NFL Week 6 Expert Picks and odds for 49ers vs. Browns, Cowboys vs. Chargers and every other game (2024)

Read the latest edition of The Athletic’s NFL expert picks.

It is already Week 6 of the 2023 NFL season, which means we should be starting to get to the point where we are getting a clearer picture of what each team is capable of and where they stand as contenders, pretenders or draft position tankers. This week’s slate of games features a couple of big lines, including double-digit games, with the Miami Dolphins being a huge favorite over the Carolina Panthers, the Buffalo Bills being a two-touchdown favorite over the New York Giants and the Kansas City Chiefs looking to be the latest team to feast on Sean Payton’s abysmal Denver defense.

Elsewhere, Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers look to continue their domination of the NFL when they travel to Cleveland, where they are nearly a touchdown favorite on the road. Given the injury situation involving Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson and the fact that the 49ers have scored at least 30 points each week and won four of their first five games by double digits, that line might be a little small.

Minnesota, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Detroit and Dallas are the other road favorites this week.

In this week’s London game, the Baltimore Ravens are a small favorite over the Tennessee Titans.

Teams on bye: Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers

All odds via BetMGMand update live.

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (Thursday)

Just when you thought things were starting to get bad for the Denver Broncos, they have to go on the road, for a short week, to play one of the best teams in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs. To say this is going to be a challenge is an understatement. The Chiefs enter the game as double-digit favorites to extend their winning streak to five games.

Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET Thursday night from Kansas City. The game will be broadcast on Amazon Prime.

The big takeaway from the Broncos so far is that the team is simply a mess from top-to-bottom, and for all of the big talk that came from coach Sean Payton before the season, he has only seemed to make things worse. Russell Wilson and the offense are still not on track, while the defense – which was at least somewhat respectable last season – is off to one of the worst starts in NFL history. They not only allowed 70 points to the Miami Dolphins earlier this season, they also allowed a Zach Wilson-led offense to chalk up over 400 yards this past Sunday in a humiliating defeat for Payton as he couldn’t stop Nathaniel Hackett’s offense.

That defense could be in for another long day on Thursday against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Kansas City’s offense hasn’t been quite as dominant this season as it was a year ago (they have been held to 28 points or less in four of their first five games), and tight end Travis Kelce is questionable with an ankle injury that he suffered in Sunday’s game against Minnesota. But Mahomes is still capable of lighting up any defense in the NFL, and that is especially true against a team as bad as Denver has been this season.

Linebacker Nick Bolton is expected to return to the lineup for Kansas City after missing three games with an ankle injury.

Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans (in London)

The Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans represent the NFL in London this week in a critical game for both teams. The Ravens are favored overseas.

Kickoff is set for 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The game will be televised on NFL Network.

It has been a few seasons since the Titans enjoyed an explosive offense, but this year’s team has raised an alarming number of red flags through the first portion of the season. Ryan Tannehill has thrown two touchdowns to five interceptions. His passing success rate ranks 27th out of 33 quarterbacks, just behind Bryce Young and barely ahead of Mac Jones and Jordan Love. Derrick Henry, meanwhile, is off to another slow start that gets more concerning with age. He’s averaging just 3.8 yards per carry and has scored only two touchdowns. Only one Titans receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, is averaging more than 35 yards per game.

Tennessee’s offense has had a couple of good showings, scoring 27 points in each of the team’s two wins, but can the Titans produce against a Ravens defense that has been one of the best in the NFL? Baltimore ranks second in yards allowed per play, third in passing defense, seventh in rushing defense and is tied for second in points allowed per game. The Ravens have allowed two offensive touchdowns over their past three games.

But Baltimore’s offense isn’t exactly coming off its best game. The Ravens turned the ball over three times, had a punt blocked for a safety and were shut out in the second half last week in their loss to Pittsburgh. Baltimore’s receivers didn’t give Lamar Jackson much help either, with a bevy of drops.

Washington Commanders at Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons broke a mini-losing streak a week ago, and now the Washington Commanders will hope to end their three-game losing streak when they head south for a Week 6 date with the Falcons. Washington will enter its road battle as a small underdog.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will be televised on FOX.

After a fun 2-0 start to the season with wins against the Cardinals and Broncos, the Commanders went in the wrong direction quickly. Their defense, in particular, continues to unravel and gave up 40 points to the Chicago Bears last week on Thursday night. The offense, though? Well, you never know with them. Eric Bieniemy’s got the pedigree, and between Terry McLaurin, Brian Robinson Jr., and Sam Howell, the Commanders have enough talent to be competitive each week.

We’re five weeks into the season now and Atlanta continues to get the job done with a 3-2 record sitting a half game back of the Buccaneers in the NFC South. Not much about the Falcons’ style is flashy, but it’s leading to wins as the young nucleus keeps taking steps in the right direction. Behind Desmond Ridder and Bijan Robinson, Atlanta is 3-0 at Mercedez Benz Stadium, and a win Sunday could move the team to two games over .500 for the first time since the 2017 season.

San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns

The NFL’s top team takes on the league’s No. 1 defense when the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns meet in Week 6. The favored 49ers are one of two remaining undefeated teams (Philadelphia Eagles) while the Browns (2-2) are coming off of their early bye.

This intriguing cross-conference matchup will take place on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in Cleveland Browns Stadium. The game will be broadcast on FOX.

San Francisco made yet another statement with a 42-10 prime-time demolition of the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday. The 49ers boast the league’s top point differential (+99).
Running back Christian McCaffrey is getting plenty of early MVP support and with good reason. He leads the NFL in rushing (510 yards) and has scored eight touchdowns. Not to be outdone, quarterback Brock Purdy is No. 1 in passer rating and has yet to throw an interception. Coach Kyle Shanahan’s creativity and play-calling only add to the challenge opposing defenses face when going against San Francisco.

But Cleveland may be up to the task. The Browns are giving up the fewest total yards and passing yards per game. They also are fourth against the run and trail only the 49ers in points per game allowed. First-year defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has certainly left his mark on this unit, but his charges have a tall task ahead of them on Sunday.

Adding to the degree of difficulty is the uncertainty surrounding the status of Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson. He missed the Week 4 loss to Baltimore due to a bruised shoulder and even with an extra week to recover, Watson reportedly could be a game-time decision to face San Francisco. If he can’t go, PJ Walker would get the starter after rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson struggled in a 28-3 loss to the Ravens in Week 4.

For the Browns to have any shot in this game, Watson probably needs to play. They already are without running back Nick Chubb, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. And San Francisco is just as stout on defense, holding teams to a league-low 13.6 points per game. Last Sunday, the 49ers suffocated the Cowboys, limiting them to just eight first downs and 197 total yards while intercepting Dak Prescott three times.

New Orleans Saints at Houston Texans

After letting a potential win against an NFC South team slip away last week, the Houston Texans will try again when they host the New Orleans Saints in Week 6. The Texans are slight underdogs at home against a Saints team coming off an impressive road win.

This matchup in NRG Stadium is part of the 1 p.m. ET slate of games on Sunday. FOX will handle the broadcast. Houston is looking to get back to .500 after last week’s 21-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on a last-second field goal, while New Orleans dominated the New England Patriots in a 34-0 victory.

The Texans have been one of the NFL’s pleasant surprises in the early going, led by rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. The No. 2 overall pick is third in the league in passing with 1,461 yards and has yet to throw an interception. The latter stat could be in danger against a Saints defense that has seven interceptions and is ranked fourth overall against the pass (183 yards per game) and in scoring (15.2 points per game).

Derek Carr continues to play with an injured shoulder, but it didn’t bother him that much against New England. He had two touchdown passes in the win and has now gone three straight games without throwing an interception. The better news is that New Orleans also posted a season-high 137 rushing yards, mostly from Alvin Kamara and rookie Kendre Miller.

The Saints’ defense may be more heralded, but the Texans have made their own strides under rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans. This young defense has given up only three touchdown passes through five games and has allowed just one opponent to score more than 25 points compared to nine such performances last season.

Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins

Two teams on opposite ends of the NFL standings will meet in Florida on Sunday. The high-scoring Miami Dolphins will host the Carolina Panthers in what projects to close as the weekend’s most one-sided games. Miami is favored by double digits.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The game will be televised on CBS.

Carolina rookie quarterback Bryce Young continues to struggle. He threw two interceptions against Detroit last week and he has a 77.0 quarterback rating through four games. He’s thrown only five touchdowns to four interceptions. The good news for Young and the offense is that Miami’s defense isn’t nearly as intimidating as its offense.

But who needs an intimidating defense when you’ve got an offense like Miami’s? You’ve undoubtedly seen highlights or caught wind of the impressive production that Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and Co. are putting forth to this point of the season.. Throw in the speed in the backfield from veteran Raheem Mostert and you get numbers like 513.6 total yards, 327.8 passing yards, 185.8 rushing yards, and 36.2 points per game — all league-leading.

The Dolphins did place running back De’Von Achane on injured reserve after injuring his knee in Week 5.

Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals

This Week 6 matchup between the Seahawks and the Bengals is intriguing because who are these teams? Are the Bengals the high-octane offense, gritty defensive team they’ve spent the past two seasons morphing into or the team that struggled the first few weeks? Can the Seahawks continue to win games while being good on only one side of the ball? We’ll find out on Sunday as Cincinnati hosts Seattle as the home favorite.

Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET on Saturday at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. CBS will broadcast the game.

Somehow, the Cincinnati Bengals are still in the thick of the AFC North race and their quest for a third-straight division title. To stay firmly in that race, they’ll need to protect their home field against a Seahawks team that’s 2-0 on the road this season. How do the Bengals accomplish such? The easy answer is to play better on offense, specifically in this matchup against a Seattle defense that’s allowed 27 points in three of its four games so far. Joe Burrow might be turning a corner regarding his injured calf, so he has to find a way to exploit the Seahawks’ secondary in the same way most other teams already have.

Speaking of staying in the race, that’s exactly what the Seahawks will set out to do as Pete Carroll’s squad attempts to keep pace in the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers. They’ll have had an extra week to prepare for Cincinnati thanks to a Week 5 bye, which comes at the ideal time following Geno Smith’s knee injury he sustained in the Seahawks’ recent win. Injury aside, count on seeing much of the same formula that’s led to wins over the past season and change — D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett through the air and Kenneth Walker III on the ground.

Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts are plenty familiar with each other. The AFC South foes have already gone head-to-head this season, with Jacksonville winning their Week 1 matchup 31-21. The two teams face off again in Week 6, this time with the Jaguars hosting. Jacksonville is favored by more than a field goal.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at TIAA Bank Field. The game will be televised on CBS.

Things will look different in the two teams’ second game this season. Gardner Minshew will start under center for the Colts against his old team with Anthony Richardson sidelined with an AC joint sprain. Minshew has already played significant time in three games this season due to Richardson’s injuries. The Colts’ three wins have come in those same three games.

The Jaguars did not have to game plan for Jonathan Taylor in Week 1, either. The All-Pro played just 10 offensive snaps last week in his first game action in nearly 10 months, but that could certainly change this Sunday. However, Zack Moss is coming off his best game of the season, and it’s hard to imagine he won’t at least play second fiddle in a one-two punch out of the backfield.

Jacksonville’s personnel will look largely the same as in Week 1 against Indianapolis. Still, the Jaguars’ offense certainly appears to have taken a step forward after some early season miscues. Jacksonville produced its highest yardage total of the season last week against a stingy Buffalo defense, and Trevor Lawrence threw for a season-high 315 yards in a crucial win.

The Colts have allowed the fifth-most passing yards per game, and Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk and Evan Engram won’t make things easy on the unit this week. Zay Jones is day-to-day with a knee injury.

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears

With their long losing streak finally over, the Chicago Bears look to keep the momentum going against a Minnesota Vikings team that’s desperate to turn its own fortunes around. Both teams are 1-4 but the Vikings are slight favorites on the road.

These NFC North rivals will face off at Soldier Field at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. The game will be broadcast on FOX.

The Bears put an emphatic end to their franchise-record, 14-game losing streak with a 40-20 victory over the Washington Commanders last Thursday while the Vikings fell 27-20 to Kansas City on Sunday. Minnesota has been in every game thus far, but hasn’t been able to close the deal. Coach Kevin O’Connell’s team is 1-4 in one-score games after going an NFL-record 11-0 last season.

The Vikings also got some crushing injury news this week with Justin Jefferson going on injured reserve. The All-Pro wide receiver suffered a hamstring injury early in the fourth quarter last week, and now he’s set to miss the next four games, at minimum. Jefferson is third in the NFL with 571 receiving yards. This is a huge break for a Chicago defense that ranks 31st in the league against the pass.

Jefferson’s absence means Kirk Cousins will target first-round pick Jordan Addison more while also looking for fellow wideout K.J. Osborn and tight end T.J. Hockenson. Cousins leads the league with 13 touchdown passes and is second in passing yards (1.498) but he’s also committed seven turnovers, including a couple of costly interceptions in the red zone. Cousins is not getting much help from the running game. Alexander Mattison is averaging less than 60 rushing yards per game and the team has yet to score a rushing touchdown.

On the other side, Justin Fields is currently playing his best football. He’s thrown eight touchdown passes with just one interception in the last two games. Pass protection is still an issue – Fields has been sacked at least three times in every game.

Fields has yet to do much damage with his legs. Chicago’s ground game is a bit of a question mark moving forward with leading rusher Khalil Herbert expected to miss several games due to an ankle injury and rookie Roschon Johnson dealing with a concussion. Besides running the ball, turnovers could play a huge part in this game. Minnesota is dead last in the league in turnover differential at minus-9 with the Bears also in the red (-4).

With one dubious streak finally in the rearview mirror, Chicago has a chance to snap its nine-game skid at home. The Vikings have won four in a row over their division rivals and need to maintain this success, or the reigning NFC North champions could be staring at the prospects of a lost season.

New England Patriots at Las Vegas Raiders

This is uncharted territory for New England Patriots fans in the Bill Belichick era. Not only are the Patriots off to a dismal 1-4 start, they legitimately look like one of the worst teams in the NFL and enter Sunday’s game as a field goal underdog at the Las Vegas Raiders.

Kickoff is set for 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday and will be broadcast on CBS.

The Patriots have are coming off the two worst losses of the Belichick era in back-to-back weeks, losing 38-3 to Dallas two weeks and then getting shut out by the New Orleans Saints this past week. It is really difficult to be held to only three points or less in an NFL game in 2023, and to have that happen two weeks in a row is a staggering display of offensive incompetence. That unit is somehow worse than it was a year ago when Matt Patricia was running it, and that did not seem possible. The Patriots’ only win of the season was an ugly 15-10 win over the Jets where the offense was again brutal.

Mac Jones has struggled to take command of the offense, while everything around him seems to be just as big of a mess.

The Raiders defense has done a solid job limiting opposing offenses this season, allowing just 197 yards against per game through their air. And while part of that is due to facing bad offenses in Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Denver, they’ve also gone up against two great quarterbacks in Josh Allen and Justin Herbert. While Allen was able to carve them up, they limited Herbert to just 167 yards. They should get another opportunity to feast on a bad offense on Sunday.

The over/under for Sunday is set at 41.5 points, which seems a little high given the struggles of both offenses this season.

Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC division leaders square off in Week 6 when the Detroit Lions take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Lions are off to their best start in more than a decade and are slight favorites on the road against the Buccaneers, who will be wearing “Creamsicle” throwback uniforms.

Kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday from Raymond James Stadium. The game will be televised on FOX.

The Lions have posted three straight wins, all by double digits. Despite dealing with some injuries, Detroit’s offense scores plenty of points (29.6 per game, fourth in the NFL). Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (abdomen) and rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) missed last week’s game, but the Lions still won 42-24 over the Carolina Panthers.

The Lions’ improved depth across the roster is evident when you notice that David Montgomery, an offseason acquisition, has six rushing touchdowns and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta has already claimed a significant role in the passing attack.

As long as quarterback Jared Goff continues to limit the turnovers (three interceptions thus far) and the injuries don’t pile up, Detroit’s offense will be challenging for any team to try and contain. That includes a Tampa Bay defense with more interceptions (six) than touchdown passes allowed (four) so far.

The bigger surprise for the Buccaneers has been the steady play of Baker Mayfield. He has thrown just two picks in his first four games with his new team and has had to carry a lot of the load, given the inconsistency of the running game. Rachaad White has yet to perform like a No. 1 running back, averaging 3.3 yards per carry with just one touchdown.

The team also hopes that its early bye week came at a good time for No. 1 wide receiver Mike Evans, who couldn’t finish the team’s most recent game after suffering a “mild” hamstring injury. The Bucs will need all hands on deck to try and solve the Lions’ defense. This unit has been particularly strong against the run (68.4 yards per game allowed, third in the NFL) and holds teams to 21.4 points per game.

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams

The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams square off in an NFC West matchup this week. The Rams are sizable favorites at home.

Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The game will be televised on Fox.

Teams the Rams have faced are a combined 18-6, and Los Angeles has played both of the NFL’s undefeated teams. The schedule gets easier this week against a Cardinals team many predict will be picking near the top of the draft come April.

Arizona has been shaky on defense, and Los Angeles could use the softer matchup. The Rams did not score in the second half last week against the Eagles, and no Los Angeles drive in the final two quarters lasted longer than four minutes. But last week’s late-game struggles were nothing new for the Rams, who have been outscored in the second half in each of their past four games.

The positive for Sean McVay’s team: Cooper Kupp is back. Kupp led the Rams with 12 targets, eight receptions and 118 yards in his return to the field last week. And Matthew Stafford still managed to keep breakout rookie Puka Nacua involved with 11 targets that resulted in seven catches and a touchdown. The Rams should be eager to attack an Arizona defense that has allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game and sixth-most points per contest.

Arizona’s best asset is its running game. The Cardinals have 10 runs of 20-plus yards, tied with Miami for the most in the NFL and twice as many as the team with the third most, and Arizona’s 5.5 yards per carry are second to only Miami. Los Angeles counters with a rushing defense that has held D’Andre Swift, Zack Moss and Joe Mixon to averages of 4.1, 3.9 and 3.4 yards per carry, respectively, over the past three weeks. On Tuesday, the Cardinals placed leading rusher James Conner on injured reserve.

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Jets

The Philadelphia Eagles’ season has been muddied by complaints about the “tush push” and criticisms that they aren’t as dominant as last year. But look up after five weeks of play, and Philly is one of the NFL’s two remaining undefeated teams. Next on the Eagles’ schedule is the New York Jets. Philadelphia is a comfortable favorite on the road.

Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The game will be televised on FOX.

Just about everything favors the Eagles this week. Philadelphia’s biggest strength has been its ground game, and the most glaring weakness of an otherwise solid Jets defense is how it has defended the run. New York’s 146.2 rushing yards allowed per game are the fourth most in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Eagles have averaged the second-most rushing yards per game on offense.

One of the week’s most intriguing matchups is the Jets’ secondary vs. Philadelphia’s aerial attack. New York held Buffalo and Kansas City’s passing games in check, recording more interceptions than passing touchdowns allowed against both Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. But Philly’s group of pass catchers is among the best in the league, especially with how A.J. Brown has been playing lately, and Jalen Hurts appears to have found a groove with back-to-back 300-yard games. Jets cornerback D.J. Reed missed New York’s game last week with a concussion, and his status is unclear for Sunday.

Jets right tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker suffered a season-ending injury last week, putting an already leaky offensive line down one of its best linemen ahead of Sunday’s game. New York has allowed pressure at the highest rate in the league, and Philadelphia is pressuring the quarterback at the fourth-highest clip. It also doesn’t help that running back Breece Hall, the Jets’ best offensive player last week, now faces an Eagles defense allowing the fewest rushing yards per game.

The Eagles seem to have the advantage at every spot — though that tends to happen when you’re one of the best teams in the league.

New York Giants at Buffalo Bills

Week 6’s Sunday Night Football matchup between the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants features two teams looking to bounce back from losses last weekend to begin October. The Giants will hobble into this contest as the road underdog.

Kickoff is at 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday night at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. The game will be televised on NBC.

The Bills must be ecstatic to return to U.S. soil after a forgetful Week 5 in London in which they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Buffalo averages 43 points per game at home, and they’re undefeated. What’s working at Orchard Park is the defense – averaging giving up 15 points per game a thome and anything less versus one of the NFL’s worst offenses should be considered a letdown.

Injuries continue to pile up for the Bills defense. Buffalo played defensive tackle DaQuan Jones and linebacker Matt Milano on injured reserve on Wednesday. That’s a week after they lost cornerback Tre’Davious White to a torn Achilles for the rest of the season.

Giants coach Brian Daboll returns to Orchard Park after spending four seasons with the Bills as their offensive coordinator before heading to the Big Apple. Like Buffalo, New York needs a feel-good moment — arguably even more than the Bills. They’ve been outscored by an NFL-worst 91 points this season. The offense still hasn’t scored a touchdown in the first half of a game this season. Saquon Barkley’s potential return from an ankle injury might help bandage some wounds, but his status for this Week 6 primetime matchup is still unknown — his injury status is one to monitor up to kickoff. Quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a neck injury in Week 5 and he is day-to-day, according to Daboll.

Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers (Monday)

The Dallas Cowboys got their first big test of the season on Sunday night and they got humbled in a big way by getting absolutely blown out by the San Francisco 49ers. We will find out an awful lot about them on Monday night when they visit the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite getting humiliated on Sunday night, the Cowboys are still a small road favorite going into Monday’s game.

Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The game will be broadcast nationally on ABC and ESPN.

For as good as Dallas’ defense might be, and for as much hype as it has received, it is also worth pointing out that the four quarterbacks they faced before Sunday night were Daniel Jones, Zach Wilson, Joshua Dobbs and Mac Jones. That is not to say Dallas’ defense isn’t good, but that is not exactly a murderer’s row of NFL passers. Brock Purdy and the 49ers were their first legit test, and they failed. Badly.

They will get another big test on Monday against Herbert and the Chargers, and if they struggle to slow him down, it might call into question how elite this defense is. Herbert is one of the NFL’s best passers and has already thrown for 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns this season while being intercepted just once.

While the defense is set to get a big test against Herbert, this should be a good opportunity for quarterback Dak Prescott and the offense to bounce back. That unit was just as bad as the defense on Sunday night, and for as good as the Chargers can be offensively, they have some glaring shortcomings on the defensive side of the ball and almost always seem to find themselves in close games due to it. No team in the league is allowing more passing yards per game than the Chargers’ 299 entering this week, while the defense is giving up 26 points per game. This might be an example of a game where the last quarterback to touch the ball wins.

(Photo of Christian McCaffrey: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)