Sunday’s contest at Wembley Stadium was one of the best London games I have ever seen. The quarterback play from Trevor Lawrence and CJ Stroud was at a high level from start to finish, and this game had a little bit of everything.
Travis Hunter played both ways, the kickers traded long field goals late on, and the drama never let up. It really was a terrific game that was ended by Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 49-yard kick as time expired. That field goal came moments after Cam Little landed a 60-yarder to tie the scores at 31-31.
For the Texans, this was a 34-31 victory that moves them, I believe, back into playoff contention in the AFC, despite their 2-4 record. Stroud was excellent, throwing for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns. Yes, he threw his first interception of the season in the fourth quarter, but for the most part he was assured, composed and looked every inch a franchise quarterback.
That will come as no surprise to the Texans, because head coach DeMeco Ryans told me two days before the game that Stroud had played his part this season, even though Houston had won just one of their first five games. Three of those four defeats had come by five points or fewer, so the Texans had been much closer than their record suggested. They could easily have arrived in London with a winning record.
Now they head home with some winnable games on the horizon. They face the New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts in their next four games. Cleveland might be top of the AFC North, but I still believe the Browns are beatable. If Houston can build on this Wembley victory, there is every reason to think the Texans can get themselves back into the playoff picture.
That is certainly how the Texans feel.
The Jaguars, meanwhile, should not hang their heads after that performance. They showed they can go toe to toe with a quality opponent and compete in so many different ways. And when Jacksonville needed him, Trevor Lawrence was there time and time again; throwing for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns.
I think the Jaguars are in good shape and will be okay. In fact, I believe both these teams will be just fine. They looked like playoff contenders at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Who’s Hot…
Caleb Williams… The Chicago Bears welcomed Caleb Williams back to action on Sunday and he showed few ill effects from the hamstring injury that sidelined him for Weeks 3-5. During Chicago’s 31-23 Week 6 win over Atlanta that got a little too close for comfort at the end, Williams hit on 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown. The Bears showed they could just about survive Williams’ spell on the sideline, but they are a true contender when he is back leading from the front.
Kenneth Walker… It was not the prettiest of wins as the Kansas City Chiefs remained unbeaten on the 2026 season with a 22-6 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. But the contest did serve as a reminder of the excellent piece of business the Chiefs did during the offseason when they snapped up Kenneth Walker from the Seattle Seahawks. The Super Bowl 60 Most Valuable Player rushed 19 times for 128 yards and two scores, averaging 6.7 yards per carry in another extremely productive showing. Walker now leads the NFL with 665 rushing yards, bringing balance to the Chiefs’ attack and easing some of the burden off the shoulders of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The Green Bay Packers… Sunday’s 23-13 win over a mistake-riddled Dallas Cowboys team was Green Bay’s third victory in a row. And their recent resurgence has coincided with some excellent play from quarterback Jordan Love and some opportunistic moments on defense. Love only threw for 276 yards and one touchdown against the Cowboys but he did have a couple of would-be touchdown passes dropped in the end zone. He is rounding into form nicely and with Micah Parsons due to return soon from his long-term knee injury, the 4-2 Packers should not be counted out in what is sure to be a wide open Super Bowl race in the NFC.
Who’s Not…
The Los Angeles Rams… Cast your mind back to the summer and you will recall that we were all falling over ourselves to heap praise on the Rams, who were the strongest of Super Bowl favourites and being dubbed ‘The Dream Team.’ On Sunday, they lost 18-16 to a struggling Arizona Cardinals team that had only won a single game coming into SoFi Stadium. And the Cards didn’t even need to score a touchdown, winning on six Chad Ryland field goals; including the game-winner as the clock hit zero. The Rams continue to hurt themselves, especially on what should be a hugely productive offense, and head coach Sean McVay is growing increasingly frustrated. We should watch how he handles the coming weeks because he is not happy with a 2-4 team that has now lost three of its four home games this season.
The Indianapolis Colts… This should have been a great “get right” game for the Colts on Sunday… at home against the winless and toothless Tennessee Titans. Final score? Titans 26, Colts 20! Indianapolis are a depressing watch right now. They lost to a quarterback in Cam Ward who threw for just 102 yards. How does that happen? Daniel Jones threw two picks, the Colts lost a fumble and they gave up a touchdown on a blocked punt. This team now has the same 2-4 record as the Texans in the AFC South, but they look worlds apart and on very different courses.
The Fast Five…
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The Rams and Colts are not the only fancied teams struggling at the moment. The Philadelphia Eagles fell to a 25-14 home defeat against the Carolina Panthers. That result marked the first time in his tenure as Eagles coach that Nick Sirianni has lost four in a row. With Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley sidelined, things might not get that much brighter in the coming weeks.
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The Buffalo Bills ran out 33-30 winners over the Las Vegas Raiders, powered by a play of the year touchdown pass from Josh Allen. But let’s give a nod to the Silver and Black here. They are proving to be way more competitive than they were a year ago and Kirk Cousins is absolutely balling.
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The Cleveland Browns are a flawed team that still has lots of room for growth. But they are also a club that plays hard until the very end for head coach Todd Monken. Deshaun Watson found one big play at the death on Sunday, to set up the game-winning field goal and a 13-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Browns are now the unlikely leaders in the AFC North at 4-2.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are nipping at Cleveland’s heels following their 26-19 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6. The Steelers trailed 13-0, but dug their way out of that hole with a strong defensive effort and through the veteran smarts of Aaron Rodgers, who threw the game-winning touchdown to Germie Bernard in overtime.
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The Los Angeles Chargers look an absolute shadow of the team that made the AFC playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs featured more offensive failings – no touchdowns, sacks, turnovers – and it all added up to an 0-6 start to the season. I’ve believed for a couple of weeks now that offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is on the hot seat. But I’m also starting to feel that he will be joined there very soon by head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Fact of the Week
Jacksonville cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter is the first player with a receiving touchdown and an interception in the same game since Philadelphia’s Brian Dawkins in Week 4, 2002 also against the Texans. Hunter’s 7-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter was the second of his career, with the other also coming at Wembley Stadium.
Final Thought…
Walk off field goals are becoming all the rage at these international games in 2026. Tyler Loop got the party started in Week 3 as his 56-yard field goal at the end of regulation lifted Baltimore to a 34-31 win over Dallas in Rio De Janeiro. Cam Little landed a 57-yarder to give Jacksonville the victory over Philadelphia at Tottenham in Week 5 and then the Jags were on the wrong end of that equation on Sunday thanks to Fairbairn’s field goal at Wembley. And now the roadshow travels through Europe, starting with Paris, France on Sunday. Then the NFL party is off to Madrid and Munich. Let’s hope for a few more dramatic finishes on our side of the Atlantic before the final international regular season game takes place in Mexico in late November.