We’re nearing the midpoint of the NFL season, and it doesn’t feel real. This season is flying by, and that means we’re starting to figure out which teams are for real.

Looking at the film this week, defensive coordinators across the league were in their bag, producing upsets and dominant primetime performances. Not only that, but despite struggling to catch the ball, there’s a pass catcher in New England who still looks dominant.

Here are the takeaways from Week 6 of the NFL after watching the games back.

Packers turn up the heat

The Green Bay Packers dominated the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, and it was because of the defense. Dallas couldn’t keep up with the Packers’ offense. Why? Because of what the Packers’ defense was able to do. It’s the second week in a row the Cowboys’ offense has struggled under pressure, after Tampa Bay the week before.

Green Bay defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon blitzed 35.7 percent of the time, resulting in a pressure rate of 41.1 percent. He used a lot of weak-side pressure packages, meaning that if the Cowboys were in a 3×1 formation, the Packers sent more blitzers to the weak side to overwhelm Dallas’s protection. What’s fun is watching how well-coached this front seven is in the scheme. Edges Lukas Van Ness, Dani Dennis-Sutton, and Brenton Cox Jr. did a great job understanding when they had to peel off or rush the passer.

The defender who was all over the field was safety Evan Williams. He repeatedly got in for pressure against Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott via the weak-side pressure. Gannon got creative with Williams, because on a blitz look, Williams was lined up like he was going to blitz. Williams dropped back as the Packers were in a Cover 4 look, then read Prescott’s eyes perfectly for an interception across the middle.

Not only was Williams impressive, but the Packers got good games out of defensive tackle Karl Brooks and corner Carrington Valentine throughout the game. This Packers defense hasn’t been doing it just because of its run-game limitations. But the unit is elite against the pass, ranking third in EPA per pass allowed with -0.16. Part of that is thanks to what Gannon has gotten out of his unit and the unique pressure packages he’s brought to Green Bay.

Bears saving grace

Chicago Bears fans know just how good defensive back Kyler Gordon can be when he’s on the field; the issue is he hasn’t been. He played five games last season and entered this season on the physically unable to perform list due to a calf injury.

In Week 6 against the Falcons, Chicago activated him off the PUP list and made an immediate impact. Gordon finished the day with four tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles. Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen clearly missed Gordon because, on 16 of his snaps on the day, he was blitzing for the majority of them.

Allen utilized a lot of double-mug looks that would get Falcons running back Bijan Robinson to step up, but those rushers in the A gaps were simulated pressures. Since Robinson stepped up, he was too late to retrace to Gordon, who’d come screaming around the edge.

It’s no surprise that Allen likes to blitz. The Bears rank fifth in the entire league in blitz percentage at 39.7 percent. With Gordon back in the lineup, Allen turned up the pressure even more. Chicago blitzed Atlanta 56.4 percent of the time, making it hard for Michael Penix Jr. to operate efficiently.

While this Bears defense isn’t close to elite, its one saving grace is Allen. He can create unique pressure packages and put his players into good positions to succeed. We saw that with Gordon last week.

Arizona outcoached Sean McVay?

Well, no one saw that coming. The Arizona Cardinals upset the Los Angeles Rams 18-16 to give Los Angeles its fourth loss this season. We haven’t even hit November yet, and the idea of the Rams having four losses already is just absurd. No one would’ve said that with confidence in June.

The upset wasn’t lucky or some 50/50 plays going the Cardinals’ way; they straight-up outcoached the Rams. Los Angeles has one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL, so it’s surprising they didn’t utilize it more in this game. Regardless, much of the credit for this game goes to Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis. He turned up the heat against the Rams, forcing Matthew Stafford into questionable decisions.

Rallis utilized double-gap pressures in which he’d send two rushers through the same gap. Didn’t matter if it was from the field or boundary side. He’d send two blitzers, usually a backer and a corner, into the B gap, forcing Rams running back Kyren Williams to choose one. The one Williams didn’t block would get a free rush on Stafford, forcing him to decide. Stafford had a good game against the blitz as well, he was just limited to pushing the ball down the field.

It wasn’t just the Cardinals’ pressure packages. The front four did some work. It was the best game of the season from defensive tackle Walter Nolen, who the Cardinals hope can have a big second year in the league.

What was weird watching this tape back is that it didn’t feel like Rams head coach Sean McVay had an answer. Whether it was the double-gap pressure or the double-mug, the Cardinals would come out in. The Rams’ offense could never get on schedule, and when it did, the Cardinals usually forced a turnover. A confusing, but deserved win for Arizona.

AJ Brown still has it

We didn’t know what to expect from AJ Brown coming into this season with the New England Patriots. He’s a 29-year-old receiver coming off his worst season in years, by his standards. So, naturally, questions followed. In the first game of this season, he hurt his ankle, which is a tough injury to battle back from at the receiver position. Still, he came back, and he looked good against New York.

Yes, we’re not going to shy away from the fact that he fumbled the ball and dropped three passes that day. Still, he ranked eighth in the NFL in target share (for Week 6) and led the Patriots in routes run and snaps for receivers.

On tape, he still has the juice to get open. He was open on the majority of the routes he ran against New York, and even though he dropped the go route down the sideline, he had a savvy move to swat the cornerbacks’ arms off of him to create separation. He did look a tad slower than he used to, but that could be due to rust. Brown looks like the weapon that can unlock this Patriots offense and get Drake Maye back into the MVP quarterback we’re used to seeing on a weekly basis.

The chemistry will only get better, and Brown won’t drop two passes every week.