John Elway on whether Week 6 trip to London will disrupt Broncos’ momentum
USA TODAY Sports’ Chris Bumbaca chats with Broncos legend John Elway about the team’s Week 6 game in London and how it could disrupt their flow.
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The Denver Broncos lead the league in sacks, with edge rusher Nik Bonitto pacing all players with seven.Top 2024 draft picks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels will face off for the second time in their careers.Can the Chiefs stop the charging Detroit Lions, winners of four straight, on a short week?
There are no more undefeated teams entering Week 6, a surefire sign of parity in the NFL.
There have been 24 regular-season games that featured a game-winning score in the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime, the most-ever through the first five weeks of a season, per NFL Research.
A total of 16 teams are above .500. The New York Jets are the only club without a win entering Week 6. Maybe the Jets will have better luck in London this week?
The Detroit Lions travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs on Sunday night. On Monday, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels meet again in the nation’s capital.
USA TODAY Sports breaks down five things to watch in Week 6.
Denver Broncos‘ sack party continues behind Nik Bonitto
After leading the NFL in sacks last season, the Broncos find themselves at the top of the league again with 21 sacks entering Week 6.
Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto has an NFL-high seven sacks. Bonitto produced four tackles and 2.5 sacks in Denver’s upset victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 5.
“I think he’s the best pass rusher,” Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper said. “I’ve said this before, he’s been top of this league for a while. His instincts are off the charts, his get off, the way he plays the game, the way he approaches. He’s smarter than what you give him credit for. He’s smart out there. He’s a great teammate, he’s a great dude.”
Denver has the second-ranked scoring defense in the league and ranks fifth in total defense entering their gamve against New York. The Jets rank 24th in pass block win rate, per ESPN. Jets QB Justin Fields has already taken 10 sacks and he’s been under duress 61 times.
This game will be in London. It marks the second of three straight weeks with a NFL game played in London.
49ers and Bucs meet again
The 49ers and Bucs, both 4-1, are set to battle for the fourth straight season. San Francisco has won its previous four meetings versus Tampa Bay, dating back to 2019.
Each of Tampa Bay’s four wins this season have come in the final seconds. The Bucs are the first team in NFL history to have each of their first four victories of the season come on a game-winning score in the final minute of regulation, per NFL Research.
Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka is the frontrunner for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He leads all rookies with 25 receptions, 445 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions.
On the other side, the 49ers have been ravaged by injuries, but running back Christian McCaffrey remains a constant presence. McCaffrey is the only player with at least 100 yards from scrimmage in every game this year. His 669 yards from scrimmage leads the NFL entering Week 6.
“The NFL is like the best reality show. There are so many different things that happen throughout the week. It makes it so entertaining. For us players, you go out there and give it your all,” McCaffrey said after the team’s Week 5 win. “Whatever happens, happens. When you’re on a team like this with this kind of character, it makes it a lot of fun.”
Devin Lloyd, Jaguars opportunistic defense host Seahawks
Lloyd is an early NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The linebacker leads the NFL with four interceptions. His 99-yard pick-six against the Chiefs last week was the longest pick-six in Jaguars history. It was also the longest regular-season interception-return touchdown by a linebacker in NFL history, via NFL Research.
“He has been playing with a chip on his shoulder to prove not just to us and to his teammates, I’m sure to a lot of other people but really for himself, for self-respect, for pride,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said of Lloyd. “So really proud of Devin because of the time that he has put into this both individually and with the coaches.”
The Jaguars have a league-best 14 takeaways, including an NFL-high 10 interceptions.
Jacksonville’s plus-8 turnover differential tops the league.
The Seahawks’ seven interceptions are tied for second in the NFL.
A matchup to watch is Travis Hunter when he’s assigned to cover wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Smith-Njigba’s 534 receiving yards rank second in the NFL. Hunter’s played 60% of Jacksonville’s offensive snaps and 39% of the team’s defensive snaps.
Lions battle Chiefs Sunday night
The Lions have won four in a row since a Week 1 loss. Detroit leads the NFL in scoring and has scored at least 34 points in each of their previous four contests. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs has five touchdowns from scrimmage. Gibbs led the NFL with 20 touchdowns from scrimmage in 2024.
The Chiefs are off to just their second 2-3 start since Patrick Mahomes became the team’s full-time starter. Kansas City has had 42 total penalties this year, only three teams have been flagged more.
“We got to take care of that,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said when asked about the team’s self-inflicted mistakes. “That’s something that we have got to fix. It’s getting us right now and you can’t do that. The best way to do it is you go out and practice it and make sure you get yourself working on those things that have been causing the problems.”
The Chiefs’ inability to run the football efficiently is also an issue. The club ranks 30th in run block win rate, per ESPN. Mahomes’ 190 rushing yards leads the team.
Kansas City will have to execute better and run the football more efficiently if they want to turn things around. WR Rashee Rice’s return from suspension in Week 7 will at least open up their offense more.
Bears return to scene of Hail Mary
The top two picks in the 2024 NFL draft, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, are set to square off for a second consecutive year.
Perhaps the best play of Daniels’ young career was when he tossed a 52-yard game-winning Hail Mary touchdown to WR Noah Brown as time expired versus Chicago in Week 8 of last season.
The loss was a turning point for the Bears, as it was the genesis of a 10-game losing streak for the franchise.
Will the Bears have better fortune in the nation’s capital this year? Or will Daniels outshine Williams again? Daniels has 4,232 passing yards and 1,015 rushing yards in his career. The Commanders QB is the first player in NFL history with at least 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in his first 20 career games. He’s been the better of the two quarterbacks thus far.
“He’s a leader,” Commanders RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt said. “He definitely knows how to control things (and) he knows how to run the offense. He’s just a great player all around for us.”
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