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Before we can get ready for Thursday Night Football’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, we need to take a look back at the fallout from Week 6. With 30 of the 32 NFL teams in action, let’s run down Friday’s hottest picks to determine what’s an overreaction and what’s an underreaction.
The Kansas City Chiefs will make it to the Super Bowl.
Correct response
The Chiefs haven’t played their best football through the first six weeks of the season, yet they find themselves sitting at 3-3 with a prime-time win over what is widely considered the best team in the National Football League. Keep in mind, they won this game without their starting receiver, Rays Rays, who returns to the field this weekend after serving his six-week suspension. There are even rumors going around about it Members of the Chiefs organization have had private conversations with reporters stating that they feel better about this year’s team than last year’s team. This should strike fear into the entire NFL because last year’s team made it all the way to the Super Bowl. They don’t play any close games. They are actually showing dominance over other teams, something we haven’t seen much of during the 2024-25 campaign. Based on the way this team is built and the fact that they have made it to three straight Super Bowls, they are a clear threat to return to the big game for a fourth straight year.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the best team in the NFL.
Overreaction
We’ve been doing this song and dance for a few weeks now. two weeks ago, The Philadelphia Eagles were the best team in the NFL. last week, The crown was passed to the Detroit Lions. Now, it’s the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We have to remember that the NFL is a week-to-week league. A team that killed someone in early October could look like a dog two weeks later. don’t believe me Just look at the Buffalo Bills! Do the Tampa Bay Buccaneers look like the best team in the league right now? Yes, they do. Will this be the case when the season is over? It’s hard to say. Heading into Week 7, they are playing the best football of any team in the NFL. Then again, they lost to the Eagles two weeks ago. By default, shouldn’t that mean Philly is the best team in the league? But they just lost to the Giants. So by that logic, Big Blue is the best team in the NFL. There is no one team that is the runaway favorite to win the Super Bowl. My money is still on the Lions with the best record in the league because they are really good, even though they are nowhere near full health. But, for now, Tampa takes the Week 7 title of best team in the league.
Jackson Dart will win the NFL Rookie of the Year Award.
Correct response
Although this award should go to Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, two factors are working against him. First, he is currently dealing with an injury, and if he has to miss an extended period of time or several games, it will be a huge blow to his candidacy. Second, and more importantly, the NFL and its voters will always value quarterback over any other position. Since 2019, four of the last six AP Offensive Rookie of the Year winners have been QBs. The fans are even shallower. Since the league partnered with Pepsi and allowed fans to vote for the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year Award starting in 2002, 11 of the 23 winners have been quarterbacks. Among 33 quarterbacks, Dart is 17th in QBR. He also has a better passer rating than veteran starters like Trevor Lawrence, Brock Purdy, Michael Phoenix Jr. and Geno Smith. While I don’t believe that wins are a given for a quarterback, Dart could easily be Rookie of the Year if the G-Men continue to rack up wins.
The Philadelphia Eagles will miss the postseason.
Overreaction
They may have lost two games, but let’s not act like the sky is falling. They still lead the race for the NFC East with a 4-2 record, have a game in hand on the Cowboys, and also have head-to-head wins against potential playoff teams like the Buccaneers and Rams. This will help them immensely if they end up not earning their seeding and competing for a Wild Card spot. Their schedule isn’t the easiest, but there are some plausible wins on the books. They have to beat the Vikings, the Giants at home, the Bears at home, and the Raiders at home. That would give them eight wins. From there, they should be able to win the division if they beat the Cowboys again and split the season series with the Commanders. Really, their playoff hopes will come down to the last three weeks of the year, when they will have to travel to Washington, Buffalo, and then face the Chiefs at home. If they can win both of their games against Washington, Philly will make the playoffs without too much to worry about. Even if the Chiefs win those two games, they can find a few other wins on the road perhaps against the Packers or Lions.
The Chicago Bears are a playoff team.
Correct response
The Chicago Bears are no longer a bad team, and this is a step in the right direction toward eventually becoming a playoff team. If we’re being honest, the 2024-25 Bears probably lose the games they played in weeks four and six of the season. The fact that they actually managed to pull out back-to-back wins in games where it felt like everything was going wrong is a good sign for the Windy City faithful. They should be able to beat the Saints, Bengals and Browns, which brings them to seven wins. If they can steal a game against the Packers, Giants, Vikings or Eagles, then they will be ready to make a playoff run. They’ve already played pretty well with a loose secondary. Once these guys are fully healthy, their defense will look a lot better. More importantly, Caleb Williams is showing significant growth under head coach Ben Johnson. Right now, they are an active group that is probably looking from the outside in. But they will pose a problem if they can string together two more wins to extend their winning streak to five straight games.
Firing Brian Callahan will right the ship in Tennessee.
Overreaction
Don’t get me wrong. Firing Brian Callahan was the right move. He was an amateur head coach who hurt his team more than he helped them. With that being said, this franchise is still absolutely terrible and uses one of the weakest rosters in the NFL. Defensive back Jeffrey Simmons is a good player. Outside of him, everyone on the roster is suspect, including Cam Ward, the number one overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s been making huge mistakes for a few weeks now, and fans should start to worry if this organization has stunted his development or caused irreparable damage to the kid. It’s a miracle he didn’t say anything about seeing ghosts, considering he’s been sacked more than four times a game this season. The offensive line sucks, two of their top three receivers are hurt, and the defense ranks 26th in points allowed per game. Don’t right the ship for this version of the Tennessee Titans. All they can do is buckle up and hang on for dear life as they look to find two or three more wins this season. Callahan or not, this is a bottom five team in the NFL.
The Buffalo Bills won’t win their league.
Correct response
It’s not that the Bills aren’t a good team. It just seems much more likely that the New England Patriots will have a better record than the Buffalo Bills when the regular season is over. The Pats have the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL. This is not just my opinion; This is a factually accurate statement based on the combined winning percentages of each team’s future opponents (.308). Buffalo still has to play New England again, the Chiefs, the Buccaneers, the Texans, the Steelers and the Eagles. The Pats could easily win six of their last 11 games in tight fashion. They can also probably beat the Falcons, Giants and Ravens (depending on how healthy those teams are when they play). Buffalo is still going to make the playoffs because they have the reigning MVP and are already 4-2, but winning the league will be incredibly difficult, especially with that early head-to-head loss at home against the Patriots.
