Every week, the NFL reminds us that overreacting to one outcome is a fool's errand.
The Philadelphia Eagles and their fans will be hoping that's the case after the New York Giants stunned the defending Super Bowl champions on Thursday night.
But let's go back for a second to Week 1, when the Green Bay Packers beat the Detroit Lions to a 27-13 score.
This result has many (including this writer) wondering whether the Lions, who lost both of their coordinators in the offseason to head coaching positions, are a prime candidate to take a step back this season.
Fast forward to Week 6 and all the concerns about the Lions are looking pretty silly.
Head coach Dan Campbell is once again making the Lions look like a true juggernaut while many other early-season Super Bowl favorites face serious question marks, including the Kansas City Chiefs, whom the Lions will face on Sunday night.
So, to get ready for Week 6, we'll take a closer look at the Lions vs. Chiefs game, as well as some other key storylines to keep an eye on.
Lions and leaders move in opposite directions.
After losing to the Packers in Week 1, the Lions were in full swing.
They scored the most points (174) and the most touchdowns (22) in five games in franchise history.
Detroit also has a top-10 defense led by edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who has five sacks since returning from a season-ending injury in 2024.
The Lions look exactly like the contender we've come to expect from this team under Campbell, but now the next step for them is to make it in January.
Meanwhile, a team that has become synonymous with playing when it matters is facing some early-season hurdles.
The Chiefs are in danger of falling to 2-4 this week, and they don't look like the well-coached team that has made it to the last three Super Bowls.
Critical errors and penalties have left Kansas City 0-3 in one-score games this season, compared with 11 wins in one-score games last year, the most in league history.
Sunday night primetime would be the perfect place for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to announce to the league that they are still a force to be reckoned with.
But you better believe Campbell has the Lions ready to make it as difficult as possible.
“It’s another one of those, ‘This is why you’re doing this. That’s why you’re in it,” Campbell said this week. “Man, we love this business.”
Bengals call on Old Man Joe
It's usually a bad sign when a team is counting on a 40-year-old quarterback to come in and save the season, but that's exactly the case with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Veteran Joe Flacco, whom the team just acquired from the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday, will start for the Bengals on Sunday against the Packers.
It's a desperate move, but one the Bengals had to take because the Jake Browning experiment didn't pan out.
Flacco went 1-4 in five starts for the Browns this season, but surprisingly his only win came against the Packers.
At best, Bengals franchise QB Joe Burrow looks like he could return in Week 16 from his toe injury.
With the Bengals tied at 2-3, Flacco is under a lot of pressure to keep the Bengals afloat until then. Otherwise, it will be another disappointing season in Cincinnati.
Don't look now, but the Jacksonville Jaguars are 4-1.
Their resume includes wins over the Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers and a big win over the Chiefs on Monday.
But despite the team's 4-1 record, first-year head coach Liam Cohen still isn't satisfied.
“I don't want to say we're the most (4-1) team, but there's definitely some feeling in the building the last few days where we realize we haven't played 60 minutes of our best football yet,” Cohen said after Monday's win over the Chiefs. “They just know there's some meat left on the bone even after a really cool win.”
Week 6 brings another good test as the Jaguars host a 3-2 Seattle Seahawks team that has shown flashes of greatness early on.
If the Jaguars get another win in a short week, it will be time to consider this team a real contender in the AFC.
Game to watch: San Francisco 49ers (4-1) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1) – Sunday, 4:25 pm ET.
Sunday's matchup between the Buccaneers and 49ers will feature a few early-season surprises on both sides.
Tampa Bay has Baker Mayfield, who has been at the forefront of the MVP conversation for the first quarter of the NFL season.
Mayfield, who was once cut by the Cleveland Browns, is playing the best football of his career this season and helped the Bucs win four games with a last-minute goal. He's also fourth in the league in passing yards (1,283) and tied for third in passing touchdowns (10).
“I like what he's doing right now. I like the way he plays. I like the space he's in, mentally and physically,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said of Mayfield.
And San Francisco has a team that has nothing to do with a 4-1 record despite all the injuries it had to deal with early in the season.
But thanks to the masterful work of head coach Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers remain atop the NFC West division and promise that reinforcements will eventually arrive.
Unfortunately, that won't happen this week as the team will once again be without QB Brock Purdy, TE George Kittle and WR Ricky Pearsall. Mac Jones is expected to start again for the 49ers at quarterback, but as we saw last week when the undermanned 49ers and Jones stunned the Los Angeles Rams, they are still a force to be reckoned with despite their injuries.
And when they recover, be careful.
Amazing stat of the week
This week the Browns head to Pittsburgh, where they haven't won a regular-season game since 2003. Yes, you read that right.
Even though the team plays there once a season, the Browns' roster for Sunday's game includes several players who weren't even born the last time Cleveland won a regular-season game in the Steel City.
Forrest Favorites (Season Record: 8-4 – All Odds Given BetMGM):
Seahawks @ Jaguars – Pick: Seahawks -1.5: The Jags are facing a disappointing game after a big win over the Chiefs on Monday night, while the Seahawks should be motivated to get back in the win column after a blowout loss to the Bucs in Week 5.
Chargers @ Dolphins – Pick: Dolphins +3.5: The Chargers are dropping like flies and now have to make the long trip across the country to Miami. Take the Dolphins home with glasses.
Leos @ Leaders – Choice: Leos +2.5: The Lions have every chance in this matchup and it will be difficult for the Chiefs to keep up.
Full Week 6 schedule (all times ET):
Thursday, October 9
Giants 34, Philadelphia 17
Sunday, October 12
Denver vs. New York Jets at London, 9:30 a.m.
Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
Los Angeles Chargers at Miami, 1 p.m.
San Francisco-Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Seattle at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Dallas at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore, 1 p.m.
Arizona vs. Indianapolis, 1 p.m.
Tennessee at Las Vegas, 4:05 p.m.
New England vs. New Orleans, 4:25 p.m.
Cincinnati at Green Bay, 4:25 p.m.
Detroit – Kansas City, 20:20.
Monday, October 13
Buffalo at Atlanta, 7:15 p.m.
Chicago – Washington, 20:15.
