NFL Best And Worst: Josh Allen Puts On A Show; The Rams Hit A New Low

What did Josh Allen do?! The bears are back?! And have the Rams and Chargers finally caught up?!

As I do every Monday night, I’m here to share the best and worst of the week’s NFL action. Coming out of Week 6, let’s focus on the plays, team developments and offense:

Josh Allen constantly reminds us that he is equal parts Superman and wizard.

Late in the third quarter of the Bills’ win over the Raiders, Buffalo faced a third-and-long in the red zone. Allen dropped back, climbed into the pocket, spun to his left, beat a defender who tried to sack him from behind and, with four tackles closing in on him, rolled over (!) a 12-yard pass to wide receiver Keon Coleman. Just an incredible game.

The touchdown pass was the 258th of Allen’s career, tying him with Hall of Famer Jim Kelly for the franchise record. And there’s plenty more to come for the 30-year-old Allen.

I can’t say anything about it that hasn’t already been said. Shortlisted for the best quarterbacks in the land, Allen has shown time and time again that he can fit the bill on his shoulders. The former league MVP can kill a defense through the air or on the ground. He can overwhelm you with his rare strength and power as a quarterback or the kind of creativity we saw Sunday against the Raiders.

But the question remains: Does Allen finally have enough help around him to reach a Super Bowl? As the 5-1 Bills enter their bye week, they face concerns about their defense and receiver production. Buffalo ranks second-worst in total defense and 28th in points allowed, while none of its passers average more than tight end Dalton Kincaid’s 52.5 receiving yards per game. Wideout DJ Moore, who has missed two games due to injury, hasn’t been the WR1 the Bills had hoped for when they gave up a second-round pick for him in March.

The Bills are in great shape as the No. 1 seed. 2 in the AFC, but I’m not buying that they’ll be better equipped to get over the Super Bowl hump.

In a fourth-and-8 zone, trailing 15-9 to the Cardinals late in the fourth quarter, Rams coach Sean McVay called a screen pass to running back Kyren Williams. It didn’t work. Matthew Stafford’s pass was just behind Williams, who would have had no room to do anything even if he had caught the pass because he was poorly blocked.

But it was a surprising game in the first place. In a snap, fourth-and-long situation, why was the running back sitting behind the line of scrimmage the best choice? Yes, it was tough sledding in passing for the Rams, who had just one reception longer than 16 yards. But it seemed like a no-brainer scenario to trust your MVP quarterback to find something on the field.

In many ways, McVay’s call-up there has been a microcosm of the Rams’ disappointing 2-4 season. Despite having all the coaching and personnel talent in the world, they have regressed SIMPLY in many fields.

McVay hasn’t been as sharp as usual. Stafford hasn’t been as sharp. The run game has not been as sharp. Wide receiver Davante Adams will be out six to 10 weeks with a hamstring injury. The special teams issues carry over from last season. The absence of running back Myles Garrett has hurt, but the lack of defensive ends in the pass rush has also been alarming. The Rams ranked sixth in pass rush, but ranked 27th in sacks.

Their season is not over. But no team has a greater sense of urgency now compared to preseason expectations.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who missed the past three weeks with a hamstring injury, didn’t miss a beat in his Week 6 return. He completed 83.3% of his passes for 305 yards and a touchdown without an interception in Sunday’s win over the Falcons.

After winning back-to-back games immediately following Williams’ injury, Chicago began to lose it in a 31-7 rout of the Packers in Week 5, a game in which backup quarterbacks Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum combined for four turnovers. So Williams’ return was a welcome sight for the Bears.

Don’t sleep on Kyler Gordon returning to the lineup as well. The standout nickel corner began the year on the physically disabled list and there were questions about his future with the team. But he made his season debut Sunday and had one of the best passing performances by a defensive back of all time: three sacks, three tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.

The talk entering the season with the Bears was that they had a jacket offense. The truth is that they are much more than that. Their defense relative to the rest of the league has actually been better than their offense (Chicago ranks sixth in points allowed, 12th in scoring). Of course, this has been affected by the absence of Williams. But if Gordon can stay healthy — he’s missed 19 games dating back to the start of last season — he’s a force multiplier for an already stout defense.

So Chicago has one of the NFL’s best in general the teams.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was placed on injured reserve last week because of a blood clot in his leg, is now ruled out for the rest of the 2026 season after the discovery of multiple blood clots in his lungs.

A joint statement between the Eagles and Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, said the quarterback has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary embolism. He is said to be clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations, but will not be able to participate in any contact activity while on blood thinners for the foreseeable future.

“Jalen’s prognosis is very good and we expect a full recovery,” the statement said. “In the meantime, he will remain active around the team and continue to condition. Most importantly, we anticipate that he will have no long-term effects.”

A calf injury in Week 5 led to a blood clot for Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, whose 2026 season has been cut short. (Photo by Vince Mignott/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)

There are many unanswered questions about the treatment of Hurts’ condition, including the process leading up to the game and his Week 5 trip to London, where he was initially diagnosed with superficial vein thrombosis in his left calf. But for now, Hurts’ health is priority No. 1. Football takes a second place.

The Texans aren’t getting the nod here just because they scored 34 points. That’s because they scored 34 points on the Jaguars’ defense, one of the best in the league.

Quarterback CJ Stroud completed 70.6% of his passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns against one interception against Jacksonville. Six different Houston receivers had receptions of at least 10 yards, including two who had catches of over 40 yards (Nico Collins, Jaylin Noel).

The Texans’ inconsistent running game also found success. Houston went over 100 yards rushing for the second time this season — and did so against the No. 1 running defense. 1 of Jaguar. The Texans had season highs in points (34) and total yards (426) against the Jags, averaging 7.2 yards per play.

If the Texans were better than 2-4, Stroud would probably be in the MVP conversation. Not leading it – Allen and Brock Purdy are a step above everyone else right now – but definitely a dark horse candidate. He has been so good.

CJ Stroud and the Texans are back to life, giving hope that Houston can become just the second team in NFL history to start 0-4 and still make the playoffs. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

If Stroud can keep it up and Houston’s defense returns to the level it played last season, when it ranked first in yards allowed and second in scoring, the Texans will have one of the most formidable teams in the NFL.

Even where things stand right now, with Houston riding a two-game winning streak after an 0-4 start, the Texans are a team to watch later this season.

If you thought it couldn’t get any worse for the Chargers, they scored a season-low six points in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs. They had just 259 yards of offense, their second-worst mark this season, and quarterback Justin Herbert’s nightmare season continued. He threw his league-high eighth interception after throwing at least one touchdown in each of the Chargers’ six games this season.

We already knew LA’s offense was broken under new OK Mike McDaniel. What we are learning is that it may not be repaired.

Herbert is a shell of himself, running an offense that doesn’t suit him while having to play Superman with the team’s injury concerns at offensive line and wide receiver. Six games is a large enough sample size in the NFL for patience to wear thin. The Chargers can’t come off their good week without making a significant change on offense.

Mike McDaniel’s offense isn’t working for QB Justin Herbert, and it’s putting OC and coach Jim Harbaugh’s job on the line. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The job security of McDaniel and Jim Harbaugh should be questioned. The Chargers are just the second team in NFL history to start 0-6 after winning 11 or more games last season, according to NFL on FOX Research. Only one other NFL team is winless, the 0-5 Dolphins, who entered the season below the expectations the Chargers did.

LA could be ready for a fire sale before the Nov. 10 trade deadline and a rebuild this offseason.