The Panthers' strong play wasn't enough as the Bengals earned a 34-24 road win

Panthers fans woke up this morning to the possibility of a two-game winning streak. It was a concept that Carolina had forgotten due to last season's misery, but after the team's first win in Las Vegas, Andy Dalton filled Bank of America Stadium with optimism.

He faces his old team, the Bengals, where Chuba Hubbard chugged into the end zone for a draw. Rookie Xavier Legette followed with his first NFL touchdown and celebrated with a horse gallop dance full of verve. Trailing 21-14 at halftime, the Panthers honored legend Julius Peppers as he received his Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence. Fueled by inspiration, the Red Rifle took a shot at Diontae Johnson in consecutive weeks. A solid fight, but the Bengals held out for a long time and handed the Panthers their third loss of the season (34-24).

The Panthers travel to Chicago next Sunday.

Commanders fans are smiling so much these days that their faces are getting sore. It was a gratifying sight to watch Jayden Daniels flourish with a rushing touchdown and a 26-30 passing dime for Washington's third straight win, 42-14, over Arizona.

Former Wallace-Rose Hill star Javonte Williams had his best game of the season for the Broncos with 16 carries for 77 yards in Denver's 10-9 win over the Jets.

Up in the CFL, Justin Hardy continues to be as consistent as a Canadian getting a donut from Tim Hortons. The former Pirate had five receptions for 111 yards in his seventh 100-yard receiving game. With three games left, Hardy has 1,241 yards.

East Carolina finally ended its losing streak yesterday with a 30-20 win over UTSA. Jake Garcia rushed for a touchdown and threw two scores, while the defense forced three turnovers with two picks and a fumble recovery. The perfect balance of great play on both sides of the ball ensured that head coach Mike Houston was pleased with the result and looked forward to building on this game.

Next up for ECU is Charlotte, hoping for a revenge win against the 49ers.

I'm staying with ECU, but on the field. Sydney Schnell's power leg scored not one, but two goals against North Texas today. That brought the total number of senior seasons this year to five, and the Pirates shut out the Mean Green 3-0 to secure their second conference win.

The five best games of week six:

Honorable Mention: Samari Cabell from DH Conley with a perfect touchdown pass to Jacob Stilley

5. Southwest Edgecombe's Nydariun Daniels' kickoff return touchdown

4. Kinston's Tyreek Copper's 86-yard screen pass touchdown reception

3. Havelock's Kendrick Kelly rolls over defenders on his way to his second touchdown

2. New Bern's Ivion Smith fumbled the football midway through the game, but recovered it for a long lead

1. Washington's Evan Makepeace continued to move his feet and force his way into the end zone for a great score.