There is no long preamble this week heading into the headlines.
There are a couple of interesting points, though. The two remaining undefeated teams are guaranteed to stay undefeated at week’s end. Ironically, the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings have the week off with an early bye.
And two more QBs are making their first NFL starts this week. Plenty of chatter and speculation is swirling around Patriots rookie Drake Maye. The third pick has been watching from the bench, as the two QBs taken in front of him have been making headlines all week. Both Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels have winning records and would be in the playoffs if the season ended today… Daniels’ Commanders are in first place, sitting at 4-1. Maye has even had to see the no.12 pick Bo Nix lead the Broncos to a 3-2 record.
Although Maye’s ascension has been highly anticipated, there hasn’t been any chatter or buzz around the other rookie starting today. Derek Carr was knocked out of last week’s game against the Chiefs. Fifth-round draft pick Spencer Rattler is tasked with starting this week against the Buccaneers. The game is being played in New Orleans in front of a friendly audience, who should be forgiving of miscues.
But make no mistake about it: this is an important game for the Saints. After starting the season 2-0, they’ve now lost three in a row and are reeling. A losing record is a statistical anomaly for a team that is still +44 in pt differential. They are playing the 3-2 Bucs, and considering this is a division where nobody gets too far ahead, I would not be shocked to see the Saints walk away with the win, leaving both teams with a 3-3 record by game’s end.
If Rattler does play well, win or lose, for Maye’s part, he’d better as well. Patriot Nation is pinning all their hopes on him. He also has a tough draw, facing the Texans, who have a staunch defense that loves to sack the quarterback. Five or more sacks isn’t out of the question. It’s one thing for the no.1, no.2, and even no.12 pick to play well…but if a fifth-round QB outperforms Maye, there’ll be immediate questions in Foxboro.
Here are the main headlines entering wk.6:
Not the Same Old Story: Week 6 began Thursday when the 49ers played the Seahawks in Seattle. It was almost a must-win for the Niners, who were sitting with a surprising 2-3 record. A loss to take them to 2-4, two games behind the Seahawks, would have been a tough place to be after six weeks.
One of San Fransisco’s recent problems is its inability to hold leads. They held double-digit leads in two of their three losses…and Thursday night was trending the same way. They were ahead 16-3 at the half and extended the lead to 23-3. Two quick TDs by Seattle brought them to within one score, trailing 23-17. But the Niners could withstand the rally and put up two TDs to prevail 36-24. Maybe they’ve turned the corner.
Next, Next, Next man up: RB Christian McCaffrey is still out. And Jordan Mason left the game with a shoulder injury…enter Isaac Guerendo, who had 10 rushes with 99 yards. It’s good to be deep but unsustainable in the long term. The bottom line is this team isn’t going deep into the playoffs with McCaffrey. And they miss the playoffs entirely.
Second of the Year: The dynamic kickoff saw its second TD return during the SF-Seattle game. Seattle’s Laviska Shenault returned a third-quarter kickoff 97 yards for a TD, which jump-started their comeback, which ultimately fell a bit short. The dynamic kickoff may prove to actually be dynamic. This formation does lend itself to more opportunities for long returns and TDs.
Five for Five: George Kittle is having a sneaky great year. In the five games he’s played, he has 28 catches for 283 yards. Those numbers are somewhat pedestrian, averaging a little over five catches per game. But of those 28 catches, five have been TDs. He had a career-high of 11 TDs in 2022, and he’s on pace to obliviate that figure. With McCaffrey out, someone has to pick up the slack, and it seems Kittle is the man.
Toughest Test Yet: The Commanders and Jayden Daniels keep surpassing expectations. They are now 4-1, in first place in the NFC East, and in just about everyone’s top 10 list. Daniels is the early runaway favorite to win Rookie of the Year, and he’s even now beginning to get into MVP chatter.
This week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens on the road will be their toughest test yet. There’d be no shame in losing, but style points do count here. It will create one narrative if they get blown out and lose 35-13. If they lose a tough back-and-forth affair, losing 28-27, that will paint a different picture. And if they actually leave the field with a W, that will officially make the Commanders the story and the team of the year. A 5-1 record will catapult them into the top five in the league.
Thank God for London: The Jaguars seem to be London’s team. They seem to go every year and have even gotten two games across the pond in a season. And they tend always to play well and jumpstart their season upon their return. Maybe it’s the fish and chips or bangers and mash, but whatever it is, it has worked.
They just won the season’s first game and are playing against the Bears this week. Although the Bears are sitting at 3-2, they are beatable. The key to the game will be whether Jacksonville’s defense can get to Caleb Williams and disrupt his timing. If they can, they can leave London 2-4.
Ready for Primetime?: There are two primetime games this week. The Bengals go to the Meadowlands to play the Giants on Sunday Night. If this game could have been flexed, I wonder if the league would have done it. And on Monday night, the Bills face off against the Jets as well as at the Meadowlands. The Bengals are 1-4 but still have one of the best QBs in the league, Joe Burrow. But it remains to be seen that despite whatever video game numbers he puts up, the Bengals are ready for primetime. And we know the Giants aren’t.
In the other game, the Bills are a primetime draw, and the Jets are the Jets, led by Aaron Rodgers. But each team is coming off two games losing streaks, with one heading to three consecutive losses. Logic says the Jets will lose, but they just fired their HC. They do have Rodgers, and frankly, the Bills have looked awful in the last two weeks. Josh Allen was only 9-30, and the Jets defense is solid. Can the Bills really lose three in a row? If they do, another New York HC will be in jeopardy…Bills HC Sean McDermott.