Week 5 Six-Pack: Six Takeaways From Sunday's Slate
Updated: 44 minutes ago
Even in "down" weeks the NFL still delivers. Sunday wasn't the best slate of games we've seen this year, but there were still games in every time slot, including the early bird game in London, that brought the dramatics.
Both undefeated teams stayed that way (to my demise), the Texans finally got in the win column, and the Packers throttled the Bears in Lambeau. The Lions got back on track, and the Chargers continue to be the biggest embarrassment in the league.
As always, I have a lot of thoughts after watching 12 hours of football. Here's what was top of mind for me after Sunday night.
No. 1: No one knows the best way to kick the ball off with less than 10 seconds to play
Just two weeks ago - ironically also overseas - the Cowboys botched the last 7 seconds of the game.
They kicked the ball out of the end zone for a touchback and gave the Ravens the ball at the 35 with time to run a play and call a timeout. Kick the ball in bounds, and Baltimore's only chance of winning would be a pitchy-pitchy woo-woo (which they wouldn't have tried since it was tied).
Nick Sirianni took note. He wasn't going to make the same mistake his division rival did.
So as Philly took the lead with 8 seconds left on Sunday morning, Sirianni kept it in play. Tackle the ball carrier and the Eagles pull off a potentially season-changing upset.
Except they forgot to tackle, and Jacksonville returned the kick 53 yards and set up Cam's not-so Little leg to kick a pooch shot 57-yarder to send the Eagles home on a long, long, overseas flight home.
The two scenarios aren't apples to apples. But they were both handled incorrectly.
Dallas forgot Baltimore had a timeout. Since they had one in their pocket, the 3-5 seconds off the clock on a kick return would essentially end regulation time, as no play of 30+ yards takes less than 4 seconds to run. So in their case, keeping the ball in play made more sense.
In Philly's case, Jacksonville didn't have any timeouts, so whether or not you kick the ball out of the endzone is irrelevant, as they would've only had one play to run anyway (assuming they don't allow them to get out of bounds).
I guess you can't assume anything with the Eagles, but in their case kicking the touchback would've made more sense. With 8 seconds and no timeouts, you're esentially granting the Jaguars an extra free play (the kickoff, since the clock automatically stops).
It's funny to see how reactionary coaches are, and I couldn't help but wonder if Sirianni would've played it differently had Dallas not just failed so epically in a nearly identical situation.
But he, like Shottenheimer, played it wrong. It's simple math, and with all the analytic nerds in the press boxes and payroll of these teams, it's amazing how simple subtraction from 10 trips so many coaches up.
No. 2: Dan Quinn will get more blame than he deserves (and Jayden Daniels will get less)
At least Nick Sirianni was gifted this game to take some of the heat off his mistake.
Holy hell was this bad.
That was the most mis-managed clock in the infamous history of clock mismanagements.
I won't go into details of this incredibly messy/exciting game, but the last minute will rue in infamy in Washington for years to come.
With no timeouts the Commanders had a running clock with ~50 seconds left, and I assumed as did millions watching they'd either get the ball to the hash the kicker wanted and spike it, or just throw the ball away a couple times to kill the remaining seconds and make the field goals the last play of the game.
But instead they ran a pass play, and Jayden hit his patented shimmy shake after the first read was covered and fell in bounds instead of throwing the ball away. With no timeouts the game ended in a tie.
Now of course there's a whole lot of blame that goes on the coach. What was the plan there? Why take so long to snap the ball if you wanted to run another play? How fucking stupid are you? Stuff like that.
But I'm already tired of hearing people say "you need to let Jayden know he needs to throw the ball away".
First of all, do you really think they didn't say that at all? You really think they just called in the play and told Jayden to be himself and do what he does best? Offensive lineman are telling reporters that having no timeouts was mentioned in the huddle.
Secondly - and more importantly - he should know it anyway!!
What kind of quarterback is so situationally unaware he doesn't know - as he's standing in the rain watching the clock wind for 30+ seconds - that the team doesn't have a timeout? That the only thing he can't do is the one thing he did?
I struggle to put all the blame on the coaching. I struggle to believe they were so negligent in their duties to not tell the QB they didn't have a timeout.
Maybe that's on me. But if even if they were that negligent, how can I still not look at Jayden Daniels and say "you also didn't know?"
That level of mistake makes the coaches elegible for firing. And while I highly doubt it will, at least to the level it deserves, it should also cast a wide, wide shadow on Jayden Daniels. Ball's in your hands. I blame him more than anyone.
No. 3: Drake Maye has his swagger back
How long ago does that Jacksonville game feel?
While I was puffing my chest out last week that the Patriots were back, I was quietly nervous about this game, as a dud would've slammed the brakes on any momentum we gained in Buffalo.
In a classic trap game after a season-turning win, against a surprisingly formidable Raiders team and two of our top 3 WRs on IR, there was plently reason to be skeptical.
But instead we stepped on the Raiders throat early and never took our foot off. This game was over by the second quarter, and for nearly two hours I was able to watch offensive football porn, starring Drake Maye.
Drake officially got his nickname back Sunday. Drake "Drake Maye" Maye played one of the best games of football anyone in the league has played this year, and maybe his best as a pro.
26/34, 374 yards, 4 TDs, 0 turnovers. Oh and 25 yards rushing with a TD.
Absolutely lethal. He was pushing the ball down field like we hadn't seen all year. His footwork was improved, and he was making plays on-time and off-script.
It was awesome to watch. The boy has his swagger back.
This game brought back all the good feels from last year. After a big time win in Buffalo, they didn't flinch. They didn't allow a letdown when so many teams would, and instead played even better. They were hungrier, crisper, all while they continue to be decimated with injuries.
This was the game to cement that the season is on. The Patriots are not to be played with. And we have our quarterback back.
No 4: Davis Webb may not have been the Broncos' problem
The big story coming into this week was that Sean Payton was taking back the playcalling in Denver. Davis Webb was granted those duties in the offseason, and it felt inevitable that Payton would take them back if the Broncos struggled offensively at any point this season.
He's an offensive genius, after all.
Well the offensive genius took the call sheet back today, and against the hapless Chargers didn't fair much better than Webb has the first few weeks.
In fact, it was worse.
Bo Nix had his lowest yards of any game this season with 123. Both of their TD drives started on their side of the field, and they mustered just one drive over 41 yards all game.
"Well they turned it on in the fourth quarter".
Not offensively they didn't. Sure they scored 13 points. But after their *satirical* massive 41-yard drive to tie the game, the Chargers self-imploded yet again and handed it to them, as the Broncos gained 38 total yards on their last two FG drives combined. All four 4th quarter drives started inside the Chargers 40 yard line. So this wasn't a classic Broncos second half stampede.
And even if it was, that's no different than before. People forget this was also the same issue last year (when Payton was calling the plays), as they came charging back with second half comebacks after laying eggs in the eastern Colorado plains for the first two quarters of nearly every game.
The Broncos offensive woes were not due to their coordinator. And although I just took some playful jabs at Sean Payton, I do think he's an all time great coach who isn't to blame here either.
The one constant is the quarterback. When Bo is on he's ON, but he's off far too often. They don't have the greatest of playmakers around him, but they don't have scrubs either. This offense should produce more, but they consistently don't.
Despite being 3-2 against a ridiculously hard schedule, the Broncos offense doesn't have a ton to feel good about right now. But Davis Webb is not the reason why.
No. 5: Mike Evans is still a WR1
Turn the clocks back Mike! He almost single-handedly won this game for the 49ers.
Despite the high score of this game, both offenses weren't able to move the ball with much ease. I think Brady said it best on the broadcast, saying how this was the highest scoring defensive game he's ever seen (or something like that; notice how I didn’t put it in quotes).
It was a sloppy game, and Seattle continued to gift SF short field and in some cases literal TDs in the first half. But when the Niners started returning the favor in the third quarter, it felt like they blew their chance.
Then Brock Purdy started throwing to Mike Evans.
And the boy couldn’t miss. One of the most underrated WRs in the history of the league showed he's still got it. 1st and 20. 3rd and 10. 2nd and 21. Two point conversion to go up 3.
In what was the best stat of the day - Mike Evans had 75 receiving yards on the Niners' go ahead 74-yard TD drive in the fourth quarter.
Lol. With the amount of penalties San Francisco committed on that drive, Mike Evans individually contributed one more yard than the drive technically was.
And he was feeling himself.
I love when older, seasoned veterans turn back the clocks. The greatest to ever do it were great for a reason, and although they may not do it was as much regularity as we're used to, they still have what made them great in them.
If this version of Mike Evans continues to show up, the Niners are going to be a REAL problem. Cause they had no business winning that game. They just had the best player on the field wearing red and gold.
No. 6: The Browns are still the Browns
Oh, Browns.
Riding high after three straight wins, the Browns visited the only other team Mike Tomlin's recent quote could naturally apply to.
And both teams played like they earned that title.
I know the weather was bad, but no one seemed to want to win this game.
The Jets waltzed down the field for an opening drive TD then did absolutely nothing the rest of the game. They emassed just one drive over 25 yards the last three and a half quarters, and that was for 40 yards. That's Chargers level shit.
The Browns weren't much better, having two drives totaling more than 31 yards the entire game themselves.
But things got even messier in the 4th. Down 4, Deshaun hit Isiah Bond for a 30-yard strike to move into Jets territory. From there, the Browns committed two pre-snap penalties and took two sacks, resulting in a hilarious 4th and 38 punt.
Cleveland then rebounded and took the lead, then strip sacked Geno to take possession of the ball in plus territory again with four minutes to go up two.
They followed that opportunity up with a quick three and out - including two of three plays being incompletions and stopping the clock - and then this.
The Jets then ran the ball on 3rd and 9 for a 22-yard TD and ended up winning the game.
It was peak Browns. It was "Browns gonna Browns" as Tomlin would say.
Turns out, this team hasn't changed a bit. They beat the Jets at their own game; "how to lose a game in 100 ways".
Both teams tried, but the Browns prevailed. And Cleveland fans' run of thinking this team was different than years past is already over. What a 10 days that was.
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