Overreactions from Week 6 of the 2025-26 season

Before we can prepare for the Thursday Night Football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, we need to look back at the fallout from Week Six. With 30 of the NFL's 32 teams in action, let's review the list of hottest takes from Week 6 to determine what is an overreaction and what is an appropriate reaction.

The Kansas City Chiefs will reach the Super Bowl.

Appropriate reaction

The Chiefs haven't played their best football through the first six weeks of the season, but they find themselves at 3-3 with a blowout prime-time victory against what was widely considered the best team in the National Football League. Keep in mind that they won this game without their number one receiver, Rashee Rice, who returns to the field this weekend after serving his six-week suspension. There are even rumors circulating about it members of the Chiefs organization have had private conversations with reporters stating that they feel better about this year's team than last year's team. This should strike fear throughout the NFL because last year's team made it to the Super Bowl. They don't play every game close. They actually show dominance over other teams, something we haven't seen much of in the 2024-25 campaign. Considering how this group is built and the fact that they have reached three straight Super Bowls, they are a clear threat to return to the Big Game for a fourth straight year.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the best team in the NFL.

Overreaction

We've been doing this song and dance for a few weeks now. Two weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles were the best team in the NFL. Last week, the crown was passed to the Detroit Lions. Now it's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We have to remember that the NFL is a week-to-week league. A team that killed someone in early October can look like crap two weeks later. You don't believe me? Just look at the Buffalo Bills! Do the Tampa Bay Buccaneers look like the best team in the league NOW? Yes, they do. Will this be the case at the end of the season? It's hard to say. Heading into Week 7, they are playing the best football of any team in the NFL. Then again, they lost to the Eagles two weeks ago. By default, shouldn't that mean Philadelphia is the best team in the league? But they just lost to the Giants. So by that logic, Big Blue is the best team in the NFL. No team is the overwhelming favorite to win the Super Bowl. My bet is still on the Lions to have the best record in the league because they are really good, even if they are far from fully healthy. But, for now, Tampa takes the Week 7 title for best team in the league.

Jaxson Dart will win the NFL Rookie of the Year award.

Appropriate reaction

Although this award should go to Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, there are two factors working against him. First, he is currently dealing with an injury, and if he has to miss an extended period of time or multiple games, it will be a huge blow to his candidacy. Second, and more importantly, the NFL and its voters will always favor a quarterback over any other position. Since 2019, four of the last six AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award winners have been QBs. The fans are even more superficial. Since the league partnered with Pepsi and allowed fans to vote for the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year Award starting in 2002, 11 of the 23 winners have been quarterbacks. Among 33 quarterbacks, Dart is 17th in QBR. He also has a better passer rating than longtime starters like Trevor Lawrence, Brock Purdy, Michael Penix Jr. and Geno Smith. While I don't think wins are a quarterback stat, Dart can easily become Rookie of the Year if the G-Men continue to pile up the wins.

The Philadelphia Eagles will miss the playoffs.

Overreaction

They may have lost two games, but let's not act like the sky is falling. They still lead the race for the NFC East with a 4-2 record, have a game in hand against the Cowboys and also have head-to-head wins against potential playoff teams like the Buccaneers and Rams. This will help them a lot if they don't win their division and compete for a Wild Card spot. Their schedule is not the easiest, but there are probable victories on the schedule. They should beat the Vikings, the Giants at home, the Bears at home and the Raiders at home. That would give them eight wins. From there, they should be able to win the division if they beat the Cowboys again and split the season with the Commanders. Realistically, their playoff hopes will come down to the final three weeks of the year, when they have to travel to Washington, Buffalo, and then face the Commanders at home. If they can win both of their games against Washington, Philly will make the playoffs without much worry. Even if the Commanders win BOTH of these games, they can pick up some other wins along the way against perhaps the Packers or Lions.

The Chicago Bears are a playoff team.

Appropriate reaction

The Chicago Bears are no longer a bad team, which is a step in the right direction toward possibly becoming a playoff team. If we're being honest, the 2024-25 Bears probably lose the games they played in Weeks 4 and 6 of this season. The fact that they were able to pull off back-to-back wins in matchups where it seemed like everything was going wrong is a good sign for the Windy City faithful. They should be able to beat the Saints, Bengals and Browns, making it seven wins. If they can steal a game against the Packers, Giants, Vikings or Eagles, then they will be ready to make the playoffs. They have already played pretty well with a decimated secondary. Once these guys get fully healthy, their defense will be much better. Most importantly, Caleb Williams is showing significant growth under head coach Ben Johnson. Right now, it's a frisky team that's probably on the outside looking in. But they will be a problem if they can string together two more wins to extend their winning streak to five straight games.