NFL Week 6 roundup: Nail-biters and big performances highlight action

Here’s a look at the early action in Week 6 around the NFL:

New Orleans 41, Carolina 38

The Panthers (1-5) dropped their fourth straight game despite welcoming Cam Newton (27-for-47, 322, 2 TD, INT, rushTD) back to the lineup. Newton and Drew Brees (34-for49, 465, 4 TD) combined for 97 pass attempts in this shootout in the Superdome. Brandin Cooks led all receivers with 173 yards and the Saints (2-3) rookie kicker Wil Lutz ended the scoring with a 52-yard field goal for the victory.

Jacksonville 17, Chicago 16

Arrelious Benn took a slant 51-yards for his first touchdown since 2011 and completed a Jaguars (2-3) comeback where they scored all 17 of their points in the fourth quarter. Jordan Howard continued to feature in the Chicago (1-5) backfield but couldn’t maintain his success, finishing with 34 yards on 15 carries.

Buffalo 45, San Francisco 16

Ugly scenes outside the Bills’ stadium inspired by Colin Kaepernick’s return to the starting lineup gave way to another dominating performance by Buffalo (4-2) at home. Kaepernick (13-for-29, 187, TD, 66 yards rushing) connected with Torrey Smith for a 53-yard touchdown to put the Niners (1-5) up 10-7 early, but then LeSean McCoy took it to his old coach, Chip Kelly, with 140 yards rushing and three touchdowns. The Bills finished the day with 312 yards rushing.

Detroit 31, Los Angeles 28

Case Keenum (27-for-32, 321, 3 TDs, INT, rushTD) and Matthew Stafford (23-for-31, 270, 4 TDs) dueled through the air, and Kenny Britt (7 rec, 136 yards, 2 TD) and Golden Tate (8 rec, 165 yards, TD) were their respective weapons of choice. After eight straight touchdowns Matt Prater nailed a 34-yard field goal to give the Lions (3-3) the victory over the Rams (3-3) in a game where neither team led by more than a touchdown.

Miami 30, Pittsburgh 15

Ben Roethlisberger (19-for-34, 189, TD, 2 INT) was briefly knocked out of this game, but the Steelers (4-2) struggled all day regardless of their quarterback to move the ball and stop the Miami (2-4) run game. Jay Ajayi rolled up 204 yards and 2 scores while Steelers’ defenders bounced off him. Darrius Heyward-Bey took a reverse 60-yards for Pittsburgh’s first touchdown of the game, and their only points before the fourth quarter.

New England 35, Cincinnati 17

Tom Brady (29-for-35, 376, 3 TDs) is making up for lost time, now with six touchdowns and almost 800 yards in his first two games back under center for New England (5-1.) Rob Gronkowski asserted himself as Brady’s favorite target with 162 yards and a touchdown, and the Patriots took control of the game in the second half after leading the Bengals (2-4) by just three at halftime.

New York Giants 27, Baltimore 23

Odell Beckham Jr. recovered from an early fumble to explode for 222 yards and two touchdowns against the Ravens (3-3). The second took a slant pass 66-yards to put the Giants (3-3) ahead in the final minute. His celebration almost proved costly however, penalizing the Giants ensuing kickoff and allowing Baltimore to march to the Giants’ 25-yard line before coming up short. Terrance West had two scores on the ground for Baltimore.

Tennessee 28, Cleveland 26

Terrelle Pryor caught his second touchdown of the day from Cody Kessler (26-for-41, 336, 2 TD,) but the Browns (0-6) couldn’t convert the two-point conversion to get within a score and it ultimately kept them in the losers column despite scoring the final 13 points of the game against Tennessee (3-3.) Marcus Mariota (17-for-24, 284, 3 TDs, INT, 66 rush yards) had his second straight game with three passing touchdowns.

Washington 27, Philadelphia 20

The Eagles (3-2) lost their second-straight while committing over 110 yards in penalties for the second straight week. Washington (4-2) jumped ahead of the Eagles in the division while winning their fourth straight. Matt Jones had 135 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while the Eagles only touchdowns came via a Malcolm Jenkins pick six and Wendell Smallwood kick return.