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2023 国产外流网Offensive Player Rankings, Week 6: Weighing what's next for three slumping offenses

We're in Week 6 of the 国产外流网season, and there's a lot to like when it comes to offensive play. There's also a lot to, uh, not like.

Over the past two weeks, Bill Belichick suffered the two worst home losses by margin of his career. His New England Patriots were shut out by the New Orleans Saints in Week 5, while quarterback Mac Jones turned the ball over three times and the offense compiled just 156 yards.

"Obviously, it was a poor performance today here," Belichick said after Sunday鈥檚 34-0 loss. "Plain and simple, we've got to find a way to play and coach better than that. So let's go start all over and get back on a better track than we're on right now."

The Patriots boast the league's worst scoring offense through five weeks after putting up three points in the last two games combined. In fact, the Patriots have not scored an offensive touchdown in 10 quarters (the second quarter vs. the Jets in Week 3).

For today's edition, I'm using this telling quote as a jumping off point to discuss three offenses -- one in need of a hard restart, another that could use a soft reset and a third that should stay the course despite underperforming thus far.

HARD RESTART

You probably could have guessed the Patriots would be my pick here. In past years, they have tended to start slow before hitting their stride late in the season and into February. However, that was when they had the greatest quarterback ever. I don鈥檛 see that trend holding up this season, not with New England lacking a competitive advantage on the offensive side of the ball. (The defense also seems to be losing star players to injury by the week.) There is no true WR1. There is no continuity along the offensive line. And the quarterback play has been poor.


No Patriots player has tallied more than 300 scrimmage yards this season; running back Rhamondre Stevenson leads the team with 188 rush yards and 275 scrimmage yards, while Kendrick Bourne is the leading receiver with 218 yards through five weeks. The offensive line does not seem to be doing a good job protecting Mac Jones. The third-year quarterback has been pressured on at least 40 percent of his dropbacks in each of the last three weeks, per Next Gen Stats. And Jones has struggled mightily, especially in the last two contests, when he completed 55.8 percent of his passes, averaged 130 pass yards per game and threw zero TDs to four INTs. He was replaced by backup Bailey Zappe in the second half of both games. 


When nothing is going right, any miscue feels exponentially worse, and there鈥檚 no doubt New England is feeling pressure, sitting at 1-4 in mid-October. So where do the Patriots go from here?


The beauty of the Patriots during Bill Belichick's tenure is that they typically are able to reinvent themselves weekly. I have no doubt offensive coordinator Bill O鈥橞rien will show some new things schematically Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, and while that won鈥檛 solve all the problems, it should help. Jones isn鈥檛 comfortable in the pocket right now -- rightfully so -- so the key here is to simplify things and slow this operation way down. 


The Patriots should be able to feature a solid two-headed monster in the backfield, between Stevenson and the veteran Ezekiel Elliott. While neither player is averaging above 4.0 yards per carry this season, this is an area where additional focus could drive more offensive success. The Raiders are inconsistent against the run. New England has utilized 12- (one RB, two TEs; 29.9%) and 13-personnel packages (one RB, three TEs; 11.1%) at a much lower rate than their 11-personnel package (three WRs; 50.9%), according to Next Gen Stats. At this point, it's worth trotting out those heavy personnel packages with multiple tight ends to help the RB duo build confidence and produce. Put the ball in the hands of two of the unit鈥檚 more talented players and allow them to punish defenses with their downhill style and physical play. It might not be a perfect option, but something must change. 

SOFT RESET

The promise Baltimore鈥檚 offense showed early in the season was erased in Week 5. Between Lamar Jackson鈥檚 two late giveaways and seven (!) drops by his pass-catchers, it鈥檚 best if we just forget about that painful division loss to the Steelers. Outside of that outing, I鈥檝e seen some good things from Jackson in new coordinator Todd Monken鈥檚 offense. The former MVP has been challenged to improve as a passer, and for the most part, he鈥檚 responded well. In Weeks 1-4, Jackson compiled a 74.3 completion percentage, threw four TD passes against just one INT and posted a 104.2 passer rating. In the season's first five weeks, Jackson ranked fifth in the 国产外流网with a career-high 69.9 completion percentage. He has improved tremendously on his downfield passing, making an accurate throw on nine of his 16 attempts of 20-plus air yards for a career-best 56.3 accuracy percentage -- which ranks third in the league (min. 10 deep accuracy attempts), per Pro Football Focus. From 2020 to 2022, Jackson's deep-accuracy percentage was at 27.5, last in the NFL. 


So, if Jackson is playing better than he ever has in the pass game, where does this 鈥渟oft reset鈥 apply? While Jackson has improved in his efficiency, the Ravens鈥 overall offensive numbers have declined:

Table inside Article
Ravens offense with Lamar Jackson as the starter 2018-2022 2023
Points per game 28.0 21.8
Total yards per game 384.5 335.0
Rush yards per game 184.8 146.0
Points per drive 2.4 1.8
Three-and-out percentage 25.9 33.9

I believe this dip in production centers around Jackson's usage in the run game. He is one of the most terrifying running quarterbacks in the history of football, but the Ravens aren't using him accordingly. Sure, he still leads the team in rush yards this season, just as he's done in each of the last four seasons. However, Jackson has had just 18 designed run plays through five weeks this season, the fewest through five weeks in a season since he became the team's starter in 2019, per Next Gen Stats. He has scrambled 27 times, at least three more times than in any other season through five weeks, but his output on such runs (6.6 yards per carry) is as low as it's ever been in that span.

Altering the game plan to incorporate more designed QB runs would likely boost Baltimore's fourth-ranked rushing attack, because he's averaging more than a full yard more per carry than any running back on the team. It would also help sustain drives and take more pressure off the receivers, who continue to rotate in and out of the lineup due to injuries. Ultimately, the Ravens' offense is at its best when fully utilizing its explosive quarterback, and I believe Monken's unit would see significant improvement on the stat sheet by intentionally incorporating Jackson more in the run game.

STAY PATIENT

Despite Jordan Love鈥檚 struggles in the last few weeks, I still have a lot of faith in this offense. The Packers have a strong rushing attack with Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, promising young pass catchers (second-year WRs Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs and rookies Jayden Reed and Luke Musgrave) and a solid quarterback who is experiencing some expected growing pains. Jones and Watson, both dealing with hamstring injuries early in the season, have only played in one game together. That's not ideal, considering Jones led Green Bay with 1,516 scrimmage yards, and Watson posted a team-high seven receiving touchdowns in 2022. With key players sidelined and this new group still adjusting, Love鈥檚 numbers have dipped drastically in recent weeks.


  • Weeks 1-2: 7.6 pass yards per attempt, six TDs, zero INTs, 118.8 passer rating, two sacks.
  • Weeks 3-5: 6.2 pass yards per attempt, two TDs, six INTs, 57.7 passer rating, eight sacks.


Struggles are expected in a youth-infused offense, and after Monday鈥檚 loss to the Raiders, head coach Matt LaFleur seemingly acknowledged as much.


鈥淭rying to reflect on it from a coaching standpoint, it鈥檚 great we have this big ol鈥 call sheet with all these plays to attack certain looks or whatever it may be, and it really doesn鈥檛 matter if you can鈥檛 execute it," he said Tuesday.


鈥淛ust from a coaching standpoint, we may have to look at just how much are we putting in on these guys because, you鈥檙e right, we do have a lot of young guys. Although we didn鈥檛 have a ton of mental mistakes, it鈥檚 just that we did have a few in some critical situations that we can鈥檛 have.鈥


It鈥檚 important to remember -- and it seems like LaFleur does -- that the 24-year-old Love is still a young quarterback, and he鈥檚 got to be brought along as such. The Packers have shown flashes but still rank 28th in rushing and total yards and 21st in passing. The promising thing is that the first-year starter seems to be learning from his mistakes, not often making the same one week to week. He also continues to put his team in a position to win, even as key playmakers rotate in and out of the lineup to injury. The bye week should help get Green Bay鈥檚 playmakers back on the field, and then it's a matter of this team putting it all together.  

Top 15 offensive player rankings

Each week in the 2023 campaign, former No. 1 overall pick and 国产外流网Network analyst David Carr will take a look at all offensive players and rank his top 15. Rankings are based solely on this season's efforts. The Week 6 pecking order is below.

NOTE: Arrows reflect changes from Week 4's rankings.

Rank
1
Christian McCaffrey
San Francisco 49ers · RB

In Week 4, Christian McCaffrey was EVERYWHERE and then some, scoring four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) in San Francisco鈥檚 divisional win over Arizona. I don鈥檛 think anyone expected him to duplicate that production against Dallas on Sunday, but he did score a rushing touchdown, his seventh of the season. He鈥檚 now scored a touchdown in 14 straight games. 


Side note: McCaffrey is human. So he lost a fumble in Sunday鈥檚 win. It was just the third lost fumble of his career, and he went 995 consecutive carries without losing a fumble before it happened, which was the longest active streak in the NFL.

Rank
2
Tyreek Hill
Miami Dolphins · WR

According to Next Gen Stats, Dolphins players have recorded seven of the top eight speeds by a ball-carrier in the league this season, with Tyreek Hill and rookie running back De鈥橵on Achane each recording three. In Sunday鈥檚 win over the Giants, Hill clocked 22.01 miles per hour on a screen play that turned into a 64-yard pickup in the blink of an eye. He posted 181 yards, including a 69-yard TD, on the day and leads the 国产外流网in receiving yards with 651.

Rank
3
3
Tua Tagovailoa
Miami Dolphins · QB

The Dolphins are off to their best five-game start since 2003 (when they were also 4-1), and a lot of credit goes to Tua Tagovailoa. He鈥檚 been the perfect point guard in Mike McDaniel's offense, which ranks No. 1 overall and has racked up an NFL-record 2,568 total yards through Week 5. He's had some hiccups, including the two picks he threw in Sunday's win, with his TD-to-INT ratio sitting at 11:5. But Tua has played his way into the MVP conversation

Rank
4
1
Patrick Mahomes
Kansas City Chiefs · QB

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Chiefs' win over the Broncos on Thursday is not being factored into Mahomes' ranking or the following analysis, which are solely meant to reflect Mahomes' play heading into Week 6.


We鈥檝e all come to realize this year鈥檚 Chiefs offense isn鈥檛 what it鈥檚 been the in the past, yet Patrick Mahomes has done a good job of spreading the ball around to his playmakers, and he's (mostly) played better with each passing week. Regardless of how bumpy the road gets for this offense, which, despite everything, still ranks seventh in yards and ninth in points, Kansas City always has a chance with No. 15 under center.

Rank
5
1
Josh Allen
Buffalo Bills · QB

The Bills fell back into their old non-running ways in Sunday's loss to Jacksonville, as they rushed for a measly 29 yards. Josh Allen led the way with 14 of those rushing yards, including a 3-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, on four attempts. That certainly played a role in Buffalo鈥檚 slow start; Allen failed to put together consecutive scoring drives until the final quarter. This was a much different offense than the one that scored 48 on the Dolphins a week prior. 

Rank
6
1
Justin Herbert
Los Angeles Chargers · QB

The last time we saw Herbert, he threw for one TD and ran for two more in a win over the Raiders. He also injured his non-throwing hand in that game, though. He now heads into a prime-time matchup against Dallas with an extra week of rest and preparation. We鈥檒l see how the injury impacts his play -- if at all -- and whether he can take advantage of a defense that allowed 42 points in a humbling loss to the 49ers and is . 

Rank
7
2
Justin Jefferson
Minnesota Vikings · WR

Unfortunately, this will be Justin Jefferson's last appearance on this list for the foreseeable future, since he's been placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury that sidelined him in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. Even before the exit, Jefferson was held in check by Steve Spagnuolo鈥檚 defense, tallying just three catches for 28 yards on six targets. The fact that he contributed both offensive TDs in the Vikings' only win of the season so far (at Carolina in Week 4) shows just how detrimental Jefferson's absence will be to Minnesota's efforts to get back into the playoff mix.

Rank
8
NR
Ja'Marr Chase
Cincinnati Bengals · WR

Ja鈥橫arr Chase had been heating up in the games leading up to Week 6, when he exploded for 15 receptions, 192 yards and a trio of touchdowns in the Bengals鈥 must-win game against the Cardinals. Getting Chase involved is huge if the Bengals want to have success. In the team鈥檚 two wins this season, Chase has averaged 13.5 catches and 166.5 receiving yards per game. In Cincinnati鈥檚 three losses, he has averaged just 5.7 catches and 47.7 receiving yards per contest. If they keep feeding him, the Bengals will be sitting pretty come January.

Rank
9
3
George Kittle
San Francisco 49ers · TE

It鈥檚 always fun when tight ends have big outings, and I especially feel that way about George Kittle, who鈥檚 known for doing so much in the run game. Kittle had three touchdown receptions in Sunday night鈥檚 victory over the Cowboys -- the first game with at least three scores in his career. So many players on this 49ers offense are capable of taking over a game. It was Kittle's turn last week. Who's next?

Rank
10
3
Travis Kelce
Kansas City Chiefs · TE

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Chiefs' win over the Broncos on Thursday is not being factored into Kelce's ranking or the following analysis, which are solely meant to reflect Kelce's play heading into Week 6.


Chiefs Kingdom had a scare Sunday when Travis Kelce was sidelined ahead of halftime with an ankle injury. Fortunately, Kelce was able to fight through the sprain and help lift the Chiefs to a close road win at U.S. Bank Stadium. He finished with 10 catches for 67 yards, including a four-yard TD pass from Patrick Mahomes

Rank
11
NR
Brock Purdy
San Francisco 49ers · QB

Yes, Brock Purdy has a ton of offensive playmakers at his disposal in the 49ers鈥 passing attack, but he also deserves some credit for leading this team to a 5-0 start. Through five games, Purdy has completed 72.1 percent of his pass attempts for 1,271 yards, nine touchdowns (zero INTs) and a 123.1 passer rating. He also looked unfazed by Dallas' D in Sunday's win. Like Tua in Miami, Purdy is a masterful point guard at the quarterback position, operating Kyle Shanahan's offense with aplomb. 

Rank
12
NR
A.J. Brown
Philadelphia Eagles · WR

A.J. Brown has rebounded from a slow start to the 2023 season, logging his third straight game with at least 125 receiving yards in Week 5鈥檚 win over Los Angeles. This Eagles passing attack is getting closer to hitting its stride.

Rank
13
NR
Stefon Diggs
Buffalo Bills · WR

Diggs put together two impressive outings, following 120 yards and a TD hat trick on six catches against the Dolphins in Week 4 with 121 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions Sunday in London. Josh Allen and Diggs have some of the best chemistry on the field, and it鈥檚 a beautiful thing when they鈥檙e clicking. 

Rank
14
1
Jalen Hurts
Philadelphia Eagles · QB

The Eagles are undefeated -- and yet, they're playing far from their best as we head into mid-October. Jalen Hurts has played well enough as a passer; in Sunday鈥檚 road win over the Rams, he threw for 303 yards, one TD and one pick. He also rushed for 72 yards . Hurts executes Philly鈥檚 鈥淭ush Push鈥 or 鈥淏rotherly Shove鈥 with perfection, using it to score on a first-and-goal late as time ran out in the first half. Entering Week 6, he led the 国产外流网with 11 rushing first downs on third- or fourth-and-1 this season. 

Rank
15
NR
Puka Nacua
Los Angeles Rams · WR

I am no longer accounting for the 2022 season in this ranking, so it makes perfect sense that Rams rookie Puka Nacua makes his debut here. The star wide receiver held down the fort during Cooper Kupp's absence through the first four weeks of the season, putting up 39 receptions for 501 receiving yards. Kupp was back in the mix in Sunday鈥檚 loss, but Nacua still managed seven catches for 71 yards, including an impressive 22-yard TD reception in tight coverage. He鈥檚 been as good as anyone this season, setting an 国产外流网record for the most receptions (46) and receiving yards (572) through the first five games of a player鈥檚 career in the Super Bowl era. 

JUST MISSED: Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints (previously No. 8); Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 9); Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders (No. 10); DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (No. 11); Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (No. 14).

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