C.J. Stroud’s precision against pressure and Josh Allen’s all-around play highlighted another eventful Week 6, while Jameis Winston lost his starting job and Dak Prescott’s struggles deepened in Dallas.
Stroud has helped Houston move beyond its 0-4 start with the strongest stretch of his NFL career. The arrival of Marvin Harrison Jr. from Arizona has added another dimension to the Texans’ offense, but Stroud’s command of the quick passing game has been central to the turnaround.
Entering Week 6, Stroud led the league with an 81.7% completion rate on throws released in under 2.5 seconds. He also ranked first in success rate against the blitz at 60.9% and second in explosive-play rate on blitz dropbacks at 28.3%. Against Jacksonville, he completed 15 of 19 quick throws for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Under pressure, he went 10-for-11 for 118 yards and two scores, including seven pressured plays created by Jaguars blitzes, for a career-best 90.9% completion rate.
Allen remains among the league’s premier quarterbacks after another Buffalo win that included an extraordinary forward flip of the ball for a touchdown. Patrick Mahomes also continued to operate efficiently in Kansas City, even with Kenneth Walker III reducing the need for Mahomes to carry the offense every week. His lone blemish Sunday was an interception in a comfortable victory. Jared Goff did not play during Detroit’s bye, but his steady, high-level season remains one of the quieter stories among NFL passers.
Productive group behind the leaders
Trevor Lawrence has found consistency in Liam Coen’s offense, distributing the ball effectively across Jacksonville’s collection of targets. Bryce Young is putting together the best year of his career and has become a major reason Carolina is winning. Drake Maye has recovered from an uneven opening to the season, while Caleb Williams returned from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for nearly a month and showed no obvious limitations in an efficient performance.
Kirk Cousins nearly delivered a defining road victory over Buffalo in Las Vegas, but one costly error helped the Bills establish a two-score margin in a wild game. Cousins finished 23-for-41 for 313 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He was particularly effective against zone coverage, completing 18 of 26 passes for 238 yards, both touchdowns and the interception, with a plus-3.5% completion percentage over expected. Against man coverage, he was 5-for-15 for 75 yards and posted a minus-5.7% CPOE.
Jordan Love has put together several encouraging weeks, though Green Bay’s difficulty finishing drives after halftime remains worth monitoring.
Late rallies and veteran adjustments
Michael Penix Jr. produced much of his final output after Chicago built a 31-7 advantage, but he still helped Atlanta make a game of what had appeared to be a rout. He has generally played better than anticipated this season. Jayden Daniels faced a similar situation against San Francisco, generating much of his production after the 49ers took a double-digit lead. His handling of critical situations remains an issue.
Matthew Stafford can still deliver elite throws, but his overall performance has not matched last season’s standard. His reduced mobility and occasional stumbles have become more noticeable as the Rams navigate increasingly unstable circumstances.
Aaron Rodgers helped engineer a comeback against Tampa Bay by leaning heavily into short throws. He attempted only 9.5% of his 35 passes at least 10 yards downfield, the second-lowest such rate of his career in the Next Gen Stats era. Rodgers completed two of four downfield attempts for 29 yards and missed on his only throw of 20 or more air yards. A season-high 37.5% of his attempts came at or behind the line of scrimmage. The approach worked Sunday, but Rodgers must show he can sustain it for an entire game.
Tyler Shough emerged from a difficult stretch with several high-end throws during New Orleans’ scoring surge and added value with his mobility.
Prescott and Darnold face mounting concerns
Sam Darnold did not play during Minnesota’s bye, but his recent turnover issues leave him under pressure to settle down. Seattle also needs more from its offensive line, a more dependable running game and a broader attack than one centered so heavily on Jaxon Smith-Njigba. When Smith-Njigba is not immediately available, Darnold must avoid hurried footwork and forced decisions.
Prescott’s performance against Green Bay amplified concern over Dallas’ offense. After CeeDee Lamb’s late absence and Prescott’s Week 5 problems initially looked like an isolated episode, the Cowboys again struggled to create offense. Prescott has had difficulty identifying complex coverage looks and handling early pressure, and he is no longer consistently able to throw Dallas out of trouble.
He completed 34 of 54 attempts for 258 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against the Packers. Both interceptions came on throws released in under 2.5 seconds, where Prescott went 12-for-22 for 82 yards with a minus-20.1% CPOE. When given more than 2.5 seconds, he completed 22 of 32 passes for 176 yards, the touchdown and a plus-5.1% CPOE.
Backup quarterbacks and struggling starters
Jacoby Brissett had one of his quieter outings in Arizona, although the Cardinals still won and the veteran remains on pace for another unexpectedly productive passing campaign. Tanner McKee exceeded expectations by keeping Philadelphia competitive against Carolina despite difficult circumstances.
Deshaun Watson again posted modest numbers but delivered another game-winning drive, continuing one of the season’s stranger trends: his ability to make plays in late-game situations. Tyler Huntley, meanwhile, could not build on his comeback victory in Atlanta, as Cleveland’s defense limited him after the first quarter.
Jalon Daniels played effectively for much of Sunday’s game before two turnovers allowed Pittsburgh to rally against the undrafted rookie. Daniels completed 22 of 43 attempts for 164 yards, but his 269 air yards were a career high and 160 beyond his previous best. He posted a career-high 32.6% rate of throws traveling at least 10 yards downfield while recording a career-low 14% of attempts at or behind the line of scrimmage. On passes of 10 or more air yards, he was 4-for-14 for 69 yards and an interception.
Bo Nix has avoided catastrophic mistakes but has not generated enough offense for Denver. His reliance on checkdowns has become a major limitation, even as Sean Payton has maintained that Nix’s job is secure. Against Seattle, all of Nix’s passing production came on short throws: he completed 17 of 21 attempts under 10 air yards for 107 yards. He went 0-for-3 on passes of 10 or more air yards, his first career game without a downfield completion, and averaged just 0.9 air yards per completion.
Cam Ward’s team won, and he made a few notable plays while beginning to develop chemistry with rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate. Still, his overall Week 6 production was modest. Daniel Jones continues to turn the ball over and has looked far removed from the quarterback who sparked a successful start to the 2025 season, with limited help from his pass catchers.
Justin Herbert remains under relentless pressure and continues to mix spectacular throws with damaging errors. Winston’s situation became more immediate Sunday, when two interceptions led to his benching for J.J. McCarthy in a loss to New Orleans. The change ended Winston’s run as the starter.
