Analysis: Offenses have their way in Week 6 with highest scoring output of the season

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Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers moved the ball at will against the Saints. Jared Goff and the Lions were unstoppable in Dallas. The Texans, Falcons, Packers and Ravens also put up big numbers.

Offenses dominated in Week 6.

Nine teams scored at least 30 points, including Detroit’s 47 against the undermanned Cowboys and Tampa Bay’s 51-point outburst in New Orleans that could’ve reached the 60s if Mayfield hadn’t thrown three interceptions. It was the second-most points the Buccaneers have ever scored.

“That was a full group effort on offense,” Mayfield said.

With the Bills-Jets matchup remaining on Monday night, the combined average of 49.7 points per game this week is the most this season. Six teams had 400 total yards of offense and five more had 350.

Tampa Bay (4-2) led the way with a franchise-record 594 total yards, the second-most the Saints have ever allowed. Mayfield had 325 yards passing and four touchdowns and Sean Tucker ran for 136. The Buccaneers became just the fifth team in NFL history to have at least 300 yards passing and 275 yards rushing in a game.

“Put up 51 points and we had three turnovers,” wide receiver Chris Godwin said. “We can run the ball, we can throw the ball – obviously we are at our best when we can do both in the same game. Just having that ability to play in multiple ways and win in multiple ways is going to be big for us as we go down the season, because we’ve got a tough schedule.”

Detroit had such an easy time facing a defense missing Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson tried a few times to get an offensive lineman to score a touchdown.

Tackle-eligible Taylor Decker couldn’t grab Goff’s 2-yard toss in the end zone. All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell got a lateral off a hook-and-ladder play and ran to the Cowboys 3 only to have it negated by penalty.

Goff threw for 315 yards and three scores and the Lions (4-1) racked up 492 yards, handing Dallas (3-3) its third straight home loss.

“Things are starting to come together a little bit,” Goff said. “First two weeks trying to find our rhythm and we’ve found it.”

With many teams resting starters or barely playing them in the preseason, it took a few weeks for offenses to start clicking. After teams averaged 45.8 points per game in Week 1, that number dipped to 39.6 and 41.6 the next two weeks before beginning to rise steadily.

Passing numbers were down early in the season. Not anymore.

Eight quarterbacks have thrown for 250 yards this week, including four 300-yard games. Three QBs had four TD passes and four had three.

“There’s always room for improvement,” Ravens two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson said after Baltimore’s 30-23 win over Washington. “It’s only the sixth game. We still had drives that we should’ve put points on the board.”

Jackson threw for 323 yards, Derrick Henry ran for 132 and the Ravens (4-2) had 484 total yards.

C.J. Stroud tossed three TD passes in Houston’s 41-21 win at New England as the Texans (5-1) spoiled Drake Maye’s first start. Kirk Cousins followed up a 509-yard effort with only 225 yards passing in Atlanta’s 38-20 victory at Carolina. But the Falcons (4-2) ran for 198 yards behind Tyler Allgeier (105) and Bijan Robinson (95).

The Bears finished on a roll, scoring four straight TDs before missing a field goal in a 35-16 win over the Jaguars in London. Caleb Williams has his third straight game with a 100-plus passer rating. He completed 79.3% of his passes for 226 yards and four TDs for Chicago (4-2).

Jordan Love tied a career-best with four TD passes in Green Bay’s 34-13 rout over Arizona. The Packers (4-2) had 437 yards and led 24-0 while the Cardinals managed just one first down through four possessions.

“That was the goal for us coming into this game, to be able to start fast and get in that rhythm,” Love said.

It worked for the Packers and several teams on Sunday.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press