NFL Heat Index: Bijan Robinson Revving Up, Travis Hunter Shivering Entering Week 7

We’re six weeks into the NFL season, and it’s a muddled mess at the top of the NFC and AFC conference standings.

The Indianapolis Colts are the surprise leaders of the AFC at 5-1, followed by the Aaron Rodgers-led Pittsburgh Steelers at 4-1. But after that, five teams stand at 4-2 with no clear leader pulling away. And the team that represented the AFC in the Super Bowl last season, the Kansas City Chiefs, looks the most dangerous. They’ve won three of their last four games after dismantling the Detroit Lions at home, 30-17.

In the NFC, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sit at the top of the division at 5-1, followed by the Green Bay Packers at 3-1-1. But like the AFC, five teams are in playoff position at 4-2, with the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears all lurking a half-game behind at 3-2.

Bottom line, there are still a lot of games left and jockeying for position before playoff seeding will be determined in the second half of the season. 

Now, let’s take a closer look at who’s hot and who’s cold as we move from an action-packed Week 6 and into Week 7.

WHO’S HOT

With a handful of frontline players not available due to injury, including the team’s bookend offensive tackles in Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, Herbert has taken matters into his own hands and put the Bolts on his back.

Herbert totaled 264 passing yards and two touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins. But the key play was Herbert evading a sack by muscling through a would-be tackle, switching the ball briefly to his left hand and finding Ladd McConkey for a 42-yard catch and run that set up the winning, 33-yard field goal from Cameron Dicker. 

It was Herbert’s 18th game-winning drive since he arrived in the NFL in 2020. Only Patrick Mahomes (19) has more over that time. With the Chargers short-handed due to injuries, Herbert is putting on his Superman cape and carrying the offense. 

A former third-round pick unceremoniously released midseason by the San Francisco 49ers after inconsistent play, the Michigan product had a moment of redemption for his new team. Called up from the practice squad this week due to a quad injury to Cairo Santos, Moody finished 4 of 5 on field goals, including the game winner from 38 yards as time expired to give Chicago a comeback victory over the Washington Commanders. The win allowed the Bears to earn a measure of revenge after a loss on a Hail Mary last season.

Moody received a game ball from head coach Ben Johnson and appears headed in the right direction after two-plus forgettable seasons with the 49ers. 

Robinson looked unstoppable in a big win over the visiting Buffalo Bills, finishing with 170 rushing yards and 238 total scrimmage yards. Robinson leads the league with 822 scrimmage yards and is on pace to finish the year with 2,795, which would blow past the league record of 2,509 set by Chris Johnson in 2009 (I watched Johnson set the record in the final game that season against the Seattle Seahawks).

This is an incredible view of Robinson’s 81-yard touchdown run.

While Robinson is making a push to be considered for MVP consideration, Taylor still leads the league in rushing and is serving as the engine for the Colts’ offense. Taylor rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown in his team’s win over the Arizona Cardinals.

For the season, Taylor leads the NFL in rushing yards (603) and rushing touchdowns (7). Taylor should be the frontrunner for Offensive Player of the Year and is one of the primary reasons the Colts as the surprising leaders of the AFC South.

No CeeDee Lamb, no problem for Dak Prescott. With the team’s No. 1 receiver unavailable due to an ankle injury, Pickens has stepped up to fill the void. 

George Pickens has emerged as one of the top receivers in the NFL this season after getting traded from the Steelers to the Cowboys over the offeason. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Pickens finished with nine receptions for 168 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ close loss on the road to the Carolina Panthers. Pickens is tied for the league lead in touchdown receptions (6) and third in receiving yards (525). Playing in a contract year, Pickens’ production has Dallas owner Jerry Jones singing his praises.

WHO’S COLD

You can appreciate Branch apologizing for his actions postgame after creating a minor scuffle by taking a shot at JuJu Smith-Schuster moments after the game. But it should never have come to that. If he was upset with how Smith-Schuster blocked him, which appeared to be a (borderline) legal block, there were enough plays left in the game for him to respond in between the whistle.

But I can also understand how emotions can get the best of players, particularly after a tough loss. Branch is paying a hefty price, with the NFL issuing a one-game suspension (including no game check) for the altercation, which further hurts his team because they face Tampa Bay this week. An all-around boneheaded play by Branch. 

Nicknamed Bill, the quick ascension of Croskey-Merritt to an every-down starter for Washington has been a fun story this season. However, the fumbling has not been a fun story for the Commanders.

Croskey-Merritt now has two lost fumbles in his last two games and was part of a mishandled handoff from Jayden Daniels that at first glance looks like the quarterback’s fault. The Bears turned the takeaway into a winning field goal by Moody. 

Croskey-Merritt has totaled 175 yards over the last two games. However, the Commanders need to trust Bill in got-to-have it situational football and may go to another runner in critical moments of the game. 

What can you say about Fields and his 45-yard passing performance in a 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in a very winnable game? New York needs some kind of spark from Fields and the offense, but he appears unwilling to push the ball down the field because of the possibility of turning the ball over.

Justin Fields is under duress to turn things around in New York, with the Jets quarterback getting sacked nine times in their loss to the Broncos. (Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images)

And offensive coordinator Tanner Egland hasn’t done a good enough job of taking advantage of Fields’ unique skill set. Head coach Aaron Glenn should not be surprised that reporters are questioning whether he will make a change at quarterback. The 0-6 Jets are last in passing yards per game (144.2) and 26th in points scored per game (20.2) this season. 

After a strong first start a week ago, Gabriel regressed in a 23-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Gabriel completed 29-of-52 passes for 212 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He was sacked six times, posting a 66.3 passer rating.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski did Gabriel no favors by passing the ball 52 times and running it just 17 times in a game that was competitive into the fourth quarter. The Browns host the Dolphins next week, in what should be a winnable game for Cleveland. 

Jacksonville moved up in the draft to get one of the most unique players available in Hunter. However, the second overall pick hasn’t made an impact play as a two-way player through six games. 

Travis Hunter hasn’t lived up to the billing through this point of his rookie season, failing to log a touchdown in his first six games. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

Hunter has played 63% (257) of the offensive snaps and 39% (148) of the defensive snaps. He’s totaled 20 receptions for 197 receiving yards. On defense, he has 15 combined snaps and two pass deflections. The Jaguars need more from Hunter to justify the draft compensation required to go up and get him. 

Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen told reporters that he plans on working to scheme Hunter open more often.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.

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