A trio of NFC North teams are among the teams taking part in the three games that you can’t afford to miss in Week 6.
There are weeks during the NFL season that are non-stop fun from start to finish. Week 5 was certainly one of those, with tons of offense, big performances from top teams and even some epic Patrick Mahomes wizardry for us to take in this weekend.
If Week 6 is even a fraction as exciting as Week 5 was, NFL fans are in for a treat. There are a lot of interesting matchups on the schedule, but these three should take center stage in the week ahead.
Houston Texans (3-2) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)
If you’re looking for a shootout, this could be the game for you. The Kansas City Chiefs, who were featured in this space last week, play host to the Houston Texans in a potential showdown of AFC playoff teams.
The Texans’ offense finally burst out in a big way in a 53-32 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Deshaun Watson went bananas, throwing for 426 yards and five touchdowns, while Will Fuller hauled in 14 of Watson’s passes for 217 yards and three of the scores.
The Chiefs are coming off a rare loss, falling at home to the Indianapolis Colts 19-13 on Sunday Night Football. The Colts’ defense dominated the Chiefs all night long, with the Kansas City offensive line having a lot of trouble dealing with the Indianapolis defensive front.
Tyreek Hill could be back in the saddle for the Chiefs on Sunday, which would be a big boost for Mahomes and company.
Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) at Minnesota Vikings (3-2)
These two teams faced off against the New York squads this week, with both emerging victorious. The Philadelphia Eagles simply manhandled a battered Jets squad, racking up 10 sacks after picking up just three over their first four games.
After a very easy win in Week 5, the Eagles will face an increased degree of difficulty as they take on the Vikings in Minnesota. The Giants provided a much-needed breather for the Vikings, who were a team in turmoil after an ugly loss to the Bears that led to their receivers openly questioning the ability of quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Cousins lit up a shaky Giants’ secondary, going 22 of 27 for 306 yards and two touchdowns, which should be a good confidence-booster ahead of a matchup with Philadelphia’s banged-up secondary. The Eagles were able to patch that weakness by constantly sacking Luke Falk on Sunday, but the Vikings should be able to protect Cousins much better, making this matchup fascinating to watch.
Detroit Lions (2-1-1) at Green Bay Packers (4-1)
For the first time since Week 2, the Monday Night Football matchup has cracked our must-watch list for the week. The schedule-makers have served up a compelling NFC North showdown between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.
The Packers are all the rage right now after their epic beatdown of the Cowboys in Dallas, when Aaron Jones basically took center stage and ran all over the Dallas defense by himself. The Green Bay defense had its way with the Cowboys, stifling Ezekiel Elliott and harassing Dak Prescott all game with Tyron Smith out for Dallas.
Detroit has played very well to start the season, picking up wins against the Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers before fighting the Chiefs in a Week 4 loss. The Lions were on a bye in Week 5, so they had extra time to prepare for this game, which could be a key to help them find success in their house of horrors, Lambeau Field.