SEVEN FROM SUNDAY – WEEK 6
A look at seven statistical highlights from games played during the 9:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET windows on Sunday, October 12, the sixth week of the 2025 season.
- With three games remaining in Week 6, eight games were within one score in the fourth quarter and six games were decided by one score (eight points or fewer), including two – wins by Carolina and the Los Angeles Chargers – that featured the game-winning score in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
The Indianapolis Colts improved to 5-1 after missing the postseason last year. In 35 of the past 36 seasons (1990-2025), at least one team that missed the playoffs the year before has won at least five of its first six games the following season.
- The Denver Broncos totaled nine sacks in their 13-11 victory over the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, marking the second of three games to be played in London this season. The Broncos are the third team since 1990 with at least five sacks in four of their first six games of the season, joining the 2019 New England Patriots and 2000 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Broncos lead the NFL with 30 sacks, tied with the 2013 Kansas City Chiefs (30 sacks) for the most sacks by a team in its first six games of a season since 1990.
- New England quarterback Drake Maye passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns with a 140.1 passer rating in the Patriots’ 25-19 win at New Orleans.
Maye is the fourth different player in NFL history under the age of 24 to record at least 200 passing yards and a passer rating of 100-or-higher in five consecutive games, joining Patrick Mahomes (seven consecutive games in 2018 and five games in 2018-19), Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (six games in 1984) and Dak Prescott (five games in 2016).
- Carolina running back Rico Dowdle totaled 239 scrimmage yards (183 rushing, 56 receiving) and a touchdown reception in the Panthers’ 30-27 win over Dallas.
Dowdle, who recorded 234 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in Week 5, is the sixth running back in the Super Bowl era with at least 225 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in consecutive games, joining Dalvin Cook (2020 with Minnesota), Le’Veon Bell (2014 with Pittsburgh), Deuce McAllister (2003 with New Orleans) and Pro Football Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk (2002 with the St. Louis Rams) and Walter Payton (1977 with Chicago).
Per Next Gen Stats, Dowdle gained 122 rushing yards after contact, the most by a Panthers running back in a game since at least 2016. For more information on Next Gen Stats, check out NFL Pro, available within NFL+ Premium. With NFL+ Premium, get access to NFL Pro and track advanced analytics powered by Next Gen Stats and watch All-22 film. Available on desktop and mobile web, visit pro.nfl.com for more information.
- Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed 29 of 38 pass attempts (76.3 percent) for 264 yards and two touchdowns with a 112.2 passer rating in the team’s 29-27 win at Miami.
Herbert has 35 career games with at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100-or-higher and joined Patrick Mahomes (44 games) and Russell Wilson (36) as the only players with at least 35 such games in their first six seasons in NFL history.
- Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones recorded three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) and a 101.0 passer rating in the Colts’ 31-27 win over Arizona.
Jones is the third quarterback all-time with a touchdown pass, rushing touchdown and a passer rating of 100-or-higher in three of his team’s first six games of a season, joining Josh Allen (2020 with Buffalo) and Dak Prescott (2017 with Dallas).
- Las Vegas defensive end Maxx Crosby recorded two sacks in the Raiders’ 20-10 win over Tennessee.
Crosby, who has 10 tackles for loss this season, joins Pro Football Hall of Famer Jared Allen and Aaron Donald as the only players since 2000 with at least 10 tackles for loss in each of their first seven NFL seasons.
- Additional notes from Sunday include:
- Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs recorded 150 scrimmage yards (93 rushing, 57 receiving) and two rushing touchdowns in Green Bay’s 27-18 win over Cincinnati.
Jacobs has six rushing touchdowns this season and is the fourth running back since 2000 with at least six rushing touchdowns in each of his first seven career seasons, joining Ezekiel Elliott, Adrian Peterson and Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson.
- San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey recorded seven receptions, 111 scrimmage yards (57 receiving, 54 rushing) and a rushing touchdown in Week 6.
McCaffrey has 46 receptions this season, tied with Matt Forte (46 receptions in 2014 with Chicago) and Alvin Kamara (46 in 2020 with New Orleans) for the most receptions by a running back in his team’s first six games of a season in NFL history.
McCaffrey is the fifth running back ever with at least five receptions in each of his team’s first six games of a season, joining Matt Forte (2014 with Chicago), Darren Sproles (2011 with New Orleans), Priest Holmes (2002 with Kansas City) and Larry Centers (1995 with Arizona).
McCaffrey is the first running back in NFL history with at least 50 receiving yards in each of his team’s first six games of a season and joins Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (2000 with the St. Louis Rams) as the only players ever with at least 50 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards in five of their team’s first six games of a season.
McCaffrey has 46 career games with at least 50 receiving yards, tied with Keith Byars (46 games) for the fourth-most games with at least 50 receiving yards by a running back in the Super Bowl era. Only Larry Centers (55 games), Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (50) and Ronnie Harmon (47) have more.
- Cincinnati wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase registered 10 catches for 94 yards and his 50th career touchdown reception in Week 6.
Chase, who turns 26 years old on March 1, 2026, has 50 career touchdown receptions and is the third player with at least 50 touchdown receptions prior to his 26th birthday in NFL history, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss (60 touchdown receptions) and Rob Gronkowski (54).
Chase recorded his 13th career game with at least 10 receptions, surpassing CeeDee Lamb (12 games) and Brandon Marshall (12) for the second-most such games by a player in his first five seasons in NFL history, trailing only Michael Thomas (18 games).
NFL ROUNDUP: RICO DOWDLE PLAYS BIG VS. FORMER TEAM AS PANTHERS EDGE COWBOYS
Bryce Young threw for three touchdowns, Rico Dowdle rushed for 183 yards and caught a touchdown pass against his former team and the Carolina Panthers beat the Dallas Cowboys 30-27 with a field goal on the final play on Sunday in Charlotte.
Ryan Fitzgerald’s 33-yard kick for his third field goal of the game gave the Panthers (3-3) their second consecutive victory. They held the ball for 15 plays on the game’s last possession.
Dowdle, in his first season with Carolina after four years with the Cowboys, finished with 239 scrimmage yards (team-high 56 receiving). He is the first player in franchise history to top 200 in consecutive games. Young completed 17 of 25 passes for 199 yards, including two TD passes to first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan, and an interception.
Dak Prescott threw for three touchdowns and 261 yards on 25-for-34 passing for Dallas (2-3-1), which had only 31 rushing yards.
Chiefs 30, Lions 17
Patrick Mahomes passed for 257 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score as host Kansas City snapped Detroit’s four-game winning streak.
Hollywood Brown caught four passes for 45 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Travis Kelce had six receptions for 78 yards for the Chiefs (3-3).
Jared Goff passed for 203 yards and two touchdowns for the Lions (4-2). Wide receiver Jameson Williams caught six passes for 66 yards and a touchdown, while tight end Sam LaPorta contributed five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. Jahmyr Gibbs gained 65 yards on 17 carries.
Chargers 29, Dolphins 27
Cameron Dicker’s 33-yard field goal with 5 seconds left lifted Los Angeles to a close win over host Miami. The game-winner was Dicker’s fifth field goal in five attempts for the game and helped the Chargers (4-2) snap a two-game losing streak.
Justin Herbert completed 29 of 38 passes for 264 yards, two touchdown passes and no interceptions and hit Ladd McConkey on a long 42-yard connection late to set up the game-winner. Kimani Vidal ran for 124 yards on 18 carries and caught a touchdown pass.
De’Von Achane rushed for 128 yards on 16 carries and scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Dolphins (1-5), who dropped their second in a row and are off to their worst start since opening the 2021 season with a 1-7 record.
Colts 31, Cardinals 27
Jonathan Taylor rushed for 123 yards and the go-ahead touchdown as Indianapolis rallied in the fourth quarter to edge visiting Arizona.
Taylor scored on a 1-yard run with 4:32 left as the Colts (5-1) took a one-game lead in the AFC South on Jacksonville, a 20-12 loser at home to Seattle. Quarterback Daniel Jones added 212 yards passing on 22 of 30 accuracy, throwing for two touchdowns and one interception.
Backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, starting in place of injured Kyler Murray (foot), completed 27 of 44 passes for 320 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. It wasn’t enough to prevent the Cardinals (2-4) from losing their fourth straight game.
Patriots 25, Saints 19
Drake Maye threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns as visiting New England improved to 3-0 on the road with the win at New Orleans.
Maye, who hit 18 of 2 passes, hooked up DeMario Douglas for a 53-yard touchdown strike in the first quarter before connecting with Kayshon Boutte for 25 and 29 yards in the second to build a 22-14 halftime lead. Boutte finished with five catches for 93 yards for the Patriots (4-2), who tied their win total for last season.
Spencer Rattler completed 20 of 26 passes for 227 yards while Blake Grupe booted four field goals for the Saints (1-5). Taysom Hill scored on a 1-yard run for New Orleans’ lone touchdown while Chris Olave collected six catches for 98 yards.
Steelers 23, Browns 9
Aaron Rodgers threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns while host Pittsburgh’s defense piled up six sacks to lead Cleveland from start to finish in an AFC North matchup.
Rodgers connected with Connor Heyward for 12 yards in the third quarter and DK Metcalf for a 25-yard score on the first play of the fourth. Jalen Ramsey and Nate Helbig registered two sacks apiece for the Steelers (4-1) while Chris Boswell booted three field goals of 40-plus yards.
Rookie Dillon Gabriel hit 29 of 52 passes for 221 yards in his second start, but he could not get the Browns into the end zone. Harold Fannin Jr. caught seven passes for 81 yards while Andre Szmyt converted field goals of 31, 53 and 32 yards for Cleveland (1-5), which has not won a regular-season game at Pittsburgh since 2003.
Broncos 13, Jets 11
Denver’s defense lowered the boom on New York and the Broncos did enough to leave London with a narrow win.
The Jets (0-6) had minus-10 net passing yards and quarterback Justin Fields was sacked nine times, but New York had a lead late and a chance to kick a long game-winning field goal on the final drive.
Wil Lutz punched in a 27-yard field goal with 5:06 remaining to give Denver the two-point lead. Bo Nix completed 19 of 30 passes for 174 yards. Fields completed nine passes for 45 yards.
Seahawks 20, Jaguars 12
Jaxon Smith-Njigba kept his sensational season going with a season-high 162 receiving yards, leading Seattle to a win over host Jacksonville.
Smith-Njigba, who entered the day second in the league in receiving yards (534), recorded eight catches for his fourth 100-yard game of the season. Sam Darnold threw for 295 yards and a pair of scores, including a 61-yarder to Smith-Njiba.
The Seahawks (4-2) improved to 3-0 in road games — with nine straight road wins dating back to last season — while snapping a three-game winning streak for the Jaguars (4-2). Trevor Lawrence completed 27 of 42 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns, including the first of the season for Brian Thomas Jr. (eight catches, 90 yards).
Rams 17, Ravens 3
Matthew Stafford completed 17 of 26 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown, and visiting Los Angeles pulled away for a 17-3 win over Baltimore.
Kyren Williams finished with 87 total yards (50 rushing, 37 receiving) and a touchdown on the ground for the Rams (4-2), who bounced back from a loss last week against the San Francisco 49ers. Tyler Higbee added a receiving touchdown.
Derrick Henry had 24 carries for 122 yards for the Ravens (1-5), whose nightmare start to the season continued. Baltimore remained without All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson (hamstring). Cooper Rush started in Jackson’s place and completed 11 of 19 passes for 72 yards and an interception before he was benched in favor of veteran reserve Tyler Huntley.
Raiders 20, Titans 10
Ashton Jeanty rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown as Las Vegas ended a four-game losing streak and won at home for the first time this season by defeating Tennessee.
Geno Smith completed 17 of 23 passes for 174 yards with a touchdown and interception for the Raiders (2-4), who held the Titans scoreless in the first half and built a 17-point lead midway through the third quarter. Maxx Crosby had two of Las Vegas’ six sacks on Tennessee rookie quarterback Cam Ward.
Ward completed 26 of 38 passes for 222 yards with one TD and one interception as the Titans (1-5) fell after ending their season-opening four-game losing streak with a comeback victory at Arizona last week.
Buccaneers 30, 49ers 19
Baker Mayfield passed for 256 yards and two touchdowns, while Kameron Johnson and Tez Johnson each made their first career touchdown catches to help host Tampa Bay get a victory over banged-up San Francisco.
Rachaad White and Sean Tucker rushed for a touchdown each as the Buccaneers (5-1) won their second straight game. Mayfield completed 17 of 23 passes to help Tampa halt the 49ers’ four-game winning streak in the series.
Mac Jones completed 27 of 39 passes for a season-high 347 yards but was intercepted twice for San Francisco (4-2), which lost for the second time in three games. Christian McCaffrey rushed for a touchdown and had 111 yards from scrimmage (54 rushing, 57 receiving), and Kendall Bourne had a career-high 142 yards for the second straight game while making five catches.
Packers 27, Bengals 18
Josh Jacobs ran for two scores and Jordan Love passed for another as Green Bay held on for a victory over visiting Cincinnati and new quarterback Joe Flacco.
Jacobs added 93 rushing yards on 18 carries, while Love threw for 259 yards on 19-of-26 passing. Kicker Lucas Havrisik filled in for the injured Brandon McManus after signing with the team Saturday, hitting field goals of 43 and 39 yards.
Flacco held his own in his Bengals debut after being traded to Cincinnati on Tuesday, completing 29 of 45 passes for 219 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Ja’Marr Chase and Tanner Hudson each caught a TD for the Bengals, who have lost four straight games.
LIONS S BRIAN BRANCH, CHIEFS WR JUJU SMITH-SCHUSTER SCUFFLE AFTER GAME
Detroit safety Brian Branch struck Kansas City wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster with an open-handed blow to the face, setting off a scrum after the end of the host Chiefs’ 30-17 victory on Sunday night.
The game had concluded when Branch ignored Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes attempt to high-five him as the Lions player walked past near midfield. Smith-Schuster was nearby and went up to him, but apparently after a few words, Branch hit him in his facemask, causing him to tumble to the ground.
Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco tried to separate the pair after Smith-Schuster got up and ran after Branch, only for the Chiefs receiver to get his helmet taken off and Branch to get him on the turf again as players from both sides converged on the fight.
Branch later apologized for the skirmish and explained his reasoning for being upset with Smith-Schuster.
“I did a real childish thing,” Branch, 23, told reporters. “I’m tired of people doing stuff in between plays and refs don’t catch it. They be trying to bully me out there. I shouldn’t have did it, it was childish.”
He cited a specific play late in the fourth quarter when Smith-Schuster hit him in the back away from the play.
“I got blocked in the back illegally,” Branch said, “and it was in front of the ref and the ref didn’t do anything. It’s just stuff like that. I could’ve gotten hurt off of that, but I still shouldn’t have done (the postgame fight), though.”
Smith-Schuster called Branch a great player who is important to the Lions. He was expecting a handshake and a “good game,” he said.
“But he threw a punch,” said Smith-Schuster, 28, who thought Branch was frustrated during the game by “me just blocking him.”
“I’m just doing my job,” Smith-Schuster continued. “I play between the whistles.”
Mahomes touched on that theme earlier when he was interviewed after the game on the NBC broadcast.
“I mean, we play the game in between the whistles,” Mahomes said. “They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do, but we play in between the whistles.”
Kansas City coach Andy Reid said Branch hit Smith-Schuster “for what looked like no reason,” and noted his receiver got his nose bloodied. “That’s tough and he did pretty good damage on JuJu’s nose.”
Detroit coach Dan Campbell said Branch was in the wrong.
“I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable and it’s not going to be accepted here,” Campbell said. “It’s not what we do, it’s not what we’re about. I apologized to coach Reid and the Chiefs and Smith-Schuster. That’s not OK. That’s not what we do here, and it’s not gonna be OK. He knows it, our team knows it. That’s not what we do.”
Branch, a second-round draft selection in 2023 and a Pro Bowl pick in 2024, has been fined by the league a total of $34,784 this season for an unsportsmanlike conduct infraction in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers and two unnecessary roughness violations: taunting the Packers and for a low block in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens, NFL.com reported.
Smith-Schuster, a second-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017, has played for the Steelers (2017-21), Kansas City Chiefs (2022, 2024-present), and New England Patriots (2023). He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2018.
49ERS WR JAUAN JENNINGS PLAYS WITH ‘5 BROKEN RIBS,’ ANKLE, SHOULDER INJURIES
San Francisco wide receiver Jauan Jennings has been playing with five broken ribs as well as ankle and shoulder injuries, he told reporters after the 49ers’ 30-19 loss to the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Jennings, who has missed two games for the 49ers (4-2), was listed as questionable after being limited in practice and finished with one reception on three targets for 7 yards on Sunday.
“You know playing with injuries, it’s part of it,” Jennings said. “You got high and low ankle sprains. You got shoulders at 20%. You got ribs, five broken ribs. It is what it is. You keep playing and nobody cares. Keep playing. That’s what we do.”
Jennings, 28, said he injured his ribs in a Week 4 home loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He now has 10 catches on 22 targets for 136 yards and one touchdown in four games.
“It’s football. I love pain, I wouldn’t be playing this sport if I didn’t,” Jennings said. “That’s part of it. You’ve got to enjoy every little thing that comes with it, and pain is one of those.”
San Francisco is dealing with injuries to critical players such as All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, who was lost for the season due to a severe right ankle injury on Sunday. The receiving corps has been hit hard, with wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jordan Watkins out on Sunday because of knee injuries, and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) hasn’t played all season. All-Pro tight end George Kittle (hamstring) has been on injured reserve since Game 1 and is expected to return to practice this week.
For his career, Jennings has 165 receptions on 262 targets for 2,074 yards and 14 touchdowns in 64 regular-season games (21 starts). He also has 20 catches for 221 yards and one TD in nine playoff games as a reserve.
San Francisco selected Jennings in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Tennessee.
