For a team that was labelled a "super team" coming into the season, the Los Angeles Rams have looked more like a super disappointment through six weeks.
Their latest dud came on Sunday when they lost to the Arizona Cardinals (2-4) at home on a walk-off field goal.
What was supposed to be a high-powered Rams offence managed just 16 points against an Arizona defence that entered the game allowing the most in the NFL.
And while the Cardinals definitely deserve some credit, as has been the case all season, the Rams' biggest issues Sunday were self-inflicted.
Ill-timed penalties, bad play calling, special teams errors and costly turnovers all came into play on Sunday as the pre-season Super Bowl favourites fell to 2-4 and last in the NFC West.
Did a questionable call at the end of the game and losing Blake Grupe, their newly signed kicker, to injury in the first quarter partially contribute to the loss?
Sure.
But if the Rams played like the team many believed them to be coming into the season, this game shouldn't have been close.
“You know, we won’t win a game unless we figure out how not to beat ourselves,” a visibly frustrated Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters after the game.
No arguments here.
The good news for the Rams? There are still 11 games left to turn this thing around, and they could get prized off-season acquisition Myles Garrett back as early as next week.
But no matter how much talent they might have on the field, if the Rams don't clean things up, they can forget about contending for a championship in what is a Super Bowl-or-bust campaign.
Here are some other takeaways from Week 6:
Stroud has Texans back in business
Speaking of 2-4, that's where the Texans find themselves after Sunday. But despite the identical records, the vibes are a whole lot better in Houston right now.
That's because the Texans have won two in a row, and their franchise quarterback is on a tear.
C.J. Stroud continued his strong play this season over in London as he led the Texans to a 34-31 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 25-year-old QB threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns and looked in complete control of the offence.
This was the Stroud everyone expected after his sensational first year as a pro that saw him win Offensive Rookie of the Year. But the past two seasons have been a major struggle, and many wondered if he could ever return to his rookie form.
So far, so good through six games in 2026.
If Stroud keeps it up, and their talented defence finds a little more consistency, the Texans have a real chance to recover from a 0-4 start and make some real noise in the AFC.
Packers defence stymies Cowboys
One week after the Green Bay Packers offence dominated in a 31-7 win over the Chicago Bears, it was their defence that took centre stage on Sunday night.
The Dallas Cowboys came into Sunday averaging 27.6 points per game, but managed to put up just 13 at Lambeau Field.
Green Bay picked off Dak Prescott twice, and probably should've had a third if not for a questionable roughing the passer call.
With Jordan Love also finding his rhythm on the other side of the ball, the Packers are starting to put together a very complementary football team.
Oh, did we mention that they are still waiting on the imminent return of Micah Parsons, one of the defensive players in the NFL?
The Packers might have something cooking here.
Allen masking Bills' defensive deficiencies
Every week, Josh Allen makes at least one play that shows why he's probably the best player in football right now.
And Sunday's feat was one of his best.
With the Buffalo Bills up 16-13 over the Las Vegas Raiders in the third quarter, and facing a third and eight on the Vegas 12-yard line, Allen put his playmaking magic on display.
The former MVP dropped back, stepped up in the pocket, avoided a sack from behind, then side-arm flipped the ball to a wide-open Keon Coleman in the end zone as multiple Raiders defenders closed in.
It was the play of the day, and possibly the season.
The Bills are now 5-1 after a 33-30 victory, and are averaging a league-leading 32.8 points per game this season.
However, they've needed almost every point as their defence is giving up 28.5 points per contest, the fifth most in the league.
Allen will keep the Bills in every game, but as the stakes get higher and the competition gets stiffer, it will be important for the Bills to get more out of their defence if they're serious about bringing a Lombardi Trophy to the city of Buffalo for the first time.
Williams' return sparks Bears offence
Ah yes, that's what the Chicago Bears offence is supposed to look like.
Caleb Williams returned after a three-week absence, and no offence to backup QB Tyson Bagent, but things just looked different on Sunday.
Head coach Ben Johnson was able to unleash his full playbook again, as the Bears offence completely controlled the game in what ended as a 31-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Williams completed 30-of-36 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown, as the Bears had more third-down conversions (nine) than incompletions (six).
After one to forget against the Packers last week, the Bears reminded everyone why they are a threat with Williams back at the helm.
McCarthy time in New York?
The New York Giants may have lost to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, but it might have come with a silver lining.
Trailing 34-10 in the fourth quarter and the offence floundering, the Giants decided to bench starting quarterback Jameis Winston for 23-year-old J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy came into the game with just 11:25 remaining, but boy oh boy did her make the most of it.
The Michigan product threw for 243 yards and one touchdown while leading the Giants to 17 unanswered points to suddenly make it a game again. His 243 yards in the fourth quarter were the most by any quarterback this season.
He even had New York in position to tie the game with time dwindling down, but came up 14 yards short.
Was he perfect?
No, as he did throw one interception and maybe should've had a couple of others.
But there was no question he was more dynamic than Winston, who could very well be out of a starting job.
Giants head coach John Harbaugh was noncommittal on naming a starting quarterback for Week 7 after the loss, but with Jaxson Dart out for the season, the Giants should take the opportunity to see what they have in McCarthy.
After all, at 3-2-1, they are still in first place in the struggling NFC East.
Steelers, Browns win ugly
There won't be any style points handed out to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns on Sunday, but they both came away with victories, and that's all that really matters.
The Steelers sleepwalked through the first three quarters against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Aaron Rodgers rallied the crew just in time.
Rodgers engineered 16 fourth-quarter points, aided heavily by his newfound connection with rookie receiver Germie Bernard. Then he led a clinical drive in overtime to help the Steelers pull out a 26-19 victory.
Over in Cleveland, the Browns were shut out in the first half by the Baltimore Ravens, but their defence kept them in the game.
Thanks to a couple of timely forced turnovers and defensive stops, the Browns were able to overcome a 10-0 halftime deficit, with DeShaun Watson leading a game-winning field goal drive as the clock expired.
Good teams find a way to win even when things aren't clicking, and the Steelers and Browns are now tied atop the ultra-competitive AFC North at 4-2.
Performance of the day: Travis Hunter
While Allen had the play of the day, Jacksonville Jaguars star Travis Hunter had the game of the day.
Hunter made waves by becoming just the fifth player in NFL history to have an interception and touchdown in the same game, and the first player to do so since 2002.
While it came in a losing effort, the fact that Hunter is starting to turn into the two-way threat that Jacksonville envisioned when it drafted him with the No. 2 pick is a very positive sign for the Jags.
Shoutout of the day: Tennessee Titans
We'd be remiss if we didn't give the Titans their flowers for their first win of the season with a 26-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
It was Robert Saleh's first win as head coach of the Titans, and it was made possible by their defence and special teams.
The Titans still have a major decision to make on the future of second-year QB Cam Ward, who continued to struggle even in the victory.
But hey, at least they know they won't go winless.
1:07
