NFL Week 6: The return of Caleb Williams, and life gets worse for the Rams

Week 6 of the NFL season featured a star player returning from one of the season’s most dramatic injuries, an important game across the pond and another devastating loss for a Super Bowl contender.

Here’s all the action you need to know about from Sunday.

Caleb Williams picked up where he left off

Chicago Bears starting quarterback Caleb Williams played Sunday for the first time since he injured a hamstring in Week 2, and he was spectacular in a 31-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Williams completed 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown, improving his completion percentage to 72.5% for the season.

Williams was especially efficient when he was not facing pressure. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he completed all 24 of his passes from a clean pocket, the most attempts without an incompletion under such circumstances since 2018.

After having gone 2-1 without their starter, the Bears improved to 4-2 with the win. The offense has been humming with Williams under center, averaging 31 points per game in his three starts. Chicago will now enter a spotlighted stretch of its season, as its next three games will all be played in primetime.

The Rams are still searching for answers

Six weeks after they entered the season as a heavy favorite to win the Super Bowl, the Los Angeles Rams (2-4) are in last place in the NFC West after Sunday’s 18-16 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

After a frustrating day with little offense, the Rams had finally pieced together a productive drive to tie the game at 15 in the fourth quarter’s final minute. The point-after was no foregone conclusion. The team cut kicker Harrison Mevis after a miss in last week’s loss to Buffalo, only to see his replacement, Blake Grupe, get hurt trying to make a tackle early Sunday. That left Rams punter Ethan Evans to step up to attempt his first point-after since college — which he made to give Los Angeles a one-point lead with 47 seconds left.

It was a different kicker who ended up the hero, though. A controversial penalty on the Rams for unnecessary roughness — a penalty that increased the Cardinals’ win probability from 26% to 74% — helped Arizona’s final drive move downfield in position for Chad Ryland to attempt a game-winning kick from 43 yards. He nailed it to keep the Rams still looking for any consistency. By the way: The Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers have one win combined in their home stadium, SoFi Stadium, this season. The Cardinals are 2-0 there.

The Texans’ season isn’t over just yet

The Houston Texans are winners of two straight after a 34-31 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. It was the first game of the day on Sunday and perhaps the best. Quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Trevor Lawrence combined for 618 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Stroud was nearly perfect, posting a quarterback rating of 96.9 (out of a possible 100).

After the Texans opened up a 10-point lead in the final minute of the third quarter, the Jaguars stormed back. First, Lawrence led a nine-play, 61-yard touchdown drive to cut the score to 31-28 early in the fourth. Then, after a Travis Hunter interception, Lawrence led a 38-yard drive that culminated in a 60-yard field goal by Cam Little.

But Houston got the last laugh. After Little’s kick, the Texans quickly marched into Jacksonville territory. Ka’imi Fairbairn hit a 49-yard field goal as time expired, securing Houston’s second win of the season.

The Texans are 2-4, and while their climb into playoff position will be an arduous one, Houston did make the postseason after an 0-3 start a year ago. If Stroud maintains his current level of play — he has thrown nine touchdown passes and only one interception this season — the Texans won’t be a pushover.

The Titans rose from the ranks of the winless

Tennessee’s seasonlong nightmare is finally over. The Titans finally won a game, knocking off a divisional rival, the Indianapolis Colts, 26-20. Tennessee stormed back in the second half, scoring all of its points in the final 30 minutes, including 20 in the final quarter.

The Colts aided the cause with a litany of mistakes. Quarterback Daniel Jones threw two interceptions, running back Jonathan Taylor had a fumble, the special teams had a punt blocked for a touchdown, and the offense also had a turnover on downs for good measure.

The Titans are now 1-5. Indianapolis, meanwhile, entered this season with high expectations from ownership but fell to 2-4 after the loss.