hand and will miss as much as six weeks. A minimum of he will not miss one other Thursday sport this yr.

31. Byes kicked in throughout Week 6, taking the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans off the sphere – simply in case you missed their absence … or have been completely content material they have been absent.

32. Of their first sport with out fired coach Matt Rhule, the Carolina Panthers (1-5) seem just like the league’s 32nd-best group, properly on their technique to the No. 1 choose of the 2023 draft. They did not rating an offensive TD in Sunday’s 24-10 loss to the Rams, have been compelled to make use of their fourth-string quarterback (Jacob Eason), generated all of eight first downs and despatched one among their higher gamers, WR Robbie Anderson to an early shower. In any other case, the whole lot is nice …

32a. … together with interim coach Steve Wilks’ Air Jordan XI Jubilees. Whenever you dwell in Charlotte, might as properly a minimum of see if you will get some free Js from Hornets proprietor Michael Jordan.

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Comply with USA TODAY Sports activities’ Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.