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Moving into late October, the NFL hierarchy is starting to take shape.
The top teams are separating themselves as the lesser teams fall behind, but there were still plenty of surprises in Week 6. From late comebacks to overtime thrillers, it was another Sunday that delivered.
Here are the winners and losers from Week 6's Sunday games:
After missing three games with a hamstring injury, Caleb Williams had a solid return to the field in Week 6.
The Chicago Bears beat the Atlanta Falcons 31-23, narrowly avoiding disaster after leading 31-7 in the fourth quarter. An efficient offense, tight defense and opportunistic special teams helped them get the win. Williams was 30 of 36 for 305 yards and a touchdown.
As for the Falcons, they've now lost two straight games to fall to 2-4 -- and this was their most discouraging effort yet before the late comeback. With Michael Penix Jr. on the field and healthy, the offense just couldn't put together complete drives. The Falcons were 3 for 12 on third down and 0 for 3 on fourth down. They had three fumbles lost, including two by Zachariah Branch (one on a punt return, one on a kickoff return).
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Sunday, while the Pittsburgh Steelers stole an overtime road win.
Rookie backup Jalon Daniels, starting for Baker Mayfield, had things rolling in the first three quarter. His team led 16-3, Aaron Rodgers couldn't solve Todd Bowles' defense and the Steelers' coach was... injured? Well, the script flipped in the fourth as Pittsburgh scored 16 points to force overtime. Rodgers led a touchdown drive to start the extra period, and Daniels couldn't match it as the Steelers won 26-19.
The Bucs desperately needed to hold on for this win after starting the season 0-4. They got a victory in Week 5, and the division would have been well within reach if they could've won again on Sunday. Tampa Bay will need to be flawless the rest of the way if it hopes to return to the postseason.
The Cleveland Browns are atop the AFC North. Yes, you read that right.
After Andre Szmyt's 37-yard field goal at the buzzer to beat the Baltimore Ravens 13-10, the Browns have the division lead -- the latest in a season they've led it since Week 10 in 2014. Cleveland is tied with Baltimore and Pittsburgh at 4-2, but it has head-to-head victories over both rivals already.
ELECTRIC ANDRE SZMYT#BALvsCLE on Fox pic.twitter.com/j2so7EjRD9
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 18, 2026
The Ravens, playing without the injured Lamar Jackson, struggled to move the ball against the Browns' defense. Tyler Huntley had just 165 passing yards, while Derrick Henry had 58 rushing yards and a fumble lost. Deshaun Watson wasn't much better (164 yards), but the Browns played turnover-free football and walked away with a massive victory.
In a trend that has become normal for fans in the New York area, both the Jets and Giants lost on the same day.
Over in Foxboro, the New England Patriots held off the frisky Jets 26-19. Aaron Glenn's team actually controlled the ball for most of the game, but two fourth-down stops in the first half and Drake Maye's steadiness proved to be the difference. The Patriots QB was 18 of 32 for 235 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers, with a handful of his incompletions coming on drops by the returning A.J. Brown (he had three catches for 27 yards on 10 targets).
The Giants, meanwhile, pulled ahead 10-0 before the New Orleans Saints scored 34 unanswered points and held on to win 34-27. Jameis Winston was benched in the fourth quarter for J.J. McCarthy, who nearly led a furious comeback that ended up falling just short. McCarthy was 11 of 21 for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Tyler Shough had four total touchdowns for the Saints to improve to 2-4.
Saints defense comes up big on 4th and 1 to prevent the TD!
— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026
NOvsNYG on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/mG6S1WoaSs
They caught the injured Philadelphia Eagles at the right time, but the Carolina Panthers handled their business on the road.
Bryce Young led his team to a 25-14 victory at Lincoln Financial Field as Eagles backup Tanner McKee struggled to move the ball for Philly. Young was 20 of 39 for 281 yards and two touchdowns, while McKee went 26 of 45 for 215 yards and a touchdown.
Looking at the bigger picture, Sunday's results were a positive for Carolina. It still has sole possession of the NFC South lead at 3-2, and the rest of the teams in the division sit at 2-4 -- except the aforementioned 1-5 Bucs. The reigning division winner is in the driver's seat to repeat as champions, albeit with a lot of football still to play.
Cam Ward can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Last year's No. 1 pick led the Tennessee Titans to their first victory of the season, 26-20 over the Indianapolis Colts after a second-half comeback. Ward's numbers weren't anything impressive (11 of 22, 102 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), but the Titans scored 20 points in the fourth quarter (including a blocked punt touchdown) for an impressive win.
The Colts appeared to be on their way to another grind-it-out win over an inferior opponent, but everything fell apart in the closing quarter. Two turnovers on downs in their last two drives sealed the loss, and Daniel Jones (two interceptions) hasn't helped the 2-4 Colts much this season. Next up is a tough two-game road trip to face the Vikings and Jaguars.