It's Week 6 in the 2023 NFL season, so some reactions are clearly not overreactions anymore.
For example, it's pretty clear to the rest of the world that the Falcons are throwing away a season if they're really going to stay committed to Desmond Ridder at quarterback. They outgained the Commanders 402 yards to 193, picked up 25 first downs to Washington's 13 and lost 24-16 -- at home. How did they do that? Well, their quarterback threw three interceptions.
It's also obviously no overreaction to say the Dolphins' offense is capable of setting records. Tyreek Hill is on pace for 2,213 receiving yards, 249 more than the record. I have no reason to believe any team is about to slow down Hill, Tua Tagovailoa or Mike McDaniel's merry-go-round anytime soon.
The Jaguars got their offense figured out last week in London and now look like the team we all expected. The Broncos might have to travel abroad at some point, because the solutions for their mess don't seem to be anywhere in these United States. Oh, and it's no overreaction to say the Buccaneers should be wearing the "Creamsicle" uniforms they wore Sunday every single game for the rest of time. Those are absolutely sensational.
A lot of that is simple, but Week 6 did bring us some surprises and some eye-openers -- still plenty of fodder for our overreactions column, where we judge a few potential takeaways from the weekend's games.
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Jim Schwartz was the year's top add?
DeMeco Ryans as Coach of the Year?
Bengals going on a run?
Best Lions team of your lifetime?
Jets can still go the playoffs?
Jim Schwartz was the best acquisition any team made all offseason
The Browns brought in Schwartz as their new defensive coordinator this season, and so far, they appear to have the league's best, meanest and toughest defense. They held the previously unbeaten 49ers -- who had scored at least 30 points in each of their first five games -- to 17 on Sunday.
Sure, the Niners had a rash of major injuries during the game, and the Browns still needed a 41-yard Jake Moody field goal attempt to sail wide at the final whistle in order to hold on to win. But defensive end Myles Garrett and the defense stifled an offense that no one else has been able to even slow down. And as a result, the Browns are 3-2 and squarely in the AFC North hunt even though they don't have quarterback Deshaun Watson. And the Niners went home with their first loss of the season.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
The numbers speak for themselves, folks. Entering Sunday, the Browns ranked first in defensive efficiency, according to ESPN's Football Power Index. They ranked 30th in offense. They've allowed a total of 1,002 yards so far this season. Only two teams since the 1970 merger allowed fewer yards in their first five games -- the 1971 Colts and 1970 Vikings. These are practically prehistoric numbers the Browns are putting up on defense.
If Watson can make it back from his right shoulder injury soon, and if the offense can get itself on track, Cleveland is going to be a major problem. Clearly, the Browns had the players, but Schwartz has brought it all together in a big way. Next week, they get the Colts, who turned it over four times Sunday in Jacksonville. Viewer discretion is advised.
The Coach of the Year race is already over, and DeMeco Ryans is the winner
Behind first-year coach Ryans, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and first-time offensive playcaller Bobby Slowik, the Texans are the surprise of the season. They knocked off the Saints 20-13 on Sunday. It wasn't the prettiest game they've played, and Stroud did throw the first interception of his NFL career. But they held the Saints to three points in the second half and none in the fourth quarter, and Ryans' defense led the way to a victory that evened Houston's record at 3-3.
The Texans are now a game out of first place in the AFC South behind the Jaguars, a team they've already beaten once. The Texans are off this week and return to face winless Carolina in Week 8, giving them a real chance to be over .500 by Week 9. Coach of the Year tends to be an award that goes to someone whose team played a lot better than anyone expected, and if the vote were held today, Ryans would likely be a front-runner.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
Do you have any idea how much our perception of this award and the favorite to win it change throughout the season? Every season? Yeah, if Ryans leads the Texans to a division title -- or even a wild-card spot -- in his first season, he's going to have a really good shot to win Coach of the Year. But first of all, he's a ways away from doing that.
Second of all, there are other good candidates -- even right now! Mike McDaniel in Miami. Dan Campbell in Detroit. Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. All coaches whose teams are playing at a high level and reflect their personalities. Sean McVay's Rams sure look a lot better than I thought they would. Heck, what if Mike Tomlin lugs this Steelers roster to a division title? There is a long way to go, folks, but full respect to Ryans for what he's doing. He looks like an excellent hire who's pressing all the right buttons.
The Bengals are about to go on a run and roll to a third straight AFC North title
Cincinnati has recovered from a 1-3 start to win its past two games -- including against Seattle on Sunday -- and even its record going into its bye week. More importantly, quarterback Joe Burrow made it to the bye with that preseason calf injury seemingly behind him and now gets a long rest.
Pittsburgh's victory over Baltimore in Week 5 brought the Ravens back toward the rest of the division, which now looks like a four-way toss-up through six weeks. And the Bengals have done this before. They were 4-4 last season after a Halloween loss to the Browns, and they didn't lose again until the AFC Championship Game.
The Bengals believe they're capable of beating anyone, and they know how to get on a roll.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
Hey, I picked the Bengals to win the Super Bowl in the preseason. Obviously, I believe they can still win the division. But the idea that they're about to go on another 10-game winning streak just doesn't hold up.
The division is tough. We've already talked about the Browns, and they join the Ravens as teams that have already beaten the Bengals this season. Cincinnati's first two games out of its bye are at San Francisco and home against Buffalo -- no pushovers by any stretch. The Bengals still have to go to Jacksonville, Baltimore, Kansas City and Pittsburgh in addition to San Francisco. The only game left on their schedule against a team that currently has a losing record is their Week 15 home game against the Vikings on Dec. 17.
The Bengals have what it takes to win their third straight division title, especially if Burrow's leg really is all the way better. But no one should think it's going to be a smooth ride.
This is the best Lions team of your lifetime -- no matter how old you are
The Lions are 5-1, people. This is not a drill. After physically pummeling another first-place team Sunday in Tampa Bay, the Lions are 3-0 on the road, with the wins coming in Kansas City, Green Bay and Tampa Bay. They won 20-6 Sunday against a Buccaneers team that's tough against the run without their top two running backs. Their defense was awesome, too.
With the win, the Lions have won four straight, all by 14 or more points. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the last time Detroit did that was a five-game streak from 1969 to '70. And four wins by 14-plus points ties Detroit's most in a season over the past 25 years, joining the 2014 and 2011 teams. It's Week 6!
Honestly, there aren't many -- if any -- teams that have looked better so far this season outside of San Francisco. And it's pretty hard to find a team that can claim to be more physical than the Lions. They're for real, and they're going to be real contenders come December and January.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
For the sake of argument, let's say you're 90 years old. You were born in 1933, the last year this franchise was the Portsmouth Spartans. Starting in 1934, you've seen only nine seasons in which the Lions won 10 or more games. You've seen eight first-place finishes and four NFL championships. And if you're 65 years or younger, those numbers drop to three and zero, respectively.
The Lions haven't won their division since 1993, when it was the NFC Central and included the Buccaneers. They haven't won a playoff game since 1991, when Erik Kramer, Barry Sanders, Herman Moore and the gang walloped the Cowboys in the divisional round only to get smoked by Washington in the NFC Championship Game.
Not once since then has a Lions team looked the way this one does through six weeks. If you're a Lions fan, you have earned the right to be inappropriately excited about this team. No matter how long you've been a Lions fan, and even if you're 90.
The Jets are going to find their way into the playoffs in spite of the Aaron Rodgers injury
Wait. What was that result that came across a little after 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday night? Does that say the Jets beat the Eagles? Like, for real? They didn't just mix up the green teams and get the score wrong?
People, the Jets are 3-3! Like, when we thought Rodgers was going to be their quarterback, we were saying they should be happy if they got through their six-game opening gauntlet at 3-3. They beat the Eagles! Do you know many times the Jets had ever beaten the Eagles before Sunday? Zero. No times. They were 0-12 against them in their history. Oh, and do you know how many teams had beaten the Eagles this season before the Jets did Sunday? Yeah, that's right. Same answer.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
Oh, what the heck. If I said overreaction, Mike Greenberg might not let me back on "Get Up" on Tuesday. Besides, why not buy in here?
The schedule gets worlds easier from here. Yeah, they have both Dolphins games still on the calendar, along with trips to Buffalo and Cleveland. But if you do the win/loss game with the rest of the Jets' schedule, you can easily get them to nine wins if they keep playing defense like this, leaning on running back Breece Hall and making sure quarterback Zach Wilson keeps the ball out of harm's way. They didn't have either of their starting cornerbacks on Sunday, too. If they could win this game, there's no reason to think they couldn't steal one or more of the tougher-looking matchups on their schedule and get to 10 or 11 wins.
And besides, if you believe Rodgers, he might actually get back on the field at some point this season. Farfetched? Of course it is. The dude tore his Achilles in Week 1. But we aren't living in the same world we were living in 24 hours ago, when the Jets hadn't beaten the defending NFC champs without any cornerbacks.
They're toasting the Jets in Miami right now, where the remaining members of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins are popping champagne. But they aren't the only ones excited about what this Jets team has been able to do in spite of everything lousy that has happened to it over the past six weeks. Enjoy this, Jets fans. You deserve to hope.