The sixth week of the 2025 National Football League regular season is now finished. Here are the top five headlines.
5) Za’Darius Smith retires.
The three-time Pro Bowl linebacker from Montgomery, Alabama retired at age 33 on Monday. Smith played five games with the Philadelphia Eagles this season and had 10 combined tackles (seven assisted tackles and three solo tackles), three quarterback hits, two quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks. Smith had also played with the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions.
In Smith’s career, he has played in 145 games. He had 343 combined tackles (223 solo tackles and 120 assisted tackles), 87 tackles for a loss, 176 quarterback hits, 70.5 sacks, 16 pass deflections, 10 forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.. The first fumble recovery came in a 37-30 Packers win over the New Orleans Saints on September 27, 2020, and the second fumble recovery came in a 34-17 Packers win over the San Francisco 49ers on November 5, 2020.
4) Seahawks win statement game.
The Seahawks moved into a first place tie in the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams after beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-12 on the road. Jaxson Smith-Njigba is becoming a star wideout. On Sunday he had eight catches for 162 receiving yards and a 61-yard touchdown catch from Sam Darnold.
3) Could Baker Mayfield be NFL MVP?
That is the talk around the NFL. Mayfield has led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 5-1 record and best record in the NFC. On Sunday, he completed 17 of 23 passes for 256 passing yards and two touchdowns in a 30-19 Buccaneers win over the San Francisco 49ers. For the season, Mayfield has a quarterback rating of 75.4%, which is a career high.
2) Four prime time upsets.
The prime time upsets continued in week six after the New York Giants stunned the Philadelphia Eagles 34-17 as an 8.5 point underdog. On Monday night, the Atlanta Falcons beat the Buffalo Bills 24-14 as a 4.5 point underdog and the Chicago Bears beat the Washington Commanders 25-24 as another 4.5 point underdog.
1) Titans make coaching change.
After a 1-5 start, the Tennessee Titans have fired head coach Brian Callahan. In as the new head coach is Mike McCoy of San Francisco, California. McCoy was the senior offensive assistant coach this season for the Titans. He has four years coaching experience in the NFL from 2013 to 2016. McCoy has a record of 27 wins and 37 losses.
