Before we can get ready for the Thursday Night Football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, we have to look back at the fallout from Week Six. With 30 of 32 NFL teams in action, let’s run down the list of the hottest takes from Week Six to determine what is an overreaction and what is a proper reaction.
The Kansas City Chiefs will reach the Super Bowl.
Proper reaction
The Chiefs have not been playing their best football through the first six weeks of the season, yet they find themselves sitting at 3-3 with a marquee win in primetime over what was widely considered to be the best team in the National Football League. Keep in mind, they won that game without their number-one wide receiver, Rashee Rice, who returns to the field this weekend after completing his six-week suspension. There are even rumors going around that members of the Chiefs organization have had private conversations with reporters stating they feel better about this year’s team than last year’s team. That should strike fear throughout the NFL because last year’s squad made it all the way to the Super Bowl. They are not playing every game close. They are actually showing dominance over other teams, something we didn’t see a lot during the 2024-25 campaign. Based on how this group is constructed and the fact that they have reached three straight Super Bowls, they’re an obvious threat to make it back to the Big Game for a fourth consecutive year.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the best team in the NFL.
Overreaction
We have 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 along 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 somebody in Early October can look like dogsh*t 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 that be the case when the season is over? It’s hard to say. Heading into Week Seven, 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 isn’t one team that is the runaway favorite to win the Super Bowl. My money is still on the Lions to have the best record in the league because they’re really good, even though they’re nowhere near full health. But, for now, Tampa takes the Week Seven title of the league’s best team.
Jaxson Dart will win the NFL’s Rookie of the Year Award.
Proper reaction
Though this award should be going 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 any extended time or multiple games, that will be a huge blow to his candidacy. Second, and more importantly, the NFL and its voters will always value a quarterback over any other position. Since 2019, four of the last six winners of the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award have been QBs. Fans are even more shallow. 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 23 winners have been quarterbacks. Amongst 33 quarterbacks, Dart is 17th in QBR. He also has a better passer rating than long-time starters like Trevor Lawrence, Brock Purdy, Michael Penix Jr., and Geno Smith. Though I don’t believe wins are a quarterback stat, Dart can easily end up being the Rookie of the Year if the G-Men keep piling up victories.
The most impressive part about Jaxson Dart’s game against the Eagles was his play before the snap. Came from a system in which he didn’t do this at all. pic.twitter.com/qphPu5uwV0
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) October 13, 2025
The Philadelphia Eagles will miss the postseason.
Overreaction
They might have lost two games, but let’s not act like the sky is falling. They’re still leading the race for the NFC East with a 4-2 record, have a game in hand over the Cowboys, and also have head-to-head wins against potential playoff teams like the Buccaneers and the Rams. That’ll help them a lot if they end up not winning their division and competing for a Wild Card spot. They’re schedule isn’t the easiest, but there are some probable wins on the docket. They should 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 final three weeks of the year when they have to go to Washington, to Buffalo, and then face the Commanders at home. If they can win both of their matchups against Washington, Philly will make the playoffs without having to worry too much. Even if the Commanders win BOTH of those games, they can find some other victories along the way against maybe the Packers or the Lions.
The Chicago Bears are a playoff team.
Proper reaction
The Chicago Bears are no longer a bad team, which is a step in the right direction towards 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 this season. The fact that they actually managed to pull out back-to-back wins in matchups 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 gets them to seven wins. If they can steal a game against the Packers, Giants, Vikings, or Eagles, then they’ll be poised to make a run at the playoffs. They have already played quite well with a decimated secondary. Once those guys get fully healthy, their defense will look much better. More importantly, Caleb Williams is showing meaningful growth under the guidance of head coach Ben Johnson. Right now, they’re a frisky team that’s probably on the outside looking in. But they’ll be a problem if they can string together two more victories to extend their win 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 a buffoon of a head coach who hurt his team more than he helped it. With that being said, this franchise is still absolutely dreadful and utilizes one of the weakest rosters in the NFL. Defensive end Jeffery Simmons is a good player. Outside of him, everybody on the roster is suspect, including Cam Ward, the number-one overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He has been making bone-headed mistakes for a few weeks now, and fans should start to worry if this organization has stunted his development or done irreversible damage to the kid. It’s a miracle he hasn’t said anything about seeing ghosts, considering he has been sacked more than four times per game this season. The offensive line sucks, two of their top three receivers are hurt, and the defense is 26th in points allowed per game. There is no righting the ship for this version of the Tennessee Titans. All they can do is strap themselves in and hold 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 will not win their division.
Proper reaction
It’s not that the Bills aren’t a good team. It just seems way more likely that the New England Patriots will have a better record than the Buffalo Bills when the regular season ends. The Pats have the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL. That’s not just my opinion; that is a factually accurate statement based on the combined winning percentages of every 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 blowout fashion. They can also probably defeat 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 division will be incredibly difficult, especially with that early head-to-head loss at home against the Patriots.