2023 NFL season: Standout performers from Week 6

It was another fascinating week in the 2023 NFL season and we have picked out some of the standout performers.

There are no more unbeaten teams! Thanks to yeomanlike performances by the respective defenses, the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets ended historically long skids while knocking the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles from the unbeaten ranks.

And as each week goes by, the nation needs to get more and more comfortable with a Detroit Lions team that could win the NFC North easily and do some damage in the playoffs.

Below is a list of the top performers from Week 6 in the NFL.

Jared Goff - Detroit Lions, QB

Threw for 353 yards and two touchdowns, completing 30 of 44 passes

It seems eons ago when Jared Goff was the much-maligned Los Angeles Rams castoff exchanged for the shiny Matthew Stafford as the Rams won the Super Bowl.

His first season with Detroit back in 2021 was fairly pedestrian, as he threw for 3,245 yards and 19 touchdowns on a 3-10-1 team. But last year, Goff experienced a resurgence, throwing for 4,438 yards and 29 TDs as the Lions improved to 9-8. 

And now, Detroit is off and running, sparked by an opening night win over the defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City. Goff continued his hot early start to the 2023/24 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, completing 30 of his 44 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns as the Lions easily won the battle between division leaders, 20-6.

Kyren Williams, RB, Cooper Kupp, WR - Los Angeles Rams

Williams - 158 rushing yards and one TD
Kupp - seven catches for 148 yards and a TD

Speaking of the Rams, Los Angeles has gotten off to an uneven 3-3 start this season, as the team is still trying to show that last year’s 5-12 campaign was just a blip.

They did manage to record a 26-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals last time out and the performances of Kyren Williams, a second-year running back, and wide receiver Cooper Kupp stood out.

Williams, an afterthought fifth-found pick out of Notre Dame in 2022, had 158 yards rushing and a touchdown, while Kupp had seven catches for 148 yards and a touchdown.

Raheem Mostert, RB, Tyreek Hill, WR - Miami Dolphins

Mostert - 115 rushing yards and three TDs
Hill - six catches for 163 yards and a TD

The Miami Dolphins were without the services of De’Von Achane against the Carolina Panthers this week. No matter. Raheem Mostert, who had 156 yards rushing the past three weeks, rushed for 115 yards and had three total touchdowns in the 42-21 win.

Mostert’s teammate, Tyreek Hill, had another standout performance, which is pretty much the norm.

Hill surpassed 150 yards receiving for the fourth time this season, recording six catches for 163 yards and a touchdown. He already has 814 yards receiving and eight touchdowns for the 5-1 Dolphins, who sit top of the AFC East.

Read more about the Dolphins' win in our NFL Week 6 review.

Tony Adams, Quinnen Williams, Bryce Hall, Defense - New York Jets

The New York Jets were hit hard with reality when quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down four plays into his first drive with the team, but coach Rober Saleh’s standout defense has kept the team from imploding. That was never more true than against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles this week.

Quinnen Williams, Bryce Hall and Tony Adams recorded interceptions for New York, with Adams returning his 45 yards to set up a late Breece Hall touchdown as the Jets overcame a 14-3 deficit and another stunted offensive performance to defeat the Eagles 20-14.

The win is the first for the Jets franchise over the Eagles, who had previously been 12-0 against them.

Cleveland Browns

Ending an 0-12 all-time record against a team is impressive. Ending an 0-12 record against undefeated teams 5-0 or better over the past 53 years is also impressive.

Per CBSSports.com, Cleveland’s 19-17 win over the previously 5-0 San Francisco 49ers this week is the first time the franchise has beaten an undefeated team this late in the season since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

And the Browns did this without their starting quarterback, as reserve QB P.J. Walker subbed in for DeShaun Watson.

The Browns’ offense managed just one touchdown and four field goals, but Clevland’s defense was up to the task, limiting the 49ers to 215 total yards offensively while hounding Brock Purdy into his first professional loss.

With Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel knocked out, Purdy was stuck in the mud, finishing just 12-for-27 for 125 yards.