NFL Week 6: In-Depth Analysis and Key Updates
We kick off with Week 6 of the 2025 NFL season! At Alofoke Deportes, we break down the latest news and the pulse of the league, thanks to internal sources. We analyze the most relevant situations and bring you the most complete analysis.Concern in Las Vegas for Geno Smith?
Geno Smith’s performance with the Raiders has generated some concern. With nine interceptions this season, Smith has not met expectations after his arrival in Las Vegas. What does the franchise think? Meanwhile, Daniel Jones has exceeded expectations in Indianapolis. Will he be able to maintain his initial success? Sources indicate there is moderate concern about Smith’s performance. It is expected that he will improve his game, but an immediate substitution is not foreseen. Experts point out that Smith often takes a long time to release the ball and forces risky passes. However, the absence of key players such as the two main tight ends, Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, and offensive tackle Kolton Miller, in the recent game against Indianapolis is also highlighted. In addition, the depth in the receiver position is not ideal. Smith’s two interceptions against the Colts were not entirely wrong calls. One involved an apparent offside by the opposing team, resulting in a blocked pass. In the other, Smith claimed to have thrown the ball to an area where a receiver was expected to be positioned against a Cover 2 coverage. Despite the situation, the relationship between coach Pete Carroll and Smith, forged in Seattle, could give Smith more time on the field. There is a possibility that the Raiders will consider Kenny Pickett if the season doesn’t improve. However, for now, the priority is to stick with Smith. It is rumored that offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s scheme is not generating enough advantages to compensate for the personnel’s deficiencies, and there is no margin for error if Smith continues to turn the ball over.
Stephania Bell: Geno Smith and his Fantasy problems
The Raiders find themselves in a complicated situation, trying to balance rebuilding with the desire to win now. The new general manager, John Spytek, prefers to build through the draft, which takes time. However, coach Pete Carroll, 74, was hired with the idea of winning immediately. The roster lacks star players, except for Bowers and pass rusher Maxx Crosby, especially on defense. Smith was a sensible acquisition for a team with few options in the draft, but he is leading a team that might not be ready to compete for another two years. Smith’s contract with the Raiders, after the trade, doesn’t bind them to him beyond this year. He has a guaranteed salary of $18.5 million for 2026, after earning $40 million this year. If the Raiders cut him after this season, they will have paid him $58.5 million for one (presumably disappointing) year. This is a lot of money, but the team wants to win soon. If taking on $18.5 million in dead money next year helps them achieve that, the Raiders are unlikely to stand in the way.Do they believe in Daniel Jones’ good start?
Most experts believe Jones can continue to be successful in Shane Steichen’s system if he stays healthy. With Jonathan Taylor running at a high level, a solid offensive line, and Jones’ ability to create plays with his legs, there is a belief that the infrastructure around Jones is solid enough to sustain success, assuming he stays healthy. It resembles the Giants’ 2022 season, when they made the playoffs with Saquon Barkley running and Jones achieving close, low-scoring victories. But the Colts are not a low-scoring team! Steichen is an excellent strategist with a special touch for quarterbacks, and he firmly believes in Jones as a player and person. In New York, Jones was affected by over-analysis. Now he plays with more freedom. The Colts have helped him improve his footwork. In addition, he plays with one of the best offensive line and running back combinations in the league. The Vikings regretted losing Jones in the offseason. There are some areas of concern. Jones’s long pass is still inconsistent. Sometimes he underestimates those attempts, which resulted in an interception at the end of the game against the Rams in Week 4. Alec Pierce’s ability to catch the ball in a jump helps Jones at times, but he has been out of the lineup due to concussion protocol. There is enough time (12 games) for Jones’s mistakes that were characteristic in New York to reappear. Interceptions and fumbles were part of Jones’s experience. Can he avoid the snowball of losses when errors occur? The Colts believe so.Who could get contract extensions?
The Lions’ pass rusher, Aidan Hutchinson, appears to be on track for a new deal. Both sides have had exploratory conversations about an extension, for which Hutchinson is eligible as a fourth-year professional. Top pass rushers now make quarterback money, as evidenced by Micah Parsons’ four-year, $186 million contract with Green Bay. The Eagles are always proactive and have many young defensive players looking for extensions in the next year or two. Defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who is playing well in his fourth season and is eligible for an extension, is a name to watch. The Eagles exercised his fifth-year option for 2026, so they have time to decide what to do. With DT Jalen Carter also eligible for an extension next offseason and defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean the following offseason, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Eagles tried to get ahead and gain some cost certainty on Davis. Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor has kept communication lines open with New Orleans in recent months. Taylor has scheme flexibility and three pass deflections in five games. His situation could be similar to that of the 49ers’ Deommodore Lenoir, who earned a five-year, $89.8 million extension mid-season last year. Quentin Lake is a key piece for Sean McVay’s defense, and the Rams are interested in retaining him if the deal makes sense. In attack, Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely and Packers receiver Romeo Doubs are on the radar in the coming weeks and months, depending on how things develop on the field. The Ravens were talking to at least three of their players, Likely, center Tyler Linderbaum, and safety Kyle Hamilton, about extensions during camp. They did Hamilton’s, but the other two are still on the to-do list. They also need to do something with quarterback Lamar Jackson’s contract, as his cap number rises to $75 million for 2026, but there doesn’t seem to be much movement in that regard. Doubs is interesting because the Packers are overloaded with receivers. They definitely had trade conversations about Doubs this offseason, but he’s also a reliable favorite of quarterback Jordan Love. Green Bay will have to make some decisions there in the next year or two. What’s up with “Monday Night Football” hero Devin Lloyd? The Jaguars didn’t exercise the linebacker’s fifth-year option for 2026, so he’s a pending free agent. Could they regret that decision and try to avoid his free agency if he keeps playing at this level?Which coordinator has boosted their chances of becoming a head coach the most?
The Chargers’ defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter, could be the answer, but the names being heard as head coach candidates are not necessarily new, such as the Commanders’ Kliff Kingsbury, the Bills’ Joe Brady, etc. And the Broncos’ Vance Joseph on the defensive side. But there have been no sudden and hot starts outside of a place like Indianapolis, where Steichen runs the offense. It’s hard to ignore what Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile is doing. Jacksonville leads the NFL in recovered balls (14) by a wide margin. The second-worst defense in the league in 2024 is playing with seriousness under Campanile, a first-year NFL coordinator who emerged from the New Jersey prep scene. Jacksonville conceded yards against the Chiefs on Monday, but was very disruptive and confused Patrick Mahomes at the most important moment of the game, a 99-yard pick-six by Lloyd. Campanile probably fits into that Mike Vrabel mold as a hard-minded defensive leader, so if a team is interested in that, he could receive some looks. Young defensive coaches are intriguing this season. Minter, the Packers’ Jeff Hafley, and the Rams’ Chris Shula. Campanile is in the mix. He has a lot of power. It’s important to try to figure out what’s sustainable from the first five weeks. If the Falcons or Colts have great seasons on defense, does that mean Jeff Ulbrich or Lou Anarumo will reappear on the radar? You have to see who’s winning and which coordinators have contributed to significant improvements on those teams. It’s also worth noting that Tampa Bay’s offensive pipeline is working again. Josh Grizzard has taken over, and the Buccaneers’ offense hasn’t missed a beat. It still ranks high in most offensive categories despite a large number of injuries, and quarterback Baker Mayfield is still dealing with that. Todd Bowles’ two previous coordinator picks, Dave Canales (Carolina) and Liam Coen (Jacksonville), have moved on to head coaching positions, and Grizzard has three months to prove he belongs in that group. But the initial results are good for the former Yale football captain, a status that will intrigue some owners.More news from the week
When Joe Burrow got injured, the Bengals really believed that Jake Browning would be a capable backup and would play better than he has in the last four games. They had no intention of signing a quarterback. But after a third consecutive loss, they spent Sunday and Monday calling almost any team that had more than two quarterbacks on their roster. Neither the Giants’ veterans, Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston, were ever real possibilities, nor was Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins. There was some talk about Drew Lock in Seattle, Sam Howell in Philadelphia, guys like that. But teams are not eager to trade their quarterback depth.
The Bengals are done with 40-year-old veteran Joe Flacco. While before the trade it seemed the Bengals didn’t expect any new acquisition to be able to play immediately, after the trade it seems they believe Flacco could be capable of starting for them this week against the Packers (and if not, then next Thursday against the Steelers). Cincinnati is 2-3 in an AFC North that has been turned upside down by Burrow’s injury and everything the Ravens are dealing with at the moment, and feels compelled to try to stay in the race, especially if it still has any hope of Burrow returning before the end of the season. Speaking of the Ravens, a couple of eye-catching moves on their part on Tuesday in the secondary, signing veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and trading edge rusher Odafe Oweh to the Chargers for safety Alohi Gilman. The Ravens need help running, so it’s a puzzle on its surface, but the fact is that Oweh wasn’t helping much in that area. Also, Baltimore wasn’t planning to re-sign him when he reaches free agency after this season. Therefore, the Ravens save around 8 million dollars in salary cap space, which they can use to add another offensive lineman before the early November trade deadline. They also added depth in security with the movements, which could indicate the desire to use the Swiss army knife safety Kyle Hamilton more at linebacker once he returns from his groin injury. The Ravens know they need to change things on a defense that has been the worst in the league in several aspects so far this season.
What does the Oweh-Gilman trade mean for the Ravens and Chargers?
Neither Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (hamstring) nor 49ers QB Brock Purdy (toe) have been ruled out for their respective teams’ Week 6 games, and Jackson in particular has been pushing to get back on the field before it’s too late for the 1-4 Ravens. But after checking on both situations earlier in the week, I’d be surprised if either played in Week 6. Baltimore has a bye in Week 7 and could use the opportunity to give Jackson a couple more weeks to heal. The Niners brought Purdy back from injury in Week 4 and he had a setback, so they’ll likely be more cautious this time, especially with backup Mac Jones playing so well. Some fantasy stuff: If you picked up Woody Marks from Houston and started him last week, you were surely disappointed. The week before, it looked like the rookie had taken over the backfield from veteran Nick Chubb. But the Texans still see Marks as primarily a passing-down back and one who had a bit of an injury history in college. So in games where they get far ahead and run the ball, as they did on Sunday against the Ravens, Chubb still gets the playing time advantage. Houston wants to find ways to get rookie receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel more into the lineup. The Texans were much happier with their offense on Sunday in Baltimore than they have been at any point this season and hope to build on that performance. It was the first time in their last four meetings with the Ravens that they scored an offensive touchdown. I expect Buccaneers’ Bucky Irving to miss at least this week’s game against the 49ers and possibly next week’s with his foot and shoulder injuries. Obviously, Tampa Bay feels comfortable with Rachaad White in an expanded role in the meantime. Buccaneers’ wide receiver Mike Evans is truly “week-to-week” with his hamstring injury, and it’s not out of the question that he could return this week if he can get some practice in. The Saints believe Kendre Miller is running well and offers them something of an explosive element in their running game, so he will likely continue to get opportunities along with veteran Alvin Kamara, who is a possible trade candidate before the deadline. The Raiders would like Brock Bowers’ knee to heal completely before putting him back on the field, as playing with the injury was clearly not helping, and they don’t want to make it worse. Bowers will continue trying to overcome the injury, but the team would prefer to protect him from himself, even if that means missing one or two more games to recover. Tyrone Tracy Jr. of the Giants did some practice work last week and could make his return to take some of the load off rookie Cam Skattebo in a short week this Thursday night against the Eagles
