Sunday’s Best: Drake Maye’s arrival, Rico Dowdle’s revenge and Mahomes’ reminder headline Week 6

Sunday’s Best is a weekly column highlighting the NFL’s top five performers each week. The players who are spotlighted not only put up big numbers but also set the tone for their teams and shape the storylines of the weekend.

Week 6 of the NFL season strung together some of the best performances we’ve seen all year — a statement that seems to ring true again and again. From Baker Mayfield earning MVP chants in Tampa to Rico Dowdle running wild against his former team, these were the players who defined the weekend.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks

It’s time to start including Jaxon Smith-Njigba among the NFL’s elite wide receivers. The Seahawks wideout leads the league with 696 receiving yards, now 80 more than Puka Nacua, and continues to prove that his game isn’t about hype; it’s about production.

Smith-Njigba followed up an impressive performance last week against Tampa Bay with eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown in a 20–12 win over Jacksonville. His lone score came on a career-long 61-yard touchdown reception.

Through six games, Smith-Njigba has topped 100 receiving yards in four of them, making him one of the NFL’s most consistent playmakers and a favorite for this year’s Offensive Player of the Year award.

Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield’s renaissance season continued in front of a fired-up home crowd that showered him with “MVP!” chants. The veteran quarterback played one of his most efficient games of the year, completing 17 of 23 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers in the Buccaneers’ 30–19 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

His signature moment came late in the third quarter. Facing third and 14 while holding just a one-point lead, Mayfield dodged what looked like a sure sack, scrambled upfield and stretched for a 15-yard first down.

Two plays later, he launched a 45-yard touchdown strike to Tez Johnson to help put the game out of reach.

Mayfield is up to 10 touchdowns and just one interception in 2025 while averaging 256.6 passing yards per game. He leads the NFL with four fourth-quarter comebacks and four game-winning drives, making it hard to argue that he hasn’t been the MVP through the first month and a half of the season.

Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots

The Patriots may have finally found their successor to Tom Brady.

Drake Maye went into the Superdome and threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns on 18-of-26 passing, leading New England to a 34–20 win over the Saints — their third consecutive victory of the season.

Building off that momentum, Maye was in total command and connected on deep strikes throughout the entire afternoon, including a 53-yard bomb to DeMario Douglas.

The most impressive attribute of Maye’s second NFL season isn’t a statistic; it’s how he’s been able to elevate the players around him. Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, once on the verge of being cut and written off after a rocky rookie season and off-field issues, has been able to revive his career with Maye at the helm. Boutte hauled in two touchdowns in Sunday’s win.

With Maye leading the charge, the Patriots now sit atop the AFC East, a position nobody expected them to be in this year.

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

On Sunday Night Football, Patrick Mahomes had a chance to remind everyone that he’s still Patrick Mahomes, and he more than capitalized on it.

The three-time Super Bowl champion carved up the Detroit Lions’ defense, distributing the ball to eight different receivers in the Chiefs’ 30-17 victory. Mahomes finished with 257 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and one rushing score, marking his second game this year with four total touchdowns.

After a disappointing 1–2 start, the Chiefs have willed their way back to .500 at 3–3 and are making a push to reclaim the AFC West, a division they haven’t lost since 2015.

Rico Dowdle, RB, Carolina Panthers

Rico Dowdle’s revenge game against his former team was easily one of the season’s best performances.

After a 206-yard performance in Week 5, the Panthers running back followed it up with 183 rushing yards on 30 carries, plus 56 receiving yards and a touchdown in a 30–27 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

The crazy part about it is that Dowdle isn’t Carolina’s first choice for ballcarrying.

The Panthers trailed 17–13 at halftime, but rookie quarterback Bryce Young gave Carolina its first lead of the game after finding Dowdle alone along the left sideline for a 36-yard touchdown pass.

After the Panthers’ walk-off win, Dowdle had the perfect response to his monster game against his old team.

Dowdle was initially signed as a depth piece in the offseason, but in just two starts, he ranks fifth in the NFL in rushing yards despite being just 19th in carries. Week 6 wasn’t about hype or headlines; it was about execution. Teams found their rhythm, stars found their footing and new names warranted more attention. It’s the kind of Sunday that reminds you why the NFL’s chaos is beautiful, because every week, someone new changes the story.