NFL Week 6: Texans, Ravens, Bills Stories

The Houston Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars with a walk-off field goal at Wembley Stadium in London, changing the AFC South race with one kick. Jacksonville could have improved to 5-1. Instead, The Athletic’s playoff predictor cut the Jaguars’ division-winning chances from 87 percent to 69 percent. Houston’s odds rose to 14 percent; a loss would have left them at 2 percent.

Ravens Without Their Starter

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson won’t play against the Cleveland Browns. He’s out with an ankle injury, missing his second straight game. Jackson hurt the ankle late in the first half of Baltimore’s October 4 win over the Tennessee Titans. Team sources called his status day to day. Coach Jesse Minter said the team doesn’t expect him to miss much time, the best news a fan base can hear in mid-October.

Tyler Huntley starts again. He led the Ravens to a 30-23 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons the previous Sunday. Still, the backup’s record offers reason for caution. Baltimore has gone 6-6 in regular-season games Huntley has started. The Browns game marks Baltimore’s first division game of the season; the Ravens are 1-1 within the division so far.

Bills Head West With Pressure Mounting

The Buffalo Bills, now 4-1, travel to face the Las Vegas Raiders, who are 3-2. Buffalo comes in after a 37-34 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night. Josh Allen ran for 121 yards, while James Cook added 111. Together, they scored three rushing touchdowns. The Bills are spending two games, across a week, on the West Coast. A win in Las Vegas would raise their conference record to 3-1.

Buffalo’s defense faces a critical test before its bye week. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard is demanding urgency. He wants steady evidence that the unit can still reach its potential, and he isn’t shy about saying so. For a team that has relied on its offense to rescue it from shaky stretches, that message carries weight.

The Raiders want to snap a two-game losing streak. New England beat them 45-17 the previous week, racking up 536 yards as Drake Maye accounted for five touchdowns. New York Post writer Vincent Bonsignore said Allen can punish defensive mistakes by running, escaping pressure or throwing over defenders. Las Vegas needs its pass rush, led by Maxx Crosby, to reach Allen without opening escape lanes. The interior defenders must hold their rush lanes, while the secondary has to stay with receivers when Allen extends plays.

Bonsignore also said the Raiders need a working running game, help from receivers beyond Brock Bowers, and scoring drives from quarterback Kirk Cousins. Coach Klint Kubiak must produce those things. Field goals may not be enough if Buffalo reaches the end zone. The article named Bills coach Joe Brady against Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard as a marquee matchup, and identified Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn against Allen as another key battle. Using Chinn as a spy on selected passing downs was floated as a possible approach, not a confirmed plan. Bonsignore picked the Bills to win 34-20 and pointed to Allen’s 121 rushing yards against the Rams as the number to watch.

A Full Sunday and Some Worrying Health News

Twelve games filled Sunday’s schedule. Chicago’s Caleb Williams is listed as questionable against the Atlanta Falcons after full practices Thursday and Friday. He’s expected back barring a setback, but said he’ll need to pass a stress test of his readiness. Kansas City looks to stay undefeated against the winless Los Angeles Chargers.

Philadelphia will be without Jalen Hurts, placed on injured reserve after doctors found a small, superficial blood clot in his calf. He’ll miss at least four games, with November 22 against the Pittsburgh Steelers the earliest he could return. Coach Nick Sirianni spoke carefully Friday. “I know there’s a great deal of interest in Jalen’s health, but I’m not going to get too much into any of that,” he said. “Jalen’s health is of the utmost importance to all of us in the building. Care deeply about Jalen. Not going to get too much into that.” It was Sirianni’s first public statement since doctors found the clot. Tanner McKee will start. The fourth-year veteran started in Week 18 in each of the previous two seasons. The Eagles have lost three straight and are missing key offensive players.

In London, drizzle settled over Wembley about 20 minutes before kickoff. Seats remained empty. Former Jaguars player Fred Taylor tried to rally support inside the stadium. “It’s all about business,” he said.

Why This Matters: The Texans’ Wembley win shifted the math for two AFC South teams in a few minutes of football, while the stakes for players are rarely so abstract. Jackson’s ankle, Hurts’ clot and Williams’ readiness test show that people in these headlines are dealing with injuries that can have real consequences for their bodies and careers. Teams and the league make calls about health and availability; fans, players and staff deserve clear, consistent information when those decisions affect them. Buffalo’s defense and Las Vegas’ offense face questions that will shape who has a path forward this season, and the outcome means more than one line in the standings. Those trade-offs deserve close attention.