Week 6 of the NFL season delivered some incredible football, but it also left a bitter taste. A postgame brawl overshadowed a crucial Chiefs victory, and a running back's revenge game turned historic. Let's dive into the Sunday action and unpack all the drama.
This week has been a nail-biter for fans across the league. Before Monday night's games, a staggering eight contests were decided by a single score in the fourth quarter. Six games, in total, came down to the wire, with two ending in game-winning scores in the final sixty seconds. Talk about exciting! The day kicked off across the pond in London, where the Denver Broncos emerged victorious in a defensive battle against the New York Jets. Unfortunately for the Jets, they remain the NFL's only winless team. Ouch.
Here's a comprehensive breakdown of everything that unfolded on Sunday during Week 6 of the 2025 NFL season.
Chiefs vs. Lions: A Statement Win Tarnished
Sunday Night Football featured a highly anticipated showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions. The Chiefs ultimately secured a convincing 30-17 victory, signaling a potential return to form. But here's where it gets controversial... the win was marred by a postgame altercation between players from both teams, casting a shadow over Kansas City's celebrations.
Immediately after the Chiefs took a knee to end the game, Lions safety Brian Branch refused a handshake from Patrick Mahomes and instead confronted Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster. What followed was shocking: Branch struck Smith-Schuster on the helmet with an open hand, sending him to the ground. Smith-Schuster retaliated, chasing after Branch, who then grabbed Smith-Schuster's facemask and threw him to the ground. The two players had to be separated as the situation escalated.
Branch later apologized for his actions, claiming that Smith-Schuster had hit him in the back late in the game, which he believed was an illegal play. "I did a real childish thing," Branch 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 further explained, "I got blocked in the back illegally. And it was in front of the ref and the ref didn't do anything and just stuff like that. I could have got hurt off of that, but I still should not have done that.”
Lions head coach Dan Campbell wasted no time addressing the incident in his postgame press conference. "Let me start with this," Campbell stated. "I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable and it's not going to be accepted here. It's not what we do, it's not what we're about. I apologized to (Chiefs) coach (Andy) 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 could face disciplinary action from the NFL, especially considering his history of fines – he's been fined by the league a whopping 10 times since the start of last season!
Despite the controversy, the Chiefs' performance deserves recognition. Mahomes completed 22 of 30 passes for 257 yards and four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing). The Chiefs also displayed a strong running game, accumulating 112 rushing yards as a team. The Chiefs defense successfully contained the Lions' usually potent offense, limiting them to just 98 rushing yards and quarterback Jared Goff to 203 passing yards. With this victory, the Chiefs improved to 3-3, while the Lions fell to 4-2.
Dowdle's Historic Revenge Game
They say revenge is a dish best served cold. And Rico Dowdle certainly delivered a frosty performance against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys. Dowdle, now playing for the Carolina Panthers, exploded for 239 yards from scrimmage, including 183 rushing yards on 30 carries and 56 receiving yards with a touchdown. And this is the part most people miss... it wasn't just about personal stats for Dowdle; it was a winning effort, as rookie Ryan Fitzgerald kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give the Panthers a 30-27 victory over the Cowboys.
Dowdle had even warned his former teammates that they'd better be prepared to face him. "They wasn't buckled up," Dowdle quipped after the game. Having spent his first four seasons with the Cowboys, Dowdle joined Carolina this season. In 2024, he rushed for 1,079 yards with Dallas, but ultimately left the team in the offseason.
This performance marked Dowdle's second consecutive dominant outing, following a 234-yard, one-touchdown performance in Week 5. His 473 scrimmage yards over the past two weeks are a Carolina franchise record. He also became only the sixth running back in the Super Bowl era to record at least 225 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in consecutive games, joining an elite group of players like Dalvin Cook, Le'Veon Bell, Deuce McAllister, Marshall Faulk, and Walter Payton.
"It was personal for him and we knew that. We want to have his back," Panthers quarterback Bryce Young said when asked about Dowdle facing his former team. "That’s our brother and if it’s important to him and it’s personal to him, it’s important to us."
49ers Hit by the Injury Bug (Again!)
Every season, one team seems to be plagued by injuries, and this year, it appears to be the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners suffered another significant loss during their 30-19 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when linebacker Fred Warner was carted off the field. TV cameras captured Warner's ankle twisting awkwardly after a teammate inadvertently fell on it in the first quarter.
After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed that Warner had suffered a dislocated and broken ankle. The four-time first-team All-Pro will undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the season. This is a devastating blow for the 49ers, who are already dealing with a lengthy injury list. The team's defense has already lost star pass rusher Nick Bosa for the season due to a torn ACL. The offense has also been significantly impacted, with quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle, and receiver Ricky Pearsall all missing multiple games.
Mayfield's MVP Caliber Performance
While Warner's injury was the main talking point from the 49ers' second loss of the season, the continued excellence of Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield also shined. Mayfield, a potential MVP candidate, delivered another impressive performance, despite the Buccaneers' own growing injury concerns. The Bucs were already without receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and then lost rookie Emeka Egbuka to a hamstring injury in the second half.
But Mayfield remained unfazed, consistently dissecting the 49ers' defense. He completed 17 of 23 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Tampa Bay's running backs, Rachaad White and Sean Tucker, each added a rushing touchdown. Mayfield’s resilience was on full display in the third quarter when he evaded a group of defenders on a key third down, scrambling for a first down. The Bucs faithful even serenaded the eight-year veteran with MVP chants.
“I was in disbelief just like everybody else,” Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles said of the moment. “It happens every other week or so and he makes those type of plays and you pray he doesn’t get hurt or anything happens to him. But he has a knack. He has a knack that you can’t teach or coach.”
The victory improved the Buccaneers' record to 5-1, placing them atop the NFC standings and solidifying their status as a Super Bowl contender.
Week 6 Results: Home vs. Away (Winners in Bold)
- New York Jets 11-13 Denver Broncos (in London, UK)
- Baltimore Ravens 3-17 Los Angeles Rams
- Carolina Panthers 30-27 Dallas Cowboys
- Indianapolis Colts 31-27 Arizona Cardinals
- Jacksonville Jaguars 12-20 Seattle Seahawks
- Miami Dolphins 27-29 Los Angeles Chargers
- Pittsburgh Steelers 23-9 Cleveland Browns
- New Orleans Saints 19-25 New England Patriots
- Las Vegas Raiders 20-10 Tennessee Titans
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-19 San Francisco 49ers
- Green Bay Packers 27-18 Cincinnati Bengals
- Kansas City Chiefs 30-17 Detroit Lions
So, what are your thoughts on Week 6? Did Brian Branch's actions warrant a suspension? Is Baker Mayfield a legitimate MVP contender? And who do you think is the most injury-plagued team in the league? Let us know in the comments below!
