Key events
TOUCHDOWN! Panthers 10-10 Cowboys 8:51, 1st quarter
Bryce Young uncorks a 19-yard throw for Tetairoa McMillan to level the scores after Hunter Luepke put the Cowboys ahead with a three-yard touchdown grab of his own.
TOUCHDOWN! Saints 6-14 Patriots 0:33, 1st quarter
Drake Maye keeps the fireworks … errr firing with a 25-yard pass to Kayshon Boutte to extend New England’s lead. Maye has been excellent to start this one with five attempts, five completions, 103 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
TOUCHDOWN! Colts 7-7 Cardinals 1:42, 1st quarter
Bam! No that is not a rhetorical device it is just backup running back Bam Knight smashing in from the one-yard line to level up the scores for Arizona.
TOUCHDOWN! Jaguars 6-0 Seahawks 1:14, 1st quarter
The drive goes from good to even better as a fake bubble screen bamboozles the Seahawks defense and leaves Brian Thomas Jr wide open. This time Lawrence finds his receiver and Thomas walks it into the endzone. A 21-yard TD puts the Jags on top. Sadly Cam Little misses the extra point for the Jags.
TOUCHDOWN! Dolphins 7-3 Chargers 4:03, 1st quarter
De’Von Achane rips off a 49-yard scoring run without a Charger defender in sight. The running back finds the edge on the right side and that is all she wrote.
Jaguars 0-0 Seahawks 4:20, 1st quarter
Ooh and that’s a bad miss. Trevor Lawrence overthrows a wide open receiver deep downfield but then recovers on 3rd down to move the chains with a strike to Johnny Mundt.
Steelers 3-0 Browns 8:51, 1st quarter
Cleveland’s pass rush forces Aaron Rodgers to lose nine yards with a dump off and then can’t find it on 3rd and long. Punt from the Steelers, top work from Myles Garrett and company.
Panthers 3-3 Cowboys 4:48, 1st quarter
It’s good! Brandon Aubrey makes a chip shot from 23 yards as the Cowboys fail to capitalise on a trip deep into the Panthers red zone. That field position was set up by a highlight-reel hurdle from receiver George Pickens at the end of his 31-yard gain.
Jaguars 0-0 Seahawks 6:31, 1st quarter
Mutton wrestling anyone? Commentary is getting weird in this one with both offenses struggling. Sam Darnold throws it short on third down and the punt unit is back on the field. Slow burn so far.
Ravens 3-0 Rams 7:22, 1st quarter
It’s good! And the Ravens are leading!! Tyler Loop hits a 37-yard field goal. Can they hold on? Little bit to go just yet but all things considered they have started well.
TOUCHDOWN! Saints 3-7 Patriots 10:52, 1st quarter
New England keep the good vibes flowing from their win against the Bills by taking the lead with a 53-yard strike from Drake Maye to DeMario Douglas.
Steelers 3-0 Browns 10:55, 1st quarter
It’s good! Pittsburgh’s offense stalls but Mason Crosby is on hand to boot a 44-yard field goal.
TOUCHDOWN! Colts 7-0 Cardinals 11:01, 1st quarter
Rookie tight end Tyler Warren snags an eight-yard pass from QB Daniel Jones. Second TD on the season for Warren, looks an excellent pick from the Colts.
Steelers 0-0 Browns 14:45, 1st quarter
We are underway in Pittsburgh and Steelers mega tight end Darnell Washington rumbles down the sideline for 36 yards. Cracking start for Mike Tomlin’s team.
Preamble
There are no international breaks here people, welcome to week six of the NFL. A helter-skelter set of seven games kick off at 1pm (EST) over on the east coast of the US and 6pm (BST) in the UK. But first we have been blessed by even earlier gridiron in London where the winless New York Jets remain so after a 13-11 defeat to Denver. The Broncos defense ruled the day, as they often do, as they terrorised Justin Fields with nine sacks. The pass coverage was decent too, the Jets finished with -10 passing yards. Minus 10. Yikes.
Your magnificent septet:
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Baltimore Ravens v LA Rams
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Carolina Panthers v Dallas Cowboys
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Indianapolis Colts v Arizona Cardinals
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Jacksonville Jaguars v Seattle Seahawks
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Miami Dolphins v LA Chargers
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New Orleans Saints v New England Patriots
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Pittsburgh Steelers v Cleveland Browns
After a successful mission to Dublin, the Steelers return from their bye week for an AFC North classic with the Cleveland Browns. At 3-1 Pittsburgh will be confident they can keep a firm grip at the division’s summit with a victory over their struggling rivals. Key to victory for Pittsburgh will be unleashing the pass rush on Cleveland’s rookie quarterback Dillion Gabriel. Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig is the man to watch for splash plays that could wreck Gabriel’s second game running the 1-4 Browns offense. The young buck will hopefully have brought his notebook as his opposite number Aaron Rodgers makes his 245th start.
Elsewhere in the AFC North the Ravens host an NFC interloper in the LA Rams. Sean McVay’s team arrive in Baltimore more than a little irked after dropping a divisional game to the Mac Jones-led San Francisco 49ers. So who better to face when you’re angry and want to set the record straight? Cooper Rush. The beleaguered backup QB is fresh from leading the Ravens to the largest home defeat in their history last week. It is not all his fault though. An injured defense depleted of its big names has put head coach, John Harbaugh, in a tough spot at 1-4. Next week’s bye cannot come quickly enough to get Lamar Jackson back but first can they pull off a morale-boosting upset against the Rams?
Finally, a heavyweight clash between the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1) and the Seattle Seahawks (3-2) is going down in Duuuuval. The record is fantastic for the Jags, but are they all that? They might need to rely on luck a little less today after using all of it up and then some to beat the Chiefs with a 99-yard pick six and miraculous scoring scramble from Trevor Lawrence. Jacksonville’s defense was shredded by Patrick Mahomes so a visit from an MVP contender in Sam Darnold and a sublime Seattle offense is rather sub-optimal. However the Jags will hope the arrival of cornerback Greg Newsome this week from Cleveland can help contain phenomenal wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Edge defender Travon Walker should also be back to beef up the Jags pass rush.
