Week 5 of the 2021 NFL regular season was eventful as so many kickers made games extra exciting. With Thursday Night Football rapidly approaching, let’s take a look at the slate of games for Week 6.
Buffalo Bills @ Tennessee Titans
The Buffalo Bills have been on a roll all year. They are 4-1 overall and are coming off a dominant win over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Tennessee Titans picked up a good win of their own against the Jacksonville Jaguars but have had some issues overall.
Buffalo is Top 10 in both offense and defense, and with Josh Allen leading the charge, they should be considered one of the best teams in the league. Coming off an impressive defeat of their recent nemesis and the AFC’s two-time defending champion, the Bills look to be the early favorite in the AFC. Meanwhile, the Titans have one of the worst secondaries in the NFL and lost to the New York Jets a couple of weeks ago.
Minnesota Vikings @ Carolina Panthers
Neither of these teams really played well last weekend but the Minnesota Vikings were able to pull away with a miraculous win while the Carolina Panthers choked away a late-game lead.
Minnesota has the 11th best offense in the league, according to average yards per game, but may have to play without their superstar running back Dalvin Cook for the third time this season. That is going to make their life difficult as they face the second-best defense in the NFL statistical-wise in the Panthers, who also have the fourth-highest sack total.
Seattle Seahawks @ Pittsburgh Steelers
The Seattle Seahawks are going to be playing a game without Russell Wilson at quarterback for the first time in years. Geno Smith will be the next man up at the position for in this matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh suffered a big loss themselves with Juju Smith-Schuster out for the remainder of the year with a shoulder injury. Seattle currently holds the 32nd-ranked defense in the league but luckily Pittsburgh is only the 27th-best offense.
Arizona Cardinals @ Cleveland Browns
We just got to see the Cleveland Browns score 42 points with over 500 total yards of offense and somehow lose their game against the Los Angeles Chargers. When fully healthy, this Cleveland team is a force to be reckoned with.
The same goes for the undefeated Arizona Cardinals, who are sixth in the league in total offense behind the MVP-caliber play of Kyler Murray. This is bound to be another ridiculously high-scoring game between two powerhouses.
Las Vegas Raiders @ Denver Broncos
The Las Vegas Raiders were upset by the Chicago Bears last week for their second straight loss after starting the year off 3-0. Now they have to deal with Jon Gruden’s resignation and adjust to life under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia. Derek Carr and the Raiders offense hasn’t been clicking lately, as they’ve fallen behind by double digits early in both losses.
The Denver Broncos have suffered the exact same fate, losing their last two games after a 3-0 start. The Broncos have the third-best defense in the league but fall in the middle of the pack offensively behind Teddy Bridgewater. Which of these teams can break their losing streak and which one will fall down to .500 on the year?